How Much is Possible
Psalm 24:3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face.
There is a generation promised that will seek after the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart. A generation that will stand with the Lord on His Holy Mount. There is a generation called "Jacob" in Psalm 24 . This generation is the Pure and Spotless Bride of Revelation. This is the generation that seeks His face above all other things in a time of trouble...a time of wrestling, like Jacob at Penuel (Genesis 32:22-32).
Jacob's story is one of the most perplexing stories in the Bible for me. Jacob cheated Esau out of the family blessing, the promise made to Abraham. He had foreign gods that he took with him, and made many mistakes...but God chose Jacob, and Jacob responded. When God first gave Jacob a dream at Bethel, the spot of Jacob's ladder in Genesis 28, Jacob could have just waited to see what else God would do. His father had just blessed him over his brother, and now God was appearing to him. Things seemed to be happening for Jacob. Jacob could have just kept moving through life, waiting to see what else God would do. But Jacob didn't just wait. He pursued God back with his words and his actions. He set up a memorial and an altar, and he consecrated (made special) the place where he had the dream. Then he opened his heart to God with a request to see more of Him:
Genesis 28: 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. 22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
God calls this "seeking His face." This man, who had just lied and stolen the largest blessing ever spoken, responded to God in a way that pleased God. He said to God "how far will this thing that started as a dream go? I am willing to go as far as you are. Reveal yourself to me more and I will give you more of my life."
Jacob had a "yes" in his heart for knowing God. This is the trait of the Bride that David prophesied in Psalm 24. A willingness to go as far as God is willing to go. How much will God give to a man or woman on this side of eternity? How much revelation can a man receive? How much encounter with God is possible? Will I wait and see what God does? Or will I be the generation that seeks His face and asks Him for more?
I want to live fascinated with God. I want my goal to be to experience as much of God as possible...to hear the Author and Creator tell me where to go and what to do...to let Him reveal to my heart what will really satisfy it...to fascinate me with who He is and how He does things...to reveal to me the depths and levels of truth in His words...to show me how real and engaged He is in my life! This is what I want to be about. I am not going to wait and see what happens, hoping to meet God on the other side of life. I am going after everything I can have on this side, confident that the relationship He and I are building now will last forever. I am going to open wide the door of my heart and let the King of Glory come in.
My heart only opens from the inside. This is what set jacob apart: in the time of a small encounter, he opened the door a little wider and gave God an invitation.
Come as close as you want, Lord. Step by step, and day by day I want to set my heart to keep opening the door a little wider to the one who loves me most. I don't want to waste another day being distracted by anything less than knowing more of the One who invites me closer. The One who has designed me for a purpose and an inheritance now and forever.
A Psalm of David.
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah
There is a generation promised that will seek after the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart. A generation that will stand with the Lord on His Holy Mount. There is a generation called "Jacob" in Psalm 24 . This generation is the Pure and Spotless Bride of Revelation. This is the generation that seeks His face above all other things in a time of trouble...a time of wrestling, like Jacob at Penuel (Genesis 32:22-32).
Jacob's story is one of the most perplexing stories in the Bible for me. Jacob cheated Esau out of the family blessing, the promise made to Abraham. He had foreign gods that he took with him, and made many mistakes...but God chose Jacob, and Jacob responded. When God first gave Jacob a dream at Bethel, the spot of Jacob's ladder in Genesis 28, Jacob could have just waited to see what else God would do. His father had just blessed him over his brother, and now God was appearing to him. Things seemed to be happening for Jacob. Jacob could have just kept moving through life, waiting to see what else God would do. But Jacob didn't just wait. He pursued God back with his words and his actions. He set up a memorial and an altar, and he consecrated (made special) the place where he had the dream. Then he opened his heart to God with a request to see more of Him:
Genesis 28: 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. 22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
God calls this "seeking His face." This man, who had just lied and stolen the largest blessing ever spoken, responded to God in a way that pleased God. He said to God "how far will this thing that started as a dream go? I am willing to go as far as you are. Reveal yourself to me more and I will give you more of my life."
Jacob had a "yes" in his heart for knowing God. This is the trait of the Bride that David prophesied in Psalm 24. A willingness to go as far as God is willing to go. How much will God give to a man or woman on this side of eternity? How much revelation can a man receive? How much encounter with God is possible? Will I wait and see what God does? Or will I be the generation that seeks His face and asks Him for more?
I want to live fascinated with God. I want my goal to be to experience as much of God as possible...to hear the Author and Creator tell me where to go and what to do...to let Him reveal to my heart what will really satisfy it...to fascinate me with who He is and how He does things...to reveal to me the depths and levels of truth in His words...to show me how real and engaged He is in my life! This is what I want to be about. I am not going to wait and see what happens, hoping to meet God on the other side of life. I am going after everything I can have on this side, confident that the relationship He and I are building now will last forever. I am going to open wide the door of my heart and let the King of Glory come in.
My heart only opens from the inside. This is what set jacob apart: in the time of a small encounter, he opened the door a little wider and gave God an invitation.
Come as close as you want, Lord. Step by step, and day by day I want to set my heart to keep opening the door a little wider to the one who loves me most. I don't want to waste another day being distracted by anything less than knowing more of the One who invites me closer. The One who has designed me for a purpose and an inheritance now and forever.
A Psalm of David.
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah
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