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19
October
2007

Missing the Opportunity of a Lifetime!

When Israel stood on the edge of the Jordan looking over at the Promised Land, they stood there because one generation earlier their parents had blown the opportunity.  Moses reminded them that they had only one crack at the this moment of realizing God’s will.  Unfortunately many believers still miss the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that God offers them.  Because the people could not find the courage to face and overcome the obstacles standing between them and God’s promise they had defected, and refused to go up and take the land.  Actually God was visibly present with Israel everyday (all they had to do was look out of the door of their tents), he fed two million with manna… everyday. He provided enough water from a rock to satisfy two million people and their livestock… everyday while they were at Sinai.  It is amazing when you read from Exodus to Deuteronomy how many times the presence of God is demonstrated by a manifestaton of his glory, either in a positive way, or in judgment.  Nevertheless, somehow Israel learned to take these demonstrations of God’s power for granted, and found no comfort in them or reason to have confidence that he would give them victory over their enemies, or to have courage to take the land!

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13
October
2007

What if God Quit?

What if God quit, if he took down his shingle and got out of the redemption business, how long would it take you to notice?  Would it be the next Sunday when you went to church?  Up to seven days later?  Would it be the next day when you sat down to pray with your Bible?  Up to 24 hours later.  Would it be the next time you were in trouble? Who knows how long that will be.  The Shekinah or Glory of God (the pillar of fire and cloud) was the visible token of God’s presence with his people.  The Lord intended his presence to go from Sinai, eventually, to Jerusalem.  The constant presence of God with his people was an important part of Israel’s relationship with him, because he made provision for them and protected them in the context of his fellowship and relationship with them.  In other words, Israel was to constantly experience the God’s mercy and love, and to enjoy his fellowship as part of their covenant with God; at the same time the Lord was working out his historical purposes for the world by involving Israel in building his kingdom.  In the New Testament the kingdom of God advances by the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Gospel, and it depends on the activity, service, obedience and work of the Jesus’ disciples for that progress.  After he ascended Jesus sent the promised Holy Spirit to the church to provide them with a personal token (actually the inner reality) of God’s presence with them constantly, to enable them to be effective in their service and obedience, and to provide them with the benefits of real and close fellowship with God.

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