THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD"S WAY
We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but He that is begotten of God keepeth Himself, and that wicked one toucheth Him not ( I John 5:18 ).
Christians commit sins, of course, but they ask God to forgive them and then they continue to serve Him. God has freed them from their slavery to Satan, and He keeps them safe from Satan's continued attacks. The rest of the world does not have the Christian's freedom to obey God. Unless they come to Christ in faith, they have no choice but to obey Satan. There is no middle ground, people either belong to God and obey Him, or they live under Satan's control.
Mount Horeb was not what it appeared to be. Though forbidding and barren, it actually came to symbolize that season in a person's life where a desolate soul could find the presence of God. Both Elijah and Moses before him found fresh encounters with God on Horeb. Surrounded by the bleak and barren environment, the Lord reduced His servants to one focus: God alone.
The Horeb experience tells us that God accommodates our times of desolation and uses them to prepare us for greater glory. Out of our barrenness comes a renewed dependency upon God, from which new assignments and increased power emerge. It was here, in the cleft of a rock near Horeb, that Moses prayed; Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people ( Exodus 33:13 ). And it was here that the Lord, in turn, promised; And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest ( Exodus 33:14 ). We cannot say we truly know God if we remain ignorant of His ways. To know the way of a person is to know his heart's motivations, as well as how he would respond to the blessings and challenges of life. Moses knew the Lord in the deepest intimacy possible; he knew God's ways.
He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel ( Psalms 103:7 ).
God's Law was given first to Moses and the people of Israel. God's Law presents a clear picture of God's nature and will. It was God's training manual to prepare His people to serve Him and to follow His ways. To know the way of God is to become knowledgeable of the motives of His heart and intimate with the secrets of His passions. It is to be amazed at the resolve of His love and compelled to humility by by His attraction to the lowly. The Lord had promised Moses, My presence shall go with you. When God's presence accompanies our actions, all the energy we once spent worrying and planning is reclaimed and offered back to God in praise and effective service.
The outcome of being companioned through life with Christ is in His promise, I will give you rest ( Exodus 33:14 ). To enter God's rest does not imply that we have become inactive but that God has become active. Thus Jesus calls; Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28 ). The rest Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all effort. A relationship with God changes meaningless toil into spiritual productivity and purpose. How the Church today, weary and desparate, needs to return to Jesus and re-enter God's rest! Yoked to Christ our burdens are transferred to the vastness of His strength and abilities. He becomes to us a untiring resource for our weakness; He is unfailing wisdom for our ignorance. At the place of rest, Christ becomes a continual life-spring of grace and virtue. We can cease from our anxious labors and, unfettered from our ideas and traditions, serve Him in unlimited strength of His might.
God has always been concerned with the condition of our hearts than the activity of our hands. What we become to Him is far more consequential than all we shall ever do for Him. He wants our love and companionship. Indeed, the Scriptures tells us that He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us ( James 4:5 ). Thus, if our devotion to our task exceeds our devotion to Him, He will personally hinder our success. It is out of love that God delivers us from the unanointed momentum of our zeal. He intentionally dries up our vigor. The Lord insists that our success not originate from our strength but from our union with Him. Our time of desolation, brokeness, and disappointment becomes a tool in His hand where He works within us a deeper dependency upon His strength.
Alone with God on Horeb, Moses prayed, Show me thy glory ( Exodus 33;18).
The Lord responded, I Myself will make all My goodness pass pass before you ( v.19 ). At the center of Christ's resplendent glory is His incomparable goodness. Indeed, our Horeb experience becomes the very site where, inspite of our sense of failure, God reveals to us His goodness. To be personally restored to the knowledge of God's goodness is what Elijah desperately needed. So it is for us.
Christians commit sins, of course, but they ask God to forgive them and then they continue to serve Him. God has freed them from their slavery to Satan, and He keeps them safe from Satan's continued attacks. The rest of the world does not have the Christian's freedom to obey God. Unless they come to Christ in faith, they have no choice but to obey Satan. There is no middle ground, people either belong to God and obey Him, or they live under Satan's control.
Mount Horeb was not what it appeared to be. Though forbidding and barren, it actually came to symbolize that season in a person's life where a desolate soul could find the presence of God. Both Elijah and Moses before him found fresh encounters with God on Horeb. Surrounded by the bleak and barren environment, the Lord reduced His servants to one focus: God alone.
The Horeb experience tells us that God accommodates our times of desolation and uses them to prepare us for greater glory. Out of our barrenness comes a renewed dependency upon God, from which new assignments and increased power emerge. It was here, in the cleft of a rock near Horeb, that Moses prayed; Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people ( Exodus 33:13 ). And it was here that the Lord, in turn, promised; And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest ( Exodus 33:14 ). We cannot say we truly know God if we remain ignorant of His ways. To know the way of a person is to know his heart's motivations, as well as how he would respond to the blessings and challenges of life. Moses knew the Lord in the deepest intimacy possible; he knew God's ways.
He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel ( Psalms 103:7 ).
God's Law was given first to Moses and the people of Israel. God's Law presents a clear picture of God's nature and will. It was God's training manual to prepare His people to serve Him and to follow His ways. To know the way of God is to become knowledgeable of the motives of His heart and intimate with the secrets of His passions. It is to be amazed at the resolve of His love and compelled to humility by by His attraction to the lowly. The Lord had promised Moses, My presence shall go with you. When God's presence accompanies our actions, all the energy we once spent worrying and planning is reclaimed and offered back to God in praise and effective service.
The outcome of being companioned through life with Christ is in His promise, I will give you rest ( Exodus 33:14 ). To enter God's rest does not imply that we have become inactive but that God has become active. Thus Jesus calls; Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28 ). The rest Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all effort. A relationship with God changes meaningless toil into spiritual productivity and purpose. How the Church today, weary and desparate, needs to return to Jesus and re-enter God's rest! Yoked to Christ our burdens are transferred to the vastness of His strength and abilities. He becomes to us a untiring resource for our weakness; He is unfailing wisdom for our ignorance. At the place of rest, Christ becomes a continual life-spring of grace and virtue. We can cease from our anxious labors and, unfettered from our ideas and traditions, serve Him in unlimited strength of His might.
God has always been concerned with the condition of our hearts than the activity of our hands. What we become to Him is far more consequential than all we shall ever do for Him. He wants our love and companionship. Indeed, the Scriptures tells us that He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us ( James 4:5 ). Thus, if our devotion to our task exceeds our devotion to Him, He will personally hinder our success. It is out of love that God delivers us from the unanointed momentum of our zeal. He intentionally dries up our vigor. The Lord insists that our success not originate from our strength but from our union with Him. Our time of desolation, brokeness, and disappointment becomes a tool in His hand where He works within us a deeper dependency upon His strength.
Alone with God on Horeb, Moses prayed, Show me thy glory ( Exodus 33;18).
The Lord responded, I Myself will make all My goodness pass pass before you ( v.19 ). At the center of Christ's resplendent glory is His incomparable goodness. Indeed, our Horeb experience becomes the very site where, inspite of our sense of failure, God reveals to us His goodness. To be personally restored to the knowledge of God's goodness is what Elijah desperately needed. So it is for us.
© 2024 Created by Raliegh Jones Jr..
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