Preparing For God to Show Up

SCRIPTURE: Exo. 19:10-11 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. 11 Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch."

OBSERVATION: We all want God's presence in our lives. Here it tells us how to get ready for that presence; God comes to those who are consecrated and clean. This means that if we want God to come near--then we need to be consecrated; to see ourselves as set aside for His purposes, not our own. It is truly a matter of submission. We must decide that our lives will be His not ours.

Then, we need to deal with the uncleanliness in our lives. God will not come near to sin. As Christians the guilt and punishment of sin has been dealt with, but if we live with sin in our lives, our fellowship with God is impaired.

We can not make God come. As in this passage, it is God's initiative to decide to come near, but we can get ready, prepare, make a place that is compatible with that coming.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I often forget that my life is not my own, that it is God's. I really want God to be intimately present in my life but I need to pay the cost; to stay clean and live as one owned, heart, soul, mind and body by God.

PRAYER: Lord, I want to see You. I want to know You. I want Your presence in my life, my church and my ministry. Help me. Remind me. Give me the grace to live in a consecrated way and free from the control of sin.