WHAT DO YOU SEE?

FEAR NOT!, is one of the most frequent commands in the Bible. God is constantly telling people not to fear. Of course there is the good kind of fear that keeps one from stepping in front of a speeding bus, but there is different kind of fear that's not so helpful.

Sometimes people say, I like the Jesus of the NEW Testament, but it's that OLD Testament God that scares me. I understand this view, it is a commonly held misperception, and it produces a false comparison between the earlier Jewish scriptures and the later.

When Jesus taught, he made a perpetual point of referencing the OLD Testament God as a loving Father. What we sometimes forget is that all that the world knew at that time was the so-called OLD Testament. Nothing had been "updated" as yet. So, this begs the question, "How do some people read the original Testament and see an angry God and Jesus read the same set of documents and sees a loving Father?" This is curious, don't you think? Even the Sermon on the Mount seems to show us just how dramatic that difference can be.

In that sermon, Jesus set in motion an interesting comparison. He said, "You have heard it said back in the day . . . whatever the subject might be . . . but I say to you . . . " He repeats this kind of comparison between what others thought and what he thought in a number of ways throughout the sermon. What he was NOT doing was saying that the Old Testament had to be discarded, he was saying that people had a commonly held misperception about the meaning of its teachings, and those misperceptions had to go. When Jesus said, ". . . but I say to you," he was telling the people something like this -- "You have all viewed and understood these scriptures to mean "X", but I am telling you that these scriptures are really pointing to "Y."

I won't go much more into that today, but I did want to use this contrast to point out something Jesus said - and he said, "DO NOT FEAR." He knows exactly how prone to worry, apprehension, nervousness and panic all we humans are. Sometimes he said "Don't be anxious about your provisions." Other times he told people not to be afraid to trust him for their eternal salvation. Sometimes he told people that he would take care of them - that their heavenly Father would love them in many wonderful ways, and that they should not be worried about their futures. This message came through loud and strong in the teachings of Jesus. Do not be afraid. God is continually speaking peace to us. Peace and confidence in life are the messages of the New Testament.

So, however we may view God, Jesus wants to correct any misperceptions or false beliefs. He wants us to release our fears and learn to lean into him . . . to trust him. Don't be afraid. All will be well, if you place your trust in him. Not to do so is like stepping in front of that proverbial speeding bus. You really don't want that to happen. God is not the speeding bus, life is. Life can kill you, someone rightfully and candidly said. However, when we are walking with the Prince of Life, all is well, and all will be well. Don't be afraid, but trust.

Whatever your friends and loved ones do to you, Jesus will not disappoint you. Trust, and learn how "resting" in God will bring your mind into health, and your soul will find assurance and calm.