Good morning! I am thankful this morning for living in this present time to have the opportunity to experience a relationship with God and the gift of the Holy Spirit!
Think about this:
1 – God has no beginning and no end (Revelation 1:8 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”)
2 – God is not constrained by time (2 Peter 3:8 says, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”)
3 – God is constant and does not change (Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”)
Although God has no beginning and no end, lives outside of the restrictions of time, and is the same God today that He has always been, the reality is the way that people have been able to interact with Him throughout the existence of the earth has changed drastically.
“The Lord said to Moses: Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.”
Leviticus 16:2
Aaron, the high priest at this time, could only go into the Most Holy Place once every year to make atonement for the sins of the nation. If anyone entered this place in the tabernacle where the Presence of God resided at any other time, they would die!
The people of Israel were required to bring different types of offerings for the priests to sacrifice on the altar to restore the broken relationship with God due to their sin. The offerings they were to bring were very specific and many times we see the use of the words, “without defect” or “finest flour.” God expected the best!
Now, things are much different, however, God maintains the expectation that we bring our best. Matthew 27:51 tells us about how at the death of Jesus, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” This symbolizes how we are now granted direct access to God through His Son, Jesus!
Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to, “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Unlike in the days of the tabernacle, we can approach God today and everyday without the fear of death because of Jesus!
This is a huge benefit but at the same time I think we have lost our reverence towards God. He deserves us to bring our very best and have a healthy respect and appreciation for what He has done to make it possible for us to have a restored relationship with God after being separated from Him because of our sin!
Let us truly appreciate the privilege we have today to experience the restored relationship and live in a way where we always bring our best to lay down at His altar!
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us life at this specific moment in time. What a blessing to be able to experience a personal relationship with You because of Your Son – our Great High Priest forever! Help us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to You, always bringing You our best! In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 