To fear....Or not to fear???????

Good morning. Have you ever had coffee from a French press? I have always seen them in the movies and a couple of weeks ago while shopping I saw one on the shelf. So, I thought "I do like coffee" and threw it in the cart. I have to say it brings out a so much more from the coffee. I say that because I will make a press full and spend some quiet time reflecting. I have had a lot of solitary time lately and have to say I don't do it well. I do so much better with people and family around. Well, lately God has been wearing me out with today's verse. Let's dig into the good stuff and see what it shows us.........

Bible Verse: Hebrews 13:5 "...for He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you."

In my opinion this is one of the most encouraging verses in the entire Bible. Now, in my studies I read what Greek scholars tell us about this sentence, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee," really has five negatives in it.  Now some say a double negative is bad English and in the south we say them a lot but evidently it wasn't bad Greek.  In the Greek Version of it reads: "I will never, no not ever, no never leave you nor forsake you."  Now check this out, which should take the fear out of what is in the future. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

In the commentary I was reading it spoke of a preacher that was visiting a grandmother in his church, trying to comfort her in her old age.  I bet she knew the Lord better than he did! But, this preacher took out his Greek New Testament and was reading this verse to her, explaining there were five negatives there.  The grandma said, "Well, God may have to say it five times for you Greek boys, but once is enough for me." That sounds like some of the older people I know. 

So, my question to you today is why are we in fear so much? I really think we fear because we're afraid we're going to have to face something we don't understand, and not only that, we'll have to face it alone. The bottom line is, God wants us to walk in faith, not fear, because He is always with us! He dwells within us! Believe that!!!

On the other hand, do you fear being forsaken, lonely? I sure do. Heck, most of us do. We would be lying if we said we weren't. Yet we have the companionship of His presence.  We fear our friends will leave us. Doctors say the greatest need we have on earth is not material but the ability to love and be loved. The Lord has said, "I will never leave you." We must believe this promise. Do you? Is God speaking to you?  Are you listening?  Let's write Hebrew 13:5 down and try to remember it throughout the week! Have a great day and God bless.