It Starts Small

What word is at the top of your list to describe God?

Of all the words to describe God, my most favorite is “awesome.” I love to sing the praise and worship song, “Awesome God”. The word awesome means extremely good or causing feelings of great admiration, respect or fear. Awesome brings together both the “loving” side of God and “serious” side of God.

In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira sold a property. They brought the money to the Apostles, but there was a catch in our story today. They had willingly and secretly kept a portion of the proceeds while trying to deceive everyone into believing they had given everything. They put this scheme together to USE God to achieve their deceitful purpose. Their purpose was to get everyone to believe they were selfless and godly.

Friends, you do not play games with God. God is holy. The phrase “the fear of the Lord” points exactly to the sense of awe that we should have before God. You can replace it with “a holy respect” for God. Did you know the holiness of God is why He disciplines us? His discipline is an expression of the Love He has for us.

for the Lord disciplines the one he loves
and punishes every son he receives.

Hebrews 12:6

The author of Hebrews is quoting Proverbs.

¹¹  Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son,
and do not loathe his discipline;
¹² for the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 3:11-12

The Greek word used for discipline is paideuo and it comes from the root word pais which means children. Discipline actually means “training of children.” Never say that God is punishing me! Instead, say, My God loves me so much that He is training me as His beloved child.

What is the ultimate goal? God wants to produce a harvest of righteousness and peace in our lives.

Thoughts to Ponder:

• What is your understanding of “the fear of the Lord”?
• How does “the holiness of God” compel you to live differently?

© Kimberlee Smith 2025 http://www.itstartssmall.com All rights reserved.