How do you respond when you pass a police officer on the highway?
Does your personal awareness of your driving change when a police car pulls in behind you while driving?
If you are like me, I quickly check everything – after I take my foot off the gas pedal. If the police car is following me, I tend to turn blinkers on sooner, make sure I have a safe distance to the car in front of me, carefully stay between the lines, not get distracted by stuff going on inside the car, and watch my speed. The funny part is – all of this even when I know I am absolutely doing nothing wrong.
Why do I respond like this? Because I am aware of the presence of the police officer.
If this has ever happened to you, then you understand living with reverent fear. That is good because we are instructed to do so with God.
God deserves our greatest respect.
Think through my paraphrase of Peter’s words:
17 Since you call on Him as your heavenly Father, the impartial Judge who judges according to each one’s works (or conduct), live each day with reverent fear, that is, holy awe and reverence, throughout your time on earth. (1 Peter 1:17)
Here Peter instructs us to live every day with deep respect for God. As you go about your day, you should have a reverential awe for God. In the Bible this is known as the fear of God.
How can you maintain the fear of God?
This is where the illustration of the police officer comes in handy. Just as when you become aware of the police officer it changes your self-awareness, in a similar way, as you stay aware of God’s presence, it will change your spiritual self-awareness. Seek to keep God’s presence on your mind throughout the day. As you do, you will maintain better respect for God and enjoy His presence more.
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