|
Meeting God
by Eunice Stuhlhofer Often times, we do not prepare to meet God; may be because unlike in the old covenant, He now dwells in our hearts. But the principal of preparing to meet God has not changed. Yes, we have been made right through Jesus Christ but God is still the Holy One of Israel. He asked Moses to prepare the people to meet him. Then the Lord told Moses, "Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch. Exodus 19: 10-11 (NLT) I was in prayer agreement with a friend who was undergoing deep tribulations. During prayer, the Lord asked me to tell her to prepare to meet Him. As I searched the scriptures about preparing to meet God, I came across the above verse and the unfolding story. God wants us to prepare ourselves always before we meet Him. We need to remember that He is a Holy God in whom there is no sin. Just like the Israelites washed their clothing and abstained from sexual relations before meeting God, we too need to cleanse our spiritual garments ( our hearts) before meeting Him. Our fallen nature is sinful and we must consecrate ourselves through repentance before we approach the throne of grace. He will hear us when we call for repentance because we come in the name of Jesus. We should not take light the atonement of sin by assuming that God is now lenient with us and has compromised His holiness; Jesus died in vain if it was that easy. Our fear of God which is the beginning of all wisdom needs to remain in our hearts. God is still the jealous God who will not put up with idolatry and other sins in our lives; He is still the God who punishes the iniquity of the fathers up to third and fourth generation (Exodus 20) He is still the God who gave the ten commandments and who has made a connection between the old and the new testament. This far, there is nothing casual about approaching the throne of God. Even the priests were not spared if they did not prepare themselves to meet God in a proper manner ( Exodus 19:22). God cannot compromise His holiness; today, even the church leaders must approach Him in a worthy manner for He has no favorites. Before you label me to be religious, recognise that He is still the loving Father; compassionate, faithful and patient. He loves us and has a made a way for forgiveness but not a licence to sin. Despite what we hear preached that makes the gospel seem what it is not, we must find the Truth in the Word; because everything will pass away apart from the Word. Just a different thought: if we want the Lord to receive our worship and requests seriously, then we cannot approach Him casually. Heavenly Father, help me to strive for holiness so that I may approach You, Holy God in confidence. Thank You that I can stand before You in the righteouness of Jesus. Teach me not to take the cross for granted. In Jesus' name. Amen Eunice Wangui Stuhlhofer is a wife and a mother. She writes inspirational articles, poems and devotionals. You can read more of her articles on her blog www.starsofgrace.wordpress.com Author copyrights apply. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |