Meeting God - without huge effort

I recently attended a conference entitled „Thine is the glory“. The speakers defined „glory“ as the tangible expression of God's presence. At one event, the speaker asked the participants to focus on God and ask him to come tangibly close to them. He then asked who had experienced something that could have been a sign of God's presence. Around 80% of those present raised their hands. Some had felt deep peace, others inner lightness - or the feeling that a kind of pleasant heaviness was weighing on them, others felt very warm and others saw inner images. Nobody can judge whether everything came directly from God - but I assume that at least some of the people actually felt, sensed or saw something from him.

Attention...now comes a mental leap to a completely different shore before I cross the bridge again. One of my goals for the time-out is to read the whole Bible - but

not from beginning to end, but chronologically - i.e. in the presumed sequence of events. I find it very exciting to read larger „chunks“ at once - and to recognise connections in a new way. So far I have read the book of Job and Genesis 1-3. What particularly impressed me in Genesis 2 and 3 was the huge effort people had to make in order to meet God. Clothes had to be cleaned, animals slaughtered and sacrifices made.

For example, Genesis 9, from verse 3:

Speak to the Israelites and say, "Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and a sheep, both a year old and without defect, for a burnt offering, and a bull and a ram for a fellowship offering, that we may sacrifice them before the LORD, and a grain offering mingled with oil. For today the LORD will appear to you. So they brought what Moses had commanded to the door of the tabernacle, and the whole congregation came and stood before the LORD. Then Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.

So much effort - to meet God. What impresses me anew is that we no longer have to make this effort - because Jesus made a sacrifice that is sufficient for ever and ever. We can therefore meet God without guilt, atonement, thanksgiving, consecration and other sacrifices. Through Jesus, who became all these sacrifices for us. So that we can meet God - without huge effort.