"But behold, and fear, and tremble before God, for ye ought to tremble; for the Lord redeemeth none such that rebel against him and die in their sins; yea, even all those that have perished in their sins ever since the world began, that have wilfully rebelled against God, that have known the commandments of God, and would not keep them; these are they that have no part in the first resurrection.
Therefore ought ye not to tremble? For salvation cometh to none such; for the Lord hath redeemed none such; yea, neither can the Lord redeem such; for he cannot deny himself; for he cannot deny justice when it has its claim."
Mosiah 15:26-27
This is another message that seems harsh when we first hear it, but again I don't think that this is God wanting us to be afraid of him, but rather wanting us to realize what undiluted justice will *do* to us, if we don't take advantage of the mercy of Christ. If we don't repent and we die without taking advantage of God's atoning gift, by rejecting that chance that he gives us to grow and change and become better, then the full weight of justice for all we have done falls on us... and that isn't going to be fun. If fear is going to motivate us, then let's be motivated by that fear... the fear of the consequences of our own actions, delayed but catching up to us.
Luckily, there isn't a reason to be afraid at all if we can manage just a touch of humility, and confess our faults to God and work to do better. As we do that, Christ will help us to keep progressing and changing until we're the kind of people that don't have to ever worry about those consequences falling on us, and that space that the atonement grants us will have saved us quite thoroughly. :) Today, let's realize how much we need God in our lives, and call on God for help, strength, and mercy as we continue to progress and work with God's help to become better and better.
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