by Steve Hale
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil" ( Ecclesiastes 12:13, NKJV).
A Christian friend recently asked me: "Why don't you just go ahead and sin?" Taken aback by this, I told him I do sin, but try not to. "Why not/' he asked? "Aren't there some sins you would enjoy and find pleasurable?"
He finally got to his point: "You try to avoid sin because you have a fear of God, an awesome respect for the prospect of coming before Him in Judgment. That's why you try not to sin."
You know something, folks? He's right. The fear of God, a healthy fear mind you, is why we avoid sin. Hopefully, we Christians will so grow in our relationship with God that "...perfect love casts out fear..." ( 1 John 4:17-18).
Why is our country so filled with scandal? Why are adulterous affairs no longer viewed with disdain, but even fashionable in many circles? Why would a young couple throw their newborn son into a trash bin, only for him to die due to head injuries? Why would a 21 year old woman give birth, put her newborn baby in a box, and place the baby and the box under her house?
Why would an appellate court in New Jersey overturn a lower court ruling prohibiting a gay scoutmaster from participating with the Boy Scouts of America? Why I would abortion activists not mourn over the death of children, over 35 million now, via Roe vs. Wade for 25 years?
Why, on the streets of Nashville, TN, were there over 100 murders last years? Why does New Orleans have , nearly a murder every day of the year? Why isn't the Bible allowed in the classroom of our public schools? Why has prayer been prohibited at graduations and even in the schools?
Why does pornography flourish on the internet? Why do soft porn peddlers work and succeed on the book shelves of so many convenience stores? Why is the "World's Largest Adult Bookstore" in Nashville, TN, in the buckle of the Bible Belt?
Why is the Lord's name taken in vain constantly on television and in the movies? Why are so many politicians corrupt, and caught breaking the law and/or accepting bribes?
Why? Because we have lost a healthy respect and fear of God! One day, this will be all called into Judgment!