When the world's way no longer works
- Leonie Fourie
- Aug 26, 2024
- 4 min read
Moses had many divine encounters with the one true God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It always moves me deeply when I reflect on the moment Moses desired to draw nearer to God and asked to see His glory.
Exodus 33:18-23, God answered Moses: “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”
But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”
Then in Exodus 34:29-30 “It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai… that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.”
I get goosebumps when I think about this. Moses’ skin shone with the glory of God, even though he didn’t see God’s face.
When Jesus ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us, He gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. As Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
This is why children of Christ can reflect a similar “glow” to what Moses had. It’s that special quality you see in a child of God - something that makes them seem bright, alive, and different. People might not be able to pinpoint it, but they sense it and are drawn to it, saying, “I don’t know what it is, but you are different.”
The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in those who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour. That’s why we strive to live holy lives. With His Spirit dwelling in us, our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Let’s have a look at the worldly view. The worldly view often reflects ideas like "survival of the fittest," "might makes right," "every man for himself", “winning is everything”, “every man/woman for him/herself”, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” or “fake it till you make it”.
These attitudes suggest that strength and self-interest justify our actions, even at the expense of others. In the quest to become someone or something the world will appreciate and praise, we often hurt others and dress up our true feelings with polite words, yet our actions reveal a lack of genuine concern, integrity and respect for others.
We might believe that when we present ourselves as friendly - often overly friendly - and by asserting authority and making decisions over and about others in our lives, we truly are someone important and special. I regret to say that I have used some of these attitudes in my own life, whether intended or not.
When the Spirit of the same God who hid Moses in the cleft of the rock and covered him with His hand lives in us, the way the world works does not work for us anymore. We become sensitive to protecting the Spirit within us, immediately sensing when something is out of alignment with God’s will. We feel uncomfortable where the Spirit is not welcome and choose to avoid places where we once sought worldly happiness and acceptance. We distance ourselves from harmful people, places, and things because God's Spirit lives in us. We want to part from lies, hatred, judgement, anger, impatience, and pride.
To those who quickly criticise Christians you believe fall short of your standards and label them as "holy" or "snobs" for seeming to think they are better than you: We are not perfect, but we have a perfect and holy Heavenly Father and Saviour whom we strive to emulate. Because His Holy Spirit lives within us, we are aware when we fall short, and we repent, change our ways, and do our best to adhere to the Word of God. We are not better than anyone else, we strive to be like Christ.
It is impossible not to change when the Spirit of God dwells in us.
Perhaps living a holy life isn’t something you’re eager to pursue. It may seem too righteous, or you might hesitate to give up the things the world offers. You might worry about being mocked, rejected, or labelled by others, and yes, that will likely happen. But I have come to understand that this is a very small price to pay while we are on earth. The day is approaching when Jesus will transform everything, and our choice to follow Him or not will decide our eternal destination.
2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
Steffany Gretzinger - Show Me Your Face