And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3: 18, NRSV
Lord, we are waiting to hear what is Your will for us. Help us to be obedient to that will, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen
Today, we want to bring together all of the concepts and thoughts that we have garnered during the last two days, under one title: The Personal Relationship with Jesus. We hear a lot about having a personal relationship with Jesus, these days. I am sure that if I should ask a room full of people, what having a personal relationship with the LORD meant to them, there would be as many definitions as there were people. Several definitions would have some aspects in common, but in the final analysis, they would all be different in essence. One of the reasons for this, is the fact that no two individuals are alike. Even identical twins have some detail that differentiates one from the other. Let us look at seven points in establishing, and maintaining, a relationship with the Lord, and some of the blessings that result from it.
1. Ask God to show you His glory (Exodus 33: 18). Be sure that this is what you want; you never know how God will answer that prayer. But if you really desire to have a relationship with the Almighty, you will have one, and you will never regret it!
2. Dedicate time to the development of the relationship, ” So he (Moses) was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights (Exodus 34: 28). The strongest thread in any relationship is the time we dedicate to it. How much more when this relationship is with the Sovereign of the universe!
3. The results of our relationship with the Lord are self-evident (Exodus 34: 29). When Moses came down from the mountain he did not have to tell anyone that He had been in the presence of God. They could see it. “His face shone.”
4. Personal relationships are developed between friends. “So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33: 11). As we spend time with the LORD, daily, getting to know Him, we will be cultivating our relationship with Him .
5. In a personal relationship friends do not wear masks (Exodus 34: 29). Moses did not have to put a veil over his face when he went in to speak with God. The shining of his face did not disturb God. He is pleased with the fact that after a while we begin to reflect His glory.
6. The personal relationship reveals God’s glory, and shows us who we really are, “even though we are a stiffnecked people… pardon our iniquity and our sin” (Exodus 34: 9). Because Moses was in constant contact with the glory of God, he could recognize his true condition, and the condition of the Israelites.
7. The better we get to know Him, the more we want to worship Him (Exodus 34: 8). One of the greatest experiences in a personal relationship with the Lord is that we get to see Him at close range, “high and lifted up;” and as we behold His glory, our only desire is to bow our faces to the ground, and worship Him, for He is worthy of our worship and praise!