SHOW ME YOUR GLORY!

“Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You [progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly and clearly] and that I may find favor in Your sight. And [Lord, do] consider that this nation is Your people.

And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.

And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here!

For by what shall it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight? Is it not in Your going with us so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth?

And the Lord said to Moses, I will do this thing also that you have asked, for you have found favor, loving-kindness, and mercy in My sight and I know you personally and by name.

     

And Moses said, ‘I beseech You, show me Your glory’.”  Ex. 33:18 AMP

To put this verse in context, at this point Moses had already experienced many miracles and wonders by God’s hands starting with the burning bush, the plagues upon the Egyptians, the exodus out of Goshen, the pillar of the cloud and the pillar of fire, the parting of the Red Sea and walking across on a dry sea bed, manna (bread from heaven), quail, enough water from the rock  he struck to quench the thirst of thousands, victory over Amalek when Moses kept his hands raised, and spending 40 days and nights up on the mountain where God initially wrote the Ten Commandments on the two stone tablets.  He then returned to find the people worshiping the golden calf idol.  He threw the tablets of Ten Commandments down and broke them.  He asked that whoever was on the Lord’s side to come where he stood and all the Levites came to him.  Three thousand men were slain by the sons of Levi according to Moses command due to their not siding with the Lord.  Moses then went to a tent he had set up outside the camp (he called it the tent of meeting, where everyone who sought the Lord could go).  It was there he had the above conversation with the Lord.

After everything Moses had already experienced, after all the miracles, after all the promises God made to him, he still wanted more.  He wanted more of God Himself.  What was God’s response?

"I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."   Ex. 33:19-20

God answered Moses’ prayer!  Can you imagine ALL the goodness of the Lord passing right before you?  God knew that Moses’ mortal body could not withstand the full impact of His glory so he protected him as He passed, but he did let Moses experience the amount of His glory he could withstand.  God knows just how much we can bear of tribulations, trials, temptations (1 Cor. 10:13) and even His Presence (Ex. 33:20).

Moses went through a lot of tribulations with stubborn Israel, but it was worth it.  We go through a lot of tribulations and trials in this life but it is worth it:

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!"  (Romans 8:17-19)

“But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God--[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence].”

(1 Cor. 2:6-8 AMP)

Moses' face reflected that encounter with God, so much so that he had to wear a veil over his face.  (Ex. 34:30-33)  Would you not want to experience such an encounter with God?  God has a protected way for us to behold His glory too, the Word of God:

“And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.”  (2 Cor. 3:17-18)

Moses had the faith and guts to ask the Most High God to see His glory.  He did not worry how it would affect him; he just wanted more of God.  Should this not also be our cry?  I want more of Him!  How about you?  Now, every time I read His Word I will cry, “Father God, I entreat You, show me Your glory!”

THE MINISTRY OF WORSHIP (Part III)

Works of the Flesh Result in Inappropriate Worship

When did true worship start and what made it stop?  When Adam was in Paradise, his worship of God was perfect.  He spent time with God.  God would bring him animals He made and Adam would name them (Gen. 2).  When Adam fell his worship was marred (Gen. 3). There was no longer the same free, frank fellowship with God and no longer the reverence.  Sin entered the world and we like Adam are sinners (1 John 1:18).  Sin mars our worship of God (2 Cor. 6:14).

Gal. 5:19-21 give a list of “the lusts of the flesh” we participate in since Adam’s fall.  If we are truthful with ourselves we will find something on the list we have participated in.  Granted, most of us have not committed murder.  Or have we?  “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”  (1 John 3:15 KJV)  Have you ever hated someone?  Then God calls you a murderer.

Let’s examine another item from the list, one we can say for sure we have never committed.  How about witchcraft?  The dictionary states that witchcraft is:  holding converse with the dead, possessed by an evil spirit, having a spirit of divination, soothsayers, using chemicals and drugs.  Now I know we all feel as if we have not been into this as believers, or have we?  Have you ever taken something to make you feel good or to escape from the stress you are under?  How about drinking alcohol?  How about prescription drugs in a way they were not prescribed?  If you have you are practicing witchcraft.  Have you ever watched Ghost Whisperer, Harry Potter, or other television shows and movies that have witchcraft content? If you have, you are being entertained by witchcraft.

How about idolatry?  Surely we can state that we have never bowed down to a stone statue.  Here the dictionary states that idolatry is:  the worship of a physical object as a god, immoderate or over attachment or devotion to something.  “Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun (keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be) any sort of idolatry (of loving or venerating anything more than God).”  (1 Cor. 10:4 AMP)  Have you ever put something as more important than God?  How about sports, shopping, movies, television, or another person?

We can see how even just one of these things can separate us from God.  We, as mankind, long to return to that state of free, frank fellowship with God that Adam first had but sin stands in the way.  Thank God He has provided a way to be free from sin:  Jesus.  If you have not accepted that Jesus died for your sins, I urge you to do so today.  If you have accepted what He has done for you, I urge you to walk in the Spirit every moment of every day so that you will not “fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16) and can return to TRUE worship and inherit His Kingdom.

John 4:23 "A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers."  AMP Bible

FINDING THE BALANCE

Imagine a high wire circus performer beginning to step out on a tight rope.  He is standing, one foot slightly in front of the other, soft flexible performer’s shoes curled around the edges of the rope.  As he gets ready to step forward someone hands him his long pole, weighted on each end for perfect balance.  The performer takes hold of the middle of the pole with both hands about shoulder’s width apart and steps forward on the rope.  Suddenly he realizes one end of the pole is quite a bit heavier than the other.  He starts to loose his balance.  He tries to compensate by grasping the pole nearer to the heavier side, bit it is too late.  He falls.

“A false balance and unrighteous dealings are extremely offensive and shamefully sinful to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.”  Proverbs 11:1 AMP

Our life as a Christian (Christ like) is like the walk that high wire performer walks on the high wire.  How hard are we trying to walk the Christian walk?  It is easy to fall off balance when we try to do it by ourselves.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph. 2:8-9 KJV

Years ago circuses did high wire acts without safety nets.  A fall would kill the performer.  In our imagination, though, let us put a net under our performer and see him safely fall into the net, a little shook up and embarrassed but alive and ready to try again.

Let us use our imaginations again.  For us to become Christ like God has provided a tightrope (the narrow way), a balance pole and a safety net.  Like the circus performer our balance pole is weighted on each end.  One end has works and the other has faith.  Below is the net God has set up for safety, knit together with His love, forgiveness and salvation.

I would do well in my own walk on the tightrope if I used the equipment He gives me as He means it to be used.  But what if I think that faith is really more important than works and put more weight on the faith end of the balance pole, after all, it is “by grace ye are saved through faith…not of works…”  What if, on the other hand, I see “works” as more important than faith and put more weight on that end of my pole after all, “…they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works...”  Titus 3:8  In either case I have added more weight to one end of the balance pole than the other and when I step out on the tightrope I find the balance of the Christian (Christ like) walk impossible and I fall.

Praise God for His safety net!

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”  James 2:26 KJV

As I confess my sin of over-balanced self effort, motivated by His love for me, He stands me upright, restores the balance to my pole and hands it to me.  I grasp the perfectly balanced pole and step out experiencing the exhilaration of walking on the heights of Christian experience in perfect balance.

Let me challenge you today.  Examine your life.  See if your balance pole has more weight on one end than the other.  Confess and repent of trying your own effort of balancing in your walk with Him.  Ask God to re-balance your pole.  Step out with that perfectly balanced pole of faith and works and walk in confidence.  People will see your performance and desire to join that same kind of life .  After all, what kid did not have a desire to join the circus?

“A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights of the bag are His work (established on His eternal principles).”  Prov. 16:11 AMP

THE MINISTRY OF WORSHIP (Part II)

John 4:23 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."  AMP Bible

When we think of worship we think of singing at church.  Music and singing is a vital part of worship; it is a form of but not the actual worship.  There are many different forms of worship besides singing and music:  giving tithes, helping others, prayer meetings, Bible Studies, etc. but worship, by Webster’s definition is reverence, loving devotion, and idolizing.  These are the inward attitudes we have that motivate the outward forms of worship.  The key is what worship is focused on.

Colossians 3:16 tells us to let the Word have its home in our hearts and minds and actually dwell in us, not only so that we teach and admonish one another in all wisdom but that we also with gratitude in our hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs TO GOD.  “…true worshipers will worship the Father…” (John 4:23)  He is our focus.

Worship is not limited to Church, but should be an every day, every hour part of our lives.  “And whatever you do (no matter what it is) in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in dependence upon His person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17  When you get up in the morning give God reverence; acknowledge Him with the first breath you take after waking up.  When you go about your morning chores or work think about Him in loving devotion.  As you go through your day take moments to idolize Him, making Him preeminent over everything else going on in your day.

Let me share with you something I read recently regarding worship;

“I've come to the conclusion that it is almost impossible to come to church on Sunday morning and have a meaningful worship experience if I haven't worshiped during the week in my own time with God. It's like the little child who comes to a birthday party expecting to be the honored guest; everything revolves around them for that moment. How many times have we been that little child when it comes to our worship on Sunday? "Dada, I'm here!” I can almost see God shaking His head wondering why we can't get it right. The party isn't about us; it's about Him and all He's done for us. There would be no reason to celebrate had there not been a cross, I'm not worthy to be at His party except for the blood that washed me clean and lets me stand in His presence. Try worshiping for seven days by yourself and then coming to church to worship with other Christians, you'll never view worship the same again.”  - Terri Pettyjohn

Worship is the heartfelt acknowledgment of God and all His power and glory in EVERY thing we do.

I challenge you to start right now.  Put your focus on Him.  Find ways to worship Him throughout today, every hour, minute by minute.  Take little moments to think about Him.  At this very moment let your love for Him swell up in your spirit and tell Him you love Him.  He is waiting for you with open arms.