And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. (Exo 3:5
) Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. (Exo 3:6
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Rom 14:11
We have all heard that “actions speak louder than words” – or “actions speak volumes”! What do myactions speak about my love for the Lord? More importantly, do I hold God in a place of honour in my life above any other? What does God deserve? Why does He deserve this place of honour?
Do I truly view God as Moses viewed Him in Exodus 3:5-6? Do I stand on holy ground when I am doing my devotions? Or have I taken the worldly Christian’s view of “Abba Daddy” too far? Do I give God the reverence that is due Him? Or have I “trivialized” His position in my walk and worship?
Yes, our Heavenly Father IS our Abba, Father. But do I speak to my earthly Dad with disrespect? Do I put my Dad on the same level as my friends? Of course not. My earthly father is respected and has a “higher” place than my friends. I don’t speak to him in the same manner as I would my friends. The average Christian has removed this respect and honour for God from their lives. They’ve “buddy-fied” (excuse my new term) God. They’ve lost that proper fear and respect. Is it any wonder that there is hardly any wisdom amongst Christians today? The proper fear of God brings wisdom in a Christian’s life. If we look at God as just “one of the guys,” we reveal just how little reverence we have for Him and, therefore, we won’t receive the wisdom He wishes to give us! (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 9:10)
The phrase, Abba, Father is mentioned three times in the word of God. All three times they are in the New Testament and were spoken by the Lord, Jesus Christ:
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. (Mar 14:36)
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (Rom 8:15)
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Gal 4:6)
Whenever we want to learn what the scriptures have to say about a certain topic, the best Teacher is Christ Himself. Christ revered His Abba, Father to the point of praising and reverencing Him (all things are possible unto thee), petitioning Him (take away this cup from me), and finally submitting to His will (nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt). Christ did not treat His prayer as though it was a talk with one of His friends. He recognized His position as being under submission but yet as a Son speaking to His Father. What a great teacher, amen?
Why doesn’t God work through men and women today as He did with our forefathers? Could it be because we have allowed the devil to dilute God’s holiness and position in our lives? Do I “take off my shoes” in my heart as I enter into my prayer closet to spend time with the Lord? Do I hide my face because I am not worthy to look upon the face of God?
If not, why not? More importantly, if not – then what are my actions revealing? God is not just “one of the guys”! God is not my “buddy”! God is not “the Man upstairs”! How dare we trivialize God! How dare we put God on “our level”!
Yes, the Word does say that God is our friend. And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. (Exo 33:11a) But Moses didn’t take advantage of his relationship with God by disrespecting Him. Would you treat your friend with disrespect? Then why do you watch movies or listen to jokes that dishonor God? Do you lie to your friend? Then why do you try to weasel your way out of telling the whole truth about missing church services? Do you steal from your friend? Then why do you steal from God by withholding your offerings? Do you find every excuse under the sun to avoid being with your friend? Then why do you skip your devotions and prayer time? Do you throw your friend’s letters away or leave them unopened? Then why don’t you open your Bible except in church? Ouch!
What the average Christian needs today is to set aside the “charismatic’s” view of God and get back to the old fashioned principles taught in the Word. If you want to be God’s friend, then pattern your life after Moses – And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. (Exo 3:5) Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. (Exo 3:6)
Jesus Christ is our King of Kings! Let’s treat Him like one!
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