(Luke 1:30) The Angel Gabriel said,
“FEAR NOT, Mary: for you have found favour with God”.
” Feeling SHY (or ASHAMED) and having FEAR (or AFRAID) “
are the two things that will hinder our Christian Life or Heavenly Life.
Adam and Eve were hiding from the Loving God because they felt ASHAMED and AFRAID (Gen.3:10). This same two characters will make us lose Paradise and all God’s blessings.
Whereas, virgin Mary (mother of Jesus), was not ASHAMED (felt shy) and also was not AFRAID (fear) to give birth to Christ, though it is against her culture and tradition of her society.
How can an unmarried girl (virgin) give birth to a child ???
If virgin Mary was SHY (ASHAMED) like some Christians of these days, she would not have accepted the invitation, to give birth to Christ, without getting married.
Secondly, if she was AFRAID (having FEAR), thinking of the consequence that would follow after, she would not agree to become mother for Jesus.
But, she only Trusted In God, Believe His Word and wants to please God.
There is a kind of FEAR, that can make a person lose Paradise and slide into hell. That is why, God repeatedly keeps on saying, FEAR NOT or BE NOT AFRAID.
Let’s see some of them:
1.) DO NOT FEAR (be afraid) FOR DOING SOMETHINGS THAT BRINGS GLORY TO GOD (specially, that which is in your capacity).
Example: A good servant was given one talent by his Good Master to do business (work) and make profit. But that servant hid it inside the soil. After a long time, when the Master returned, he brought the one talent back to his Master saying, I was AFRAID, so I hid it. Take, this is yours.
Master said, Atleast, you could have put it, in the bank and got the interest. But, you are a wicked and unprofitable servant. Cast him into hell (Matt.25:14,15,18,25,27,30).
2.) THOSE WHO ARE AFRAID (having Fear) TO DO GODLY THING CANNOT BECOME A TRUE CHRISTIAN. Whereas, many secret Christians & underground churches loved God & always took risk to please God and have fellowship with God.
If a Christian is in fear, somewhere his Faith is shaken. But his Faith in Christ will remove that fear (Lk.8:22; Matt.8:26).
- Faith comes by hearing (reading) the Word of God (Rom.10:17).
- Jesus is the Author & Finisher of our Faith
So to have Faith, we need to keep on looking to Jesus (Hebr.12:2). - To become strong in Faith, we need to Glorify (Praise, Thank, Magnify) God and His Promises (Rom.4:20).
3.) To Glorify God in all things, NO NEED TO FEAR MAN. Because the fear of man only brings snare/trap (Proverbs 29:25).
Jesus said, not to be afraid of man who can kill the body and later cannot do anything (Lk.12:4).
That is why, many true Christians died as martyrs without fear, because they remember the Love of Christ.
Only Christ Love can remove that fear (1John 4:18).
4.) Many others, FEARS TO BELIEVE GOD’S WORD and become faithless. And so their life is unprofitable (Heb.4:2).
They cannot be a good Soldier of Christ because they fear (2Timo.2:3; 4:7; Deut.20:1,8; Judges 7:3).
But Jesus said, “be not faithless, but believe” (John 20:27).
If they believe, they will see the Glory of God (John 11:40)
All these kinds of FEARS can take a person to hell (Rev.21:8).
Friend, God has not given us the spirit of fear (2Timo.1:7).
Any kind of FEAR that tries to stop a person from coming close to God or to glorify God is not good.
I will call it as NEGATIVE FEAR (just for our understanding)
So, there is something called POSITIVE FEAR, which we MUST have.
WHAT IS THAT ???
We will see that in the next week…
(it will be comforting, if you put your name in the blank & read it)
(Luke 1:30) The Angel Gabriel said,
“FEAR NOT, for you have found favour with God” (Luke .1:30).