Articles
The Scariest Thing in the World
What are some things you are afraid of? For some people, it is the dark. Others, it is snakes or mice or sharks in the water. For some, it is being alone or they are afraid of heights. Being afraid is not always a bad thing but rather, it is a good trait to have because in most cases, it will keep you safe from harm.
In the Bible, there were times when being afraid of doing something was not good. This fear caused the person to disobey God and not live as they should have. In the parable of the talents, one man is given one talent to help his master. When the master returns, the one talent man did nothing to help his master out. When asked why he didn’t get at least interest for his master, his answer was, “I was afraid.” In Matthew chapter 14, Peter was walking on the water to Jesus and he began to sink. In verse 30, it tells us “When he saw the wind strong, he was afraid and began to sink and he cried out, “Lord save me.””
When God commands us to do something, he expects us to obey and to trust and have faith that God will be there to help us. Romans 8:38-39 tells us so many different things we will face as Christians that at times can truly cause us to be afraid. “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come, nor heights, nor depths, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Yes, we might face these situations, but we cannot lose our faith and be afraid.
To be separated from Jesus, now and on judgment day, is truly the scariest thing in the world. To be cast into everlasting darkness with the devil and his angels should cause all of us to be afraid. To be sent to hell for eternity and never again be in the presence of Jesus Christ should cause us all to be afraid. We should hate the devil and make sure they never have a lasting influence in our life.
As one gets older, the possibility and reality of death seem to get larger and larger. That’s ok because we are told that our life is like a vapor. As faithful Christians, we need not be afraid of death. Sure it does carry with it some unpleasant realities especially the thought of leaving all of your loved ones. As one gets closer to death, they should also get closer to God. Physical death no longer seems something to be afraid of but spiritual death is constantly on your mind. We all want to make sure that we do not die in sin but we have died to sin. Why are these thoughts so important? The answer is simple, because we are afraid of hell and do not want to go there.
So in conclusion: it is alright to be afraid of some physical things in our life and usually it is a good practice. More importantly though may we all be afraid of the most important impact in our lives that is trying to give us spiritual death. That’s the devil and his angels. May we fear this more and more each day and see the result being we are faithful more and more to the Lord.
