Scripture to Read: Exodus 20:18
God had come down on Mount Sinai and laid out the Ten Commandments for the nation of Israel. What the people saw and heard was overwhelming. Remember the description God gave us in Exodus 19:18–19, “Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 19 When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.” The sight and the sounds placed fear in the hearts of the Israelites. Most people in our country today do not have any fear of God. Even many Christians have lost that sense of fear and reverence for God. As Christians, maybe it’s because of what our Lord Jesus Christ said in John 15:14–15, “You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” It’s incredibly humbling that Christ calls us friends. But we must guard against losing sight that He is still God and worthy of all honor, praise, glory, and reverence. Christ did not come to be our “buddy,” our “good ole boy,” our “bro,” or any other term we might use with an earthly friend. Let’s always remember—Christ came to die so we would surrender to Him as KING, LORD, and MASTER.
Challenge & Application
· What have you done to guard your heart against disrespecting our Lord?
· How do you continue to keep a healthy fear and reverence for our Lord, and how do you honor Him each day?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!