Reflections on the Presence of God: Part 4--Moses

The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

God promised Moses three things in the scriptures above:

1.  He would come to Moses.

2.  Israel would hear God speaking to Moses.

3.  As a result, they would always put their trust in Moses.

This coming to Moses by God was very real, tangible, and visible.  The dense cloud could be seen, and it was not an ordinary cloud, but the dense cloud of the presence of the One True God! 

God came to Moses, and everyone with Him could see it! 

God did it ON PURPOSE, TO BE SEEN BY THE PEOPLE MOSES LED!

What more could a leader want than God to come to him or her in the most real way, so that the followers would see and know that God is with this leader?!

I just can’t think of anything better than this!

The Israelites had NO reason to distrust Moses.  We as Americans may have reason to distrust our leaders, even the ones we vote into office.  But God is perfectly trustworthy, and His choice of leadership is perfect.  When he backs a leader by His own presence, this leader is perfectly trustworthy, only because God is perfectly trustworthy.  No other nation had the privilege of being the nation with whom God Himself resided.  And no other man on earth except Moses spoke to God face to face!

Reflections on the Presence of God: Part 3--Joseph

When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.

The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.  ~Moses, regarding Joseph

As it was with Abraham, so it was with his grandson Joseph: 

God’s presence and prosperity seen clearly.

But with both Joseph and Abraham, those who see God with them also benefit from His presence with them.  In other words, just as God promised, Abraham and his descendants were blessed, and they were a blessing to other they encountered. 

This too is our birthright as the children of God, and the children of Abraham.

We who believe in God, all of us who trust in Christ Jesus the Lord, have the blessing of the presence of His Spirit in us, empowering us to do God's wil; to not only be blessed, but to be a blessing to everyone in our lives.

I must reiterate that it is ONLY in the context of God's will that any of what I’ve written applies at all.  When we are with God, He is with us, as He said to King Asa in 2 Chronicles.  He is literally with us, in the very room with us, when we do His will for His glory.  We have no choice but to succeed when we obey the living God!

But for me, what means more than anything else, is God with me, and this being seen and known clearly….

Reflections on the Presence of God: Part 2-Abraham

At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do.”

They answered, "We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, 'There ought to be a sworn agreement between us'--between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you.

~Moses, concerning Abraham

I notice two things with Abraham:

1. It was in what HE DID that God was with him.
2. This was seen CLEARLY.

As we’ll see later, the specific kind of action that shows God’s presence is perfect success or prosperity in whatever His follower does according to His will.  So God’s presence, manifest in perfect success, is contextual. 

For a shepherd, like Abraham, it would manifest in success in sheep herding:  perfect protection and provision for his sheep, and perfect increase in the number and quality of sheep.  His sheep would fill his land, and the quality of his sheep would be perfectly healthy. 

Whatever context I am in, having the same faith as Abraham, I should expect the presence of God to manifest in my perfect success.  When those who watch me see clearly see this success, they will know God is with me because only God has success perfectly. 

As a husband, I can love my wife to such an extent that she will see clearly the Lord with me.

As a father, I can train my children with perfect success.  Not that they will perfectly honor and obey me (though they should,) but that I will perfectly train them by word and example in the power of the Spirit.

As an officer, I will bring order and peace to such an extent that those under my authority will see clearly that the God of order and peace is with me.

As a minister I will speak words from the Spirit that others experience as from the very mouth of God.

I should expect and accept nothing less. 

Reflections on the Presence of God: Part 1--Enoch

Enoch walked with God.~Moses

For 300 years, Enoch lived with an intimate connection to God.  They agreed to be together and to focus on the same goal:  The Pleasure of God. 

As it is written,

“How can two walk together unless they agree?”

“Enoch had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

Enoch agreed with God, so God agreed with Enoch. 

He agreed that God is who He is, that He "rewards those who diligently seek Him."  He agreed that God is perfectly trustworthy, trusting God as God trusted Himself. 

I want to walk with God exactly like Enoch did.  To live intimately with Him for the rest of my life just as Enoch did for the rest of his life…for 300 years of his life!

He was (and is) a man just like me.  Though he had a longer life span, he didn’t have a different spirit.  He was made in God’s image and likeness like me.  He was born into sinful humanity, just like me.  He has no advantage over me.  The same faith that pleased God with Enoch pleases God with me. 

I believe in God.

I am a son of God, with whom God is well pleased.

Therefore, I too, walk with God.

This is my life, both now and forever.

How do we KNOW who WE REALLY ARE?

Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.”  John 8:14 NIV

You know who you really are by knowing your origin and destination.

I know who I really am because I know where I come from and where I am going.

Not only this, but according to Jesus,  we also know that know one can tell us who we are if they don’t know where we come from or where we are going.  This is very empowering!

So who am I?

I am a son of God through faith in Christ Jesus; born of the Spirit.

Where am I going?   

According to the word of God, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the children of God.”

So my destination is wherever the Spirit is.  The Spirit’s presence.

I came from the Spirit of God.

I go wherever the Spirit of God leads me.

This is my eternal identity!

Against this I measure all reality and every reality:

Does it come from the Spirit?

Does it lead to the Spirit, or is it led by the Spirit?

I refuse to listen to or acknowledge anything said to me or about me that contradicts my true identity.

My true origin and destination.

My real identity and destiny.

I thank God I know who I really am!

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN

A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.  1 Corinthians 11:7

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 

Ephesians 5:31-32

Did Jesus teach us to pray to God our Mother who is in heaven?

Is Jesus the first begotten daughter of God?

Could Isaiah prophesy that a man would be a virgin and conceive a daughter, naming her Immanuel, Goddess is with us?

Is Jesus the bride and the church His bridegroom?

Is the church the head of Christ, and does Christ submit to the church?

These questions show the distinction between a man and a woman--A distinction which is a mystery of God’s glory, in which we all know the reality, though we cannot put it in words.

It is the difference between hugging our father and hugging our mother.

It is the difference between the sensitivity of our father and the sensitivity of our mother.

It is the difference between the strength of our father and the strength of our mother.

We know these when we experience them, but we can not explain them. 

They are mysteries: 

The mystery of masculinity and femininity—of God’s glory and the glory of God’s glory.

These are not interchangeable.   

To be equal is not to be identical.   

My children know that they cannot exchange me with their mother.  They have only one father.  And he is a man.    

They know the difference.   

It is obvious.   

They feel no need to defend it or argue it or even think about it.   

Sometimes when my baby cries, he wants me to hold him.  At other times, when he cries, he wants his mother. 

Why? 

My baby knows the mystery--the difference between masculinity and femininity is a reality to my baby.

The difference between a man and woman is the mystery of God’s glory.

The Soldier I Honor Most on Memorial Day

"This is my body broken for you.  Do this in remembrance of me."  Jesus

In memorial of my uncle, Haze Howard the 3^rd.

I never knew him, but I wish that I had.  I am told he was a war hero, and I wonder what my life would have been if I had known him.   How would Haze affect my father and brothers?  What would he say to my sons and daughters?

But there is a soldier I do know and admire even more than Haze the 3^rd.  More of a soldier.  More of a warrior.  Because soldiers are saviors, and Jesus is The Savior.  He laid down his life for me and everybody.  We do think of this-- occasionally. 

But not without distraction. 

We think of The One born to die, but we also think of a man flying around giving gifts to little children.  We think of the Lord’s death and resurrection, but we also think of a bunny and hidden eggs holding candy and other goodies. 

I find no real distractions when we think of our soldiers.

And notice the reverence with which we hold our soldiers.  Notice our patriotism, in which we rightly should be reverent.  We should honor this country’s father and mother warriors, and noble causes for which they died.  We in the church especially should honor their loyalty and bravery.

I pass a church every morning with catchy cliché churchy sayings.  But on today, Memorial Day, the saying was serious and to the point. 

“They laid down their lives for their country.  Honor them.”

And we do, when we hail the red, white, and blue.  When The Star Spangled Banner plays, men, women, and children cover their hearts and sing with conviction.  Playing and joking are forbidden.  And this is good.

But it would be better to give supreme focus and undistracted honor to Jesus, The Ultimate Warrior, The Supreme Ultimate Savior—because soldiers are saviors.  By honoring Jesus, we honor all soldiers, because the ultimate soldiers die to honor their Creator.