Jesus said “I am the Light of the world”. Can a man approach Him and not see what state he is in ? Can there be anything hidden, when in His presence? Yet a man can choose to shut his eyes and refuse to see. “And man loved darkness rather than light”.
We acknowledge that God is holy. We know that without holiness, no man can see God. We receive the imperative that we must be holy, because and as He is holy. Can a man hold a piece of burning coal in his naked hand and not be burnt? Can a man transverse a charging furnace and exit unscathed? Can a man come before the Consuming Fire and not be purified? To be holy as He is holy is not a request. It is a command. Yet for the greater part, we come before Him, not in the least terrified by His holy presence, in our sin. It sometimes occurs that we have notions of punctilious affinity imagining our spirits to be amiably attuned and deferential. At these peaks, we like Peter can call for commemorating altars yet these temporal high-points are not testament to a sound relationship.
We call Him, Lord, LORD! That every knee shall bow, is not a religious pose of the physical bending of the knees. We contemplate negotiations, wavers, time-sharing, indulgences, furloughs or sabbaticals even. We imagine that service is optional and then, at our whim and pleasure. Can lordship be an iota short of 24 x 7? We are redeemed but have simply assumed that ownership has by some other miracle reverted to ourselves. We would pronounce Him the King of kings and LORD of Lords, with our garish declaration attracting not a hint or a tinge of vulgarity.
Another imperative is that we must forgive; if we refuse forgiveness or mercy, there will be none given to us. Still we would conjure a Just LORD entertaining our one-way street. We will not forgive. Can forgiveness be conditional and not wholeheartedly given? We forgive but will never forget? We piously forgive, only to demand that the LORD extract vengeance on our behalf? Does our forgiving come anywhere close to the Lord’s “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”. We are saved by grace, yet we would choose to know so little about being gracious.
These imperatives are so simple and clear but terribly difficult to embrace. We come before Him, into His Light, calling Him LORD, positing that we know somewhat His holiness and His specific commands, yet not unraveled by our sin. Have we shut our eyes? Or are we so calloused that burning coals are of no consequence? Do we cloak our open rebellion as minor or petty infractions only, in our pretensions? Will we obey? Little wonder that the LORD would remark that like Israel and Judah, we also have the forehead of a harlot; unfaithful and not knowing even how to blush! “Do you not fear Me?” says the LORD. Is it a small thing, to continually come before His holy presence, purportedly to worship? Obedience is better than sacrifice.
Clearly, we are in need of more grace than we would imagine.
God bless.
/ckh
We acknowledge that God is holy. We know that without holiness, no man can see God. We receive the imperative that we must be holy, because and as He is holy. Can a man hold a piece of burning coal in his naked hand and not be burnt? Can a man transverse a charging furnace and exit unscathed? Can a man come before the Consuming Fire and not be purified? To be holy as He is holy is not a request. It is a command. Yet for the greater part, we come before Him, not in the least terrified by His holy presence, in our sin. It sometimes occurs that we have notions of punctilious affinity imagining our spirits to be amiably attuned and deferential. At these peaks, we like Peter can call for commemorating altars yet these temporal high-points are not testament to a sound relationship.
We call Him, Lord, LORD! That every knee shall bow, is not a religious pose of the physical bending of the knees. We contemplate negotiations, wavers, time-sharing, indulgences, furloughs or sabbaticals even. We imagine that service is optional and then, at our whim and pleasure. Can lordship be an iota short of 24 x 7? We are redeemed but have simply assumed that ownership has by some other miracle reverted to ourselves. We would pronounce Him the King of kings and LORD of Lords, with our garish declaration attracting not a hint or a tinge of vulgarity.
Another imperative is that we must forgive; if we refuse forgiveness or mercy, there will be none given to us. Still we would conjure a Just LORD entertaining our one-way street. We will not forgive. Can forgiveness be conditional and not wholeheartedly given? We forgive but will never forget? We piously forgive, only to demand that the LORD extract vengeance on our behalf? Does our forgiving come anywhere close to the Lord’s “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”. We are saved by grace, yet we would choose to know so little about being gracious.
These imperatives are so simple and clear but terribly difficult to embrace. We come before Him, into His Light, calling Him LORD, positing that we know somewhat His holiness and His specific commands, yet not unraveled by our sin. Have we shut our eyes? Or are we so calloused that burning coals are of no consequence? Do we cloak our open rebellion as minor or petty infractions only, in our pretensions? Will we obey? Little wonder that the LORD would remark that like Israel and Judah, we also have the forehead of a harlot; unfaithful and not knowing even how to blush! “Do you not fear Me?” says the LORD. Is it a small thing, to continually come before His holy presence, purportedly to worship? Obedience is better than sacrifice.
Clearly, we are in need of more grace than we would imagine.
God bless.
/ckh
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