The Presence of God

 The Presence of God

The face of those that meet with God. 

I like to smile at people, even with these masks, people who are of the Lord or who are sensitive to spiritual things receive my smile because it comes out of Jesus and the Holy Spirit within me. 

There’s some days that I don’t smile but it doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit has left. It may mean that I am not feeling well physically or it may mean that there is a barrier of sin or lack of meeting with God‘s presence.  The Christian life is not all mountain high experiences. In Psalm 25 we see that David humbles himself and asks the Lord to forgive him or pardon his sin.  David understands to be led by God and to receive his teaching and understanding that he/we must come to God in humility. David desires, as we should, the Lord’s steadfast love and faithfulness. 

“He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.”  Psalm‬ ‭25:9-15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

DEFEATING TEMPTATION

Temptation is not sin. Sin is yielding to temptation, it is acting on the temptation that comes our way. It is both a noun and a verb.  People don’t like to talk about sin.  It’s like a flashlight coming on And all the little roaches scurry to get out of the light. Sin brings to mind those things that we know are not right. 

The word, sin, immediately paints a picture in my mind of something I don’t want to have anything to do with. For somebody who has not come to know Jesus, the word, sin, does not have that infectious, grimy ugliness that separates us from a close relationship with our creator.  But God gave us a moral compass which to follow. However, the pressures of peers, or the dullness of our consciousness lets us keep repeating what we know deep down is wrong. 

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” ‭‭James‬ ‭1:12-15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Sin means missing the mark of what God requires. 

You have to love the Mirriam Webster definition of “Sin”, “a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God.”   Vitiated means “faulty or defective” so, a  faulty or defective state of human nature. We ALL were born, and we ALL were born with this sinful human nature. 

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, most Christians know this verse but don’t know the next except by experience, 

“and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” Romans‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Sin means missing the mark of what God requires. It’s like a dartboard in which anything but a bull’s-eye is a miss. That may seem stringent but it is the portal in which we enter into the presence of God.

Jesus said, as recorded by Matthew, “"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”  Matthew‬ ‭7:13-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

REVERENCE

David writes, “Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.” 

The Amplified Bible says it this way, “Who is the man who fears the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with submissive wonder]? He will teach him [through His word] in the way he should choose.”  Psalms‬ ‭25:12‬ ‭AMP‬‬

This fear is not meaning to be afraid but to reverence, or hold in awe, the Lord. It is this man, woman or child, that God will instruct in the way that “He” has for him. 

Here is another familiar verse that we often point to, Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  That makes us feel good and reassures us of our future…

BUT we fall short of this “promise” if we don’t take it in context with what follows, 

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

HUMILITY

Humility - you do not need to be perfect in order to hear God’s guidance but you do need an attitude of humility; simply put: ‘He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way’ (Psalm 25:9, MSG). ‘God-friendship is for God-worshippers; They are the ones he confides in’ (Psalm 25:14, MSG). MSG is not monosodium glutamate but the Message Bible🤣

The following quote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” has been attributed to C.S. Lewis or Rick Warren. I’ve met Rick and he would give Lewis credit… even if it was himself. Try this yourself, a humble move and take the glory and spotlight and point it to Jesus.

“He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” Psalm 25:9

Nicky Gumbel, of the Alpha course said, “When we try to force our own agenda or strive to do what we want to do, there is a sense of spiritual discomfort.”  We cannot experience the presence of God when our agenda is more important than His. 

RELEASING GOD’S GIFTS

Every day we are each given gifts from God including the very breath that we breathe. The sun warms her skin, coffee that awakens her mind

“And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments.”  ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭35:21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We came into this world with nothing and nothing will we take out of this world. Why, why, why is it we strive to get more stuff?  Flashier cars, bigger houses, blotted bank accounts… don’t miss what I’m saying; there is nothing wrong with wealth. Some of you may be saying, I’d love a car that works and I can park it in a “house” meant for it, or for a job, or for some security. 

“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” 1 Timothy‬ ‭6:6-10 ESV

It is one of life’s mysteries. Why are they sick or why are they rich and I’m not?  Why do good thing happen to bad people?  Why can’t I have…

EVERYONE that reads or hears this is rich. We have clothes to wear, probably a cell phone, computer or both. We have eaten in the last 24-hours. So, we are richer than 75% of the world!  Paul goes on to write to Timothy about us because we are rich:

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” 1 Timothy‬ ‭6:17-19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

PRESENCE THROUGH GOOD WORKS

Another verse that people hold to is: Ephesians‬ ‭2:8-9‬ ‭ESV‬‬ “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Again, we fail to grasp the whole context of Paul’s important message that follows those two verses in verse 10:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”Ephesians‬ ‭2:8-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Good works are born out of love for others, thinking of others more than thinking of ourselves. James writes this about the pendulum of all faith and no works or of all works and no faith. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?”  James‬ ‭2:14-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Paul writes further showing examples of Abraham and the prostitute, Rahab (there us a wide continuum of population), “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”  ‭‭James‬ ‭2:22, 24, 26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It isn’t either/or, it is both, in unison. The Bible (or Word) says “we love because He (Jesus) first loved us”. We have faith through grace and practice love and good works out of Christs love for us and what an amazing thing He has done for us. 

RADIATING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

When the people of Israel finished the plan given to Moses of the tabernacle it was set up and when fully erected, the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle like a cloud by day and fire by night.  When Moses was able to go into the tent of meeting with God, he would come out with a veil covering his face because his face gleamed so much that people could not stand to look at him. 

When we put away the traditions of men that weighs down the church and look into the eyes and words of Jesus directly, we are personally transformed. That transformation comes thus:

“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”  Romans‬ ‭10:9-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Being a true follower of Jesus is about a relationship with Him. He, our Creator, made us for relationships. That is why Jesus said in reply to this question:  ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”” Matthew‬ ‭22:36-40‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The walk of following Jesus is daily staying so close to Him that His image is all that is seen.  When we step out of that closeness our imperfections show. Staying in close communion with the Lord makes our reflection as clear and clean as it can be revealing the presence of God. 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We practice not a religion but this relationship as a new creation with the Holy Spirit that Jesus gives us to comfort us, convict us and guide us. True followers of Christ are never alone for Jesus sent the Helper (the Holy Spirit).  Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father and Jesus is our advocate as we pray in His Name. 

“"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.””  John‬ ‭14:15-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Apostle writes, “But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”  2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:16-18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

CHRIST RETURNS WITH HIS PRESENCE

“and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."” Mark‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Christ died for our sin and sinful nature and that is the gift He made provision for. But each person must exercise their free will and either accept the blessed gift or reject it. We must repent of our sin, believe with our heart, mind and soul of Christ’s death and resurrection and follow Him all the days of our life. It is not easy but it is when we will have life in this world and the next with Jesus rather than apart from Him for eternity. 

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."” Acts‬ ‭1:8-11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

My dear follower of Jesus, a blessed and convicting Christmas. Many people think it should be “merry” but Christmas is the fulfillment of prophecy of God’s gift to each of us if we receive. Amazement, gratefulness, praising... now what to DO next?

In Romans 12, Paul shares with us what we should do with and to the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit gives you supernatural gifts that you are to use. What are you going to unwrap this Christmas that is better than a supernatural gift of power?

Spend time in this chapter of the Bible during the break. As you do, drill down to what YOU are to do here, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:9-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

May CHRISTmas radically change YOUR life.

My Burning Bush

It has been a long time since I wrote to this blog. The older I get the clearer some things get and yet others seem blurred like my hearing of soft voices in a crowded room. Two days ago while I was taking the dog out I saw what I believe was the physical presence of God’s Spirit, if not God Himself. 

As I read Isaiah and Ezekiel, I see that they heard the voice of God. We are now “so educated” that everything is explained away by “the laws of nature”. Since, I believe that the Triune God created the universe and all that is in it, it, nature, must bow to its creator as we must. 

Early morning out with our dog, Lucy, when I heard and saw a great wind pummeling the tops of a couple of 100+ foot tall Douglas Fir trees; then all the sudden it stopped dead quiet. I whirled to my right where a couple of tall firs whipped but all the other trees were still. Then as quickly as it started, it shifted to a couple of trees right in front of me and everything else was calm. 

I cried out, “Lord, is that You? Speak, your servant listens.”  At that, the whole line of huge Douglas Fir waved back and forth east and west, churned and stopped. Then right in front again the two trees rocked back and forth south to North so much so I wondered if they would crack and hurl themselves on to me. The message was clear, “I am with you and my power is greater than everything else.  Fear not.”

I can’t see God or the wind but I do see what it does. I do hear His voice...

   

Who would give their life for you?

Who would give their life for you?

Walking into his cell in Aushwitz is unforgettable. Here is a taste from:  http://auschwitz.dk/Kolbe.htm

The deathcamp Auschwitz became the killing centre during WWII where the largest numbers of European Jews were murdered by the Nazis. One Christian man who died here became a martyr to the truth of evils of Nazism - a true hero for our time, a saint who lived what he preached, total love toward God and man ...

Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish priest who died as prisoner 16770 in Auschwitz, on August 14, 1941. When a prisoner escaped from the camp, the Nazis selected 10 others to be killed by starvation in reprisal for the escape. One of the 10 selected to die, Franciszek Gajowniczek, began to cry: My wife! My children! I will never see them again! At this Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward and asked to die in his place. His request was granted ...

As moving as Kolbe's sacrifice was and a reminder that those who are secure in the salvation and hope found in Jesus, it pales to when if is your own personal salvation and hope. You move from a spectator to a player on the field of life. Following Jesus is not about church going to check off a "duty" or practice on Sunday. It goes beyond helping widow, orphans and the needy. It isn't about religion, a title, or a platform to judge.

Jesus

It goes without saying…

Recently I was with one of the residents from the Courtyard, a place where Christian students can grow in their faith in their independence from mom and dad and in how now should they live. Time in a car either with college students or your children, especially when they're young, yields interesting tidbits of information.  As I was letting this young man off at the Courtyard, he turned to me and said, "It goes without saying… Pause well maybe… my time here at the Courtyard  (eight weeks so far) has made a tremendous impact on my spiritual growth."  He took the time to thank us for providing this important place for him... for his fellow residents, too. 

It didn't surprise me what he said, as I often witness residents growth in these college students' lives, in general and also their spiritual walk with God. But what I did take away from this brief encounter what is the phrase that I had not heard for a while "it goes without saying".

That little phrase as been running around my head for a day but seemed like a week. I have heard it many times in the past and fewer times in the present and I'm not sure if it is because people are not using that phrase or they're just doing it, 'letting it go without saying' anything about what they're thinking, what they're feeling, what moves them to action to change themselves and transform the world.

So, I am trying to check myself to determine if I ever 'let things go without saying'.  Do I ever let things go without saying with my wonderful wife, Kim, or our children, especially because they're adults and away from home.

Do I ever approach Jesus or my heavenly Father, with an attitude of "it goes without saying"? Thanksgiving is this week and I believe Americans, in general, do not practice a heart of gratitude about their lives. Husbands and wives get in a rut and let many things 'go without saying' how much they appreciate the other; how much they appreciate the love and respect of the other.  Children, today, use the words 'thank you' as if it were the most common thing in the world to say... "It goes without saying", so why bother. 

"It goes without saying…" is a kin to somebody else will do it; somebody else will tell of its importance, somebody else will support the work being done, somebody else will give their time and energy to invest in others.

This Thanksgiving, and every day going forward, let our speech be filled with positive things said to family members, spouses, friends, a wait-person, a receptionist, fellow workers or students; those things that, a day earlier, we would have lived out the phrase, "It goes without saying..."

The COURTYARD. www.CourtyardLife.org

Distracted

Distracted

If your life is anything like mine, it is filled with distractions that take me off a planned course or out of a peaceful slumber.  Ringing phones, barking dogs, visitors, flickering lights, or even a rumbling stomach can take your focus off one thing to the urgent beckoning of another.  

After 75 days, the rain is falling once again and there are power outages, plugged street drains, and accidents caused by slippery, oily roads.  Some of these things are expected or at least should be.  But what struck me the most today was the word and the meaning of "Distracted".

When there is music playing in the room, I find it difficult to write because my mind follows the tune and the words even as the room now is filled with a woman singing Hosanna in Mandarin.  Random thoughts flood into my mind.  Tilley, the faithful Yorkie sits on the top of my recliner as I lay out resting my back and she proceeds to lick my ear... she is informing me she wants or needs to go outside.  I must be easily distracted because even the thought of my hot chocolate cooling too fast before I drink it, causes me to pause and decide on what I'm going to do in the next few seconds.

You probably didn't even notice I stopped and took a slow draw on my Starbucks mug from Amsterdam.  Each and every day, our life is filled with distractions, some good, some bad, some annoying, and some just plain irritating.  Today, Americans like myself pack our days with so much in them, even good or fun things, that we race at a self-imposed speed to get it all done and we forget the real reason why we are doing whatever it is we are doing.  We many not even have enjoyed it and if it was vacation that finished without a relaxing awe... that is just plain wrong.

One of the busiest schedules are moms that care for the house & children (not to mention working a job to make the ends meet).  As a working dad up until 8 years ago, I had a busy schedule with my job, but it was fairly organized and the 10 hours or so were accomplished with the end in sight and a drive home to the family.  But for my lady, that was a different story, I won't even try and go into all the things that Kim did, but the results are three fine, grown, mature, wonderful children prepared to create a legacy that far exceeds anything that I did at work.  Though I was involved with our children and desired even more as they grew up, Kim deserves the medal of honor for going beyond the call of duty.

In every one's life, distractions come and how we cope with them varies to the types and intensity of the distractions themselves.  The world is full of distractions and marketers jobs depend on turning a distraction into a sale of whatever product they are hocking at the moment.  Radio, TV, billboards, magazines, newspapers, the Internet... everything is vying for your attention and we succumb and are drawn in because of our flawed self nature.  We want a new iPhone 5; we want a new 50" LCD TV to watch the game on... We want....  We need... We have to have...  Can't live without...

Ever noticed that the one most important thing, or at least should be, is the easiest for us to ignore? No matter if you are Billy Graham or the President, or a homeless alcoholic, we all need God in our life more and more.  When was the last time you were distracted by God to do something or think about something; and did you?

We ALLOW and even WELCOME some distractions to cover up how we feel or where our life is heading, but almost always those are distractions from the world and not from God.  We  tend to hide from God or count it as indigestion because we don't know His voice spoken directly, through others, or even in some media like music; we are going so fast at our lives that we run right through Jesus trying to get our attention.  We fail to walk slowly and see people for who they really are with eyes like Jesus; we don't want that type of distraction, we want to be entertained.

When it is all said and done, people are waiting to be loved and you just look the other way.  Not this distraction, only the distractions that I want.  Not God, not People; can't someone else do it because I don't have time, energy, talent, or right shoes.  You and I are really great at making up excusses but Jesus said this when asked which of the commandments was greatest:


"YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'   "This is the great and foremost commandment.   "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'  " On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."  Matt 22:37-40  NASU

We wonder what is wrong with the world and the answer boils down to these two principles; Love God above all else and love others in the same way.  This type of love that loves beyond even beyond loving our self, isn't easy and is impossible without the Holy Spirit working through us.  But these two things we avoid doing.

Maybe next time you pray, you will ask God to distract you from the immediate thing you are doing to STOP and know Him and do as he asks.  I can't think of a better distraction than one from the Creator of the Universe; one who loves me more than anything else.  And the good thing is that He never gets tired of us showing Him how much we love Him.  Get distracted by Jesus as soon as you can.

When All Else Fails

There is a lot of political ads and talking heads trying to make their opinions and views known, but this is where I'm at with all of it.

I care less about who the next President will be because God already has that taken care of; but I still need to vote.  Check this out...

Daniel 2:20-23

"Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever,
For wisdom and power belong to Him. 
21 "It is He who changes the times and the epochs;
He removes kings and establishes kings;
He gives wisdom to wise men 
And knowledge to men of understanding. 
22 "It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things;
 He knows what is in the darkness,
And the light dwells with Him. 
23 "To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,
For You have given me wisdom and power;
Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You,
For You have made known to us the king's matter." 

It is more important that I am friends with God and close to him than it is for me to be friends with athletes, stars, heroes, the famous, the rich, the powerful because nothing comes close to the Creator God.

I don't have to do everything, I just have to do what God tells me to do.  Everything around me can crash in, but if I really, really trust in an omnipotent God, than what else do I need?  Countries and currencies can fall, but the Name of the Lord will endure forever.

When all else fails in your life, God never will.