May the mumbling commence!
How do we come into God’s presence? Let’s take a look at Psalm fifteen:
Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the truth in his heart;
He who does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
In whose eyes a vile person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the Lord;
He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
He who does not put out his money at usury,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
This psalm lists some things that a person does that opens the way to God’s presence. Walk the walk – and do it uprightly. Walk uprightly by your word – even when it hurts do not change.
Work with a righteous goal in mind – to please God. Despise vile ways to get ahead that does not take into account other people and the creation which surrounds us.
Honor those who fear the Lord. Honor them by speaking the truth from your heart. Know that the truth is only discovered through journeying to God together.
The psalm also lists some things that we cannot do and come into God’s presence. Get rid of that backbiting tongue. Do no evil to our neighbors. Do not reproach a friend without cause. When you lend money, do not charge interest. In some cases, do not even anticipate getting the loan back. And do not take a bribe to turn from righteousness.
This is a long to-do list! It is a journey that is never complete. It is a matter of preparing and moving down the road to being more Christ-like. It is a matter of preparing our whole selves – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and attitudinally. All this preparation to welcome God into our lives!
This Sunday, we start the four-week season of Advent that prepares us for the coming of the baby Jesus into our lives in a new way. We are to find new ways to abide in the vine – Jesus, who chose to come and tent with us. Jesus came and tabernacled with us. He dwelled in our neighborhoods. That offer is still there! Welcome the baby Jesus into your life!
For those of us who have welcomed a baby, we know just how dramatically a baby changes our lives. We are never the same again. We are forced to grow and change. We begin to understand our role of creating an environment where faith in God can grow. May we prepare ourselves for such a change in our faith lives this coming Advent season.
And know that people will begin to see us differently as we grow and change. Read from Proverbs chapter twenty-nine:
An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
And he who is upright in the way
is an abomination to the wicked. (Verse 27)
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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