The Promised Land part 1
I think I want to really slow down and look at this idea of the Promised Land. You know, the one described (first) in Exodus 3:8, "And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto a place of the Canaanites, and Hittites, and Amorites, and the Perizziets, and the Hivites, and Jebusites." The land of milk and honey. Milk being righteousness and honey being revelation. That's what God promised us: Righteousness and revelation. And, really, its the revelation that we ARE the righteousness of God in Christ. But, like I said, I want to really slow down and examine each other those in depth. So for this Rant series I want to focus on the "promised" part of the Promised Land. And in the next couple of Rant serieses (if that's a word), we'll look at what that land flows with. Good? Good. Ok. So, first things first I want to really hit home the truth that God came down to deliver us. And, of course, when I say "us" its with the understanding that this actually happened to the actual people that were slaves in Egypt, but also happened to us in a Spiritual sense as people who were slaves to sin and death. Romans 15:4, right? "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, and that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it, right? We can learn from what happened in the natural, and understand it in the Spiritual. And the point I really wanted to make today is about God coming down to bring us up. We seem to have this idea that God is waiting for us to clean up our acts so He can do something with us. Bless us, or use us, or something. When, really, I think God is just waiting for us to do what He has already equipped and empowered us to do. He came down to where the people of Israel were at. He didn't wait for them to get themselves out of slavery. He brought them UP out of slavery. "God helps those who help themselves." Hmm. I mean, He probably does. But I think I heard it best when a preacher said, "When you work God will rest. And when you rest God will work." I think its more accurate to say that God cares more about AVAILABILITY than ability. If you're willing, He's able. And He's not above getting down and dirty. Didn't Jesus get down on hands and knees and wash His disciples' feet? He meets us right were we're at and gives us exactly what we need. He comes down to us. And He brings us up. He elevates us. When we try to do it ourselves we end up worse off. But James 4:10 says, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." Matthew 23:12 says it like this, "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." And, remember, being humble (or meek) doesn't mean thinking less of yourself. It simply means thinking of yourself less. When you understand that God came down to bring you up... that He promised to give you the land that flows with milk and honey and you didn't have to do anything (except receive it) to have it... that's when you can stop trying to be someone you're not in order to get something you think you haven't got. That's when you can be still and know that HE is God. You can have faith that if He promised to give it to you... He's as good as His word. He gave it. We have it!