Tyler's Thoughts October 14th 2019

As much as I love the summer and warm temperatures, it is hard to beat hiding under a warm blanket while reading a good book. Last night I did just that. I had a long weekend. I took my son to Cosi, I helped a friend move, I went to a corn maize, Sunday we had church, I met a friend for lunch, that evening we carved pumpkins with my family (quick, grab the pitchforks). It would have been easy for me to climb in bed at the end of the crazy, to close my eyes and let sleep overtake my exhausted body.

As tired as I was, I found myself wanting to get alone with God. Maybe it was the Holy Spirit drawing me to Himself, maybe I was so worn out that I knew spending some alone time would God would recharge my Spirit.

I picked up a book I had been meaning to read titled, "Letter's to the Church" by Francis Chan. One of the topics it talked about was some "injustices" we see in scripture. For example, the moment God struck down Uzzah for touching the Ark to keep it from falling on the ground though he was forbidden to touch it. (2 Samuel 6). Or where God warned that we may become sick or may even die if we take communion in an unfit manner (2 Corinthians 11). Or when God struck down Ananias and Sapphira for lying about how much they donated to the church (Acts 5). 

These punishments don't seem to fit the crime. Often times I read stories like this and scratch my head wondering, "I thought God was a God of mercy and grace?" These don't seem like stories filled with mercy and grace.

Reverence. There is a certain reverence that we seem to have forgotten in our laid-back culture. God is Holy. God is set apart. I approach my earthly father with little thought. I tell him how I am feeling. I tell him what I am struggling with. I don't have to knock on the front door, I am invited to let myself in. I have a key to his house. I can drink his Mountain Dew or eat his Doritos. I'm not required to take my shoes off when I get in his house. I am his son and have access to my father, I am family.

It is true we are children of God. We have that same access to our Father in Heaven. But one thing I was convicted of in my studies last night was that God is Holy. It seems that in my "Father-Son" relationship I have with God I lost sight of the reverence God deserves.  I stepped back and realized how much more respect He deserves. How much more time of mine He deserves. He is God and I am not.

God's commands aren't suggestions, they are commands by God... We need to start treating God like He is GOD.

God, I pray we don't lose sight of your proper place on the throne. I pray we realize that you are God and we are not.