Fear or Love?

First, Happy Texas Independence Day!

Deuteronomy 10:12 – 13 seems to unite the two primary drivers for obeying God, fear and love.  (I wrote about this back in April of last year; you may want to read that post and the comment and response.)  1 John 4:18 seems to put the priority on love.  How do we sort this out?  Which is more important?

In Philippians 3:15 – 16, Paul at the conclusion of his sharing about what drives him, seeking to know Christ, Paul tells us that should be what drives our relationship with Christ.  He tells us then that regardless of what motivates our relationship with our Lord we should press on.  He then tells us that God will reveal our motivation with the implication that the Lord will help us with that motivation.  Regardless we are to pursue Him.

Looking at this in total, it would seem that certainly love is the preferred driver of our relationship, our obedience to our Lord.  However He works with us if we come to Him in fear, performance, or for whatever motive.  Regardless of our motivation, He wants us to obey.  Frankly, we are dependent on Him to obey.  David admits that in Psalm 119:35, 37.  David claims to delight in the Lord’s ways but asks God to make him walk in those ways.  Then David says that he needs revival in those ways.  Whatever reason we obey we still are dependent on God’s grace and working in our lives in order to follow Him.

This is one of the reasons I love this Book.  It deals with us as real people.  We are a mess.  God accepts us as the messes we are, renewing and reviving us to be the instruments that He wants us to be for His purposes and glory.

Amazing.