There is nothing wiser we can do than observe God’s law carefully. If when others think of the lives we have lived, they think of the good things that come from seeking God’s wisdom, then it’s fairly certain that we’ve been “after” the right thing.
Those with godly sorrow are the God-centered people who, once they realize they’ve erred, will grieve the wrongfulness of their sin rather than its painfulness. The self-pitying sorrow of the world leads to death, but godly sorrow leads to God.
Reverent fear is not inconsistent with love. As one dictionary puts it, reverence is “a feeling of profound awe and respect and often love.” It is the blending of love and godly fear that transforms our seeking of God into a DILIGENT seeking of God.
If we truly had a heart that was both reverent and grateful, what a difference it would make! Our faithfulness to God be more steady, and we would have given to God the most important thing that He seeks from us: a heart willing to be redeemed.
The strength we desire doesn’t come by focusing on our own needs, however spiritual those needs may be. These things are by-products of focusing on God. If we’re obsessed with ourselves, it’s not likely that we’ll find what we’re looking for.
Taking God seriously is the most effective precaution we can take against sin. If we love God unselfishly, we’ll hold His honor more dear than our own, and that sense of honor will protect us from doing anything that would detract from His glory.
We should let ourselves be drawn into concerns more vast and “moving” than the mere rise and fall of our own happiness. To a great extent, this is what growth toward spiritual maturity is about. It is learning to live by the strong laws of love.
“The general human failing is to want what is right and important, but at the same time not to commit to the kind of life that will produce the action we know to be right and the condition we want to enjoy” (Dallas Willard).
Doing the right thing, based on proven principles and regardless of momentary circumstance, is the essence of character, integrity, and honor. The ability to make such a choice is an important part of the image of God in which we were created.
If we sought God with a loyalty that He could count on — a faithful love that would hold us at His side — what strength He would impart to us! Our greatest need is for fidelity, the honor that holds steadfastly to all the truth we know of God.
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