A LOVING God - is to be feared.

God is love - full of love - and mercy, grace, compassion - MORE than our human minds could ever grasp.  AND He is our creator, sustainer, source of power, the ONE TRUE LIVING God.  And He is to be feared, revered, and respected - not to be reckoned with.

I have been reading through some of the book of Numbers lately.  In some of the chapters - around 14-16, we see some rebellion that the people of Israel were walking in - against God's servants (Moses and Aaron) - and ultimately against God.  

I think it is always healthy to be reminded, as I was reading this, that God is to be feared.  Look at what He says in 14:34-35, "you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.....They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die."

It is also amazing to see how Moses and Aaron stood to be the mediator between God and man - and what a foreshadow of Jesus Christ - who stands - READY to mediate us to God through His incredible grace, love, mercy, compassion - not because we deserve it but because He loves us!

If you are like me, you might even think this thought, "it seems like God and Jesus are different - one is judging, ruling, powerful and the other is mercy, grace, loving...."  The truth is both - God is our creator, ruler, and a JUST God who will judge the living and the dead.  However - He is FULL of love because He BECAME a man and BECAME sin for us - through His Person of Jesus Christ.  

God MADE Himself the fulfillment of His love - because He knew we could never do it on our own.  That is TRUE LOVE!