Going to Jesus

Daily Thoughts

 Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:

• Collection

  Thoughts for the Morning Thoughts for the Evening Random Thoughts

• Month

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• Day

  05-01 The Lake Of Fire: Memory 05-02 The Lake Of Fire: A Testimony 05-03 No Love In Sin 05-04 Legal Sin 05-05 The Fear Of Death 05-06 The Fear Of God 05-07 Doing Good And Doing Evil 05-08 Part-Time Servants 05-09 “Under The Slain” 05-10 “He Meaneth Not So” 05-11 Jonah And The Assyrians 05-12 Abraham’s Promise And The Resurrection 05-13 “Out Of His Roots” 05-14 Only Fools 05-15 Wells Of Salvation 05-16 “Keeping The Peace” 05-17 Enforcing The Peace 05-18 Afraid Of Life 05-19 Fertilizer 05-20 Righteous Anger 05-21 Speaking In Tongues 05-22 When Am I Ready For Marriage? 05-23 Mediums 05-24 Regularly Scheduled Meetings 05-25 Jealous 05-26 The Burden Of The Lord 05-27 Rebuking A Brother 05-28 Hell, According To Dante 05-29 What Doubt And Faith See 05-30 What Men Say Versus What God Says 05-31 Tribulation And “Unconditional Love”

 

Thought for the Evening
5-14

ONLY FOOLS

Among people who believe that God inspired the ancient prophets to speak the words that are recorded in the Bible, there is no question that Isaiah 11 speaks of Jesus. In the second verse of that chapter, Isaiah prophesied that the following would “rest upon him”: the Spirit of the LORD, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

Yes, the spirit of the fear of God rested upon Jesus. In verse three, Isaiah goes on to say that when the Spirit of the Lord rested on him, it would “make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD.” Jesus lived his life full of the fear of God, as the Bible makes clear in several places. When he was suffering and cried out to his Father for help, his prayers were heard, according to the author of Hebrews (5:7), because he feared.

Jesus’ soul was not troubled by the tormenting spirit of the fear of death or of the fear of men. Most people on earth carry such fears like heavy weights on their backs, but not Jesus. In this regard, Jesus was fearless. But he knew well the fear of the Lord, and it comforted and instructed him continually.

A man without the fear of God in his heart has no understanding and no knowledge. He is wild and proud of it. He is like a turtle in the middle of a busy highway, boasting of the hardness of his lovely shell. It is just a matter of time before both he and his boasting are forgotten altogether. The fear of God gives quick understanding and leads in the way of knowledge. It brings peace.

Jesus was our example. If we fear God as he did, we will be made wise and will be saved from the coming wrath. If we do not fear God, we are foolish (53:1), our hearts are wicked (Ps. 36:1), and we will be eternally damned in the Day of Judgment. The happy throng of saved saints that sang on the crystal sea before the Creator in John’s Revelation (15:4) asked the incredulous question, “LORD, who dares not fear and glorify your name?”

They knew the answer. “Only fools.”