Deuteronomy 48ff, "That same day the Lord said to Moses, 'Go to Moab, to the mountains east of the river, and climb Mount Nebo, which is across from Jericho. Look out across the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the people of Israel as their own special possession. Then you will die there on the mountain. You will join your ancestors, just as Aaron, your brother, died on Mount Hor and joined his ancestors. For both of you betrayed me with the Israelites at the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. You failed to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel there. So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.'”
I have often wondered why God treated Moses so harshly when he struck the rock instead of talking to it. (Numbers 20:9-13) So what, so he struck the rock instead of talking to it. Whats the big deal? Was God unfair to Moses? Was He being unreasonable?
I feel we all have some kind of calling on our lives. At times, I can become overwhelmed with the job that I feel God is giving me. At times, I would like to turn to my old familiar ways of dealing with things and get lost in a moment and forget my responsibilities. There are many of us who feel this way, but we all are responsible for how we handle stresses and what it looks like, to others, in how we handle them. Moses had a huge responsibility in showing the people who God was. God had a certain role for Moses to play. Moses lost his cool and did not demonstrate God's power, but his own. This was the "big" deal that lost him the promised land. "You failed to demonstrate my holiness to the people..."
So often people see us. They see us and see how we worship our God, but they also see us in how we handle this life outside of our church walls. This is where God is holding us accountable. Do others see His changing power through our lives? Do they see that He is truly part of us, or do they hear the words, but see something different? Moses did not loose his position with God. Moses joined his ancestors beside God when he died. This is not about loosing your salvation, but about loosing your promise land. It is about loosing our rights to represent God to others. It is about God pulling you aside and not allowing you to go forth in front of others to represent His holiness. It is about being set aside as different. Are we different from others? Have we really changed how we act around our home? Do we handle our stresses differently? Do we handle our fun differently? If we talk about a spiritual transformation, has there really been a change in our own life? If it is by the power of God that we are transformed, I hope so. Can others pull you out of the crowd you are in and say you are different. Or is it just the words you say that make you feel you are different. That is by definition, hypocrisy.
“When you fall into sin, the smallest price you pay is only the wounding you bring to yourself-- You grieve the heart of God and embarrass the community of Christ” (RZ). How are we living out our lives with God in front of others?
There have been so many things that I would have liked to have done, but I did not. I cannot go out and party. There are many things that I do that really are not sin in my heart, but because others are watching me, (and this thing may cause them to stumble) I do not do these certain things in public. I have to be conscious of how it looks to others. I have to. It is my responsibility to God who has called me to be different, so that my life may demonstrate His holiness.
I have shared all of my struggles. I have allowed others to see how truly weak I am on my own. Now I am being called to demonstrate through my life, how God can change us and make us strong. No matter what I do or where I am, I am being watched. Can others see His power, or do they still just see my sin. Is my life still grieving God's heart? Am I an embarrassment to the community of Christ?
1 John 2:15, "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you." We are to live in this world, but we are not to be of this world. What do others see? Is my life demonstrating His holiness, or do others still just see me?
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/living-proof-with-beth-moore/listen/the-inheritance-from-dvd-8-of-9-200150.html
This is a link to Beth Moore..... She addresses this issue.
1 comments:
Thank you for this post, Jenny. This is something that has been troubling Don & me for some time. While we've been trying to examine each and area of our lives against scripture (and it IS a process), we see many within the body of Christ that are conveniently "blending in" with the culture. While we don't ever want our collective faith to be all "window dressing", if the only thing truly different from others is the verbal message, why would they ever feel any conviction and come over. We're far from having all of the answers, but certainly don't want to see any within the body of Christ miss their promised land for "going with the flow." Just my morning ramblings... blessing to you and yours! :)
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