Too many take their relationship with the Lord so lightly, they think heaven is theirs no matter what attitudes they hold to, how they treat one another or what they say. They believe heaven is theirs simply because they grew up being taught about God, going to worship and Bible studies. They almost have an attitude as if God is their right! It goes as far as seeing the church as belonging to them because their parents or grandparents are the ones who were here from the beginning and that too is their right!
When we look closely at the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, what do we see? There is an altar which the common person was allowed to come. No further. There was the first room where the priests went in daily ministering before the Lord. But they had to look at a curtain, a veil that stood between them and the presence of the Almighty. What did all this mean? Sinful humans cannot just stroll into the presence of God or see Him as their inherent right! That's what the Jew's thought in the days of Jesus. Abraham was their father, the Law of the Lord was given to the Jew and the Tabernacle/Temple was the proof God resided among them. It lead them into arrogance, unloving attitudes that eventually killed Jesus. They saw nothing unloving and unholy about themselves. They saw the holiness of Jesus and His holiness caused them problems and exposed their unloving hearts.
What are we to learn? God takes our sins much more serious than we. That's because our Lord understands the nature of sin more than us, He holier than us and He loves with this true, holy love. The more you and I become conformed into the image of Jesus (Rom. 8:29), the more you and I will grow in despising our sins, learning how to love (not just those who agree with us, as that's selective love and there's nothing holy or right about that) and going to greater depths of righteousness and purity.
There is one thing in all this. God remembers that we are but dust (Psa. 103:14). He knows our limitations. The Lord realizes we are shaped by dust, invaded by sin and we are weak in the process. However, God does not allow us to just dismiss sin as trivial! God wants us to see the horror of our sins and speaks about unloving attitudes toward others, our unfaithfulness to our spouses or not training our children in His ways, our ungrateful hearts or selling our souls out for things that perish. Our sins are our sins!
What does God want from us? What is He really desiring? It's not about us!!! IT'S NOT ABOUT US! Everything is about holiness, God's holiness. This love God extends to us is because He is holy. The love He expects us to live by is a holy love. Our deliverance from our sins was God's holiness reaching down. Our entrance into His presence, that's a holy priviledge. Worship as the body of Christ, that's a blessing because God is holy and nothing more!
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