COMING BEFORE HIS PRESENCE

"Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms . . . Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing . . .Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Psa 95:2; 100:2; Heb 10:22)

The familiarities of people in the flesh can change how we come before the presence of the Lord. We can become too casual, imagining that we are capable of suddenly changing our disposition at a certain point in time – turning on spirituality as though it was a light switch. But this is not the case. Earth always competes with heaven, and the flesh contends with the Spirit. Thus we are admonished to consciously come before the presence of the Lord, doing so with thanksgiving, joyful singing, and gladness. The heart is to be stripped of all falseness and distraction, and filled with the powerful persuasion of faith. An evil, or condemning conscience, is to be removed, and our bodies presented to the Lord as those that have been cleansed from defilement in the baptismal waters. It should be apparent that none of these things are possible by mere human discipline. All of them can be emulated, or copied, by the flesh, but none of them can be accomplished by it.

Thanksgiving requires a perusal of the blessings of the Lord – an understanding of how His mercies are new every morning. Thinking in the flesh, however proper the subject may be, pushes such considerations into the background of our thinking. Making a "joyful noise" unto the Lord is much the same way. The accent is not on "noise," but on "joyful." That presumes the heart is being raptured by thoughts of God's goodness toward us. It is being wafted into the heavenly realms and away from "this present evil world." "Singing" is an insightful and glad expression of a thoughtful and thankful heart. It is an outlet for spiritual life, and brings refreshment to the soul. A "true heart" is an uncluttered one, wholly devoted to the Lord. The "full assurance of faith" is a bold confidence that is so aware of the Lord no foe or circumstance is intimidating. The absence of an "evil conscience" is the lack of a condemning conscience. It brings us to know we are welcomed and received by the Living God. Bodies that have been "washed" are consciously and eagerly given to the Lord as a living sacrifice.

There is no other acceptable way of coming before Lord's presence. Let us be diligent to discipline our behavior and manners so as not to diminish any of these marvelous provisions.