Message: In Exodus 20 Moses gave the ten commandments to the people. The people saw the thunder and lightning and smoke around the mountain and it terrified them and they stood back at us distance. They told Moses “you speak to us and we will listen, but don’t let God speak to us or we will die.” I couldn’t help but think about the hardness of heart that they had and wonder if it had something to do with their disconnection with God. It’s difficult to comprehend the love of God if we’re not also willing to face the severity of God.
Command: Don’t distance myself from God when he feels intense. Face him in the discomfort and press in a little closer.
Promise: If I face God when it’s hard and not flinch or look away during the discomfort, I will be able to also experience his love and his kindness because God is not one without the other.
Warning: If I am unwilling to face God when it’s hard, I will not be able to fully understand or experience his love and kindness.
Application: Lord Jesus, help me to look at you face to face when I examine my heart. Show me the contents of my heart no matter how uncomfortable it is and how much I want to justify it away. Thank you for giving me the grace to change those things and take another step closer to you when I do.
