Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him out of the mountain, saying, “This is what you shall tell the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”“
(Exodus 19:3-6)

“and, “a stumbling stone and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. In the past, you were not a people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.“
(1 Peter 2:8-10)

We’re in a marriage. God is husband and king. We are the bride and vassals. This is our marriage contract. This is our treaty with God. Blessing and security for faithful obedience. Curses and exposure to trouble for faithless disobedience. God gave us His Word and He gave us His Son. They are the Way we are to go. They are our instruction. They embody the will of the Father. He gave us His Spirit to lead us and guide us into this Truth so that we will be able to follow God’s instruction. When we experience God’s love, our response is to love Him. To keep His commands. It’s *almost* automatic. We can’t help but want to please Him. And we please Him by trusting in Him. If we trust in Him, we’ll believe Him and obey Him. It’s a natural cycle.

We are a priesthood in Him. We are able to commune with Him, worship Him, and offer praise to Him. Other people can’t do that. They can only cry out to Him. But when we are in Jesus, we are anointed with priesthood. We are let into the inner circle. We are right there, before the throne, our own bodies having become His temple. This is a precious relationship. Joined to Him, able to speak directly with Him and to directly hear from Him. There is intimacy with Him that no one else has – only His beloved children. Only His bride. This relationship is the consummation of the loving connection we have through our trust in Jesus. He loves us. We love Him. And we GET to be intimate with Him. We are allowed and encouraged in that connection. We are His and He is ours.

Summary

Our banner, our calling card, our declaration to the world as to whose we are and whom we serve is LOVE. This love epitomizes our relationship with God. This love demonstrates our relationship with God. This love empowers our worship of God. It is undeniable evidence of the connection and contract we have with Him. It fuels our obedience. It opens our hands to receive His Blessing. It is the foundation of our priesthood in Jesus.