Drawing Near to God - Psalms 84-86 and Romans 12
Those who have experienced the intimate presence of God never forget it, and they long for it. The psalmist spoke of this longing in Psalm 84, as he thought about going to the Temple for worship. It was the joy of his heart to go to worship God with the others who had come. He could say that one day there was better than one thousand days somewhere else. In other words, the presence of the Lord made all the difference, and in the Old Testament times God's presence was filling the Temple. In the New Testament times God promises to be wherever two or three people are gathered in His name. Therefore, even today there is something special about gathering with other believers to worship God in His presence. I pray that is the longing of our hearts.
However, one huge difference in the New Testament times, is that God lives in every believer. Therefore, we can worship Him and enjoy His presence wherever we are, if we will present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice. That is our act of worship. God draws near to us as we draw near to Him. He responds as we refuse to be conformed to this world, but we have our minds transformed by His Word. Yes, as we read His Word, we enter His presence in a special way. Then, as we obey Him, we are worshiping Him. We are drawing near to Him. Look at all of the commands in Romans 12. Why are they there? They are examples of how we present ourselves to God and how we have our minds transformed. They are ways we draw near to God. Therefore, we can enjoy God's presence all of the time, as we joyfully obey Him and lovingly present ourselves to Him, so our worship is continuous. It is not just when we are at church with other Christians. I challenge each of us to draw near to God in these ways and see what it is like to live in His presence. We will say that one day with Him is better than one thousand somewhere else.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 87-88 and Romans 13.
However, one huge difference in the New Testament times, is that God lives in every believer. Therefore, we can worship Him and enjoy His presence wherever we are, if we will present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice. That is our act of worship. God draws near to us as we draw near to Him. He responds as we refuse to be conformed to this world, but we have our minds transformed by His Word. Yes, as we read His Word, we enter His presence in a special way. Then, as we obey Him, we are worshiping Him. We are drawing near to Him. Look at all of the commands in Romans 12. Why are they there? They are examples of how we present ourselves to God and how we have our minds transformed. They are ways we draw near to God. Therefore, we can enjoy God's presence all of the time, as we joyfully obey Him and lovingly present ourselves to Him, so our worship is continuous. It is not just when we are at church with other Christians. I challenge each of us to draw near to God in these ways and see what it is like to live in His presence. We will say that one day with Him is better than one thousand somewhere else.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 87-88 and Romans 13.