Yesterday was Halloween. I’m not espousing a position on it in this devotion—if you want to know, you can ask. For today’s challenge, here’s a small piece of its history: “It marked a pivotal time of year when seasons changed, but more importantly, observers also believed the boundary between this world and the next became especially thin, enabling them to connect with the dead. This is also where the history of Halloween gains its ‘haunted’ connotations.” — Blair Donovan, It is an interesting truth that the boundary between heaven and earth is less than especially thin. That particular holiday is known for its element of fear. As a movie reviewer for over 35 years, I can say that this time of year is notorious for releasing films with fear as their core identity. There is no shortage of phobias to go along with all the other fears of life. The most devastating fear a person could possibly experience is the realization that there is a God and an eternity awaiting us—including a real hell. This fear was my constant companion as a 15-year-old prior to hearing the gospel. The relief was overwhelming when I heard the truth of the gospel for the first time. The fear was defeated in an instant. My pastor used to say that people come to Jesus for a variety of reasons, but the most common two are that some see the light and others feel the heat. I suppose I was in that second category. Here, Solomon refers to the fear of the Lord. The word fear in this verse speaks of reverence and respect for the God of the universe. That was where wisdom began in my journey. Today, fear Him alone. #BeTheEdge
“The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” — Psalm 27:1 (NIV)
