Fear God, and no other fear will ever trouble you.”
–Joseph Parker

“Many people seem to think they can make others fall in with Christianity best by bringing it down to their standard.  As if the nearer you bring Christianity to the world, the more likely the world will be to embrace it….  No, the true way is to exhibit righteousness and the world in strong contrast, or you can never make sinners feel the necessity of a change.”
–Charles Finney              

I remember seeing May Day pictures of the Soviet Union back when they were a threat to the world.  They would parade their complete arsenal through the streets.  May Day to them was a sign of power and a warning.  It was quite different when I was growing up.  There were no parades of military prowess in the streets, but there was a custom of giving gifts, candy and putting them on the doorsteps.  Ring the doorbell and run.  Interesting the difference in cultures–fun times or threat of destruction.
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Here’s a question for you.  What is the most deadly thing known to man?  Cobra, nuclear weapons, a deadly virus, and they would be good answers.  William E. Sangster wrote that it was the cross.  He stated, “It is the most deadly thing known to God and man.  It would slay the body and damn the soul.”  The cross is the dividing point, the point of no return, or the place of hope and redemption.
It would be good for man to fear the cross.  Yes fear, for the cross is the only hope for life.  Now isn’t that paradoxical?  An emblem and method of death, yet it is the only hope for man to survive the dreaded disease of sin.  There man be natural diseases that eat the flesh of man, and destroy his brain, but there is nothing more fearful to the soul than sin.  Sin eats man’s soul away.
“Sin is deadly.  It is the one thing God won’t tolerate.  The war between good and evil is to the death.  And you lend yourself to sin without knowing to what dirty enterprise you have sold yourself…” (Sangster)  It does us good to look at the cross, pause and reflect.
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What does the “man of God” look like?  Could you pick him out in a crowd?  It used to be that the preacher in the community had a “uniform” of sorts.  People knew who he was by the way he dressed, especially on Sunday morning.  Go into a church today and try and identify the pastor. 
Ponder it some.  Could it be that he no longer wants to be recognized?  He wants to blend in with the community, when in fact he should stand out.  No, not to be weird, but to recognized.  I have yet to hear a good reason for the pastor not to lead the community and be recognized by the way he dresses.  Should he just blend in?

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
–Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

The counsel of the Spirit of God to the Saints is that they must allow nothing worldly in themselves while living among the worldly in the world.”
–Oswald Chambers

“At no time, perhaps, since the Reformation have Christians as a body been so unsure, tentative, and confused as to what they should believe and do.  Certainly about the great issues of Christian faith and conduct is lacking all along the line.  The outside observer sees us as staggering on from gimmick to gimmick and stunt to stunt like so many drunks in a fog, not knowing at all where we are or which way we should be going.  Preaching is hazy; heads are muddled; hearts fret; doubts drain our strength; uncertainty paralyzes action.”
–J.I. Packer

Paul speaks about “carnal Christians” in the Book of Corinthians.  I have wondered about that term, and I’ve wondered whether there can be such a person.  Looking around me, there is much evidence of what I would call a double-minded Christian.  Now in reality that is not possible, for a person is either of Christ or of the world, but at times it is hard to tell the difference.  James writes that a “double-minded” man is unstable in all his ways.  The true Christian is solid and stable because his life is based on his faith in Christ.
Tozer said that the church has “edited Jesus down.”  When we read the Gospels and Jesus makes a statement or gives a command, we edit it down to say that He really meant this or meant that.  We think that it would be too cruel for us to think that He really would say such things, such as demanding our loyalty and love even above family.  Jesus doesn’t offer salvation “as though it is a decoration or a corsage or some addition to our garb.” (Tozer)  Salvation is not passive, it is rugged action.  Picking up a cross and bearing it is not for the weak-hearted.  No matter our opinion, we cannot do as we please.  We cannot deconstruct the Holy Writ, but wholly believe upon its authority and doctrine.
Christians, especially those in the western world, want a life of ease.  They want to be wined and dined, literally and spiritually.  Blessings tend to be material or physical things.  The real blessing is the promise of eternal life.  Perhaps our expectations are wrong.  Tozer writes, “Why should believing Christians want everything pre-cooked, pre-digested, sliced and salted, and expect that God must come and help us eat and hold the food to our baby lips, while we pound the table and splash–and we think that is Christianity!”  He goes on to say that this individual is a moral fool.
We are to trust in the Lord and work out our own salvation.  We are to grow in grace.  If we love Him we are to obey His commandments.  We are to be holy as He is holy.  It is not a tip-toe-through-the-tulips life.  Life is to be enjoyed, but only in Christ, not in our opinions of what we say He said.

Turmoil, terror, anxiety, and fear mark the lives of many in this world today.  For a century or more the cry has been for peace, but there is no peace.  The world is in the throes of confusion.  This has caused the soul to languish in fear, maybe apathy, cynicism, and hopelessness.  My, oh my; woe is me, I am undone, but this is not the cry of the soul within the Christian.

          “God’s abiding peace is in my soul today,
           Yes, I feel it now, yes I feel it now;
           He has taken all my doubts and fears away,
           Tho’ I cannot tell you how.”
                    –Elisha A. Hoffman

Because of Christ there is not only hope, but sweet rest.  Rest is one of those wonderful blessings.  There should be no tossing and turning at night but the ability to lay down in rest because of Jesus.  In one aspect there is that deep-seated hope that the rapture will occur and waiting for it is the rapture found in the heart.  No matter what happens salvation is sure and secure and I can move through this world with a restful mind, soul, and body.

          “He has wrought in me a sweet and perfect rest,
           In my raptured heart I can feel it now;
           He each passing moment keeps me saved and blest,
           Floods with light my heart and brow.”

Despite the cry of the world; despite its despair the heart can sing.  The words are truer today than ever before, “the joy of the Lord is my strength.”  When weariness comes, especially in the spiritual arena and strength is needed, we should not be lacking in joy.  It is in the midst of the battle that we can find true joy for the Lord is there with us.  When we are down, we need to be quickened and remember the vows that we made to the Lord for they are still valid.

          “He has given me a never-failing joy,
           Oh, I have it now!  oh, I have it now!
           To His praise I will my ransomed pow’rs emply,
           And renew my grateful vow.”

Journeying through this life we should be walking with assurance.  Our hearts should be thrilled with the thought that the Almighty God is with us day-by-day.  The Holy Spirit is there to guide, direct, and teach through the day.  Imagine that, walking with God, being filled with His Spirit.  My mercy!  That makes a person want to shake off any shackles that might be there.

          “Oh, the love of God is comforting my soul,
           For His love is mine, yes, His love is mine!
           Waves of joy and gladness o’er my spirit roll,
           Thrilling me with life divine.

                    It is mine, (this priceless treasure) mine, blessed be His name!
                    He has given peace, perfect peace to me;
                    It is mine, (this priceless treasure) mine, blessed be His name!
                    Mine for all eternity!”

Talk about security–it is mine!  Talk about stability–it is mine!  Talk about joy everlasting–it is mine!  Talk about a priceless treasure–it is mine!  Talk about the ability to face life–it is mine!

Soon will be gone all the desert
      Cities will cover each hill
      Today will just be a fond memory
      Man walks among us, be still, be still
      Man walks among us, be still.”
               –Marty Robbins

Noise–do you ever get tired of the noise?  It is almost impossible that we can attune our ears to anything not artificially created.  Sit for a moment and try to turn off the sounds–just listen.  Can you hear anything that is not man-made?
Where can a person find true quietness?  Gordon Hempton states, “If a quiet place is one where you can listen for 15 minutes in daylight hours without hearing a human-created sound, there are no quiet places left in Europe.  There are none east of the Mississippi River.  And in the American West?  Maybe 12.”  What is quietness/silence?  Silence is not the absence of noise.  “Silence is the presence of everything, undisturbed.” (Hempton)  True silence is in one sense actually loud.
Listening, or even trying to listen to the sounds of nature is more likely to be a rare gift.  The world is bombarded by artificial sounds.  I like what Margaret Manning Shull wrote, “Paying attention in silence is not always as benevolent or delightful as hearing the natural sounds around us.  Keeping silence intentionally reminds us of our smallness in a vast universe, and brings to light many of our deepest and darkest thoughts and feelings.  When we clear our ears of external noise, we hear our own thoughts.  Many thoughts that arise in silent spaces are ugly, distorted, and grave.  Listening in silence exposes our pretense and self-righteousness, our falsehoods, hypocrisy and self-importance.  There is little room to hide.  We are left with ourselves in all our brokenness.”
Silence forces us to listen to the voice of our heart.  Silence, if we listen, will sound forth the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Are we afraid of what we might hear?  One thing about listening in silence, it “provides an opportunity for reorganization and evaluation.  It provides the opportunity for renewal.” (Shull)  It is important that we learn to pay attention in the silence; that place where we can meet with God.  Is it any wonder that so many of the Lord’s prophets were sent to a wilderness place where they could be in silence? 
Sometimes, even when we get a chance to be in silence and in the presence of God, we make too much noise with our owns sounds.  Our prayers often can be extremely loud and without saying anything.  It is in silence that we can listen and attune our hearts to the voice of God.  In fact, when we get in the presence of the holiness of God, what can come out of our mouths?  It is important that we withdraw at times to a place of quietness.  Jesus Himself, understood the value of silence going to a place where He could hear His Father’s voice rather than the noise around Him.

“But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”
–Habakkuk 2:20 (NASB)