Perfection in the Fear of God
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2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
14. Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15. What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16. What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, 18. and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 7. 1.Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.
Verse 14 really says all that needs to be said! We are not to “hang around” with unbelievers. That group would include those who say they are believers but don’t act or live as if they are. Life is hard enough without intentionally throwing ourselves into tough situations.
Maybe you are surrounded at your job by unbelievers. Every day you go to work, your soul is at risk! Or . . . every day you go to work, you are given the opportunity to minister to God’s world. Kind of like the glass is half empty/half full scenario, isn’t it.
If you are in a situation where you struggle against darkness, idols, sin, know that you are not alone. We are the temple of the living God and that is what makes us able to resist, to bear up, to conquer the darkness, the idolatry, the sin in our lives. Sometimes we have no choice but to go where “the unbelievers” are. But we have a choice about how we prepare for the journey. And we can decide anew each day that we will not be defiled by the world. We can choose to strive for holiness and perfection.
Fearing God is not a bad thing! When I was young, I feared punishment from my parents if I disobeyed (not that I was a “perfect” child!) As I grew older, I learned the rules at school and then behind the wheel of a car. I adhered to the rules of the workplace and ultimately to the “rules of the world.” At various points along the way, we pick and choose what rings true to us. We decide that certain “rules” are unjust. We follow a different path than the one the world offers. It can be lonely sometimes. But it is certainly worth it.
Living in the fear of God provides me tremendous comfort and peace when I decide to follow Him versus the world. I have much greater fear of never seeing him in heaven than I do of not being accepted and loved by anyone in this world. I long for heaven. I try, very hard, to make that the basis for each decision I make along the way - whether it is to obey the speed limit, not to rob a bank, or succumb to the temptations of this world.
My prayer today is that you will keep yourself apart from the unbelievers. And that if you must be among them you may be a beacon and a hope.
Mary
