A flash of revelation on the fear of the Lord.

I was singing the Misty Edward's song "Let Me Love You More" at my devotional set at the Watch this morning and I had, probably my first real revelation of the fear of the Lord.

The song goes like this....

I have one life to live and all I have to give is love....

Let me love You more,
This is all that I desire
Let me love You more
This is all that I require,
Let me love You more
This is my deepest heart's desire
Let me love You more and more...

If I never walk on water
If I never see the miracles
If I never hear Your voice so loud
Just knowing that You love me
Is enough to keep me here
Just hearing those words
Is enough, is enough to satisfy
You satisfy.

Cause when its all been said, when it's all been done.
When the race is run, it all comes down to love.


I was singing the part that says, "If I never walk on water..." I had a total "Oh wow" moment. It was so fast... like a flash of light, illuminating for a moment something that I have only known in theory, making it alive in my spirit.

....and all of the sudden it made perfect sense to me that nothing matters as much as loving Jesus.

Nothing. Period.

It came to me that if I never do anything else--even good things, even ministry... it will be enough if I learn to love Him wholeheartedly.

As I was singing, the Corinthians "Love Chapter" flashed through my mind.............

1 Corinthians 13
¹If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.


If I don't learn to love, I am nothing.

Seriously, read that.

If I have not love, NOTHING ELSE matters.... not gifts, not ministries, not missions... Even martyrdom?

Wait. So you mean that God's biggest priority is not me achieving my dreams or walking in my calling, or even loving others??

Wow.

Jesus had already given the framework for what Loving means... the first commandment.

Mark 12
²⁹"The most important one (commandment)," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'

Paul is simply repeating what Jesus already said.

Then, immediately, I thought of Matthew 7....

²¹"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' ²³Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

If I don't know Him, everything else is nothing.

Then I thought of Mary of Bethany and the story of when Jesus came to visit...

Luke 10
³⁸As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

⁴¹"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴²but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

That's why Jesus said, she has chosen the best thing. I'm sure that what Martha was doing was good. She was making dinner for Jesus, for crying out loud!! That is a worthy thing. But Jesus said, "Only one thing is needed".

What?? What kind of implications does this have for my life???

(This was all in the space of about 2 minuets)

And all of the sudden, in this rapid-fire thought process, I became acutely aware.

He is WORTHY. Him and Him alone. He MUST have first place.

And immediately I felt the weight and the trembling that comes from the awe of knowing that God is GOD and HE is worthy of my worship, of my life.

I can still feel the trembling in my spirit now. He is worthy worthy worthy..... He is above all.

The fear of the Lord. Just a taste. Only a shadow. But real.

And the funny thing is that it came out of love............. I always thought there was no fear in love.

You are worthy Jesus. Worthy of my love, worthy of my life.

As my friend Bill Scofield says,
"Will a life that's spent waiting on You be wasted? Or will You count it as wise?"

He is absolutely, unequivocally, unceasingly worthy of FIRST place. HE is the better part.