Fear God and Don't Sin

Scripture:

Exodus 20:20  "Moses said to the people, 'Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin'".

Observation:

When God took Moses up the mountain to give him the law, the entire mountain shook, was covered with dark clouds, thunder rolled and lightning flashed, and the mountain was smoking.  The people were afraid to go before the Lord because of the awesomeness of this moment.  They told Moses to go up to the Lord and bring back what they were to do because they feared the Lord.  Moses then told them that the Lord was testing them and wanted them to fear Him so that they would not sin.

Application:

We need a healthy fear of God again.  Fear of God keeps us from sin.  When the people of Israel saw the mountain trembling and smoke on it along with thunder and lightning, they became afraid of God.  This fear, Moses said, would keep them from sin.  When we see the awesomeness of God, we will not want to sin in any way.  When we realize that He is incredibly powerful, we will not want to do anything that offends Him.  We need to see God as the all-powerful one we will one day stand before, then we will lose the desire for the sin that stops up our relationship with Him.

Prayer:

Father, I want to fear You more and more.  I know I will stand before You one day and give an account of my life in my head, but I want it to sink into my heart and I want to live with a healthy fear of standing before You.  I want to live a life that please You.  Let me see Your glory and be awestruck!  I want more and more of You in my life.

Yours,
Jeff