Tag: Dwelling among them

51.w. Wilderness – 16.b. “Be Holy in all things”

 

 

Deu 23:14  Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

 Genesis 17:1     When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

 2 Corinthians 6:16     What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

When our heart deep purpose is to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do, our awareness of the presence of God becomes a beacon of light that reveals right from wrong, good from bad, holy from unholy, pure from impure, and that which pleases God from that which does not. 

How are we to know what is right, good, holy, pure, and pleases God? Being able to understand this and apply it in our lives is a life long maturing growth (being sanctified) in our knowledge and understanding of His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Neglecting time in His Word stops all growth and maturing. How are we to honor and glorify Jesus Christ if we do not know what pleases God and what does not? 

It all comes down to an intentional choice to honor and glorify Jesus ever second from when we awake to when we sleep. If this is our desire above all else we will cherish time in His Word, study it, and apply it.  We will hunger and thirst for it. We will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. We will be aware of God’s continual presence. We will grow and mature in our knowledge, understanding, and application of it in our lives. 

There is so much to distract us from living in the aware-presence of God. When our minds are being consumed by the mindless and meaningless is exactly what Satan wants. Satan wants to fill your life so full that God is all but forgotten throughout the day and he wants you to be satisfied like that. 

There are Christian radio stations that play heart felt music that worships and praises God. I think this is good but it does not and should not replace a single minute in God’s Word. There are stations that have various ministries proclaiming God’s Word. I think this is good and allows us to hear God’s Word proclaimed and explained. There are those who proclaim it and teach it well and those that fluff around the edges of holiness. However, having your own time in God’s Word will never be wasted. You will find that studying and reading God’s Word each day will have some connection to what you will hear being proclaimed through radio ministries. I once told a friend of mine, ‘it is good to hear what God is saying to and through these radio ministry pastors, however nothing is as good as having the Holy Spirit lead you into a new truth through your own time in His Word.” 

Moral Decline

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”

Hosea 1:6
She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”
When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.

Isaiah 62:1
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,

2 Corinthians 6:16
For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Hosea was a prophet during a time when the norther kingdom was living in a time of peace and prosperity.  Unfortunately with this peace and prosperity they did not stay close to God but rather had moral decline and the people chose to forget the living God to worship things made from wood, iron and stone.  I keep reading scripture like this and wonder how I/we differ from these people.  If you travel very far out of the US you know we are truly a blessed nation.  Prosperity and for the most part peace, when compared to other areas around the world.  Do you see a moral decline?  Do you hear of alternative things to worship?  Do you hear people talk about how all religions point to the same god?  There is one God and only one path to Him.  He sent His only son to redeem us through his sacrifice, to all who would cling to, rely on, and trust in this redeeming work of grace and mercy.