"Salty" Sister from Salt Creek Ranch

As a part of this prayer team one of the things that we do is a weekly devotional.  Today was my day.  So, since I have depleted my brain with one story, I'm going to borrow it and bring it here as well.  

{note: click on the link to listen to the song that inspired me}

 What do I know of You

Who spoke me into motion

Where have I even stood, But the shore along you ocean

Are you fire, are you fury

Are you sacred, are you beautiful

So what do I know

What do I know of holy

In thinking about God, I usually just become speechless.  To think on Him just makes me quiet.  I try to take in who He is and I feel overwhelmed, really.  Living here in west Texas gives us a great picture of just how little we are, I think.  When the big thunder head clouds build up and you see your house on the horizon and see just how little it is compared to what is going on in the sky and then to think how small we are inside that house.  And then I think about the babies and little children and our hearts and the things that we love and matter to us.  

So what do I know of Holy?

And then to think how big God is.  That He created.  His Spirit hovered over the deep -- Genesis 1:2; and then He spoke, "Let there be light." and it was so.  And He named it, Day. And that was the first day." 

I love that, too, that His words are simple.  That they mean what they say, they are not all 'flowered' up, Matthew 5:37 says, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'yes' and your 'No' be 'no'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."  

And to know that He is Holy.  We know this deep within ... we know this.  We know from old, that we once walked with God in paradise and that we fell from grace and we are forever trying to fill that void again.  I think that is why even now, as believers, pride wells up and to really admit that we are not ... that this God, this Ancient of Days, stills wants us.  Is jealous for us.  Is an all consuming fire.  Sent His Son as an atonement for our sins, our weakness, for us . . .

What do I know of Holy

What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame

And a God who gave life its name

What do I know of Holy 

of the One who the angels praise

All creation knows your name

On earth and heaven above

What do I know of this love 

And really to think that I could even begin to approach the Throne of Grace seems unbelievable.   I am quoting a song and so far you have read the chorus, but the singer is saying that she thought she had God all figured out.  And that she had learned the language of Christians.  You know all the phrases that fit comfortably on our tongue.  And there is comfort in the Word of God.  But do we just touch the surface, maybe become just a little too comfortable with who we think God is?  Words like majesty, awesome, mighty to save,  holy.  Do these words have a true depth of meaning? Or do we throw those words out casually, when really, a deep reverence for God is where we should be. Psalm 111:10 - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To him belongs eternal praise."

The Lord is an all consuming fire; Deuteronomy 4:24 - "For the LORD you God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."  I guess I should back up one verse and  talk about the context of God's jealousy; vs. 23 "Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden."  That's a heavy hitting verse there.  But that would take me off into another direction and this is becoming lengthy, so let just touch on all consuming fire and jealousy.  

I have said before, that we're not playing here.  We are going about the business of God's kingdom, and our personal place in it and how we either show others the way or put stumbling blocks in their way.  While his promises are out of this world so are his warnings.  In Duet. 4:24 he is telling us that He is an all consuming fire, a jealous God for our worship, to not put anything in front of Him.  Does that not just cause you to step back a bit.  Let me quote an author, far better suited than I here.  This is written by a man named John W. Ritenbaugh, I do not know anything about him, who he is or anything like that but I subscribe to a daily verse thing and this is the one that came in today.  Funny how it plays right into 'Holy.'

"Jealousy and zeal are opposite sides of the same coin; both of them are driven by passion. One is positive, the other negative.  One is for, one is against.  Zeal is passionately for something or somebody, while jealousy is passionately against something or somebody.  Similarly, fire is hot, and it is both positive and negative.  It symbolizes both refining and purifying, on the one hand, and death and destruction on the other.

The pattern is in the way God depicts His feelings toward us.  As a consuming fire, He will either purify or destroy with His passion.  He is either for something with a great deal of ardor, or He is against something with a great deal of fury.  He is for those who are with him, and He is loyal to the nth degree to them.  But He is against sin and disloyalty with just as much heat as He is for those who love him and diligently seek Him.  His attitude is not cool in any way, shape, or form, but HOT.  He wants us to responds in a like manner.

In what way are we seeking God?  Diligently?  Earnestly?  Sincerely?  With warmth, ardor, and affection?  Is our seeking the ardent pursuit of one who wants to be around this personality and really desires to know Him because we are, after all, going to marry Him and spend eternity with Him?  Or is it a kind of take-or-leave-it, distant, academic coolness because we do not want to make a fool of ourselves or offend others with our zeal?  Think about it."