The Standard of God

1. The Standard of God’s Presence
The level at which you value the presence of God will determine the depth at which you encounter Him. On many occasions in the scripture we see the response people had when they recognised God was in their midst, Moses hid is face at the burning bush, the Israelites trembled with fear at the foot of Mount Sinai, Joshua fell prostrate before the Lord of Hosts and so much more. The presence of God causes men to reverence HIm.

'And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace.'
Leviticus 10:3

The Lord must be regarded as holy, reverenced, hallowed and honoured. The 24 Elders at the sight of His majesty cast off the crowns, dethroned themselves and enthroned Him on their praise.

The Lord must be glorified, not only in private but publicly, ‘before all the people.’ This is why in Romans 1:16 it says, ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel...’ it is a necessity that we show our value for God in all things before all people.

2. The Standard of Your Lifestyle
Does your lifestyle glorify God? Is He honoured in your choices and in your character? In Romans 1:21 it says, ‘Though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God.’ It is not enough therefore to be aware of God or who He is, our lifestyle must reflect Him. One of the major criticisms that fall upon the church from unbelievers is that Christians are judgemental or often hypocritical, in other words, we don’t look like theChrist we claim to serve.

We can be quick to condemn others sins but tend to justify our own, for sake of being relatable we compromise our values, whether it is corrupt practices to attain wealth, or sex before marriage to satisfy the lust of the flesh, the bible says, ‘You cannot serve both God and mammon,’ there is no room for compromise in faith, obedience is not about convenience, with God it is a non- negotiable. In Hebrew there is no word for ‘obey’ it is the same word as ‘hear’ - Shama - because to God you have not truly heard if you have no obeyed.

'(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),’ Ephesians 5:9

The scripture above lets us know that the evidence of the Spirit of God active in your life is seen through:

• Goodness - your ability to live with empathy and compassion for others, to be forgiving and meekness

• Righteousness - your ability to live in obedience to God, to rely on HIs grace and direction, to commit to worshipping and serving God and to let your light so shine.

• Truth - Your submission to the truth of God, your commitment to faith in His word, in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and to oppose every lie, hypocrisy or falsehood that seeks to exalt itself against the knowledge of God.