Right Beside Me!

SO... it has been a long time since I actually was able to post something on this blog site. Without much long-winded detail mostly the reason behind my absence has to do with my own personal health and the health of my family. Our hope is we are on our way out of a very challenging and difficult time! So, with that said I hope you enjoy and are challenged by this week's post!

“You must not defile the land where you live, for I live there myself. I am the LORD, who lives among the people of Israel.” ~Numbers 35:34 NLT

THIS little verse comes at the end of God’s instructions to the people spoken through his servant Moses as the people camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan river. It comes at the end of a discussion on the issue of murder and the requirements of the people living in the Promised Land. To God murder defiled the land and allowed evil a foothold in the place where His people were living.

BUT here’s the interesting part… and that is, this was not just the Israelites place of dwelling, it was also God’s! In this little verse God reveals that the overall issue was not just murder and its repercussions. The overall issue was that the land that God had given and created was where He dwelt with His chosen people. And because of that the people were to care for this “HOLY” place.

NOW… here’s the deal! When it comes to this concept, to the idea of God dwelling with His people as Christians we theologically nod our heads, after all isn’t God our Emmanuel, our God with us?

HOWEVER… the reality is most of us don’t take to heart this concept, instead we often live with the perspective that God is “out there” or “up there” and not with us right here! Many of us live with an ethereal perspective when it comes to God’s presence in our lives and in this world that He created. We live as “if” God was living at a distance and only comes close to us in our times of need or when we magically summon His presence.

BUT… in this simple and sometimes obscure verse because of its placement within an Old Testament book that is sometimes full of mind numbing facts and information, God reminds His people that the “I AM” lives with His people! God is not distant or remote but ever present and beside us as we live our lives on this planet that He created and declared “GOOD”! This means that He is with us as we make our way through our days… sometimes riding shotgun… and more often than not taking the wheel and guiding the ship!

AND as God’s people today we need to really take a good close look at our lives to see if our theology actually connects to our reality. In other words, do we actually live as “if” God is right here beside us? Do we care for our planet that we have been given stewardship over as “if” God was living among us? Do we care for those around us, in our families, our churches, and our community as “if” God was dwelling with us?

HONESTLY… I completely believe that the disconnect between the reality of a “God with us” and a  “God out there” is one of the key reasons that people of faith often find themselves simply going through the motions of life!  Just think about this for a moment… “if” we actually understood that God was with us in the everyday moments of our lives would that not change the way we engage those moments. Would they ever honestly be “everyday” or “normal” in the way we so often think about the daily routines of our lives?

TRUTH is… God is “WITH US”… He lives among His people as we live our lives for His Kingdom plans and purposes. He lives here with us and He is NOT somewhere “up there” uninvolved with our lives.

AND as I write this blog I am struck with some very simple thoughts and they are…

“I wonder what it would be like “if” we took this reality seriously?”

“What kinds of things would change in our lives?”

“How would our days look differently than they did yesterday with this TRUTH about God at the forefront of our lives?”

“What would every moment of our lives look like “if” we lived with the reality that God is actually right beside us… and not just somewhere out there?”

“What REAL life difference would it make in our lives today… tomorrow… and beyond!”

Praying we all grasp the enormity of this biblical truth…

Rev Trev