Longing For JesusSample

As Jesus draws near some of us might welcome his arrival or we might feel uncomfortable because of our guilt and shame. When God draws near to us we cannot help but feel uncomfortable because he is holy and we are not. In the presence of beauty, we feel ugly. In the presence of intelligence, we feel stupid. And in the presence of God, we will feel sinful.

When in God’s presence, Isaiah says, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips.” Peter says something similar when Jesus drew near to him, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” I remember listening to a testimony of a young girl who said, the moment she asked Jesus into her heart, immediately she experienced the holiness of God and simultaneously realized how sinful she actually was. 

While we feel like this, it is interesting to notice God’s response to all three situations. To Isaiah he said, “Behold this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for. And the voice of the Lord said, “whom shall I send and who will go for us.” With Peter there was no need for a burning coal because Jesus has the power to purify, so it was simply, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” The girl experienced God’s love in the midst of realizing how sinful she was in the presence of a holy God. 

In every other religion God competes with the individual; either you don’t have an “I” or you have to get rid of your “I” or your “I” is an illusion. Whereas in Christianity God draws near to us and enters us without violating us. When Moses approached the burning bush the bush did not get burnt. 

Let us boldly welcome Jesus, because God is love, he will purify us without petrifying us.