He is Holy!

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11

Have you ever thought what it would be like to be invited to the White House for a formal dinner with the President of the United States? Or, how about having a private meeting with the Queen of England during a formal event? I would imagine that you would dress appropriately and address the President as Mr. President and the Queen as your Majesty. I don’t think you would call the President or the Queen by their first name. Even if you don’t agree with either of them most people would still address them by their proper title out of respect for the position.

If a mere man or woman is to be shown respect how much more the Creator of heaven and earth? Yet, I have heard God referred to by a great deal of names and terms that show no reverence for the one true God. He is referred to, even by Christians, as “the man upstairs”, “the big guy”, “co-pilot”, “my buddy”, “my homeboy”, and “big daddy”. The Bible tells us God is to be feared. Here are just a few of those verses:

-”He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.”            Psalm 145:19

-”Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” Psalm 138:19

– “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” Luke 1:50

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

God is not our genie in the bottle or some benevolent benefactor who is at our beckon call to do our bidding. He is the one and only God and is referred to in scripture as, God Almighty, God Most High, The Eternal God, The Ancient of Days, The Mighty One, The Living God, The Lord God Almighty, The Lord Most High, and The Sovereign Lord. Do you have a loving fear of God? Kevin De Young said, “In the Bible when someone comes face to face with God, the next step usually involves coming face to face with the ground”.  Next time you pray to God you might do well to remember in whose presence you are.

“Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!” Psalm 96:9

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark Wells