Message: “Live in my presence and be blameless.” This was the short and simple command that God gave Abram right before telling him that he would bless him and make him the father of nations through his wife Sarai. I love the word “blameless” because it isn’t perfection. None of us are capable of that, but it screams of integrity. It provokes me to give God my very best and align my heart with following his will, but it carries the understanding that this is not perfection. It means that I need to live in such a way that there is no room for people to find fault in my character and integrity and make accusations.
Command: Live in God’s presence and be blameless.
Promise: God will keep his covenant and multiply what he has blessed.
Warning: If I don’t live in his presence and I don’t live blamelessly, I can’t expect to see God fulfill his promise because he can not and does not go against his word. It also tarnishes the view that the unbeliever has of God’s people which can cause a stumbling block to their salvation.
Application: For me this message is simple and livable but not necessarily easy. It requires me to set aside my fleshly impulses and the freedom to act up when I want to. It means that I need to walk in close proximity with Jesus and listen to what he is speaking to my heart. I need to challenge and address my motives for doing (or not doing) things and deal with attitude problems and obedience issues. It also reminds me of just how deceptive I can be in my own mind when I want my way and I don’t want to see the ugly within my heart. What sticks out to me the most in this is that I know I can’t fake this. I mean, I know it may be able to fool people and I might even fool myself somewhat with a certain amount of denial, but I can’t fool God. He sees it all. This is both horrifying but also a huge relief. It frees me to be my true honest self with God to talk out the negative things I see in myself knowing that I don’t have to (and in fact I can’t) explain anything away and without the worry that he will see me differently. He sees is all already, so it motivates me that much more to want him to see my heart get right with him. Help me Jesus to live in your presence and walk blameless.
