Twitter Trending Topic: #ThingsIFear
I like to check out the trending topics on Twitter from time to time, and today I noticed #ThingsIFear is the top “non-promoted” trending topic. Some of them are amusing, like “#thingsifear clowns. Anyway shape or form. Good clowns. Mall clowns. Scary clowns. Clown dolls. Ect.” or “i don’t trust GOOGLE! #ThingsIFear”. Others were more serious thoughts like the fear of losing their mother or someone they love.
The thing about trending topics is that they often come in waves. There will be a lot of people tweeting similar responses, and then the tide turns and the trending topic is flooded with another popular response. People tend to read through the trending topic before adding their voice, so their own response often reflects what they have read. When I first looked at the #ThingsIFear, I noticed a lot of people saying that they fear dying without being right with God.
I know that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7), but I also understand that I was made right with God at the cross when I accepted His gift of life (Romans 5:8-10). The fear of the LORD does not mean that we should be afraid of Him, but that we should respect and honor Him. When we accept His gift of life, it is not because we fear Him, but because we drawn by His perfect love. Perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18), so if we are made right with God through His perfect love displayed on the cross, then we should not have a fear of dying without being right with God. We know we are right with Him because of His love that we accepted, and His perfect love drives out fear.