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Leadership / Devotions / Sermon Notes

 

A Drive Thru God?  [devotional]

Read & Think about: 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, Hebrews 4:16, 1 Corinthians 13:12

 Life is busy.

·      It seems like there is always something else that needs to be done.

·      Usually it is in the rush of life that we might think that God isn’t talking to us.

o   Ever felt like that?

o   Ever complained that God wasn’t really around.

o   Couldn’t  “feel” Him?

·      Often the real problem is we’re not listening.

That is when we need to learn to slow down and wait, listen for God.

Consider this scripture:

2 Corinthians 3:16 “Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”

Although this isn’t set in the context of hearing from God the principle still applies.

·      If we don’t “turn” to Him, how do we expect to hear His voice?

 Read on:

2 Corinthians 3:18  “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

 The first thing we need to look at is the word unveiled.

·      What is a veil?

o   A veil is something that comes between us and the “other side”.

o   It is what hinders us from God’s presence…from hearing Him.

 

Check this out:

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace.”

 Jesus removed the veil when He died on the cross.

·      We must learn to be confident in the work of Christ so that we can come freely and boldly into His presence.

·      If we believe scripture, we know that we can now come directly into His presence…boldly, freely, without hesitation.

 Do you believe that at the center of Jesus’ sacrifice is His desire to intimately be with you??!!

 However, secondly we need to understand is that this intimacy with God is not necessarily guaranteed to be clear.

·      What? Well let me explain it this way…have you ever tried to use those jacked up mirrors made out of stainless steel in some of our high school bathrooms?

·      Imagine what mirrors looked like 2000 years ago when Paul was writing this letter!!

·      Mirrors today reflect an exact image…but back then they weren’t as clear.

 In 1 Corinthians 13:12 Paul writes: For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” 

 Sitting and waiting on God for some sort of direction doesn’t always come with clear or profound revelation.

·      But in time we can begin to see a “dim” image with more clarity.

·      We learn to:

o   Hear His voice

o   Sense His subtle impressions,

o   Follow His direction

·      …however sometimes we have to stare a little harder, concentrate a little more, maybe even apply a little faith or imagination because the image might not be all that clear.

o   Make sense? What are your thoughts?

 Our culture doesn’t necessarily jive with this idea.

·      We want things instantly and clearly defined…made to order.

·      But God is not like a drive thru window where you can “Get it Your Way” in less that 60 seconds.

·      We can’t just speed into His presence, order up some advice, or an answer to prayer and drive around the other side of His throne to pick it up.

o   This is a process with God.

o   We sometimes have to trust God is doing something, even when we don’t feel it.

o   We must “believe we are being transformed into His image.

 Take a look in the mirror.

·      What do you see that God has done?

·      Look hard…where has He changed you? 

·      The veil removed?

·      Where has he made you more like Him?

·      It may be dim…but what is God doing in you?