Hope, and Fear

There is nothing that fear or hope does not make men believe.
Marquis De Vauvenargues (1715-1747, French moralist)

2 Cor 5:10-11
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. NASU

Hope is spread in fear. What kind of fear? It is the fear of the Lord. It is looking forward to a day of judgment where all men will give an accounting for their lives. So it appears to me that hope, and fear are both tools that the Lord uses in our Christian lives, and one is necessary for the other.

If I fear the Lord, then I place all my hopes upon Him. Not on the worlds fleeting promises of glory and popularity. I have watched people grow from infancy into adulthood who ignored the small things around them. They focused and placed all their hopes and dreams in one direction.

People fear not reaching goals in this world that they have placed their hopes in, but do they fear the final accounting which we all will give? It is noticeable that Paul says that his works were made manifest to God by persuading men. This statement gives us what should be our focus. It also states that they placed their hopes in persuading the consciences of men, people who on that Day of Judgment will mention the name of someone whom shared Christ with them…God Bless.
Pastor William