Understanding of the Holy

"The commander of the LORD's army replied,

'Take off your sandals,

for the place where you are standing is holy.'

And Joshua did as he was told."

Joshua 5:15 NLT

He was ready to lead his people into conquering the land God had promised to them. The entire nation had miraculously crossed through the swollen Jordan River on dry ground.  The next generation of men had been circumcised according to the Lord's command.  Passover had been celebrated and the provision of manna had stopped.  God was providing for His people by the fruit of this land of Canaan.  All the signs indicated that the time was now to receive the promise.

At least that's how it probably felt to Joshua.  God, however, knows the heart of a man and He had one more lesson for Joshua to learn before the time was right.  Before Joshua could receive his orders for defeating Jericho from the commander of the Lord's army, he had to acknowledge the holiness of God.

It is the same for me.  I may feel ready to run ahead into the plan God has for me, anxious to get started on what God has in store.  First, however, there are a few things I must get straight.

God's Ways are Higher

In military maneuvers, intelligence and operational details are only dispensed on a "need to know" basis.  This means that information is only passed on according to what is needed in order to complete the mission.  Most soldiers, then, only receive orders pertaining to their own unit's assignment but they probably don't know the entire scope of the operation.

As a soldier of Christ, I am to live by this same principle.  God is the One who holds my marching orders in His hands, but He only enlightens me to the information He wants me to know.  Since my mind does not think the way His does, it is futile for me to try to understand the reasoning behind His specific plan for me(Isaiah 55:8-9).  If I don't have a "need to know," then I just have to trust that God knows what He's doing.

The thing is, I think that I have a "need to know."  What I really have is a "want to know," but I've convinced myself that a basic understanding of my situation and how the future will play out is necessary in order for me to fall in line behind God.  In other words, I think my obedience is contingent upon my understanding of the plan.  If I don't get it, how can I climb on board? I reason to myself.

Faith, however, in it's very nature is based on a belief in what I can't see(Hebrews 11:1). There is no way to rationalize my way to faith.  I can't make a list of pros and cons and utilize my common sense to reason my way to a place where I'll trust God.  Faith is about me taking a chance to put my full weight on the God I cannot see to fulfill a plan I've never had the pleasure of approving.  When I believe God is who He says He is without any concrete evidence to support His claims, I am exercising my faith.  Conditional faith, then, is no faith at all.

In order for me to trust God, I must grasp His holy nature and let go of my desire to understand what He's doing.

God's Ways are Perfect

I have no idea what perfect looks like.  I have adapted to living in a fallen world surrounded by imperfections.  Nature is filled with inconsistencies, flaws and blemishes that I find beautiful.  Perfect would be boring.

While I have no concept of perfection, I must realize that God's ways are perfect.  There is nothing false about His line of thinking.  He doesn't forget what He's doing and then have to cover up His mistakes.  God doesn't ever get it wrong:  He is perfectly holy, perfectly righteous and perfectly just.  (Deuteronomy 32:4)

Since God is unable to think, act or speak wrongly, I must never put Him in the same category as man. Unfortunately, while I may not consciously think I do this, I hold this false belief in my heart when I take a low view of sin.  I welcome sinful thoughts, actions and words as if they are my bosom buddies.  I tell myself that God will understand if I give into temptation because He knows I'm not perfect.   

Grasping His perfect nature, however, means I must maintain a godly view of sin.  Instead of making excuses for what I allow into my life, I must be always aware of how my sin offends His holy nature.  If He went through the trouble of offering His own precious Son as a sacrifice to atone for my sin, there must be something very offensive to God regarding my sin.  Why, then, am I so quick to explain it away, turning a blind eye and accepting it as part of my nature?

My sin nature has been crucified with Christ so that I can live a new life through the power of His Spirit. (Galatians 2:20) Not that I will never sin again, but that I am so sensitive to the sin in my life that it makes me uncomfortable.  To live by the Spirit is to desire His path more than my own. (Galatians 5:16) To live by the Spirit is to deny myself and all my sinful tendencies and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24).

In order for me to trust God, I must gain an understanding of His perfect nature and how my sin offends Him.

My True Identity

Most people identify themselves by what they do:  I'm a doctor.  I'm an accountant.  I'm a homemaker.  It's easy, then, to take on this same mindset when it comes to who I am to God.  I may think I'm a Sunday School teacher or a choir member or a part of the cleaning crew.  

My true identity, however, is as a sinner who is saved by the grace of God.  I am His adopted child by faith in Jesus Christ.  I am a hopeless loser who has been made righteous by the blood of the Lamb.  Everything I am is thanks to Jesus;  He is my only hope (Romans 7:24-25).

The Apostle Paul teaches in Romans 12:3, that I am to measure myself accurately based on God's standard, not my own.  When I use my own ruler I either look better than I really am or worse.  Either way, I'm not seeing a clear picture.  

I would be wise, then, to see myself as God sees me.  There is no good within me (Romans 7:18). I can't accomplish anything of eternal worth in my own effort.  My sin nature condemns me, earning me nothing but death and destruction (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23a).  In the midst of such bad news, however, there is some good.  While my sin condemns me, Jesus came to save me(John 3:16-17)!

When Jesus died on the cross, He took my sins on Himself, taking my punishment so that I could have a chance to live.  Trusting in Him as my Savior, then, exchanges the wages of death my sin has earned for God's free gift of life that will last for all of eternity (Romans 6:23).

If I come to God with a sense of my own merit, trying to impress Him with what I bring to the table, I have forgotten my true identity.  If I am afraid to even approach the Lord, feeling inadequate and guilty for all the ways I've failed, I have forgotten my true identity.  If I boldly approach the throne of grace to receive all the grace and mercy I desperately need in my own weakness to get through each moment, I know my true identity (Hebrews 4:16).    

In order for me to trust God, I must gain an understanding of my true identity.

I am often ready to run headlong through the door God is cracking open, foolishly thinking the time is now to plunge ahead.  If I pay attention to His leading, however, I may find that He has a lesson for me to grasp before I can go any further.  Like Joshua, I may need to let go of my desire to understand His plan, to realize the perfect nature of God, and to accept my true identity in Christ.  It is then that I will have a better understanding of the Holy.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can maintain a holy reverence for God.

When do I relate to God as if He were my servant, telling Him what I want to happen?

In what ways do I forget who I am in relation to God?


Originally published on February 21, 2014