How can the LOVE of the Lord and the FEAR of the Lord COEXIST?
“For I am the Lord , I do not change; Therefore you are nor consumed, O sons of Jacob." ~Malachi 3:6
"...I do not change"
This is the love of the Lord.
"...Therefore, you are not consumed"
This is the fear of the Lord.
How?
"For our God is a consuming fire." ~Hebrews 12:29
The love of God and the fear of God go together in this passage. The two are edges of the same Sword of the Spirit, and they never can exist or be understood apart from each other. God shows us His love by not changing; He remains consistent. At the same time, God holds us in awe, in the fear of the Lord, because He is a consuming fire. Even by His love we are held in awe of because though He is a consuming fire, we are not consumed by Him.
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? ...No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me?" ~Job 41:1, 10
"If You, Lord , should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared." ~Psalms 130:3-4
"And the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn. So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” ~Exodus 3:2-6
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Different Things God is teaching Me
SpiritualWhen God shows His love, mercy, forgiveness, longsuffering, and grace towards you...it shouldn't stop with you. You are destined to pass it on to others and reflect faithfulness and devotion back to Him as the Divine Spouse. Cover Art by Maria Oosth...
