Daily Java: Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29)
God is not a good idea, nor a great friend, nor a religious ideal. God the Father is a consuming fire. Unless we are burned up in him, we can do nothing for him that is of any consequence.
That is our problem when we have trouble living for him and doing what he wants. We are trying to split the middle, stay with the world and work with him at the same time.
Organized religion is a good thing. It is important and occupies a strong and central part of our lives. We have a special place for it and make a lot of time for it.
However, organized religion, no matter how well-meaning, is worthless. Unless we move on from religion and a central place in our lives to the consuming fire that God must be, we will never have any kind of relationship with him.
Before we can really know God, we must be burned up in him. That is true religion, true faith, true service. He is our everything, not our most important thing.
As long as he is chief in our lives, he will never be able to be our God. He will share our lives with no one.
In the Old Testament, at several points, the Israelites tried to make God one of the gods. They would even let him be chief god, the most important one. His response, you will have no other gods besides me.
He told them again and again that he was a jealous God who would have no companion gods. It would be him or not at all. If it was him, he would bless them. If not at all, they would be condemned.
Until we let God burn us up, we will never have the relationship we want with him. And we will never have the relationship he wants with us.
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