top of page
Search
  • Writer's picturePs. Albert Ng

Day 06: The Holiness of God

Reading: Acts 5


I am a proud father of two sons, and I love them very much. When they were a lot younger, I had a special way to celebrate my birthday. I would go out to buy a Nintendo Wii game console for them!


Yes! A gift for them on my birthday!


But I also have a serious side. I teach them that I don't mind them making mistakes, but I do expect honesty and integrity. If you make a mistake, tell me, we will handle it together. It's all good! But if you lie to me or act deceitfully, there will be consequences.


Would you say that I am a bad father because of my "serious" side?


Our heart longs for a deeper faith as we try to sort out the confusion "in between normals." But a deeper faith requires a deeper understanding of God.


The Holiness of God


Of all the words that we use to describe God, I love "awesome" the most.


The Cambridge dictionary defines "awesome" as (1) extremely good, and (2) causing feelings of great admiration, respect, or fear.


It captures both the "loving" and "serious" sides of God.


Look at what happened in Acts 5.


Ananias and Sapphira owned a piece of property. Following others' examples, they sold their property and brought the money to the Apostles.


But there was a catch. They secretly kept some of the money; while trying to deceive others into believing that they had given everything. They schemed to use God to achieve their deceitful purpose. ("See how godly and selfless we are?")


No! You don't play games with God.


God is holy. The older phrase "the fear of the Lord" points exactly to this sense of awe that we should have before God! If you prefer, replace it with "a holy respect for God."


But let's pause for a moment here.


Do you know that the holiness of God is the reason why God sometimes disciplines us? And do you know that the discipline of God is actually an expression of the love of God?


Don't quite understand? Look at what the Bible says,


The Lord "disciplines the one he loves." (Hebrews 12:6)


The Greek word for "discipline" is paideuo. It comes from the Greek root pais (children). Discipline actually means "training of children."


My friend, don't say "God is punishing me." Instead, say, "My father God loves me so much that He is now training me as His beloved child."


Why does God do this?


Because He wants to produce in our lives "a harvest of righteousness and peace." (12:6)


"Righteousness and peace," this is exactly what I want my sons to experience. This is also what God wants us to have.


Reflection:


What is your understanding of “the fear of the Lord”? Knowing that God is holy, how does that compel you to live differently?


Prayer for Today:


Father God,


I thank you for being my awesome father. You love me more than I can imagine! I confess that sometimes I follow the world to look only on your loving side, but willfully and selfishly ignore your holy character. God, help me to know you in a deeper way. Please open my heart to embrace you, especially during the time when you are training me as a child.


In Jesus' name. Amen.


36 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Day 31: Thank you for the journey

My Friends, Thank you for journeying with me during the last 30 days. I am honoured that you would choose to spend a few minutes each day reflecting on the Book of Acts with me. Your gift of time mean

Day 30: Where do we go from here?

Congratulations! You have completed all 28 chapters of the Book of Acts. Well done! Now, you can go back and re-read it again! So, do we know anything about Paul after Acts 28? In fact, we do! After 2

Day 29: The New Normal of the Heart

Reading: Acts 28 Are we there yet? Almost! In today's reading, we finally meet Paul in Rome. But once again, his plan was delayed. "For two whole years, Paul stayed there in his own rented house ..."

Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page