“Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:22-24)
The fear of man brings a snare. Our fear of what men will say or think keeps us from doing the will of God. There are those we should want to please, but only as an outflow of our desire to please God. Honor your parents, because you honor God. Seek to please your spouse, because you want to please God. Faithfully serve your employer, because you are God’s servant.
To walk in the fear of the Lord we must have an eye first and foremost toward Him. We are not looking for man’s reward or wanting to escape his criticism; all that matters to us is pleasing God. Our heart is single. It is focused above.
There are tremendous benefits of walking in the fear of God. Firstly, it delivers us from the fear of man. We experience a new freedom to move and act. We are no longer manipulated by others. Whether our actions anger or please them is not the deciding factor. Our eye is trained on God. Will we get His smile or frown? That is what matters to us.
Our Lord waits to reward those who served Him on earth. The more we serve Him now, in singleness of heart, the more treasure we lay up in heaven.