Be Still part 2
God is not glorified when we run around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to finish a work that is already finished. He isn't glorified by what we can do in the flesh. He isn't exalted when we try to exalt Him. He is glorified, and exalted, when we be still and know that He is God. When we be still, and hear His still, small voice. When we do everything we do from a posture of rest. And remember, rest is not inactivity. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. Those who are led by the Spirit are the Son(s) of God. Not because being led by the Spirit MAKES you a Son, but because only the Son is led by the Spirit! Look at Psalm 4:4, "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah." Being still is not about not doing anything. In fact, it's the opposite of that. Being still is about rest. About communing with God on the Spirit to Spirit, holy to holy, deep calling out to deep level. God is a Spirit, and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth, right? We can't bring Him an offering from the ground, from our works and labor, like Cain did. We must bring Him the only offering He has ever required or will ever accept--the Lamb. And, like God commanded Moses after smiting the Rock ONCE, we don't keep smiting Him. We speak to Him. Or rather, speak ABOUT Him. We don't finish the work (it is already finished) but we are witnesses of the work. We share the Gospel, the good news, about Christ and Him crucified. Not let me hit this little detail, "Stand in awe, and sin not." That's not saying you better not sin. That's basically telling you HOW to not sin. Because sin is unbelief. And if you're standing in awe of Him, then you're believing in Him. And a believer, by definition, cannot unbelieve. Those who are born from above cannot sin. We always have it so backwards: "I'll clean up my act then I'll go to church." But my question is, "How in the world are you going to clean up your act without going to church?" Church is where we edify one another. Where we share the truth about who God is--LOVE--and what He did both for us and as us--the cross--and where we learn that we don't need to change, because on the cross a change took place. On the cross we were conformed into the image that we were originally made in. Running around trying to change is never going to work. And, in a sense, that's what sin is. Romans 14:23 tells us that, "...whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Faith... believing that Jesus did it all. Sin... unbelief. Standing in awe IS sinning not because we aren't trying to do something that's already done. Because we know and believe that it IS done. It is finished! "Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still." The bed is the place of intimacy. It is the place where life comes from. It is the place of rest. And I think it's important that we are communing with our OWN heart upon the bed. Being tranformed by the renewing of our minds and proving TO OURSELVES that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Proving it to ourselves. Seeing it for ourselves. And standing in awe of what we see. Guys, seeing is believing. Jesus came as the visible face of the invisible Father so that we could SEE Him. Know Him and believe in Him. Receive Him and release Him. But we don't do it by running around. We don't do it with human effort. We do it with rest. We do it by being still.