Malachi 2:5 “My
covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them
to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my
name.”
Reverence
is something that appears to be missing in our present world. That’s a pity
because reverence is such a wonderful gift to experience. Giving reverence to
God means to humble yourself before Him, as well as surrendering to His will
and simply choosing to serve Him. There’s a great peace that can come into a
person’s soul when, as the psalmist wrote long ago, their ‘delight is in the
Lord.’
In
midst of our daily stresses, artificial urgencies, and constant pressures, we
could learn a lot from the people and prophets in the past who devoted their
days to the Lord. It wasn’t always easy, but there seemed to be more
satisfaction in sacred things and holy ways. I sometimes wonder if we aren’t ‘gadgetizing’
ourselves to an early grave and a purposeless life simply because we’ve become
technologically distracted from the mysteries, wonders, and beauty of God.
As
we head into another church year (Advent is the beginning of the Christian
calendar), perhaps we should try to recapture the blessing of revering God with
our time, our thoughts, and our devotion. It could be the beginning of a new
life for each of us…J.
Question for
personal reflection
What can I do
with my life to make reverence of God a choice and not an inconvenience?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You revered God
throughout Your life on Earth. You taught us how important revering God should
be in our lives. Forgive us for being distracted with unimportant things and
tasks. Help us to reclaim time to honestly and simply revere God. In Your Holy
Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.
John also has signed limited edition signed prints
of this beautiful drawing. Just contact him by email for details.
