Jump Start # 885

Isaiah 8:12-13 And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. “It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread.

We’re back and ready for more Jump Starts. Our passage today reminds us that the people of God are different in many ways than the people of the world. What we value is different. Our definitions of fun, success and purpose are different. Our outlook is different. We are following Jesus and that makes us different. This verse reveals another way God’s people are different—we do not fear what they fear.

Fear is a terrible thing. It cripples a person. Some fears are real. Many fears are in our minds. A bad experience will cause one to be afraid of doing something. A bad experience with the dentist, or flying, or even with a church, can cause many to stay away from those things. My fear has always been snakes. Hate those creepy things. I don’t even like the plastic fake ones. I’ve heard farmers talk about “good snakes.” Those two words don’t go together in my book. I like the motto, ‘the only good snake is a dead snake.’

One of the greatest fears, is the unknown. That haunts many people. Fear of losing their job, fear of getting cancer, fear of rejection, fear the direction the country is going, fear of losing their next egg, and the greatest of all, the fear of death. That may be a reason why so many do not like to talk about death. They dread it. Maybe they think if they don’t talk about it, it will just go away. It never does.

Jesus said not to fear the one who can kill the body and do no more. Fear the one who can kill the body and soul. Our passage identifies God as the one that the nation ought to fear.

Fear is found often in the Gospels. The apostles on many occasions were afraid. As Jesus calmed the seas and the storm, he also calmed their hearts. He told them to pray at all times. That helps.

Don’t dread what others are dreading. How is that possible? When all around you are talking gloom and doom and the outlook is negative, how can a person not be fearful? The answer is clear—the answer is God. The cross of Christ has removed what most dread.

The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus took away the fear of death. The resurrection of Jesus conquered not only Satan, but it destroyed the fear of death. The grave is not the end of the story. There is no “the end,” or “last page,” to our story. We live on and on because of Jesus. Faith helps us to see beyond the darkness of death. Faith shows us a wonderful world with Jesus. The faithful few in Sardis (Revelation 3) were promised that they would walk with Jesus. He has walked with us. He became a man, like us. He walked the road of temptation as we do. He walked the road of loneliness as we do. He walked the road of suffering as we do. He walked the road of death as we do. A day is coming when we will walk with Him. His world. His home. John quoted Jesus saying, “where I am, there you may be also.” (Jn 14). He came to our world so we could go to His.

This morning I turned a light on—won’t do that in Heaven. My front door is locked, won’t need that in Heaven. Some start the day with medicine, won’t have that in Heaven. Some will be traveling to the funeral home today to make arrangements for a loved one. That will never happen in Heaven. Some are tired, even after a sleeping all night. Some are sick. Some are fighting family problems. Some are trying to keep things going the right direction at church. All these problems stay here. They are not part of the next world.

Don’t dread what others dread. God is upon the throne. He has always been there. Presidents come and go, and God is upon the throne. Problems come and go and God is upon the throne. Good times and bad times—God is upon the throne. Trust God. We don’t have to know all the answers, God does. We don’t have to see how things turn out, God does. Trust Him. Obey Him. Walk with Him. Believe Him.

Don’t dread what others dread. Great thought. Notice that today at work. Listen to what others are talking about. You’ll pick up on their fears and dreads. Then think about God. That’s the answer. Knowing God. Loving God. Walking with God. Don’t dread what others dread!

Roger