March 26, 2011 Fire on the Mountain

How often do we avoid the presence of God because of the glory?  I do too often.  We go to worship and He shows up as fire, His voice makes us tremble, and we're afraid for our lives.  So we back off instead of endure.

Moses was sharing the Commandments with the Israelites, and this is what he said to them. "The LORD talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire.  I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain." Deuteronomy 5: 4-5 NKJV

Isn't that what we want a lot of times, for someone else to hear from God for us?  We don't want friendship with God enough to endure the fire.

God didn't force the people to hang out with Him. Rather He expressed His desire that they truly would fear Him.  "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” But as for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’ Deuteronomy 5: 29-31 NKJV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!  Yes, we should definitely have a reverent fear of the Lord - enough to obey Him.  But I want to press through for love of God to be with Him and hear His voice on the mountaintop.  I want friendship with Him, and that means taking Him the way He is.

If we hang out with Jesus long enough, we might end up seeing Him do the things He likes to do!  'Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Luke 7: 11-35  Are we going to get offended with Him for demonstrating His power?  What if the people around us don't like it?

I have to ask myself:  which would I rather have, an intimate relationship with the Lord or being understood by the people around me?  And when I answer myself, I have to honestly say, "I choose the Lord!"

Even if it makes me squirm.

May 24, 2010 "The Right To Remain Silent"

Do you ever feel a weight of glory in the Scriptures?  Today I did.  Just one little part of what Jesus said has so much glory in it that it is really overwhelming if you contemplate it.  For instance, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." John 14:12-14

I find that my response to this kind of revelation varies depending on where I'm at in my life.  At this moment, I'm feeling like worshipping Him because I just came in from praising Him on the keyboard, and His presence is here.  It's hard to think of anything else except Him when He's around!  What He wants right now is for me (and you) to get what He's saying here.  He wants to do His works through us!  How awesome is that???

When I'm hearing Him say, "whatever you ask in My name, I will do, so that the Father is glorified," I'm going to listen extra closely to see what is in the Father's heart.  How does He want to glorify Himself in the Son today?  Jesus is authorizing me to pray.  I'm going to get my prayer answered, guaranteed.  I'm going to wait and hear and pray. 

I think we all feel like David did when we have a great victory, have our prayers answered, and experience the favor of God.  Why not follow David's example in praise, no regard for our dignified appearance or what others are thinking?  If we take Jesus at His word, we are going to have some great victories, do some awesome exploits, and be accompanied by the glory of God wherever we go.  Jesus' motivation was to glorify the Father, and so should ours be.  I do not want to deny Him before men by being afraid to praise and glorify Him freely in their presence.  I feel this opportunity will come up more and more often.  I relinguish my "right to remain silent."  Praise the Lord! 

April 6, 2010

What a great God we have!  His desire is for relationship with us, and He has gone to such great lengths to have it!  The children of Israel had a God who would protect them and provide for them if they would be faithful to Him and not serve other Gods.  We have the same God, and an even better agreement.  We have a risen Savior who has made us right with God!  And we can have the Holy Spirit living in us to help us truly walk with the Lord. 

Yes, we should have the holy fear of the Lord.  But we are constantly assured in the Scriptures that God loves us, and that we can love Him!  He speaks to us every day, if we will only listen, teaching us and training us to love Him with our whole heart.  How can we not be loyal to a God like that?

He had commanded the clouds above,
And opened the doors of heaven,
Had rained down manna on them to eat,
And given them of the bread of heaven.
Psalm 78: 23-24

February 4, 2010

I think we take God way too lightly! These readings today remind me that He is awesome in ways I don't really know, except to read about them in the Word. How would I react if I were standing before that smoking, shaking mountain with God speaking audibly in the fire, and a loud, loud trumpet blowing nonstop? But He hasn't changed!

It is wisdom to find out what God loves and love that, and what He hates and hate that. Jesus made it very clear. There is no doubt if we read the Word. If we have the proper fear of the Lord, we will study the Word and get to truly know Him. Then we will not be afraid to speak with Him and take refuge in Him. We will love Him and pursue intimacy with Him if we seek for His heart in the midst of the fire.