Holiness: God Creates Space, Pt. 4

Have you ever walked away from a conversation feeling as though your space had been invaded? Maybe the person was standing too close, or perhaps they mentioned an uncomfortable topic that you felt was none of their business? Or maybe, as I have felt at times, you just had too many people surrounding you and couldn't breathe? We all want our space and plenty of it. How wonderful then that we serve a God who gives us our space freely.

Just think about that for a moment. The God who knows your thoughts, strengths, weaknesses, and everything about you, chooses to give you your space. He never encroaches upon it. He is willing to be ignored rather than violate the space He has given us.

Consider the following verses:

· James 4:8, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

· Matt. 11:28, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

· Matt. 7:7, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

· Rev. 3:20 a, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock."

Now, imagine what life would be like if God chose not to give you your space. What if in His holiness He drew near without providing you the opportunity to cleanse yourself? What if He never allowed you to choose, and instead of knocking on the door of your heart, rammed it in and entered demanding your love and all the glory He deserves? What if the Holy Spirit dealt with all of the sin issues of your life without you inviting Him to do so, constantly reminding you of how you fall short and to get your act together? That would be hellish. Who wants to serve a God like that? So God gives us our space and our free will, but that does not prevent Him from communicating His desires.

Jesus invites us to come at our weariest, our most vulnerable, and our weakest moment. We are encouraged to ask, seek, and knock, knowing that He will answer us. God even urges us to come and reason with Him (Is. 1:18). He is the perfect parent, who gives us space to reject Him, His statutes, and then fail, but is immediately there when we eventually cry out and say, "Help me, Lord!"

Now we're getting somewhere! God's holiness is His character, and it's His character that we are to adopt. We are to trade in our selfish, fleshly way of seeing and doing things and instead be transformed.

Let's Pray:

Father, thank You for giving me my free will. Thank You for the patience that You exercise when I don't come to You immediately as I should. Thank You for giving me space, and now I come of my own volition. You haven't bribed me but beckoned me to Your presence. God, I'm here because I want to be. Please help me become more like you. You are the only One worth emulating. When I fail to reflect You, please forgive me, pick me up, and put me back on my feet again. You're the only One who can. In Jesus' Name. Amen