December 23 — "Fear the Lord and Give Him Glory"

Today's Reading: Revelation 14

There’s a moment that sneaks up on you—maybe while scrolling headlines at midnight, maybe while waiting in the grocery line—when you suddenly realize the world feels tilted. Opinions are loud. Convictions are soft. Everything seems negotiable. And right into that cultural fog comes a thunderclap from Revelation 14: “Fear God and give Him glory!” That’s not a whisper. That’s a wake‑up call.

Here’s the heart of it: fearing God isn’t about hiding in terror. It’s about living with wide‑awake awe before the One who actually runs the universe. The Greek word for fear (phobeō) speaks of reverential fear— to stand in profound respect. It is a deep, shaping respect. Phobeō describes the response people have when they suddenly realize they’re standing in the presence of Someone infinitely greater than themselves. It’s the same posture Proverbs points to when it says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 1:7) Not panic. Perspective.

Notice the divine sequence: fear God, give Him glory, and worship the Creator. This is the biblical blueprint for a steady soul. Fearing God is the internal shift—the awe that re-centers your heart. Giving Him glory is the external result—the way you live, speak, and act so that His character is visible to others. When we lose this holy reverence, worship stops being about God's worth and starts being about our preference. Once worship is about us, morality becomes optional; and once morality is optional, God's judgment isn’t far behind.

This hits close to home. Many of us grew up questioning everything—and some of that is healthy. But Revelation reminds us there’s a difference between honest questions and functional atheism (God on the lips, but 'me' on the throne.) Fearing God means I don’t get to reinvent truth based on my mood, my feed, or my latest “deep thought” in the shower. Oswald Chambers once said, “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else.” If God is small, life becomes casual. If God is holy, powerful, infinite, life becomes focused.

In Matthew 10:28, Jesus tells His disciples, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." He isn’t calling for panic; He’s calling for perspective. When God is rightly feared, everything else loses its power to control you. His point? By focusing on the "Greater Fear" (reverence for God), the "Lesser Fear" (the threat of man) is neutralized.

So what does this look like on a Tuesday afternoon? It means choosing integrity when shortcuts sparkle. It means worshiping God for who He is, not just what He gives. It means letting Scripture—not culture—set the tone. That kind of fear doesn’t shrink your life; it steadies it.

May the Lord restore a holy, joyful reverence in your heart—one that deepens worship, strengthens obedience, and anchors your hope firmly in the Gospel.