He Is that Majesty on High

"And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:17)

God has indeed lent to every man the power to lock his heart and stalk away darkly into his self-chosen night, as He has lent to every man the ability to respond to His overtures of grace, but while the "no" choice may be ours, the "yes" choice is always God's.

How deeply do men err who conceive of God as subject to our human will or a standing respectfully to wait upon our human pleasure. Though He in condescending love may seem to place Himself at our disposal, yet never for the least division of a moment does He abdicate His throne or void His right as Lord of man and nature. He is that Majesty on high. To Him all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein: to Him cherubim and seraphim continually do cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory." He is the Fear of Isaac and the Dread of Jacob, and before Him prophet and patriarch and saint have knelt in breathless awe and adoration.

Lord, help me recapture some of that dread and awe and admiration with which You were viewed in the Old Testament. I've become too familiar, and I've distorted and cheapened the picture in the process. Amen

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I Still Want Them

"So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19)

Is this the final end? Is this all there is?

No, no! This is our answer to everyone in the entire human race: We have wonderful news for you! It is the good news that the God who created us did not give us up. He did not say to the angels, "Write them off and blot them from My memory."

Rather, He said, "Oh, I still want them! I still want them to be a mirror in which I can look and see My glory, I still want to be admired by My people. I still want My people to enjoy Me and have Me forever."

So God sent His only begotten Son through the miracle of the Incarnation.

The bells in heaven rang out because lost man had now been redeemed. The way of pardon and forgiveness had been opened for sinners.

On the third day, Jesus arose from the dead. Since then He has been at God's right hand. God has been busy redeeming people back to Himself, back to the original purpose of their being mirrors of His glory.

Thank You, Father, that You wanted us despite ourselves. Thank You for completing Your work of redemption that opened the way of pardon and forgiveness for all who trust in You. Amen

~A. W. Tozer~