What's Your Motivation?

[Dusty]

Well, perfect love cast out fear, and the one who fears is not perfected in love, and yet the one who is humble and trembles at His word is the one to whom He will look. I think we've all been there. We've been terrified at His Word, been stopped dead in my tracks by His Word, been deeply comforted by love in His Word, and have jumped for victorius joy in His Word! It is the Living Word of God! And if it ceases to move me I need to wake up. Unfortunately I'm not perfected in love, yet. I still have doubting moments from time to time, and still have fears from time to time.

Fear, Fearful, Fearfulness (some highlights from Vine's)
1. Phobos
b)reverential fear, (I) of God, as a controlling motive of the life, in matters spiritual and moral, not a mere fear of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him, a fear which banishes the terror that shrinks from His presence, Rom 8:15, and which influences the disposition and attitude of one whose circumstances are guided by trust in God, through the indwelling Spirit of God, Acts 9:31; Rom. 3:18; 2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 5:21 (R.V., "fear of Christ; Phil. 2:12; 1 Peter 1:17 (a comprehensive phrase: the reverential fear of God will inspire a constant carefulness in dealing with others in His fear) ; 3:2,15 ; the association of "fear and trembling," as e.g., in Phil. 2:12, has in the Sept. a much sterner import, e.g., Gen 9:2 ; Ex. 15:16 ; Deut. 2:25 ; 11:25 ; Ps. 55:5 ; Is. 19:16 ; (2) of superiors, e.g., Rom. 13:7 ; 1 Peter 2:18 See TERROR.
2. DEILIA fearfulness, (from deos, fright) is rightly rendered "fearfulness" in 2 Tim. 1:7, R.V. ( for A.V., "fear"). That spirit is not given us of God. The word denotews cowardice and timidity and is never used in a good sense, as No. 1 is.

We have to remember in our souls that we have been brought near by the precious blood of Christ, and that if we take our eyes off of Him we start to sink. May the love and peace of Christ dwell richly with all of our spirits,
mike

1 John 4:18 Bible Commentary

probably the best way I've heard ' to fear the Lord' defined outside of what I've felt would be "to shrink back in awe, and to lean foreward in wonder," uknown.

We can have Godly Fear like Noah

Noah Building an Ark, by Faith
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Heb_11:7)

 

[univac]

Ecclesiastes

4:4

Then I observed that most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind.


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Meaning reconciliation Creation

 

[worshipper]

Hi Mark; my brother; so good to see you
You too my brother Larry.

A holy fear/reverence of our Holy God (and His Word) is certainly a motivator. When the Lord told Moses to take his shoes off for he was standing on Holy Ground, Moses obeyed quickly.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

In response to the original question: it seems like jealousy may also be a motivator. This was my first thought...

Romans 10:19 (KJV)
But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

Romans 11:10-12 (KJV)
10Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.


11I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
:groupray: