Fear

I am thinking about my motivations.  What is it that motivates me to do the things I do.  Specifically, how does fear motivate me.  This morning I read that God commanded Joshua (and the Israelites) to "be strong and very courageous" (Joshua 1:7), where as Jericho and the rest  of Canaan was "melting with fear" (Joshua 2:9).  The two stand in stark contrast - God's children are to be courageous, but the children of this world are fearful.

In the new testament, Paul reminds Timothy of this contrast when he says that "God did not give us a spirit of timidity (other translations read 'fear'), but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7).

I can see where fear motivates me.  I don't want to be poor and broke, and I would like to retire from secular work at some point, so I discipline myself with my money.  I don't want to be physically broken down in my old age, so I discipline my body with diet and exercise.  I don't want to fall into the trappings of addiction, so I stay away from activities that trigger addictive behavior.  I don't want my children to be delinquents, so I discipline them.

It seems that sometimes fear can be a healthy thing - that it helps us make good decisions.  Perhaps that is because healthy fear is not really fear at all, but an acknowledgement of the power something has (or can have) in our lives.  A healthy fear is really more of a respect than a fear.  This must be why God commands us not to fear, but then, through the words of King Solomon, he says "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10).

Sometimes, however, I am motivated by unhealthy fear.  Those are times that lead to some action, but I do it because I fear what others will think, or I fear I wont be able to complete it, or that it will take up too much time, or...  In these cases my fear is not built on respect, but on disrespect; what I am actually saying is, "God, I know you are leading me to go here, but I don't really think you can handle what I am about to get myself into."  Indeed, in these cases my fear is really a lack of faith.  And in these cases, the courage to move beyond  the fear is simply a testimony that I serve a God who is able.

It seems that when God says not to fear, what he is really saying, is have faith!

God, may I have the faith to show that you are able.