The Great Divide

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For {as} the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. ” Isaiah 55:8,9

When we picture Jesus as our “bridge to God,” it is natural to think about the things that separate us from the Father. Therefore, let’s examine three metaphors that describe the barriers between us and almighty God.

First, we are separated by height. Scripture calls God the “Most High” and describes Him as “high and lifted up.” He is above creation and unconstrained by gravity, time, or space. He declares, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways”. Without question, God is above man.

Next, we are separated by distance. Moses experienced God through the burning bush, but even in that holy moment, the Lord warned him not to come too close. Later, when the people of Israel built the temple and tabernacle, God warned them not to enter the Holy of Holies except for a single specific time each year, when only one person was allowed to enter under strict conditions. There is a distance between man and God that cannot be breached.

Third, we are separated by light and fire. We know that staring into a giant spotlight can cause blindness and standing near a flame can burn our skin. In a similar way, if we were to stand in the presence of holy God, we would be consumed.

Why did Jesus come to us? It is because only the perfect, sinless Son of God could reach the Father, come close to Him, and stand in His presence. And, in Christ, we can share in that intimacy.

-Early Light Devotional

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Can a Saint Slander God?

“For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen.” 2 Corinthians 1:20

Jesus told the parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25 as a warning that it is possible for us to misjudge our capacity. This parable has not to do with natural gifts, but with the Pentecostal gift of the Holy Ghost. We must not measure our spiritual capacity by education or by intellect; our capacity in spiritual things is measured by the promises of God. If we get less than God wants us to have, before long we will slander Him as the servant slandered his master: “You expect more than You give me power to do; You demand too much of me, I cannot stand true to You where I am placed.” When it is a question of God’s Almighty Spirit, never say “I can’t.” Never let the limitation of natural ability come in. If we have received the Holy Spirit, God expects the work of the Holy Spirit to be manifested in us.

The servant justified himself in everything he did and condemned his lord on every point – “Your demand is out of all proportion to what you give.” Have we been slandering God by daring to worry when He has said: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”? Worrying means exactly what this servant implied – “I know You mean to leave me in the lurch.” The person who is lazy naturally is always captious – “I haven’t had a decent chance,” and the one who is lazy spiritually is captious with God. Lazy people always strike out on an independent line.

Never forget that our capacity in spiritual matters is measured by the promises of God. Is God able to fulfil His promises? Our answer depends on whether we have received the Holy Spirit.
-My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, 4/20

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