Are we sorrowful today, and is the joy we once felt diminished, as our happiness is draining from us? Have we been brought low and find ourselves on our knees before God crying out for the relief that only He can provide? If this is true, and we are on our knees before Him, then we should view the trials which have brought us such pain to be joy, and our posture before Him an indication that our faith has been successfully tested.
We say these words all the time... “God is Great!”... but do we really understand what we are saying, or are we repeating them to relieve ourselves of the obligation required to grasp some mystery He has presented us? Or, maybe we use them as a way of dismissing a conversation someone wants to have regarding an amazing act of God in their life? Let’s explore the meaning of this phrase today, and why we shouldn’t use it lightly.
We always picture Heaven as a place filled with praise, the continuous sound of worship, and the smell of incense, but on occasion it is also silent, being filled with the Holy Silence of God. Sometimes silence comes with prayer, and everything becomes still except the smoke of our prayers themselves as they rise before God. Yes, what we pray as words on earth become much more in the spirit world... they become incense, and fill bowls made of gold, and spoken words become silent feelings.
We are told to go into every nation delivering the good news of Jesus Christ, but at the same time we are warned not to practice our righteousness before others; does this sound like a contradiction to you? How should we go about telling people of God, and Jesus without presenting ourselves as righteous? The answer is twofold, and rather simple... don’t make the message you are teaching, or preaching, appear to be about yourself, and secondly, conduct your personal life of faith in secret.
Are you a disbeliever in spiritual things? Do you shun God, and Jesus Christ? Do you lash out at those who do believe in them, and who lead lives of faith? I often asked myself why atheists were not satisfied with simply not believing, but had to enter into a personal war against faith, and people who did believe. Then in the midst of prayer I had an epiphany... their disbelief was fueled by a sense of unworthiness, and the feeling that they could never live a sin free life as God asked; so they struck out at that thing which they felt they couldn’t achieve. The sad truth is that they had no personal hope, or understanding of God’s mercy, and His grace that flows to them through Jesus.
In the time of Jesus, lambs being readied for sacrifice in the temple were wrapped in swaddling cloth at birth, and protected from harm during their lives so that they would be unblemished, and perfect sacrifices. These were special among all the lambs, and prepared for the sole purpose of atoning for sin. Jesus became such a Lamb for us, and He took on our sin; giving His blood that we would be purified and redeemed. So how do we look upon this man, our Lamb, in the aftermath of His sacrifice? Do we bless and honor Him in all we do? Do we place Him high above us with His Father, and hold Him in great esteem?
We spoke yesterday about seeking out quiet places to pray, and this is important if we are to be alone with God, and hear His voice as it speaks to us, but there is one more ingredient that we touched on briefly... a secret place. If we are highly sought out, and can’t find solitude otherwise we need to find a secret, or unknown, place where we will not be disturbed as we pray, a place where we can listen to God, and He can speak openly with us. Jesus wandered into the wilderness in the early morning hours to places that others were not privy to, and met God there.
Do you know God and Jesus Christ? You have heard their names, and may even claim to know them, because you have prayed to them, but do you really know them? There are people we know by sight because we see them on television, or a movie screen but we really don’t know them. There are some whose voice we recognize because we hear them on the radio, recordings, or the telephone, but we really don’t know them either. Then there are those people we say we know because we have read their biographies, and become familiar with their lives, but alas, we don’t know them either. Do you really know God or Jesus Christ?
Do we say we have resolved ourselves to love and worship God with all of our heart, soul, body, and strength? If so then how is it that we can be arrogant, bitter, full of jealousy, and the other things that set us apart from Him? Do we say that Jesus is our Lord, and that we will be as He is, and obey His every commandment? If so then how can we not wash the feet of those who will betray us as Jesus did, feed the lambs of Christ, or turn the other cheek to our enemies? In this way we say one thing, and yet we do another... who are we?
Do you make time to be alone with God? When the world is surrounding you and closing in from all sides is there a quiet place you can retreat to and speak intimately with the Lord? Jesus needed to withdraw from the world in such times, and we need to do the same. There is no way that we can approach our Father with a singleness of heart, mind, and soul if the clamor of the world is so loud that it continuously distracts us. Find a time, a place, and a method of separating yourself unto God.
How is our faith? What powers the engine of our belief if not faith itself? Jesus cursed a fig tree and caused it to wither, and He did so by the application of His faith, but what has our faith accomplished for us? Do we have faith, or simply claim to possess it?
Do we wait upon the Lord? Do we long for Him to come, to rescue us, or for His provision? We should wait, but how intense is our desire for Him as we do so? Think of a time when you waited on something to occur, and not just for gifts on Christmas morning, but something that would bring relief to you in a time of trouble, suffering, or desperate need. Now think about God... did your remembrance involve praying, or trusting in Him? Have you ever waited on Him like that?
Do you wake up every morning refreshed and feeling amazing? Do you think that because you are a Christian then each day should begin wonderfully and happily? Well here is a little secret... Christians have bad days like everyone else, the difference isn’t in waking up in a state of perpetual joy, it is in knowing how to deal with life when our feet hit the floor and we are feeling out of sorts.
We should yearn for God all the hours of the day and night, not only for our own soul’s sake, but for His righteousness to become the unquenchable thirst of the world. As we slip into our night’s slumber the Lord should be our comforter, and in the rest he provides us we should demonstrate His peace to the world. When we open our eyes each morning they should behold our ongoing witness, and a vision of Jesus Christ given to all the world as He works through us. Whether in slumber or awake His righteousness should be our greatest desire for the world, and His glory in Christ that pours from us the gift of salvation for all mankind.
Before the Temple veil, which hung between man and God, was torn in two. Before Jesus died on the cross. Before the victory was won over sin and death; people had to go to priests as their mediators between themselves and God, but with these occurrences that was changed forever. A new priesthood was established.