Reverent Fear

1 Peter 1:17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
 
PETER calls the church to right living in reverent fear of God. What does that mean? One way to explain this is to look at Moses’ life. The LORD God transformed Moses from a shepherd in exile into the great prophet, lawgiver and deliverer. Then Numbers 20 tells us Moses sinned. God instructed Moses to speak to a rock, so water would come from it. This would display the Lord’s glory to Israel. But in anger Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. Then God judged Moses. “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” (Numbers 20:11,12) God’s judgment was impartial. His great leader and prophet did not escape the Lord’s correction. Moses still passed into eternity. But God held him accountable for his sin. In his sin, Moses for a moment did not revere God. He did not honor God, and he had no fear of God’s judgment.   
   Reverent fear is to honor and respect God’s love for you with a great desire to please him. Reverent fear is also passionate respect for Almighty God. Too many people refer to God as the “guy in the sky” or some other irreverent term. This is an attempt to bring God onto our level, so we can more casually ignore his commands in willful disobedience.
   To revere God means you hold him on the highest level in your heart, mind and soul. You understand he is the authority to lead your life. “Reverent fear is evidenced by a tender conscience, a watchfulness against temptation, and avoiding  things that would displease God.” (from Bible Knowledge Commentary) Reverent fear is expressed through a fervent desire to know God through Scripture, teachings, prayer, meditation and obedience.
   For the Christian, God’s judgment does not remove us from his salvation. But he does discipline us. And one day we all will be judged accordingly: Romans 14:10-12 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
   This does not judge our salvation. We are saved by faith in Christ. But the Lord Jesus will evaluate our works one day. As you serve the Master in reverent fear, your love for God should cause you to desire he says to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Luke 19:17)
   The prophet Zephaniah has a wonderful view of God’s people working together. Zephaniah 3:9 “Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder.”  People joined together in reverent fear of God will love God and love one another. Such a church will glorify God’s name and be a light unto the nations.