Twin Peaks

"And you said, Behold, the LORD our God has showed us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire; we have seen this day that God does talk with man, and He lives."

The manifestation of the presence and glory of God to the Israelites was more than they could bear. They asked Moses, "Go you near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say; and speak you unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto you; and we will hear it, and do it." Deuteronomy 5:27

God also wrote the words that He spoke on two tablets of stone and gave them to Moses. In the "heat of the moment", while the power of God was demonstrated to them, they committed to following God's commandments and honoring Him in their lives. It did not take very long, however, before the people completely forgot about the promise that they had made. They quickly turned away from the path of obedience and followed the inclinations of their sinful flesh. They did no keep the Word of God before their eyes or in their hearts. They were overcome by the enemy's strategies, stirring up the passions of evil desires. While God had promised them blessings for walking humbly before Him in obedience, they rejected Him to pursue the path of worldly pleasures. They traded the commandments of God for the traditions of the godless nations around them. They worshiped the works of their own hands instead of the God of creation.

We must realize that just because we have had an experience with God in past times, there is no assurance that we are surrendered to Him today. The Israelites had an experience with God, but they did not walk with Him in surrender and humility so that He could enjoy the experience of them. God not only wants us to experience His presence, He wants to experience our presence. He made us for fellowship with Himself. It is not a one-way fellowship; it is a mutual fellowship. God gives His all to us, and we, in turn, give our all to Him. We love Him because He loved us first. It is through the process of receiving the love that He provides and returning that love to Him that we are changed into His likeness. God is love, and love for Him is what He wants to flow from us.

Pastor Tim