Exodus 24 - They saw GOD!

Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles ofthe sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank. (Exodus 24:9-11)

It's absolutely astonishing that they saw God and had a meal with Him! They actually saw His feet! I guess I always skipped over this passage because I never thought that this actually happened. Wow.

A testimony

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, ... (Philippians 3:8a)

In this verse Paul tells his view of life and its things. He says that gaining the things of life, posessions, successes, people, is actually a loss when compared with something of much greater value. What is this treasure? Knowing Jesus Christ. And I want to testify with Paul that all things are loss indeed, in light of knowing Jesus Christ.

As a family, we attended church and so I was exposed to the Bible and the Gospel from a very early age. However, my heart did not have a natural affection toward God; just the opposite, I didn't really care about Him, had no affection toward Him and, in reality, hated Him. It showed in my childhood and teenage outbursts of anger toward my parents and my sister. It showed in my love for the world and its lusts as well.

Then God brought me to His word, the Bible. It was at a winter Christian youth retreat in my junior year of high school. I only went with the church because my high school friends were going; and I only started reading the Bible because I wanted to be better than all the other kids. I started reading in the book of Hebrews, I still remember because at one point it started to snow and the pages of my Bible are still ruffled in that section.

I came home a different person. I didn't fight with my parents, or sister, I didn't need to. I didn't love my sin anymore, I would rather read the Bible and be close to God. He had changed my heart that February and I wouldn't be the same person again. Because of His work, I finally understood what it meant that,

"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

It meant that I was condemned because of my wicked rebellion against God and that my just punishment would be an eternity of suffering. It meant that God, in His love, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in my place. That I am saved not through anything that I do, but through believing that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died and rose again on my behalf.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)

Confident hope

I was challenged by a brother today, to believe God's word. Not to just know it and to acknowledge it intellectually, but to believe it with confidence. Instead of, "I believe God..." to have an attitude of, "I believe God!". To believe that God will grow the relationship with the woman I love, to grant us patience, humility and true love.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. (Hebrews 11:1-2)

You follow Me!

So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!" (John 21:21-22)

Why do I worry about others' success? Other's opinions of me? My main goal and concern should be to follow Christ and to obey and please Him. I need that narrow mindedness and singular focus, no matter where I am. At work, at church or with friends or family, to follow Christ and to love my Savior.

Sichuan earthquake

From the BBC today:

There are still stories of survivors being pulled from the rubble.
A week on from the earthquake, an elderly woman was rescued in Beichuan county suffering from an infection and many broken bones, state media said, while another was extracted from a collapsed residential building in Deyang city.
But other stories illustrated how hopes for those still trapped are fading fast.
Video pictures emerged of a man wedged under fallen masonry. He was still alive, and was lent a phone to speak to his wife.
Rescuers later managed to extract him, but not in time to save his life.

The christian's confession

By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)

Ambassadors for Christ

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. (Luke 9:23-24)

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)