My parents tell me that there was a time when they were younger, that if they did
something out in public, someone would say, "Wait till I tell your parents." There
was a sense of being afraid of what would happen when Mom or Dad found out.
What are people afraid of today? Certainly, not that someone is going to tell on
us. People do things in public today that no one would have ever dreamed of doing
in private back then. Fear, reverence, obedience and love are all tied up together in
a neat little package (or they should be!).
Jonah 1:16 has an interesting verse - "Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly,
and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows."
Why do we not have that same fear, reverence and obedience tied together with love
today? We know the difference between right and wrong, good behavior and bad
behavior. We also know that God told us some things that would get us in trouble
down the road, if we did them and that we should stay away from them. Why? Not
because, in and of themselves, there was anything wrong with them; but that they
would eventually lead to other things that would bring harm or hurt to ourselves and
others.
