Meeting with God

   A number of years ago, I went to a Tenebrae Service (it is a service held on Good Friday and is very quiet, somber and reflective in nature) and during the course of the service, I came across Psalms 24.  As I reflected on the passage, there are several key elements that I took away from that passage and I have been reminded of those as of recently.

   The crux of the passage for me is in verses 3-6 where King David ask the all important question of who can actually ascend the hill of the Lord.  What David is really asking is God really approachable and personable, or is God some sort of distant Deity that rules with an iron fist.  In the time of David, the thought of the day that the Deities of the day sat on top of the highest mountain ruling the earth.  So if people wanted to meet with the deity, they would encamp around a particular mountain and I would venture to guess that a few brave souls would try and climb that mountain to meet their god.  What David is telling us, is that not only God approachable and personable, but there are requirements to being in His presence. 

   The first requirement is that our actions do matter.  What we do and how we treat people is important to God.  I think how we treat people through our actions is important, because we can easily either degrade or uplift people by what we do to them or for them.  As important as to focus on our actions, we also need to be careful what we say.  If you spend any time on social media, people are quite vicious to each other.  Some of it is that there is a lack of accountability.  I can call someone a jerk on Facebook and have no fear of being punched in the face as if I were to do it in person.  So here is my question, do our words and actions build each other up, or do they tend to be sarcastic in nature and tend to tear people down or apart. What we do and say is a reflection of the condition or heart.

  The second requirement is that as much as our words and actions matter, our intentions matter just as much.  One of the things I have wrestled with is that is doing the wrong thing for the right reason still wrong.  I have come to the conclusion that it is still wrong just as doing the right thing for the wrong reason is just as wrong.  I know I have been guilty of this, it is dong something nice so that I might gain favor with someone or that it will get me out of some future trouble.  Our are intentions God fearing or self fulfilling.  To help decipher where our intentions lie, as who will be glorified the most, ourselves, others or God along with does it build people  up or bring them down.  Our goal is so that our actions and actions match up and this only can happen through God changing our heart.  Here is a good reminder. Our thoughts/intentions often leads to words, our words often lead to actions and our actions builds our character.  So if any one thing goes unchecked for a period of time, it can lead to some serious issues.

   The third requirement is that we be pure in heart.  This harkens back to the Beatitudes found in Mathew 5.  Being pure in heart is more than just looking the part.  It is more than showing up to church/small group along with doing and saying all the churchy things are important, but are we doing these things out of show or is it because we are the real deal.  When we do things for show, it eventually will catch up with us and our true colors will shine through.  In essence, sometimes faking it till you make it is still faking it no matter how hard one tries. 

    Being pure in heart often manifest itself in how we treat other people.  Are we people of our word and keep up what we promise to the best of our ability.  Do we honor our commitments in a timely manner while doing it to the best of our ability.  How do we treat others who honor who may owe us something?  Do we treat them with respect our do we gouge them for everything they are worth.  Being pure in heart is loving God with all we have, and letting Him transform us while loving our neighbor as ourselves.  Being pure in heart does not mean we are nieve or aloof. It means we take an honest look at life and where we are at. It also is knowing what we are created for and pursuing that while setting our hearts and minds to everything that is good, right, pure and just.

  The fourth requirement is that not all who wants to ascend the hill of the Lord will make it.  Whether the cost is to great, or we are being stubborn, or good ole apathy, not everyone will make it to heaven.  Even though God is a personable and not only wants to meet with us, but provides a way, not all will do it.  We are reminded at the beginning of the chapter that God is the Creator of all and all the earth belongs to Him.  We can not reach heaven on our own terms, because God is Holy, Just and Righteous, and our sin without the atoning work of Jesus wont get us into heaven.  Getting into heaven on our own is about as easy as getting into the Oval Office without the blessing or the invitation of the President.  The rock n world has made a keen observation about this world and eternity.  If there is a stairway to heaven and a highway to hell, this should tell us about the expected traffic flow to both places. My final question is this, are we Christians in name only, or are we becoming disciples, putting into practice what it means to love God with everything we have and loving our neighbors as ourselves day in and day out?