Here is the revelation that is shaping my life today – there is a new day, a new way – God wants to show me life from the intimacy of His leading.
Hebrews 8:10- 12 TPT
“For here is the covenant I will one day establish with the people of Israel: I will embed my laws within their thoughts and fasten them onto their hearts. I will be their loyal God and they will be my loyal people. [11] And the result of this will be that everyone will know me as Lord! There will be no need at all to teach their fellow-citizens or brothers by saying, ‘You should know the Lord Jehovah,’ since everyone will know me inwardly, from the most unlikely to the most distinguished. [12] For I will demonstrate my mercy to them and will forgive their evil deeds, and never remember again their sins.”
Observation
We are people of the “one day.” A new day has brought a new way of being with God, a new way of being His people has been established. “And the result of this will be …..everyone who chooses to will know God. He will not be taught about, I will not learn about Him, it will be an inward, intimate personal knowing. It will not be limited to those who deserve, earn or the good ones, this intimacy will be available to all, even the most unlikely.
How often we settle for a second-hand knowing of God, when His desire is to be the one who shares Himself personally with us. We listen to others, read books, watch YouTube preachers, which only have a place if they lead me into intimacy with my God. Everything shared by others God invites me to bring before Him to be shown how it applies to me. God does not desire a rule-based covenant that is genetically applied that must be followed, we just stuff that up, we always did. He desires an intimate relationship that establishes His ways “inwardly” in me as an individual. I wear the Kingdom of God differently on me than you do because it’s personally applied to me by the King. God wants to “embed His laws within my thoughts and fasten them onto my heart.” It’s not rule-following it’s passion engagement. When He explains the ways of life in Him to me personally they become like a discovered treasure that I find great joy in and sell everything out of my life that opposes my walking in their fullness. Far from a burden, they are the core shaping truth that shapes my lens, my mindset and my language for life.
From intimacy, God becomes my God, not a God but ‘my God.’ Personally God. Not a philosophy , or a religion, or a God in the distant, but ‘my God.’ From his love and loyalty, I learn loyalty. It’s not a must but a response to His faithfulness over me.
No one is disqualified. Intimacy requires confidence. I won’t be intimate with my wife if we both know that I am sleeping around. My sickening behaviour will destroy our intimacy. We are all adulterous when it comes to our relationship with God, and often, for many of us, this destroys our intimacy. We stay the distance of others teaching us, for the thought of intimately being with God with all my stuff, just turns me away before I knock on the door. But we need to listen to Him. In this new day, He shows me “mercy and He will forgive my evil deeds, and never remember again my sins.” Intimacy is possible not because I am wearing a sweet fragrance that makes intimacy possible, but rather that His mercy covers my stench and invites me in. It’s not just a cover-up, it’s that He covers my sin and then remembers it no more. It no longer comes between us, intimacy is restored as mercy restores me. Forgiveness establishes intimacy and intimacy empowers me to walk in His ways, to walk out on my sin. If I keep my distance I will always find comfort in my sin for His intimacy, mercy and love will remain behind the door that I will never enter in. There’s a new day – door flung open to all who would come in.
Application
I will not live in second hand hand me downs, I am receiving my life from the one who brings life. I will be ridiculously bold and courageous in my sin and march right on in. I will never be disqualified from the intimacy that is life. I will not reject His invitation to intimacy – I will live in the celebration that His mercy trumps my sin.
Response
Thank you for the most incredible invitation. Thank you that is open to all, and to me always. Thank you that you love me too much to entrust my life into the hands of other tutors. Thank you that you want to personally tutor me in life. This is ridiculously beautiful. I stand in awe and amazed, can it be true? You say “yes,” so I will simply celebrate and turn up! What a blessed life!
Meditation
How often do you choose the tutoring of others but not allow the intimacy of God to frame the learnings personally and individually for you?
Do you allow sin to keep you at a distance? Have you allowed his mercy and promises to never remember to silence condemnation and disqualification in your life?
JOURNEY DEEPER