HOW TO RESPOND TO A HOLY GOD!

HOW TO RESPOND TO A HOLY GOD!

Isa 6:1-8

6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

          Isaiah saw this Holy God because God wanted to be seen. When we begin to see ourselves as righteously complete God comes to us and shows us Himself and we are immediately reminded of our own particular sin. That is why most of us would rather avoid contact because of the great contrast between His holiness and our sinfulness. We prefer to commune with sinners like ourselves than to be painfully reminded of our deficiencies.

          We can’t put on airs and pretend holiness with such a holy God for all things are naked and open before Him (Heb 4:13). With others we may play the saint but in the presence of an awesome God we are found out. All our righteousness appears as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6) and we cry along with Isaiah that we are undone (Isa.6:5).

          Isaiah was immediately made aware of his unclean lips for that was his particular sin. We may be immediately prompted of our lust or our greed or our hypocrisy. The holiness of God pierces the darkness and shines the light of reality on a dirty life. Woe is me, we cry!

          Once sin is recognized and confessed cleansing flies forth from the throne. A coal from the altar of sacrifice is placed upon the unclean lips and they are made clean. We hear the pronouncement of pardon: “thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” The dead air becomes fresh as the morning!

          Being made clean we are then able to hear God’s heart. We sense his passion and are made privy to His plans. “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” We rise to meet the challenge not because we are perfect but because we are purged. We are washed and made useful. Like a school boy assured of the right answer, our hand shoots up and waves for recognition. We shout with eager anticipation: “Here am I; send me.” Whatever your plans for the day, beg God for a glimpse of His holiness. It makes all the difference.

Dear Lord, let me see your holiness today even if the light of thy countenance reveals some sin in me. Let me be useful as one of your volunteers. AMEN

THE SINNER’S TEARS!

THE SINNER’S TEARS!

Luke 7:37-38

37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

                The woman is only described by Luke as “a sinner.” Her sins are not named but we get the impression that she was what we might call a “street walker” with quite a reputation. Her tears, her humble attitude, and her expensive gift all spoke of a changed heart. We are not told when or how this woman came to repentance. Perhaps it was when Jesus gave the invitation to the weary to “come unto me … and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

          When our sins become so heavy that we can no longer carry them, we must find a place to lay them down. When our rebellion is found to be more painful than returning to divine authority, we will return. When the grief for what we have done far outweighs the pleasure we had sought, we will cry.

          During times of revival, I have seen many at the altar of prayer weeping and sobbing. As their pastor, I am both glad and sad to see these tears. I am glad because I know that God welcomes the humble and resists the stubborn. (1 Peter 5:5) I am sad because I know the pain these are going through. I have been there many times myself.

          Michael Trimble, a British professor at the Institute of Neurology in London, tells us, humans are the only creatures who cry for emotional reasons. I have no reason to challenge his research. Humans cry while other animals don’t. It makes one wonder just what it is that God placed inside of man that makes him different. I think it is our capacity for knowing and responding to God.

O Hope Of Every Contrite Heart

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

Dear Lord, How I remember, in my struggles against your will, the day I could not sustain my rebellion. I surrendered and you took me in. O the tears that fell in that precious hour – that hour when you smiled upon me in forgiveness. Thank you Lord. AMEN

I WISH YOU ENOUGH!

I WISH YOU ENOUGH!

2 Cor 12:7-10

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Recently I read a story about a man who overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together at an airport terminal. I offer it to you here unedited.

They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, "I love you. I wish you enough." She in turn said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy."

They kissed and she left. He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?"  "Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man experiencing.

"Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked. "I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back would be for my funeral," he said.

"When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?"

He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more."When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them," he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."

He then began to sob and walked away.

My friends, I wish you enough!

 

Bob Perks

          God has an unlimited store of grace and strength but He dispenses it in small amounts. Each project receives its allotment of God’s help. Each weakness of ours is met with His great strength. As you go through your day – and your week – watch for God’s sufficient grace. You will have enough for today.

Dear Lord, I do not ask for abundance for me or for my friends. I only ask for enough.  AMEN