While growing up my Grandma did not drive so we had to rely on others for transportation. Living in the rainforest of Washington state you could not just walk and get somewhere. It seemed my childhood was filled with hours of just waiting, it would drive me crazy, still to this day I hate waiting for others.
Have you ever gotten tired of waiting on God and decided to take matters in your own hands?
This is what happened with the children of Israel, Moses was taking forever on the mountain with God. So Aaron who was second in command let the people convince him to do things their own way, forget Moses, forget God, let's make our own gods, that are available when and how we want them.
Do we have objects that we turn to when desperate rather than Jehovah God?
The moment we choose to forsake God our old carnal nature comes to the surface. In this life we will never be completely delivered from our past until we are delivered from our flesh. We must catch the warning signs before we fall. We need accountability partners, who will hold us to established restrictions so we stay standing. We need to be like Moses on the mountain, in the game, rather than the children of Israel down below, spectating from afar. When we spectate we speculate, our thoughts wander, and sin lies at the door.
Have you ever been able to convince someone not to go through with something, though their mind had been set? I know my own stubborn nature, once my mind is set only the closest people have a chance to convince me I may be wrong. Moses was that close to God that he convinced Him not to destroy the children of Israel. God may have just been testing Moses loyalty as Israel's leader, yet this helps us understand how deep He wants our relationship to be. Moses is one of the greatest examples of a friend of God.
When I was in school we terrorized substitute teachers, they were often timid, and afraid, not able to stand in authority against the lack of respect we gave them. We ate them up and chewed them out, some never taught again. We can see who true leaders are by how they handle adversity.
Aaron gave the people what they wanted, he was more concerned about being liked, than taking a righteous stand, so he led them into wickedness, disgracing Israel amongst their enemies. People point fingers not so much on the leader who did wrong but on those who appointed them. Leaders must be tested before given certain responsibilities.
Moses was willing to be erased from the book of life if God would not forgive their sins. True leaders lay down their life for the sake of their followers. They are willing to take the heat for their groups own failures. Many leaders bounce when things get out of hand, godly leaders stick to whom God has called them to until God sends them elsewhere. They are not moved by circumstances they are moved only by the voice of God.
God told Moses okay I won't destroy the children of Israel, but since I can't stand them, I will just take care of matters from afar. It's like most CEO's they don't interact with the employees, they are behind closed doors, out of sight, making decisions from afar.
Now that the people hear this news, they are depressed, they for one did not want to get too close to God, yet they didn't want Him too far as well. They are afraid to live without Him but also afraid to get too close to Him, sounds like many of us Christians today.
God established a tent of meeting, what we call church, where people could meet with God. Yet Moses was the one that mainly entered this tent, with Joshua who would remain after he left. The people would give their respect, standing in attention, bowing down in worship as the pillar of cloud came upon the tent. But, Moses alone would speak to God face-to-face.
How many of us come to church, listen to the sermon, bow down and worship God, but don't encounter Him face to face?
In Exodus 33:11-23 you see Moses talking with God the way we would talk to our close friends. Have any of us talked to God in this manner? Maybe we could expect God to talk to us like this, but to talk back to God, to question Him, and then make requests that nobody else has experienced before. Who does Moses think he is? Well, God's friend, that's who.
Moses knew that the only distinguishing factor he had was the presence of God. We must learn from this! I was away in Seattle recently without my family, I hated it! I do not like being on my own. I love traveling, experiencing new places, but not without my family. This is how we should be with God's presence.
We need to learn the art of waiting on God, not moving until He is leading and guiding us in fellowship along the way. Well isn't God omnipresent? Yes, but He manifests His presence upon those who seek Him. Our seeking proves our wanting. Just like in the dating world one may play "hard to get" so the other can prove how much they really want them.
Those who don't worship and pray daily don't really want God. We can say we love someone but if we always ignore them and never make time for them, we don't, "for actions speak louder than words."
How many of us struggle in our relationships, we are not good spouses, good parents, or good friends? We have pasts that are full of hurts and our trust level is bare minimum. Where do we start? Renewing the mind, changing the way we think is what will change the way we act.
“The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him.” (John 14:21 MSG)
We can only walk with God as long as we are willing to obey Him. To the degree of our obedience will determine the degree of His manifestation.
In John 15 it says He makes Himself home with those who keeps His commandments. These are those whom are His friends in which He lets them in on everything He hears from the Father.
I don't know about you, but I'm convicted of not being a very good friend of God. I don't want a distant relationship, I want to encounter God moment to moment, face to face such as Moses. So I repent for grieving the Holy Spirit and choosing not to enjoy the fullness of God's love that can be experienced in His presence by complete obedience to His word as His friend.
No comments:
Post a Comment