Life Equation

I never realized that Moses was a mathematician. He figured out that Man – presence = death.
Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”
17 The LORD replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”
18 Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.”
I was thinking of the difficulties that Moses walked through even though the Presence was with him. He would go and I am sure that every time Moses went into the tent of meeting and met with God that he was again renewed in God’s presence.
I wonder how far Moses could have led Israel without that in his life? Not very far. That got me to thinking about us today and how we unlike Moses think we can go to the promised land without His presence. I pictured the “ Christian walk “ like being give a 4 wheel drive vehicle that enables us to go where we couldn’t go before and cover ground more quickly then ever possible. Now the fuel that enables this Christian Walk vehicle is His presence. Without it the vehicle will not run. However even though the vehicle is now rendered inoperable many of us try and continue the journey without God’s presence but still bring the vehicle by push power. The vehicle is worthless without His presence but it still looks like it has value so we can’t let it go. The value of anything with God is immeasurable but without God it becomes worthless.
So picture this; Here you are on the journey of life and as you struggle with pushing this heavy vehicle, you become tired and cranky. It appears that “ His burden is not so light” as you drudge long under this weight. As you are a Christian you must keep a smile on our face before others as we do not want to be a bad witness so lying in this case seems most acceptable. You meet others along the road and you try and witness to them about life in Christ and the death that comes from separation. Yet because you have this vehicle in front of you every step of the way you think that you are not separated from Him when in fact you are. In fact the load you bare may be far heavier and cruel, than the baggage of the very person you are witnessing to. If you are not walking this walk in and with His presence then maybe you should stop. Instead of keeping the vehicle forever in our gaze perhaps it’s time to turn our eyes again to the author and finisher of our faith.
We wonder when our “ witness “ is not speaking to the hearts of the unbeliever. I think it may be possible that God is being merciful to them as they are under a cruel master as it is. If we lead them to faith in the vehicle rather than introducing them to the Living God and His presence then we have really caused them great harm. Why? Because now they see that there is no life, power, joy or any other good thing that was promised but only condemnation of why they are not getting it like us who give the fake smile. They walk away believing that they “ met God “ and He wasn’t able or willing to help them in any way.
Now I am not saying that church is bad and God does love His church but I am saying if His presence is absent because we opted to move on without Him then it is bad and empty. If this is the case for you as it is for me then it is time to repent. It is time to seek His face and nothing less. It is time to cry out and say as Moses did, If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”
It is time to stop faking and just be real people. If we have been separated from His presence and we try and still be “ Christian “ or act like His children we give the enemy a large foothold in our life through pride. We will judge the person that takes a drink, smokes pot or the person that gets caught up in one of many ways of sexual addition. And as we judge them sinners for doing it we ourselves will fall to the same temptations as those who don’t know Him. As we do it drives us further from Him because we no fall prey to the liar that we have given access to in our lives. We begin to think that God is very disappointed in us and that surely He must hate us by now. Picture what a house full of those people might look like. Not exactly what God intended. If our house of worship looks like that then it’s time for the group to stop and get right. We want our house of worship to be real, vulnerable and a home that embraces the lost and is not judgmental knowing He is the only thing able to keep us from the same thing. Humbling truth eh? The vehicle is again something of real value when the presence yet again fills the vehicle. God come and fill the houses that we gather in with Your presence! Make our walk something we do with You and let it be pleasing in Your sight.
It’s no longer okay to pretend folks that everything is good if it isn’t. In a marriage when this approach is taken the marriage begins it’s journey to death. No matter how many times we wash the “ Christian Vehicle “ or paint it, or add and subtract accessories it is only an image of something but has no real value. 2 Timothy 3:5 For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them]. Like us it only has life when the giver of life is within us. It’s time to find our tent of meeting and be renewed in His presence. It’s time to stop walking when we have no sense of direction any longer. It is time to replace the lies we have come to believe and be renewed with truth. Remember that ; 1 John 1: If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
He came to bring life so if you are not experiencing life then stop and get to your tent of Meeting ……….Me….Just Thinking