Is your world neatly divided into ‘things God cares about’ and those that do not concern Him? Do you engage the Lord on Sunday morning or in your prayers before you drift off to sleep but leave Him out of the other hours of your life? Eugene Peterson, pastor and author, points out a common mistake that people make by dividing life into things ‘secular’ (that don’t concern God) and things ‘sacred.’
The truth is that our God does not live in churches, concerned only about our songs and liturgies. He is Lord of our work life, our family life, our inner thoughts, our recreation, our finances, our politics … yes, Lord of life. There is a sweet peace, a genuine spiritual wealth, that is discovered by those who desire to walk with God, who learn to live in an awareness of His Presence.
The preacher Isaiah encountered the living God and recorded the life-changing experience for us. His words are full of image and drama. They fill me with awe. "In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great chorus they sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!” Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?” And I said, “Lord, I’ll go! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:1-8, NLT)
What happened to Isaiah as a result of this experience?
First, he comes to understand that the Lord does not only live in the Temple. He fills the earth with His radiant beauty!
A person who is living with God-awareness will see the beauty of His work everywhere and desire to reach places that are darkened by sin and suffering with the Light of life. This is what Jesus means when He invites us to be light. When we are filled with the Spirit of God the Presence, the Radiance, will be reflected in our lives. Paul says this: "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)
Second, he becomes even more aware of his own sin!
An encounter with our holy God will make us humble, aware that we are unworthy, in need of a Savior. If our ‘worship’ is misfocused on our own physical and psychological needs rather than on the majesty of God, we will gloss over our failures. Isaiah was reduced to terror in the Presence of a holy God. There is no real intimacy with God, no real spiritual power, apart from the revelation of our sin and His grace. When Isaiah cried out about his sin, God moved to make him clean. He does the same for us! Many churches have erased the mention of sin because it makes people feel badly. True worship becomes all but impossible because when God’s Presence comes near we will inevitably see ourselves more clearly. The grace of God that makes us new and holy becomes a precious gift to those who know they are forgiven!
Third, he gains a life-consuming mission!
“Lord, I’ll go. Send me.” He became God’s man in that age. When we encounter the living God we too become people who live on purpose. We see more clearly that life is so much more than what we eat, what we wear, or the house in which we live. Peter says we begin to live as “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
Pray to know Him fully as the Holy One, the Mighty God. Begin the day with a prayer of commitment, asking to live near to His heart, to be His ambassador in your world. This does not mean that we lose all the joy of being human, that we can no longer love and laugh. That understanding of holiness as a constricting piety ignores the truth of the rich and full life that is found in the Spirit of God. Jesus called this way of living the ‘abundant life,’ one that offers ‘joy to the full, overflowing.’ He is as close as the mention of His Name. God Almighty invites us to know Him. Will we?
Here is a word from the Word.
“Let the
Holy Spirit fill and control you.
Then you
will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves,
making music to the Lord in your hearts.
And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Ephesians 5: 18-19)
(Video of
this blog at this link)
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I can't count the times
I've called Your name some broken night
And You showed up and patched me up
Like You do every time
I get amnesia I forget that You keep coming around
Yeah ain't no way You'll ever let me down
Good God Almighty
I hope You'll find me
Praising Your Name no matter what comes
'Cause I know where I'd be
Without Your mercy
So I keep praising Your name at the top of my lungs
Tell me is He good (He's good)
Tell me is He God (He's God)
He is Good God Almighty
You say Your love goes on forever
That Your mercy never stops
So why would I assume
You'd be somebody that You're not
Like sun in the morning
I know You're gonna be there every day
So what on earth could make me be afraid
Praise Him in the morning
Praise Him in the noon time
Praise Him when the sun goes down
Love Him in the morning
Love Him in the noon time
Love Him when the sun goes down
Jesus in the morning
Jesus in the noon time
Jesus when the sun goes down
Jesus in the morning
Jesus in the noon time
Jesus when the sun goes down
Ben Glover | David Crowder | Jeff Sojka
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