Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (1 Tim. 6:17-18)

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Live A Life Both God And You Can Be Proud Of

Photo by madpoet_one
The Prophet Isaiah Had A Vision

In the Old Testament, in Isaiah 6:1-4, we see that the prophet Isaiah had a unique vision of God Almighty:
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another: 
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts;
His glory fills the whole earth. 
The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.
After Isaiah had this unique and awesome vision of God, look at what his response was to that vision in the following verses (Isaiah 6:5-8):
Then I said: 
Woe is me for I am ruined
because I am a man of unclean lips
and live among a people of unclean lips,
and because my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of Hosts. 
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said: 
Now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed
and your sin is atoned for. 
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: 
Who should I send?
Who will go for Us? 
I said: 
Here I am. Send me.
After Isaiah had the vision of who God is (a powerful, extremely holy God), he saw how unholy and unworthy he was. After the Lord forgave his sin and cleansed him, Isaiah was then prepared to serve Him.

The Way You View God Determines The Way You Live

I recently heard this statement from a Bible Study teacher who was teaching on Isaiah Chapter 6,

"The way you view God determines the way you live."

Let that statement sink in and marinate in your brain for a minute.

If you're really serious about living a life both God and you can be proud of, then you must have a proper view of God. Your next question may be:

"Well, Larry, how do I actually view God in the proper way?"

Excellent question!

The only way to have a proper view of God is to spend time with Him. Gone are the days of Isaiah-like visions from Heaven. Today, God has given us His Word and His Holy Spirit dwelling inside each believer to speak to us.

We spend time with Him through reading His Word and praying. We need to be intentional about it, too. We need to set aside some time each day in order to grow in our relationship with Him.

It's really no more complicated than that.

How Are You Living?

So, how are you doing in living out the Christian life? Do you have a proper, holy, respectful view of a holy, awesome, all powerful God?

Has this proper view of God caused a change in your lifestyle? Are you broken about your sin? Have you sought His cleansing that can only come from faith in Jesus Christ?

The only way we can live out a life that is pleasing to God is to have a proper view of Him. Once we have this appropriate view of God, then we are moved to repent, to be cleansed, and to do what He calls us to do; to go where He wants us to go.

Get in the Word. Get on your knees in prayer. Get a proper view of God.

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