There is a view behind my house, although it is hidden by the trees, that I’ve often wondered about. I had a sense it was a grand, glorious view, if but one could only rise above the obstacles that blocked the beauty of it. While recently looking at I map, I discovered something I had missed. A very short distance behind where I live was Mt. Sinai; it is one of four recorded summits in the area. My discovery brought so much excitement, I spent the best part of a day just trying to find a way to go up the mount. In my search, I began thinking of Mt. Sinai in the Exodus chapters 3 and 19; it was the place of God’s presence, and a place where he spoke promises. Then this thought occured to me, ‘Mount Sinai, the Mount of God had been there behind my house all along and I didn’t know it’. You know what I suspect? Mount Sinai is there shortly behind the place where you live and you failed to understand its significance. It is a place of glory; Jesus lives there in God’s presence making intercession for you, like Moses, to behold that glory so you might be His witness. He says to you pull off your shoes, for this mount is holy. It represents a place of consecration in your life laying aside some things. Like those trees, blocking the view of His glory, He says to you, ‘rise above to get a view of the mount; make the discovery that it is near to where you live–it is near to your struggle, near to your fears, near your failures, near to you bonds’ saying, ‘come to my glory and remove the obstructions. Come to the mount, it is a place where I reveal my name, my position, my Kingdom, and my Lordship to you.’ After the cross, Jesus resumed His rightful position and is now living at the right hand of God to pray for you to receive God’s power. We are told to come boldly before His throne of grace that we might find mercy and grace in our time of need. It is interesting to note, Moses brought God’s people to the foot of the mountain, but only Jesus fills full the word by bringing us up the mount to a high place with Him. And there near His footstool, He says ask what you will and I will make you to live for me and that more abundantly.
Tag: eternal
Worship at the Well
What does it mean to worship God? I mean, is it great music in some concert like gathering that enables me to find that place for myself? In John 4, the woman at the well had a lot of ideas about the place of worship, but an encounter with the person of Jesus in one day forever changed her thinking in reference to the true place of worship. You remember Jesus offered her living water from a well much deeper than her own. His offer involves a well that never runs dry. I would say that’s a deep well. Like all deep wells one must have the means by which to draw up the life giving resources. While her well required physical tools with which to draw, His well is only accessable by the work of the Spirit. Jesus went on to expand her thinking as to the true meaning of worship there around that well by revealing “God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” What she didn’t realize or even his discples for that matter, was that Jesus, by revealing the true place and attitude for worship was preparing them for a witness that could in fact change the thinking of the community around them. True worship would be the enabling power of His Spirit to do his will by seeing the fields (Jn. 4:35) and working to bring in a harvest of souls. What about you? What about your place of worship? Is it only enhanced by the sparkle of man’s abilty, or is it from a well that springs up from within? Does it lead you to the cross of truth? Further, does it lead you to a life of service? On that day, there was true worship at the well, because of the testimony of a life changed by an encounter with the Spirit of Truth. In your place of worship, pursue the truth and His presence will take you to deep water.
GraceLife 