December 20th, 2020
Text: Exodus 20:19
and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’ (NRSV)
How often have you heard someone talk about the Bible and share their thoughts on a text and you didn’t agree with what they were saying? The next words that came to your mind was probably something like, “anyone can interpret the Bible to say what they want it to say.” And yet, the people listening to Moses didn’t want to hear directly from God, they wanted to hear from Moses.
As I think about that, it occurs to me that if we hear directly from God, we don’t have the option of disagreeing about what is being said. We can’t make claims that the word of God is being twisted if it is coming directly from God. Perhaps that is why so few people actually read the Bible for themselves. They would prefer if I or someone else simply told them what we think it is saying. That way, they can choose to agree or disagree.
Don’t be afraid to hear directly from God. God wants to whisper to you through his Word how much he loves you. Do you desire to know about the love of God? Then let God speak directly to you through his Word and through prayer. God’s ultimate revelation of love was the coming of his Son who allowed himself to be born into his own creation for the very purpose of revealing how much you are loved by God.
When we let God speak to us through Bible reading and prayer, what we can expect to hear are the soothing tones of God’s love, not the harsh tones of wrath. God’s commands are designed to keep us in love with God and one another, not to take away our freedoms. In fact, the Bible tells us when we know the Truth the Truth will set us free (see John 8:32).
Pray with me:
Forgive me Lord when I fear hearing directly from you because I'm afraid it will be too hard for me. Remind me again that your greatest desire is to demonstrate your love for me. May I hear the truth of your word's in my heart that I might be set free. AMEN.
and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’ (NRSV)
How often have you heard someone talk about the Bible and share their thoughts on a text and you didn’t agree with what they were saying? The next words that came to your mind was probably something like, “anyone can interpret the Bible to say what they want it to say.” And yet, the people listening to Moses didn’t want to hear directly from God, they wanted to hear from Moses.
As I think about that, it occurs to me that if we hear directly from God, we don’t have the option of disagreeing about what is being said. We can’t make claims that the word of God is being twisted if it is coming directly from God. Perhaps that is why so few people actually read the Bible for themselves. They would prefer if I or someone else simply told them what we think it is saying. That way, they can choose to agree or disagree.
Don’t be afraid to hear directly from God. God wants to whisper to you through his Word how much he loves you. Do you desire to know about the love of God? Then let God speak directly to you through his Word and through prayer. God’s ultimate revelation of love was the coming of his Son who allowed himself to be born into his own creation for the very purpose of revealing how much you are loved by God.
When we let God speak to us through Bible reading and prayer, what we can expect to hear are the soothing tones of God’s love, not the harsh tones of wrath. God’s commands are designed to keep us in love with God and one another, not to take away our freedoms. In fact, the Bible tells us when we know the Truth the Truth will set us free (see John 8:32).
Pray with me:
Forgive me Lord when I fear hearing directly from you because I'm afraid it will be too hard for me. Remind me again that your greatest desire is to demonstrate your love for me. May I hear the truth of your word's in my heart that I might be set free. AMEN.
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