Becoming a "Somebody" for God

A new beginning can be exciting simply because there's something to look forward to that's different. Still, the prospect of change can arouse so much anxiety and resistance that the idea for change is discarded. When God called Moses to deliver the Hebrew people from Egypt, he surely believed it was a good thing.

However, when Moses realized the complexities and dangers involved, his excitement was replaced with fear and worry. He protested with, "I'm a nobody. How can I go up against the Pharaoh of Egypt?" Moses failed to realize what he could be and do when he was empowered by the very presence of God himself.

God asked Moses to give up a secure shepherd’s life of simplicity and peace for what would be a life-changing experience. When the "Great I Am," the God of all creation, is with you to guide and empower you, a new beginning can be approached with certainty of accomplishment and peace, even when encountering life's worst storms. 

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He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

~Isaiah 40:29 English Standard Version

 

Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you.

~John 14:16 Contemporary English Version

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A Sure Formula for Success

Each person, at some point in life, will have to consider a change that seems beyond consideration. That's what Moses concluded when God informed him that he was chosen to deliver the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt. Moses responded with loud protests of being unfit for the task.

Moses grew up with the best education, medicine, food, and social skills that could be provided for an Egyptian royal. All of this vanished when an impulsive act forced him to flee for his life. As bad as it was, God waited for him to mature for a calling that would change his life.

When God revealed his plan to Moses, he protested, "Who am I to deliver these people from Egypt?" God responded by promising, "I will be with you," which ensured his success. This may be the moment when God  requires you to make a new beginning, however intimidated and fearful you may feel. If it’s God’s plan, he offers you the same promise: "I will be with you." Permit his promise to be your assurance of success. 

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Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid. Your God, the Lord himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.

~Deuteronomy 31:6 Good News Bible 

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Reverence for God = Courage

Marketing experts know that most people long for a new look as well as a new beginning. This may happen after a divorce or death in the family. It can take place following the loss of a career. Health issues force changes that were considered impossible. Modifying how we think and feel can be difficult to accomplish.

While Moses was looking after his sheep on the backside of the Sinai desert, he observed a burning bush that was not consumed by the fire. When he stopped to explore, God then called out to Moses from the bush. Rather bewildered, Moses responded to God by saying: "Here I am." In reverence for God, Moses then removed his sandals.

By this act of reverence, God knew Moses would be receptive to further communication and would follow through with fulfilling his purpose. As we display reverence to God, it indicates a receptive heart for change and a new beginning. Reverence for God instills courage to tackle what seems like a daunting, impossible task. 

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After this, I heard the Lord ask, “Is there anyone I can send? Will someone go for us?”

“I’ll go,” I answered. “Send me!”

~Isaiah 6:8 Contemporary English Version

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Check Out the Unusual

Our nation was built on the promise of a new beginning spiritually and economically for all who claimed the promise. When God spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, he offered him a new beginning. After years of living safe and secure as a shepherd, God intervened in a lifestyle Moses believed would never change.

One day as he was caring for his sheep, something very unusual caught his attention. He observed a burning bush that didn't disintegrate in the fire, so he decided to check it out. This simple act would be the first step that marked the beginning of a change in his life that would identify him as a great figure in world history.

New beginnings often come about after a moment of inspiration that builds a bridge to a future only God could plan. When Moses went to look at the burning bush, God spoke to him. As we give God our full attention, he may reveal his purpose to us, and there is no greater motivation than this for a new beginning. So trust in the Lord as he guides you forward.  

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“This is strange,” Moses thought. “Why isn’t the bush burning up? I will go closer and see.” When the Lord saw that Moses was coming closer, he called to hm from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Yes, here I am.”

~Exodus 3:3-4 Good News Bible

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Restoring Reverence and a Clean Heart

 At different stages of adult life, we seek out new beginnings for our personal life and relationships. We make commitments to become the person we're most capable of being by saying goodbye to an unproductive and unhealthily lifestyle. You can leave behind attitudes that prevent possessing an attitude of reverence for God.  

Going forward may offer challenges to renew neglected areas like worship and Bible study. You may have lost the willingness to express reverence for the Lord God, but the good news is, reverence can be restored or reclaimed even if it has been lost a long time or never even existed.

God makes it possible to develop an attitude of reverence from scratch. First, God will create in you a clean heart through confession and turning from sin in your life. You can read and meditate on God's word until it becomes alive for you. Be thankful for what God has given you. Gradually an attitude of reverence for God will spring forth.

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I will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts, because I will put my Spirit in you and make you eager to obey my law and teachings.

~Ezekiel 36:26-27 Contemporary English Version 

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Permit Reverence to Exist within You

In 1850 the English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote, "Let knowledge grow from more to more, so more of reverence in us might dwell to make music as before." If in a high-tech world we permit life to become so overwhelmingly stressful, our heart and mind will get out of sync and cannot make music together.

More importantly, if we lose an attitude of reverence for the Lord God, human life may lose its sense of value. When the mind and soul get out of step and lose their harmony in the struggle to stay afloat, peace and joy that once made music together may get lost along with your attitude of reverence.

A significant commitment you make to yourself is to maintain reverence for the Lord God. Reverence for God ensures that you use your days upon the earth wisely as God planned. An attitude of reverence nurtures both the mind and the spirit while providing energy and resourcefulness to make the best use of your gifts and talents. 

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 Tell me where you want me to go and I will go there. May every fiber of my being unite in reverence to your name. With all my heart I will praise you. I will give glory to your name forever, for you love me so much! You are constantly so kind!

~Psalm 86:11-13 The Living Bible

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Reverence for God: It's an Attitude

Reverence is an unusual word for today's culture. You seldom hear the word, or witness its expression, simply because it's more than a word or expression – it's an attitude. Reverence as an attitude exemplifies a state of mind, one’s disposition, and character. To honor, respect, and hold in high regard are expressions of reverence.

Romans 13 tells us to submit to the authorities for they have been established by God and, as such, deserve our honor and respect. However, expressing reverence implies worship and adoration while also being humble and submissive. We are to show reverence to God only, for he alone deserves our worship.

It takes strength of character to humble oneself and be submissive. When we have an attitude of reverence, our heart and spirit are nurtured. As we choose to be nurturing, we choose to be kind and gentle, loving and patient, which is a step toward Christlikeness. This is what it means to have an attitude of reverence. It’s a choice to consider.  

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The fruit of humility is reverence for the Lord, along with riches, and glory, and life.

~Proverbs 22:4 Wycliffe Bible 

But watch out! Be very careful never to forget what you have seen God doing for you. May his miracles have a deep and permanent effect upon your lives! Tell your children and your grandchildren about the glorious miracles he did...The Lord told me, “Summon the people before me and I will instruct them, so that they will learn always to reverence me, and so that they can teach my laws to their children.”

~Deuteronomy 4:9-10 The Living Bible

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Nurturing: Give It and Receive It

All healthy relationships require nurturing, both from other people and from the Lord God. Nurturing that feeds the soul is driven by deep-seated love and affection. Yet nurturing should be multi-dimensional, given that other people’s needs will vary according to each one’s experience and  personality.

                              

We can become too busy or too guarded to give or receive nurturing meant to strengthen our relationships. Failure to give or receive nurturing can leave you weak and vulnerable to temptation that promised, but failed, to satisfy your need for love and acceptance. Nurturing is giving yourself in ways that fulfill another person.

The Apostle Paul asked, "Don't you know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you received from God?”  Your body here is more than its physical form. Your body contains the very essence of your complete being created by Christ Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit to serve and honor the Lord God and others. 

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We know that God not only loves you but has selected you for a special purpose. For we remember how our gospel came to you not as mere words, but as a message with power behind it – the convincing power of the Holy Spirit. You know what sort of men we were when we lived among you. You set yourselves to copy us, and indeed, the Lord himself. You remember how, although accepting the message meant serious trouble, yet you experienced the joy of the Holy Spirit.  

~1 Thessalonians 1:4-6 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English 

So continue encouraging one another and helping one another in character building.

~1 Thessalonians 5:11 Williams – New Testament in the Language of the People

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The Ten Commandments: A Map for Reverence

Reverence as a virtue has always been associated with appropriate conduct. The Ten Commandments were meant to be a map for showing  reverence for God and all of life. The basic objective of parenting is to teach children to demonstrate appropriate conduct, a gracious disposition, and reverence for God – all based on the Ten Commandments.

Jesus emphatically stated that his objective was to fulfill the Ten Commandments. So no matter how sophisticated our culture becomes, we can never grow beyond our need for Christ Jesus and his command that we love one another as he has loved us.

An attitude of reverence for God provides hope for believing, "Greater is he, the Holy Spirit, who is in you than he, Satan, who is in the world." The more sincere our attitude of reverence is for God, the better equipped we are to fight the good fight of faith he entrusted into our care. God empowers us to live a life that honors him.  

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Don’t suppose I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning.

~Matthew 5:17 Contemporary English Version

 

Blessings on all who reverence and trust the Lord – on all who obey him.  

~Psalm 128:1 The Living Bible

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Develop an Attitude of Reverence for God

A person's attitude will eventually be revealed, whether it’s political, religious, or social. So it is with reverence. If we accept reverence as a virtue and then let it become a part of our being, there will be a powerful need to express it directed toward God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

God gave the Hebrew people the Ten Commandments as they were making their way to the Promised Land. They constructed a tent for worship with a designated area set aside as the Holy of Holies where a special priest could enter to offer a specific sacrifice. God’s purpose was to teach them reverence for a place and for himself.

Positive and negative attitudes begin developing early in childhood. Positive attitudes encourage appreciation for what is good and holy and directly influence a willingness to express reverence. Where there is heartfelt reverence for what is holy, pure, and praiseworthy, one’s judgmental and critical attitudes are less likely to dominate.  

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He gave them the following instructions: “You must perform your duties in reverence for the Lord, faithfully obeying him in everything you do.  

~2 Chronicles 19:9 Good News Bible

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An Attitude of Heartfelt Reverence

Essential to communicating with the Lord God is developing an attitude of reverence. Attitude is more than an isolated thought or feeling. It's a state of mind that includes the intellect, a complexity of feelings, and all that’s perceived to be true and holy. Reverence as an attitude merges with adoration and love limited only by our humanity.

Positive and negative attitudes begin developing early in childhood. Positive attitudes encourage appreciation for what is good and holy and directly influence a willingness to express reverence. Where there is heartfelt reverence for what is holy, pure, and praiseworthy, one’s judgmental and critical attitudes are less likely to dominate.

An attitude of reverence must be put into action to insure it will remain a genuine response to the Lord God. The Apostle Paul encouraged the Philippian Christians to put into practice all they had learned from him. Reverence for God and whatever is praiseworthy must be practiced until it reflects your true self.  

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Praise our God, all his servants and all people, both great and small, who have reverence for him!”

~Revelation 19:5 Good News Bible

 

The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things in daily life, and the God who is the source of peace and well-being will be with you.

~Philippians 4:9 Amplified Bible

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Expressing Adoration with Thanksgiving

Reverence for the Lord builds a bridge to confidence, knowledge, and wisdom. Reverence also builds trust for managing crises which each person must face. Reverence for Christ Jesus builds faith to accept that "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purposes".

When everything appears to be in place for us, displaying reverence to God by expressing thanksgiving demonstrates our heartfelt gratitude. Reverence for God helps us keep a right perspective on the transient nature of the material things we try so desperately try to possess. True wealth is only found in love for God and others.

This is what Jesus means when he tells us to lay up our treasures in heaven where they will be secure. 2 Chronicles 19:9 reminds us that reverence for the Lord helps us cope with situations that are beyond our control. Reverence for God places us in a position to receive all the help God is willing to extend to us.  

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A good person brings good out of the treasure of good things in his heart; a bad person brings bad out of his treasure of bad things. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

~Luke 6:45 Good News Bible

 

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe.

~Hebrews 12:28 Amplified Bible

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Fountain of Life

Reverence is a virtue because it sets the standard for a higher quality of life that exemplifies knowledge and wisdom. Where reverence for God and for life does not exist, mankind is subject to falling victim to what the Apostle Paul calls “man's carnal nature.” Reverence for God demonstrates wisdom and strength of character.

Proverbs 14:26 announces: "Reverence for the Lord gives confidence and security to a man and his family." In 1913 Albert Schweitzer, the German physician and missionary to Africa, was making his way through a herd of hippopotamuses when he suddenly realized, “All life is created by God and deserves our reverence.”

The next verse, Proverbs 14:27, asserts, "Reverence for the Lord is a fountain of life.” Sincere reverence for God feeds the thirsty soul. Jesus told the woman at the well that whoever drank of the water he gave would never thirst again. Reverence is heartfelt devotion for the Lord God, and this treasure is available to you. 

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Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises.  

~Psalm 25:14 The Living Bible

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