"Far Above!"

"The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; a high hill as the hill of Bashan." (Psalms 68:15) Typically when you think of hills, hills are usually not mountains that are too hard to climb; they are usually rolling, and they make for good planting, like for vineyards or trees. Such was the hill of Bashan, which was given the name because it was so fruitful. Bashan actually means fruitful, and it was given to the half tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the Jordan. I don't know what you have heard about the children of Israel that settled on the east side of Jordan, but the real losers were their children; that generation that missed out on witnessing all of the victories that God gave Israel in the promised land. Besides that, there was something special about this region, something very suitable for livestock to graze upon, which was why the half tribe of Manasseh wanted to "settle" there; settle being the word used to describe the character of those that would take this rather than that; someone that might "settle" for what they see and know currently, instead of stepping out of their comfort zone and experiencing the power of God. You see, the "hill of God" is approachable; God wants to meet us right where we are, but He does not want us to settle where He meets us! This hills on the east side of the Jordan were not where God was worshiped, and they were envious of the place that He was worshiped on the other side. It's the same in our own lives as we walk in the Lord; God expects us to move! He gives us new life so that we can move away from the old life; He gives us new life so that we can begin to experience life in Him. We cannot settle for anything, because there is nothing here that even comes close to where God dwells! Think about what is being said in the context of what has been said already. There is no way we can experience the real power of God in our lives by settling for anything in this life. We can experience God's blessings, which are always enjoyable and free; but to have something powerful enough to hand over to our children, we need move out of our comfortable life and into the arms of God, the Living God...
"Your fame soon spread throughout the world because of your beauty. I dressed you in my splendor and perfected your beauty, says the Sovereign LORD. But you thought your frame and beauty were your own. So you gave yourself as a prostitute to every man who came along. Your beauty was theirs for the asking. You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines and idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen? You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them. This is adultery against me! You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I gave you to dress your idols. Then you used my special oil and my incense to worship them. Imagine it! You set before them as a sacrifice the choice flour, olive oil, and honey I had given you, says the Sovereign LORD. Then you took your sons and daughters - the children you had borne of me - and sacrificed them to your gods. Was your prostitution not enough? Must you also slaughter my children by sacrificing them to idols? In all your years of adultery and detestable sin, you have not once remembered the days long ago when you lay naked in a field, kicking about in your own blood." (Ezekiel 16:14-22) NLT