-The Living God And You
What should our relationship be with the living God? Well, it should be living, lively, and responsive. Toward sin, we should be like those in a morgue – no response, clamor or evil deeds. But there are three areas of our being that are to respond in relationship to God – soul, body, and spirit. All three aspects of our being have a place in our devotion to the Lord. A three-legged stool is more stable on uneven ground than any other, provided the legs are of equal length.
The Bible mentions three conditions concerning our relationship to the living God which can be applied to our soul, body, and spirit. The first is that “my soul thirsts … for the living God” (Ps. 42:2 NKJV). The second is that I should “tremble and fear before the God … for he is the living God” (Dan. 6:26). The third is that I should “be not haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God” (1 Tim. 6:17).
Soul – Thirsting
The first response to God is that of the soul. The soul is that seat of emotion and desires within us that recognizes the thirst we have which cannot be satisfied by the broken cisterns of religious activity. God desires “truth in the inward parts” (Ps. 51:6). Jesus said, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (Jn. 18:37). Jesus offered to the woman at the well in Samaria living water to satisfy her thirst for the living God. The result was that she left her waterpot (Jn. 4:28). Here was true satisfaction; here was the One of whom she had heard and for whom she was looking. She had enough truth in her to admit that she had no husband and, in fact, had had five, and the one with whom she was living was outside of any marital commitment. She believed that Jesus was “the Christ” (Jn. 4:29). Her soul was satisfied. Are we satisfied enough with Jesus to lay down our earthly burdens and failures at His feet?
Body – Trembling
The next relationship is that of the body. It comes from a healthy fear of the Lord. Have you ever, in the privacy of your own closet, trembled and fallen down before the Lord because of who He is and His goodness toward you? This is never a light or frivolous thing, never just emotional hype. The woman in Mark 5:33 feared and trembled when Jesus asked, “Who touched Me?” She came and fell down before Him and told Him all the truth. Jairus, in the same story in Luke 8, fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to heal his daughter. Of ten lepers cleansed in Luke 17, the Samaritan alone returned to give glory to God and to fall down on his face at Jesus’ feet.
On two occasions in my life I felt the only recourse was to fall down before God. Once, after my father died, I knelt weeping and trembling in thanksgiving to God for the man who was my father. The second time was after the 9/11 terrorist attack. I was asked to lead a large group of people in prayer at work. I fell down asking for the right words to honor Him. Are we willing to humble ourselves and bow the knee to our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, in our solitude on a daily basis? And do we fear, that with our bodies we might bring dishonor to Him who bought us with the price of His own body?
Spirit – Trusting
Lastly, the high-mindedness of our so-called spirituality can lead us to depend upon our own abilities. Thus the warning to trust in the living God: not in what is ours – whether earthly riches, God-given abilities, nor even God’s gifts given in grace – but in God Himself alone. Paul affirms that we should not trust in ourselves (2 Cor. 1:9) because ours was a death sentence; it is God who gives life. And if any would have confidence to trust in the flesh, Paul reminds us that he would count his superior “credits” but dung (Phil 3:4-8). Therefore, “trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:10).
Thirsting for, trembling before, and trusting in God makes for a living, lively and responsive relationship with the Lord of heaven and earth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tom Steere lives in western New York with his wife and six children. He is a development engineer for a lighting company, and serves the Lord as an elder in his church.
With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org
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