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Fear the final judge (Matthew 10:28-31) March 3, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 17-18

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 10:28-31
Don’t fear those who aim to kill just the body but are unable to touch the soul. The One to fear is He who can destroy you, soul and body, in the fires of hell. Look, if you sold a few sparrows, how much money would you get? A copper coin apiece, perhaps? And yet your Father in heaven knows when those small sparrows fall to the ground. You, beloved, are worth so much more than a whole flock of sparrows. God knows everything about you, even the number of hairs on your head. So do not fear.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We fight the wrong battles today. The media fills our heads with the ills of society and we fight the wrong battles. Every day we hear more stories, each more horrific than the one before about what we do to each other because of racism, poverty, greed, power, fame, jealousy, just name the vice. We fight against these things and think we are doing great things. But there’s a problem with our fight. We aren’t focused on the real battle.

Before we figure out there out strategy is wrong, each of us struggle with this enemy inside us that we try to satisfy with the things the world says will satisfy it. This hole in our life can only be filled by God, but we try everything else to fill it. Sometimes we try to act nice, do good things, but it doesn’t fill the spot. Sometimes we try bad things, things we know displease God, but we bend to the temptation in front of us and find after all the running from God and pleasing our selfish desires, the hole still stays.

Then someone tells us about religion and we race to our churches and synagogues, temples and cathedrals. We participate in all the rituals, give the institution our money, even take on some responsibilities, maybe even teach a Sunday School class. Those things make us feel good about ourselves, but that still isn’t the solution to our problem. None of those things, as good as they might be, fill the void in our heart that only God can fill. However, we let Satan make us believe they take the place of faith in Christ and following in His footsteps.

So we try, fairly unsuccessfully to fight this inner battle of right and wrong in our strength. It doesn’t work, though, because we are fighting the wrong battle. Paul reminds us the battle isn’t against flesh and blood. It takes place in spiritual realms. It happens in areas where we have no personal strength. We’ve already shown that by our failure to live the life God wants us to live. So what do we do? How should we fight? What battles are we supposed to engage in?

Let’s look back at Jesus’ words. He is in the middle of His sermon to His disciples as He is about to send them on their missionary journey within the borders of Israel. Their message is His message, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He has instructed them to use the hospitality of trustworthy men in the villages they visit, but they can also expect resistance wherever they go. And they will stand in court to defend their faith. Soon executions will begin. Floggings with strip away their flesh. Families will tear themselves apart over the message the disciples will deliver for the Master.

But with all that goes on in the spreading of His message, Jesus says, "don’t be afraid of mere humans. Fear the One who will decide your eternal fate. He’s the One you should listen to and obey. He’s the One you should spend your time getting to know. This body is ony temporary. In a flash it will be gone, but after that comes the judgment and the One who can destroy body and soul is the One to please. He’s the One to fear.

When we believe in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, though, we do not need to fear punishment. This fear is the awe that God deserves from us when we remember exactly who He is. He is God. The Creator of the universe and all that is in it. He deserves our worship and our awe, our fear. Jesus goes on to say, though, that we are worth far more to God than the smallest creatures He takes such good care of every day. His example of the swallows God feeds and shelters helps us see how much we must be worth to God.

God knows everything about us. He knows what we have tried to fill the void in our life. He knows the path we have trod to finally discover our broken, depraved, seemingly hopeless condition in our sins. He knows the price He already paid for our salvation. God knows more about us than we know about ourselves. He knows the number of hairs on your head. Do you think you could ever count them? Don’t worry about those authorities that might want to arrest you, beat you, even kill you. Fear God. Follow His directions. He’s the One that sets the standards and makes the rules. Probably a good idea to please Him if He will be the final judge.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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