Power Shift

I came across this scripture in my devotional time, and was struck by it.

Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. -Deut 34:9

Many churches are in debate over whether or not "laying on of hands" is a Biblical mandate or not. However, there are a couple of things we can take away from this passage of scripture. One, is that the laying on of hands is Biblical. The other is a secret for experiencing the power of God on our lives.

But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face... -Deut 34:10

By following the example of Moses and Joshua we see that at times in our spiritual lives it is essential that we spend time in prayer (with laying on of hands) with those who have attained to a closer walk with Christ than perhaps our own. We see here a transfer of blessing/power.

What are your thoughts on this particular passage?

RSVP

When my wife (Kristina) and I were getting married a couple years ago, we sent out more than 300 invitations. We had about 200 people that actually showed up. Out of all those invitations and all the people that came there were a couple of people that I really wanted to be there. These were people that were important to my life, I would have been disappointed if they had not shown up. These people received an invitation just like all the others, however, I also called these few people on the phone, to make sure they were going to be there, I talked to them face-to-face just so they would know the importance of their presence at my wedding. I made sure they didn't have any problems or issues, I wanted everything to be easy for them so I could be sure they would make it to my "big day". These were people that I wanted to be there, even if nobody else came.

Throughout my church life, I have heard people (myself included) "invite" the presence of God to the service/meeting/gathering. I have heard this "invitation" go out many times, often times I have left the service without this "invitation" being answered. As the church are we content to just invite God to our services, and then leave without ever truly experiencing Him?

It takes more than just a mere invitation. We need to go to God, and beg for His presence, long to experienced His power, we need to prepare our hearts throughout the week (not just at opening prayer time on Sundays) so that conditions are favorable for the presence of God. We need to be hungry for His presence, to the point that it does not matter what else is going on or who else is there. All that matters is that God was there. We are filled with His presence and power.

Or are we just content to come and go without change, content that God did not RSVP our invitation?