Healthy Fear

 I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.”  Luke 12:4 (ESV)

Godless people attempt to control the world through fear. God rules the universe and should be feared but, for now, does not force us to fear Him.

Those who use fear to motivate have no legitimate authority. One who has legitimate power needs not coerce people into submission. One who has legitimate power and authority never needs to place fear in peoples’ hearts in order to maintain their authority. We do not fear people, for they are power pretenders who will one day stand before the universe’s legitimate “power,” and answer for the lives they have lived.

We fear God because He is a legitimate power, and our fear unleashes His mercy and grace on our behalf. We fear because we know that God will hold us accountable to all we have said and done. We fear because we will be exposed, and we know that if we get destroyed, it will be because of our choices, not His.

Healthy fear is one that fears the truth and what the truth will expose. Healthy people realize this and work their entire lives trying to understand and apply truth, so that the day of judgement will be one of rejoicing rather than a disaster. For now, the choice is ours.