Fear of Trying
The fear of trying should not be greater than the fear of failure in doing God's duty.
Mary Wilder Tileston emphasizes the importance of obeying God's commands without turning aside, as stated in Deuteronomy 5:32. She highlights that failing to fulfill our duties is a more serious condition than the fear of accepting responsibility. Tileston stresses that it is easier to do what God assigns us, no matter how difficult, than to face the consequences of disobedience. She also points out that knowledge and insights into perfection should lead us to take action towards achieving that perfection.
Text
Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
DEUTERONOMY 5:32
NO duty, however hard and perilous, should be feared one-half so much as failure in the duty. People sometimes shrink from responsibility, saying they dare not accept it because it is so great. But in shrinking from duty they are really encountering a far more serious condition than that which they evade. It is a great deal easier to do that which God gives us to do, no matter how hard it is, than to face the responsibility of not doing it. We have abundant assurance that we shall receive all the strength we need to perform any duty God allots to us; but if we fall out of the line of obedience, and refuse to do anything which we ought to do, we find ourselves at once out of harmony with God's law and God's providence, and cannot escape the consequences of our failure.
J. R. MILLER
KNOWLEDGE is a call to action; an insight into the way of perfection is a call to perfection.
J. H. NEWMAN
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Obedience
- The Fear of Trying
- God's Assurance of Strength
- Receiving strength for duty
- The consequences of failure
Key Quotes
“NO duty, however hard and perilous, should be feared one-half so much as failure in the duty.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“KNOWLEDGE is a call to action; an insight into the way of perfection is a call to perfection.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- We should not let the fear of trying hold us back from doing God's will.
- God gives us the strength we need to perform any duty He allots to us.
- Refusing to do what God has called us to do leads to consequences that cannot be escaped.