God is our Father, and as such, we must be careful how we represent the holy and impartial Judge in our brief time on earth. We must do nothing to bring shame to His name (Matthew 5:16), dishonor His Word (Psalm 119:9), or grieve His Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:30) We are to live in a constant state of reverence and awe towards Him. (1 Peter 1:17). Some of us have wonderful human fathers, and others of us have one who was anything but.
Too many have never known their father. No matter what kind of physical father you have, your spiritual Father in Heaven is everything you ever wanted a father to be and so much more. The Lord grafts everyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and believes in Him as Savior into the family of God. The God of the Universe is now your Father and forever will be.
Being a child of God comes with great responsibility. Peter tells us that if we call God our Father, meaning we are believers in His Son, then we are to conduct ourselves in reverence as long as we are in this body. (1 Peter 1:17). What does life lived in reverence to God look like? How can we orient our lives in this way? After all, we want to live a life pleasing to our Father. (Colossians 1:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1)
We know from God’s Word that living in fear of the Lord builds us up and brings peace. (Acts 9:31). I want those things in my life, don’t you? While we know we should live in reverence during our time on earth, we also know we may suffer for a short time (Romans 8:18). Such suffering is irrelevant because Peter tells us that if we suffer for the Lord, it will bring favor with God. (1 Peter 2:20; 1 Peter 3:14-17) The ultimate reward for suffering for Christ is our sanctification, which leads to salvation. (Romans 8:29-30; Hebrews 12:10-11) Even when we lose, we win!
One way to live in reverence to God is to live an open and honest life. (2 Corinthians 5:11) There should be no deceit in how we live and no lie should ever form on our lips. (Ephesians 4:25; Psalm 34:13) God is pure and honest in all His dealings, and we honor Him by doing the same. We must cleanse ourselves of every impurity in our flesh and spirit. (2 Corinthians 7:1) This means we must not involve ourselves in physical or even mental sin. When we imagine sinning in our minds, God counts it against us just as if we had acted on that impulse. (Matthew 5:27-28; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Jesus walked in love and commands us to walk the same. (1 John 2:4-6) When we walk in love, we bring honor to His name. (Ephesians 5:2) To glorify our Father and live in fear and reverence of Him, we must obey everything He tells us to do. (Philippians 2:12) There are no exceptions, nor is there any nuance to this command. If you love Him, you will obey Him. (John 14:15; John 14:21) End of story.
Our Father is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29) and it is only by His grace that He saves us from His wrath. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Because He is holy, we must be holy as well. (1 Peter 1:15-16; Leviticus 11:44) Live in obedience, full of love, and give grace to all. That’s a life that looks like Jesus and shows our reverence for Him. It’s a life that will stand out in a world of chaos and immorality. And it’s a life God will honor and reward with eternity in His presence. (Matthew 25:21; John 17:24) Our God is an awesome God. (Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalm 47:2) Live as if you believe that truth.