How Holy?
I received this as an e-mail devotional from Planet Wisdom today. If you haven't signed up to receive their devos online, you really should. They are dead spot on and really challenge my heart in my relationship with God!
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"At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.' "
(Hebrews 12:26-28)
I'm not surprised it's so difficult for you and I to approach God with the "reverence and awe" the God of the universe deserves. For one thing, we just can't imagine HIs absolute holiness. Very few things in our culture are thought to be sacred. We take off our shoes to protect the carpet, but we don't have much reason to do so out of respect for a holy place.
The other problem is that we lower God's value because He was willing to accept us into His family. We know us, and we are sinful, often foolish, sometimes downright wicked people. If God would forgive us, how holy could He be?
We know that's wrong thinking. God did not relax His holiness to welcome us home; He obliterated our sin when He crushed holy Jesus on the cross. The consuming fire of His perfect wrath burned Him up instead of us. We can only say "yes" and "thank you again" and try harder to worship Him with deeper reverence and awe.
Think: Why do you think it's so hard for us to understand God's holiness? What can we do about it?
Pray: Ask God to help you worship Him acceptably with reverence and awe. Thank Him again for including you in His family through Jesus' death on the cross.
Do: Look up the words "acceptable," "reverence," and "awe" in your favorite online dictionary.
Visit PlanetWisdom for more great resources!
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I know God's wrath poured out on sin is beyond my comprehension. And, Jesus suffering that wrath on my behalf for my sin is almost past the limits of my understanding. Yet this is Truth of what God, through the precious gift of His Son, Jesus, did to reach out and rescue me from the death of sin. And, He has reached out to rescue you as well. You need only believe in faith, trusting what Jesus did on your behalf on the cross.
It is hard for many folks to take that step.
I have been transfixed by the pictures of utter destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Ike in the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston and Huston, Texas. If you haven't seen them, you should google them and look at some of the before & after pictures of some of the seaside towns that no longer exist.
Some people chose to stay, despite the dire warning of certain death. Those stubborn souls chose to ride the storm out. For whatever reason, their decision to stay and suffer the "wrath" of Ike was less threatening to them than the thought of leaving their worldy possessions behind for the certainty of safety. And, some are still lost, thought to be swept out to sea with the surge of the storm. It may take months to ascertain the accurate death toll.
Sadly, many people choose to ignore the warning of God's wrath and the salvation that is theirs by trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Their death, eternal separation from God, is certain as well.
Let us be swift to love and be concerned for the lost. Let us consider God's holiness and the command that we are to be holy as well. Perhaps then, we would be more urgent in how we live our lives...we would care more about the lost...we would consider less, the trappings of this transient world through which we are passing.
Hmmm....thoughts to ponder.
c'iao!-M
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"At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.' "
(Hebrews 12:26-28)
I'm not surprised it's so difficult for you and I to approach God with the "reverence and awe" the God of the universe deserves. For one thing, we just can't imagine HIs absolute holiness. Very few things in our culture are thought to be sacred. We take off our shoes to protect the carpet, but we don't have much reason to do so out of respect for a holy place.
The other problem is that we lower God's value because He was willing to accept us into His family. We know us, and we are sinful, often foolish, sometimes downright wicked people. If God would forgive us, how holy could He be?
We know that's wrong thinking. God did not relax His holiness to welcome us home; He obliterated our sin when He crushed holy Jesus on the cross. The consuming fire of His perfect wrath burned Him up instead of us. We can only say "yes" and "thank you again" and try harder to worship Him with deeper reverence and awe.
Think: Why do you think it's so hard for us to understand God's holiness? What can we do about it?
Pray: Ask God to help you worship Him acceptably with reverence and awe. Thank Him again for including you in His family through Jesus' death on the cross.
Do: Look up the words "acceptable," "reverence," and "awe" in your favorite online dictionary.
Visit PlanetWisdom for more great resources!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I know God's wrath poured out on sin is beyond my comprehension. And, Jesus suffering that wrath on my behalf for my sin is almost past the limits of my understanding. Yet this is Truth of what God, through the precious gift of His Son, Jesus, did to reach out and rescue me from the death of sin. And, He has reached out to rescue you as well. You need only believe in faith, trusting what Jesus did on your behalf on the cross.
It is hard for many folks to take that step.
I have been transfixed by the pictures of utter destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Ike in the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston and Huston, Texas. If you haven't seen them, you should google them and look at some of the before & after pictures of some of the seaside towns that no longer exist.Some people chose to stay, despite the dire warning of certain death. Those stubborn souls chose to ride the storm out. For whatever reason, their decision to stay and suffer the "wrath" of Ike was less threatening to them than the thought of leaving their worldy possessions behind for the certainty of safety. And, some are still lost, thought to be swept out to sea with the surge of the storm. It may take months to ascertain the accurate death toll.
Sadly, many people choose to ignore the warning of God's wrath and the salvation that is theirs by trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Their death, eternal separation from God, is certain as well.
Let us be swift to love and be concerned for the lost. Let us consider God's holiness and the command that we are to be holy as well. Perhaps then, we would be more urgent in how we live our lives...we would care more about the lost...we would consider less, the trappings of this transient world through which we are passing.
Hmmm....thoughts to ponder.
c'iao!-M
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