Psalm 15:1:
1LORD, WHO shall dwell [temporarily] in Your tabernacle? Who shall dwell [permanently] on Your holy hill?
Remember that the Old Covenant was in effect at the time that this psalm was written. Who can be in the presence of God? The only ones allowed into the presence of God were those who met ALL of these qualifications! The only person who never failed to meet all of these requirements was JESUS! When you were born again, receiving Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Saviour, the price that must be paid to give YOU access to the presence of God was PAID IN FULL! So what are we saying? Receive ALL that is made available to you because of the precious Blood of Jesus! That includes being able to stand in the presence of God as though we've never done anything wrong! We CAN do this because Jesus paid the way! We MUST do this because the Word of God commands us to in Hebrews 4:16:
16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
So let's do it daily and all day long! Be aware of His presence at all times and you will never feel alone again!
Matthew 15:1-3 is interesting to me:
THEN FROM Jerusalem came scribes and Pharisees and said, 2Why do Your disciples transgress and violate the rules handed down by the elders of the past? For they do not practice [ceremonially] washing their hands before they eat. 3He replied to them, And why also do you transgress and violate the commandment of God for the sake of the rules handed down to you by your forefathers (the elders)?
I love how Jesus would answer their questions with one of His own! Then He went further and said this in verses 6-8:
6So for the sake of your tradition (the rules handed down by your forefathers), you have set aside the Word of God [depriving it of force and authority and making it of no effect]. 7You pretenders (hypocrites)! Admirably and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said: 8These people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me.
When you actually spend time in the Word of God getting to know Jesus, you realize that He hates religion! By that we mean all of man's attempts to get close to God by rules and regulations and works. It is the Gospel alone that has the power to save, heal and deliver! When Jesus went about preaching, teaching and healing, He was preaching the Word, teaching the Word and healing those who came in faith BECAUSE of the Word! Make sure that your "doctrine" comes from the Word of God and the Spirit of God and NOT man's traditions passed down from person to person! If you can't find it in the Word - FORGET ABOUT IT!!! AMEN!
In 2 Chronicles 10 we see Solomon's son, Rehoboam, make some not very wise decisions! He starts out wisely, in verse 6, by asking counsel of the elders:
6King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men who stood before Solomon his father while he was alive, saying, What counsel do you give me in reply to the people?
They gave him good counsel, but this is where he began to act unwisely in verse 8:
8But the king forsook the counsel which the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who were brought up with him and stood before him.
There are may cultures where the elders are revered for their experience, wisdom and knowledge. That does not seem to be the case in this country anymore! Youth is worshiped at the expense of the great things that can be learned from older, wise people! Now there ARE many older people who are far from wise! Anyone who does not love the Word of God is NOT wise, but a fool! Fools can be young or old! Don't be a fool and don't neglect the wisdom of the aged. Remember Proverbs 16:31:
31The hoary head is a crown of beauty and glory if it is found in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation).
AMEN to that!
Shalom in Him!
