MEETING YOUR MAKER

MEETING YOUR MAKER 

  ¹¹ And he said, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; ¹² and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.  (1 Kings 19:11-12 -- RSV)

                On a deathbed, or maybe in a bar-fight, one might hear the question, “Are you ready to meet your maker?”  The prophet, Elijah, had been sent to the mountain, to meet with the Lord.  In the grandeur of the mountain, in the fierceness of the storm, in the violence of the earthquake, in the destruction of the fire, God was not met.  But, a still small voice, then, told him that he was not alone.

                How does one best meet God?  The great commandment calls us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  So, is it in the mystical, or the mental, or the musical, or the manual?  (one might add: meeting, mass-marketing, management/organization …)  Does one go deeper? Or, delirious? Or, “duty calls” is the motto?  Or, the “disciplines”?  I must confess, I find some truth in each answer.

                But, which avenue is foolproof?  (keep in mind that fools can mess up anything)  It has been said that “you can’t fix stupid…;” to which one might add, “…selfish, or sinful, or sarkos” (“flesh” - KJV)  The studious theologian might begin to think himself incapable of error.  And, if one crosses the “shouter” he may meet a rebuke of “blasphemy…”  But, not all theologians see eye-to-eye; nor do all Pentecostals “speak the same language” (line up perfectly) in their views, on some basic, foundational points.  Personally, I know that I have moved, through the years, in my position on several issues.

                Humility and honesty are mandatory.  Prayer.  Meditation. Scripture. These are basics. Most importantly, Jesus is the visual aid.  If one can see Him, then one can see God!  And, if your view does not look like Jesus, then it is just wrong!

John records two invitations to “come see Jesus.” -- The first one is in John 1:45-49

⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

The second is in John 4:28-29 (RSV) 

²⁸ So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people, ²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” ³⁰ They went out of the city and were coming to him. 

Also, one cannot but hear the similar call of the writer of Hebrews!
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) 

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.