Fear Not... Then Remember

Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. (Deuteronomy 4:9 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Remember

I am often afraid of heights.

Last week, I climbed up a ladder to re-attach some siding to the eaves of our roof.  The first time up the ladder, I was terrified.  When I got to the top, I dropped the siding.  So, I climbed back down.  When I got to the top, I dropped my hammer.  So, I climbed back down.  When I got to the top, I could not quite reach the place I needed to hammer.  So, I climbed back down.  When I got to the top, I attached a section of the siding, but could not reach the other edge.  So, I climbed back down.

You get the idea.

But something happened to my fear.  Each time I made it to the top without disaster, I relaxed a little.  Each time my feet were firm all the way up and down the rungs, I was less nervous.  Each time I successfully climbed and descended, I learned.

I was still a bit afraid, mind you.  It was a long way down!

But I remembered that disaster was averted… repeatedly.

And I had reason to be less afraid.

God tells the Israelites to remember His help.  He tells them to remember diligently the help that they had seen and experienced.  And He promises that remembering will help next time.

When God brings you safely past your fears… do not forget.

Remember His help.  Remember His safety.  Remember His love. 

And next time, the reasons for fear might not seem so reasonable.

Fear not, then remember.

Fear Not... Then Go Home

When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. (Acts 18:22 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Go Home

Home is where we go after we are done being scared.  My dog knows this, so he runs to his bed after the thunder thunders.  Soldiers know this, so they return to camp after the battle.  Storm-chasers know this, so they return home when the storm season is done.  Patients know this, so they go home after urgent care is finished.

And Paul knew this.  His missions trip was terrifying, but God had walked with him and taught Paul peace.  Paul had faced stoning, endured beating, argued tough arguments, and often been apparently alone.  But the Christ empowered, enabled, and encouraged Paul, and he did not fear.

And afterwards… before Paul resumed his work, he went to the starting place of the trip.  He went home to Antioch.

There is more work to do.  There is more struggle ahead.  There is more fear to face.

But first, God usually gives us a home to go to… for a time.

Maybe home is not your own address right now.  Maybe home is a worship service.  Maybe home is a telephone call.  Maybe home is an old letter.  Maybe home is a face to smile at.  Maybe home is a good book.  Maybe home is a time of prayer. 

Fear not, then go home.

Fear Not... Then Get Help

So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him.   And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah.  (I Kings 19:19-20)

Fear Not… Then Get Help

John Harrison, the man who invented a particular kind of clock that solved western civilization’s navigation problems in the 18th century, finally asked for help.  But only after he had been granted Parliament’s financial reward.  Parliament, trusting that Harrison was about to be successful, treated him as if he had already completed his work. 

When the fear was gone, he was able to ask for help.  After he no longer felt the pressure and resulting fear caused by his repeated failure, he was able to ask for help.  Whether it was his pride, or his insecurity, or his caution, he finally was emotionally able to ask for help.

He received it… the clock was finished… and the world was changed.

Somehow, the urgent need for his invention stopped him from being willing to ask for help.  But after he no longer felt the urgency, he sought assistance. 

Elijah sought help after his fear was gone, too.  He recruited an assistant.  He recruited an heir.  He recruited someone to take his mantel, literally. (II Kings 2:13)

A Christian’s help is always the Lord.  Salvific help, and all help, is the benchmark of life in Christ. But God gives us human helpers, too.  He gives us an Elisha.  Or a Jonathan.  Or a Joseph.  Or a Silas.  Or a John Mark.  Or me.  Or you.

Fear Not... Then Say Hard Things

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. (I Kings 18:17,18 ESV)

Fear Not, Then Say Hard Things

Sometimes God gets us past our fear so that we can speak difficult truths.  This was the case for Elijah.  He had been afraid.  He had been pursued.  He had been in danger.  He had been alone.

But God showed Elijah the answer to fear:  it is the presence of God, Himself. (I Kings 17:6, 13, 16, 23) Elijah knew what Paul later wrote, that if God is with us, who is strong enough to be against us? (Romans 8:28)

And afterwards, Elijah was able to speak the truth.  Elijah was able to answer confident, kingly, powerful Ahab’s accusations with God’s truth.  Elijah was able to disregard popularity, worldly acceptance, and public opinion. 

He told Ahab what Ahab did not want to hear.

He told Ahab the hard truth.

After fear, we can speak the truth, too.  Not our own truth, certainly.  Not our human opinion, certainly.  Not our favorite soap-box presentation, certainly.

But God’s truth.  Sin is sin.  And God’s mediator, Jesus Christ is necessary.

Most folk do not want to hear it.

But we get to speak it, after fear is gone!

Fear not, then say hard things.

Fear Not... Then Don't Keep It a Secret

And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples. (Acts 14:29-28 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Don’t Keep It Secret

Paul and Barnabas had experienced God at work.  Most recently, they had been misunderstood, misrepresented, and mistreated.  And those troubles had ‘opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.’ 

And next, they spread the good news by spreading the good news about what had happened. 

Paul and Barnabas understood that everything that happened to them happened for one reason: to spread the good news about Jesus.  And that included talking about what had happened afterwards.

They did not keep it to themselves.  Because it was not their secret.  It was God’s trumpet blast of the gospel.

Paul and Barnabas took the next step beyond their fears, and God’s overcoming of those fears.  They spoke of it.  They spent a lot of time speaking about it.

Let us copy them.  How often do we talk about God’s victory over our fears?

Or do we feel kind of embarrassed that we had been afraid in the first place? 

Or do we, after it is all done, downplay God’s grand work?

Or do we think it is no one else’s business?

Or do we not want to draw attention to ourselves, forgetting that it would be drawing attention to the gospel?

The wonderful acts of God do not end in what happens to us.  It continues as we spread the news.

Fear not, then don’t keep it secret.

Fear Not... Then Abstain

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (I Peter 2:11 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Abstain

I like the Cruise Control setting on my car. 

When I am focused and paying attention to my surroundings, I do not generally speed.  But when I am relaxed, at peace, and enjoying the drive, my natural inclination to drive FAST engages.  I should just be mature enough to not speed.  But the passions of the flesh wage war against my wellbeing.  So, I turn on the Cruise Control.

When we are no longer quite so afraid, we can become less vigilant.  And our personal wants, yearnings, and felt needs slip into the driver’s seat.  Instead of carefully observing what God wants, yearns for, and has declared He needs us to do, we become cozy.

Peter says to stay focused on the Christ instead of on other things.

Not out of fear.  But out of habit, focus, attention, and knowledge.

Fear not, then abstain.

Fear Not... Then Be Restored

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (I Peter 5:10 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Be Restored

We used to tell our exhausted football players during practice, “No pain, no gain!”  They did not like that phrase, however encouragingly the coaches intended it…

Peter probably would have worded it a little differently.  He would not be telling the boys that pain causes gain.  But he would be telling them that pain precedes gain.

Notice that list of things Christ does for us after we suffer.

He restores us.  Not only to our pre-suffering health, but to the pre-Adam presence of God!

He confirms us.  Not only to give us confidence, but confirming us to our true identity as the children of God!

He strengthens us.  Not only so that we can achieve our goals, but so that we can do what HE loves His children to do.

He establishes us.  Not only so that we have a home, but so that we have HIS home.

And the next verse is good news.  If God was restoring, confirming, strengthening, and establishing us because we were somehow brilliant in His eyes, I would be insecure.  I would be afraid all over again.  What if I become less brilliant tomorrow?  If His actions are my reward… I know that I didn’t and won’t deserve them.

But Peter puts it in context: To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (I Peter 5:11 ESV)

It is all about HIM.

Fear not, then be restored.

Fear Not... Then Build

Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. (Haggai 1:8 ESV)

Fear not… then build

I once stood outside of a railroad car filled with large burlap bags of carrots.  Our job was to unload that railroad car in summer heat and humidity onto pickup trucks, lined up and waiting.  I saw no way for us to finish that job.  I wondered what I had gotten myself into.  Sure, the paycheck was nice.  But this was beyond work.  I could not imagine that railroad car empty.

The first bags were the hardest.  But rather than look in my imagination to the last bag, I looked at the first bag.  I bent down.  I lifted it onto my shoulder.  I turned around.  I took four steps and dropped the bag into the bed of the pickup.  Then I turned around and repeated.

I learned that when facing a huge task, we have to start, begin, and take the first step.

The returning exiles faced their own railroad car of carrots.  While a thing of great joy, returning home from exile was difficult, dangerous, and scary.  The people of God were opposed by the new natives, by nay-sayers, and by nature’s harshness.  Of course, they were glad to return to Jerusalem, God’s city.  But the task of rebuilding, reforming, and recuperating was daunting.

When we face daunting tasks, sometimes we freeze up.  When we face daunting tasks, sometimes we complain.  When we fact daunting tasks, sometimes we give up. When we face daunting tasks, sometimes we stop trying.

But Haggai instructs us, alongside the Israelites, to build God’s house.  Starting with the beginning steps.  For them, it was finding wood.  What are your first steps to overcoming your problems?

As simplistic as it sounds… our first steps (our first bag of carrots, our first piece of lumber) include prayer, God’s Word, and worshiping God.

Focus on them, and the railroad car empties.

Fear not, then build.

Fear Not... Then Do Your Job

‘So get to work, Zerubbabel!’—God is speaking.

‘Get to work, Joshua son of Jehozadak—high priest!’

‘Get to work, all you people!’—God is speaking.

Yes, get to work! For I am with you.  (Haggai 2:4 The Message)

Fear Not… Then Do Your Job

Haggai’s alarm clock only makes sense in the light of Micah 6:8:

“He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

       but to do justice, and to love mercy,

and to walk humbly with your God?” (ESV)

God has delegated authority to the state, the church, and the family.  And He critiques society in these three areas, finding all three delegated authorities faulty.  The state does not act justly, but tends to act selfishly.  The church does not love mercy, but tends to either overlove or underlove God’s law.  And the family, intended to teach humility, instead teaches pride, entitlement, and self-protection.

So God tells the state to do just things… the church to understand and love mercy… and the family to be humble, knowing our place in God’s economy.

Haggai continues this theme, but with an added urgency.  He writes that those who are God’s stewards (all of us, in some capacity) have fallen asleep at the wheel.  “Wake up!” He says.

And do our work.

Zerubbabel, as king, represents the state.  Wake up, and remember your job!

The High Priest Joshua represents the church.  Wake up, and remember your job!

And “you people” represents the families in the family of God.  Wake up, and remember your job!

No matter when God’s people read Haggai’s message, we need to wake up.  No matter how difficult our situation, we have a job.  No matter how hopeless we feel, we have a job.  No matter how lethargy dampens our joy, we have a job.  No matter how oppressed by God’s enemies, we have a job.

He even tells us how:  He is with us.

Fear not, then do your job.

Fear Not... Then Bless

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. (I Peter 3:9 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Bless

Her name was Rosemary, and she was dying of cancer.  Her body was rapidly degrading, and medical care was unable to slow it down.  Certainly, God could have healed miraculously in this life, but instead He decided to heal miraculously by bringing Rosemary into heaven suddenly and completely healthy.

Whenever anyone visited Rosemary in the hospital, we went away at peace.  She had the right words, the right facial expression, the right attitude.  Those who came to minister to Rosemary, went away having received ministry.

She seemed to understand Peter’s words.

Rather than dwell in bitterness due to the evil of illness, she blessed.  Rather than present anger because of her decline, she blessed.  Rather than complain about unfairness, she blessed.

I think God gives us troubles, brings evil into our lives, and puts us in situations where anger and reviling are normal for just this reason.  So that we can bless someone.

The old response to such difficult is fear.  But instead, we get to bless.

The old response to such troubles is fear.  But now we get to use the troubles as a springboard for blessing someone.

The old response to such evil is fear.  But now we get to ignore the evil and instead find thoughts, words, and ways to bless someone.

Fear not, then bless.

Fear Not... Then Start Over

And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. (Acts 9:21,22 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Start Over

A friend, serving in Panama in the Army, fell asleep on guard duty.  Our nation was not at war, but my friend was busted his rank of Sergeant down to Private, and lost all hard earned privileges and positions.  His sleepiness earned him a black mark on his record that he never overcame.

He soon left the army.

We do not usually get to start over.

But Jesus is the King of starting over. 

Saul was a killer of Christians.  He made havoc in the church, and people remembered.  Later, after Saul’s conversion, when he became an evangelist, those people objected. 

Christ is different than us.  We humans do not often give opportunities for a fresh start.  At best, the fresh starts we offer come with strings attached.  “I’ll give you another chance, but you’d better not mess up again!!!”  Or “I’ll give you another chance, but I’ll be watching you!”

Jesus, on the other hand, unabashedly, outlandishly, and shockingly lets people start over.

Maybe because He realizes how transforming the gospel is, and we sometimes forget.

Maybe because He realizes how necessary the gospel continues to be, and we sometimes forget.

Maybe because He realizes how refreshing starting over is, and we sometimes forget.

Fear not, then start over.

Fear Not... Then Wait

And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.’ (I Kings 11:39 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Wait

A few months ago, the back inside of my Sunday shoe dug a hole in my heel.  I noticed the pain, but I ignored it.  Finally, after far too much time I consulted my Chief Medical Expert, my wife, who looked at it and was astonished.  It was a strange, deep, swelling wound.  She prescribed some wound care treatment, and I settled in for a long healing process.

It hurt for a long time

But once my wife got involved, I knew the pain would have an end.

The people of Israel, as King Solomon ended his life and reign, followed Solomon down a rebellious path.  And God was disappointed.  The result was a kingdom broken into North and South, ruled by men that the people deserved.

And it hurt.  It hurt worse than my heel.  God’s people endured Jeroboam and Rehoboam; Ahab and Ahaz; Athaliah and Jezebel.

But before God did any of that, He promised that the pain would not last.  He would not afflict His people forever.

It was the same promise God gave in Genesis, after Adam’s fall.

A savior would come.

Whatever pain we are enduring, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, it will not last.

We do not need to fear our trials and troubles and problems.  They will not las

Because of Jesus, who took our burdens on HIS back.  Even (and maybe especially) the burdens we’ve earned.

Fear not, then wait.

Fear Not... Even When We Keep On Sinning

God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son He loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. (Colossians 1:13, 14 The Message)

Fear Not… Even When We Keep Sinning

It is not that sinning sends us to hell.  It is that sinning, without Jesus, sends us to hell.

Birds fly, fish swim, elephants stomp, dogs jump on the counter, and humans sin.

“Redeemed” does not mean a lack of sin.  “Redeemed” means our sin is put on Jesus’ back.

Sin no longer reigns in us (Romans 6:14-16) not because Christians do not sin, but because Christ’s reign in us covers that sin in God’s all-seeing eyes. 

God’s wrath, which might lead us to fear, has been poured out fully on His Son on the cross. (I John 4:10)

Hate your sin, because God does.  Sin no more, because Jesus commands it.  Yearn for freedom from sin, because we can not wait!  Confess your sin, because for Christians, acknowledging sin is equivalent to clinging to Jesus.

But when you sin today, remember that the reason for fear is gone.

That reason was nailed to the cross.

Fear not, even when we keep sinning.

Fear Not... Then Be Patient

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:7,8 ESV)

Fear Not… Then be Patient

There is a strategy in chess called The Sicilian Defense.  It involves moving one’s pawns in a particular way that sets up a zone on the board that the black player can cover.  I used it a number of times, years ago, but never successfully.  The Sicilian Defense never seemed to work for me.

But I have discovered why.

I used to set it up… and then attack from it.

But the Sicilian Defense requires patience.

It works best when the Defense is set up… and then you wait.  Trusting that it will work.

Just like one of those spiders that waits in its nest.

Just like a carefully defended national border.

Just like a Christian… knowing that God has things under control.

Just like a Christian… knowing that Jesus IS the best defense.

Just like a Christian… knowing that ‘the end’ is already known by Jesus, and He is coming. 

Fear not, then be patient.

Fear Not... Then Open Someone's Eyes

 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  (Acts 9:17 ESV)

Fear Not… and Open Someone’s Eyes

Ananias was not eager to visit Saul.  Saul was a fanatic, a murderer of Christians, an enemy of God’s people.  But God had a plan for Saul.  And so Ananias obeyed.

God’s evangelistic plan was bigger than Ananias’ fears. 

Saul was going to bring God’s Word throughout the Middle East, and all the way to Rome.  He brought light to those dwelling in darkness.  He brought hope to those in despair.  He brought Jesus to those who needed Him, and Need Him. 

And Ananias moved past his fear as a part of that process.

He opened Saul’s eyes, so Paul could open the world’s.

Ananias might not see that he had a part in God’s plan.  Ananias might not see that his fear of Saul was a roadblock to the gospel.  Ananias might not see that opening Saul’s eyes, while not brazenly gospely-y,  brought Jesus to Rome. 

But Ananias listened to God instead of to fear.  And look what happened.

Maybe the things we continue to fear are part of that process, too.  Maybe moving past our fears is how God will bring His light to those in darkness.

Fear not, and open someone’s eyes.

Fear Not... Then Grow Up

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2-4 The Message)

Fear Not… Then Grow Up

I did not learn how to read until college.

In high school, I thought I was reading.  But I would do homework for one class while in another class.  I knew my teachers’ methods, and knew how they used textbooks, so I never had to actually deeply read.  I skimmed, seeking confirming information that I had heard from my teachers’ lectures.

And then college.

I almost failed my entire first semester.  Primarily because I did not know how to read with a highlighter in one hand, with an outline forming in my mind, with an attitude of trying to learn.

That process of relearning how to read was difficult.  I wanted to take shortcuts.  I wanted to go back to easy skimming.

But I learned how to read… and grew up.

Sometimes the troubles God sends us work that way, too.  We want to avoid them.  We want to get out of the pit.  We want to have a solution now… quickly… easily.

But God has something in mind.  Whatever we are enduring, He is teaching us maturity. 

It is hard… but the result, after the fear of the troubles is gone, is peace, sufficiency, and maturity.

Fear not, then grow up.

Fear Not... Then Remember the King

…then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.  (I Kings 9:5 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Remember the King

Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie once promised a nephew that Carnegie would purchase a particular toy for the young boy’s birthday.  The two traveled from store to store, seeking the toy, unsuccessfully.

It looked like Carnegie would not be able to keep his promise.

But instead, Carnegie surprised everyone.  He marched into the headquarters of the company that manufactured the toy and bought the company.

He then went out to the warehouse, selected the toy, and placed it in his nephew’s hands.

Sometimes when it seems a promise is unkeepable, the promiser can surprise.

God promised His people, Israel, that someone from David’s line would always be King.  It must have been disheartening for the Israelites when Babylon dethroned the last King of Judah.  They must have doubted, like Andrew Carnegie’s nephew.

But God did not forget His promise.  He kept it.  Because His promise was bigger than they thought.  God did not intend that someone would be merely an earthly King… He promised that SOMEONE would be King.

Jesus was King of God’s People.  And He still is today.

It might seem at times that God is not keeping His promises.  But He has always shown that He always will keep them.  Often not in the way we expect… but usually, better.

Fear not, then remember the King.

Fear Not... Then Jesus

In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. (Isaiah 6:9 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Jesus

I was recalling recently one of my best friends from high school.  My high school days were not exactly miserable, but I did endure a number of rough situations.  Fights, bad romances, gossip, academic struggles, and teenage angst were not uncommon.

But those things would have been a lot worse, if not for my friend. 

We have not remained in contact.  We went separate ways after school.  But I cannot escape the knowledge that John’s presence made my struggles bearable.

Isaiah knew that the Messiah would be like that, only better.

Jesus not only accompanies us, He chose to suffer with us.  Jesus chose to get His feet dirty on earth, surrounded not by the peaceful glory of heaven, but by the chaotic pain of earth-life.  Jesus chose to save us by being present with us while He lived on earth, and through His Spirit ever since He left.

We have struggles.  But we are not alone.

He has endured our struggles with us.  He has suffered our sufferings even more than we have endured. 

He carries us where we cannot walk and endures our weight and our ingratitude.

And tomorrow He will do it again.

So we are never really alone.

Fear not, then Jesus.

Fear Not... Then Pray

…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6,7 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Pray

I used to collect stamps.  For many years, I added to my collection.  I made purchases, carefully mounted stamps in collection books, and searched for more stamps that my collection lacked.

At one point, a friend asked me how much money my collection was worth.  I had a few rare stamps, some painstakingly complete sets, and a lot of stamps that I had just found interesting.  But I had no idea how much the collection was worth, monetarily.

That was not why I collected stamps.

Perhaps we consider prayer in that way.  It might seem that we pray to get help in a particular situation.  It might seem that we pray to receive help.  It might seem that we pray to accomplish a goal.  It might seem that we pray because we have needs.

And prayer does have to do with all of those things.

But Paul points out a better reason to pray.

We pray so that we will receive peace.  Not merely logical peace because we understand God’s actions, but a supernatural peace.  A peace that comes from relationship with Jesus.  A peace that comes from knowing Him because we converse with Him.  A peace that comes from trusting.

Fear not, then pray.

Fear Not... Then Obey

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, (Philippians 2:12 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Obey

I was tasked with installing a hot water heating system in an old house as part of a remodeling project.  My job was to place heaters in each room, determine copper pipe placement, and install the entire thing.

I had been trained by experienced plumbers.  I knew pretty much what to do.  But I was nervous.  I was unsure I would have the stamina, skills, and knowledge to complete the job satisfactorily.

But I got to work.  Each day, I did more.  Gradually, the nervousness disappeared.  I was no longer afraid.

And when I was done with fear, I did not change my approach to plumbing.  The lack of fear did not divert me from what I knew had to be done… step by step. 

It might have, though.  I might have thought, now that I was not afraid, that I could come up with a BETTER way to install the heaters.  I might have, in my relaxed state, decided to improvise, or cut corners, or take shortcuts.

But thankfully, I did not.

After the fear, I did what I knew was right.

We Christians have the same opportunity daily.  When we are afraid, sometimes we respond with a focus on obedience, righteousness, and faithfulness.  Not believing that such obedience is enough for salvation.  Such obedience is, instead, the result of our focus on Him.

But after the fearful situation is resolved, we might slack off.  We might stop thinking about what God has said to do.  We might care less about doing His will.  We might think we need something new, and more exciting, and more modern.

But God’s commands are the same whether we are afraid or at peace.  Jesus summarized God’s commands by telling us to love.  God commands us to love Him, and love others. (Luke 10:27)

Fear not, then obey.