Are We There Yet?

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.”
I Corinthians 10:23

Most everyone reading this blog has probably had the experience of driving on a toll road. You pay to travel on that road because it is either the shortest, most direct or the quickest, most express way to get from here to there (whatever your ‘here’ and ‘there’ may be)! In this neck of the woods it is the New York State Thruway System. If I wanted to travel from Rochester to New York City and avoid all of the small towns, all of the traffic lights and tourist traps along the way I could choose to use this road.
But, for that privilege, it will cost me something.
The call of God on my life (and yours’ for that matter) is also a privilege.
I would say there is no greater privilege.
But it too comes at a cost.
Like the toll booth collector who takes my money for the ‘privilege’ of traveling Interstate 90 in New York State and allows me entrance on this road there are things which I must surrender in order to pursue that call on my life. I have never been told I have to travel the thruway. I make a choice. So too with the call of God. I make choices every day that strengthen that call or diminish and/or distract me from it.
Not all of the choices are a simple as ‘good’ or ‘evil’.
Sometimes I must choose between ‘good’ and ‘best’ or as someone else
once described it I can choose between ‘good’ and God.
There may be many, many permissible ‘things’ (just as there is often multiple routes to a destination) as I travel in life but if I want to stay on that thruway to the call of God in my life I will find it necessary to choose (as will you) between what is permissible and what is beneficial.

Avoiding the Routine

“And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.”
Romans 8:11 Amplified Bible

Last night at His Place we came together for the Lord’s Table.
Before that though, we were cautioned that we need to
always be aware of the danger of the ‘routine’ in our walk with God.
Not a routine borne out of developing a good foundation and good habits in our lives but rather the ‘sameness’ that can too easily creep in to replace the life we should live by walking in relationship and being led by the Spirit of God.
We can walk each day in faithful anticipation and excitement at His leading; or we can slip into a ‘normal routine’ that is more about getting done what we need to get done. God already knows about “…all these other things…” and He said they would be ‘added’ when we seek first His kingdom.
It is only in that daily seeking and daily trusting that we walk away
from the routine and learn to fully rely on Him.
As I was listening I could not help but think of a term we probably all are familiar with.
If you have ever seen a patient who is in a hospital bed and hooked up to every kind of imaginable monitor you know what the term ‘flat-line’ means. It is when all the vital signs appear as a “flat line” on the monitors.
This, if there is not intervention, results in death.
That is not a very nice ‘picture’. If you permit me the liberty of an illustration: Routine-ness carries the risk of bringing us dangerously close to ‘spiritual flat-line’. Only through the process of honest examination can we avoid the trap. I think sometimes it is a misnomer to call it self-examination because we are to examine ourselves through the eyes and with the searchlight of the Holy Spirit; dealing with issues before they take us to the ‘land of routine-ness’ and ‘flat-lining’ our relationship with God.
Cultivate the process of, together with the Holy Spirit, examining and repenting from those areas where routine has replaced relationship.

Gods’ Elect

“To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,”
I Peter 1:1

I am blessed to be a part of God’s elect.
It is a “title” I can live with.
The next two descriptive words in the verse above, however, are words
I would normally prefer not to be used about me.
The fact is, they are (or should be) accurate descriptors of followers of Jesus Christ.
Exile is defined as: A prolonged living away from one’s country.
In the first part of verse 19 of Psalm 119 the psalmist writes: “I am a stranger on earth…” When we became believers in Jesus Christ our citizenship changed. That is not to say we do not continue to be good stewards of this earth in which we now live or that we become “freaks” in the culture. Instead, we understand that this ‘world’ is not where I will spend eternity nor to whom I give my allegiance or affections.
‘Exile’ is starting to sound a bit more accurate in describing us!
The second word helps to define our location(s).
We are not concentrated in one country or hemisphere.
We are not unique to Western civilization, the Far East or the continent of Africa.
We are ‘scattered’.
We are scattered so that, in part, we can
spread His good news to the four corners of the world.
Left to ourselves we would not scatter.
We would ‘collect’ together and connect only with like minded people.
It is not wrong to join together with other believers. After all, we know the scriptures tell us not to “forsake the assembling together…”
What is wrong is when we fail to ‘scatter’ throughout our world to be those light bearers and ministers of reconciliation (II Cor.5) we are called to be.

I guess when you stop to think about it
“…God’s elect, exiles scattered…” is sounding pretty accurate after all!

Active Love

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
I John 3:18

How is love ‘lived out’ in the real world seven days a week?
Let me give you some ‘real world’ examples from His Place this week.
This is not, in any way, meant to be exhaustive or even a model. It is just some samples of different ways that His love is lived out in the lives of the believers each and every day.

Monday
Love Trusts – The man who has been unemployed for some time actively and confidently attends a networking meeting and throughout the week applies for jobs and continues to trust God with His future.
Tuesday
Love Prays – The call goes out to the prayer warriors to pray and ask for God’s healing power in advance of surgery for one of our ladies on Wednesday.
Wednesday
Love Believes – That same lady, who is facing the surgeon’s scalpel, believes that, not only will God guide the surgical team but, He will bring a speedy and complete recovery to her as well.
Thursday
Love Provides – Meals are prepared for one unable to provide for themselves for a season. The Body of Christ pitches in, without grumbling, and in a demonstration of His love in action.
Friday
Love Serves – The Sonography Technician leaves for Haiti to minister in service with his skills in ways others cannot. Sacrificially offering what he can to those who can give little in return.
Saturday
Love Prepares – In practical ways. The sanctuary and church is cleaned and readied for the corporate worship on Sunday.
Sunday
Love Comforts – The family that experienced the loss of a loved one knows the comfort of God brought through a shepherd who offers comfort and hope.

Could you express greater examples of how love serves, comforts, provides, etc…?
Yes, probably and I encourage you to look.
I believe that in searching for them and finding them we actually strengthen our
faith in the work that God is doing right in our midst.
It is too easy, far too often, to miss the hand of God at work in our world.
Look for evidence of His love, this week, at work in your life and in the lives of those around you.

Convenient Love

“I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,
so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
II Corinthians 8:8-9

How far can you be stretched when it comes to loving someone else when the love it requires is anything but convenient? I am not talking about the kind of love that simply disrupts our schedule for today but the kind of love that changes our plans;
perhaps for a lifetime.
Love that isn’t tested or love that isn’t stretched is not a love that will last.
We ‘love’ convenience but true love is often anything but convenient.
God sent His Son out of love.
It was not necessary for Him to change His plans because His is not, nor never has been, a love that is here today and gone tomorrow.
Here is what He has to say about His love in Jeremiah 31:3
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
God’s love for us is not a ‘convenient’ love.
The cross was not ‘convenient’.
Giving His one and only Son was not convenient.
Turning away when your sin and my sin was laid upon His Son was not convenient.
But it was what His love demanded.
Yes, sometimes love makes demands on you and I.
It demands we back up the words: “I love you.”
It demands that sin be punished.
Love sometimes makes you uncomfortable and inconvenienced.
We can speak gracious words but what we need to do is live with love evidenced by gracious acts.
God ‘backs up’ His words.
He declares His love.
He demonstrates His love.
He lives in us through His Holy Spirit so we can “…go and do likewise.”

Revealing Love

“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.
They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them,
“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
John 8:3-11

Did you read today’s text above?
If you didn’t please take a moment now to read it carefully.
Suppose you were assigned the task of developing a lesson plan based on today’s passage and had to determine the primary understanding you would want each person taking that lesson to walk away with.
What would it be?
Would you talk about the fact that Jesus could not be trapped by those eager to tarnish him in the eyes of the people?
Maybe it would be that they grasp the understanding that we can be forgiven by God, no matter our sin.
Others may eagerly point out that in their mind, the most important understanding we can have is that after forgiveness we are to turn from sin and live a life free of its’ bondage.
Maybe you think the emphasis is clearly about a judgmental attitude.
I certainly can’t argue with you that any of these points would have some validity. But, step back from this particular story in scripture and let me ask you that if you had to sum up the whole of the Bible in one word what would it be?
I would suggest that it would be a message of love.
Oh sure, there is hope, there is redemption, there is failure and so many other aspects of humanity addressed but in its’ essence it is of God’s love for man. Some have even described the Bible as: “God’s love letter to man.”
So often our nature is to view God and His dealings with us through the traits of vengeance, judgment and punishment. Here is my challenge for you today – as you read His word, ask Him to reveal His love for you. You can find it in the creation story; you can find it in the fiery warnings of the Prophets; it is evident in the missionary journeys of Paul and most certainly seen in the beatings and crucifixion of Jesus.
God’s love is evident throughout the scriptures.
Ask Him today to make it clear to you as you read.

Love Lifted Me

“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4


Are His very words life to you?
I haven’t shared a lot of personal experiences in this blog since its inception back in August of 2011 but in light of how our time in Gods’ presence
was today please allow me to share something with you.
A few months back, on a Sunday morning, we were experiencing a sweetness of Gods’ Spirit as we worshipped together. At one point God whispered into my spirit that He wanted to tell me something. Having been out of work for some time I “leaned in” with my spiritual ears – so to speak – that I might hear what it was He wanted to say. I supposed He might speak something about my prospects in the search for employment, maybe even giving me a specific person’s name as a contact or the name of a company to reach out too. As I continued to press in, in worship, and listened; He spoke just three words to me.
He said: “I love you.”
I cannot express to you the impact that those words had on me except to
say – and I struggle for words to describe it – that I ‘melted’ in His presence
(I know, I know – real men don’t ‘melt’; right?).
They were not the words I was expecting but
they were exactly the words I needed to hear.
He knew that.
He always does.
Maybe He could have spoken something else that would have brought some great direction, but in His infinite wisdom, He instead spoke words that strengthened me and continue to sustain me. Ultimately, it was also a directive word because it re-directed my focus back to where it needed to be – to Him.
Do you know that He loves you?
I am not talking about a head knowledge ascent but a deep-down-in-your-spirit understanding that the Creator and King and Lord and Savior loves you beyond what you can imagine. I share that today because He reminded us this morning of that great love He has for each of us.
I didn’t earn it (neither did you) and I don’t deserve it (nor do you) but it is that immeasurable work of grace, finished on the cross, that speaks of His love down through the ages to you and I.
Today, listen for those words: “…I love you”…
He wants you to know that.

Worship That Propels Us Into God’s Purposes

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will
be saved—you and your household.”
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
Acts 16: 25-32

Authentic worship prompts an action.
Moses at the burning bush.
Mary at the feet of Jesus
Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration
Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail.
Each of these times of worship resulted in action. Sometimes it was on the part of the worshipper but at other times the impact or action was also to someone or something else.
Moses left the presence of God commissioned to go to Pharaoh and command him to “…let my people go…”
Mary’s worshipped prompted her to anoint the feet of the Savior.
Peter, James and John were prepared to build altars after their encounter on the mountain. Paul and Silas’ midnight worship prompted a miraculous release from prison and the salvation of not only the jailer but also his entire household.
Your authentic worship to God honors Him but it also changes you or others.
You do not come into and leave the presence of God unchanged.
Perhaps the change is as simple as God addressing some areas in your life where you are always late to appointments or perhaps the change is as profound as your salvation.
We do not enter worship with an agenda.
We simply worship and allow God to be God in our lives!

Hungry to Hear?

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8


Authentic worship draws the voice of God.
Are you hungry to hear the voice of God?
Is it beyond hunger; is it desperation?
Some people will travel high and low to ‘receive a word’ from the Lord.
Let me suggest to you that He is as close as your private prayer closet.
When you read the verse below from Jeremiah 29:13 what are your thoughts:
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Do you think of how much ground you must cover to chase God down and find him?
Is it, for you, a question of ‘distance’?
The fact is we don’t need to travel far and wide to hear God’s voice. He will answer the longing of our heart for Him when we seek Him with all of our heart.
It is not in wandering that we draw His voice, it is in worship.
The Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people.
If it is your hearts desire to draw His voice and to hear Him, then learn to worship Him at all times and in all places.
You do not need to go to the moon and back to hear God.
His voice is as close as your worshipping heart.
John the Apostle had this to say:
“On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit,
and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,”
If you are hungry to hear God, spend some time worshipping Him!

A Path to Personal Purity

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah 6:6-7

I remember a portion of a message preached years ago. The preacher quoted a Chinese proverb: “Show me with whom you walk and I will show you who you are.”
Maybe you have heard you mom or dad express a similar sentiment:
“You are known by the company you keep!”
Who you spend your time with does make a difference in your life.
We certainly know from the Bible (without the added input from Chinese proverbs or expressions our parents used to say) that we are influenced by those we have in our lives. This influence can be for good or it can be for evil.
In a blog posted here some time ago I talked about the undeniable truth
that you become like who you worship. If, as a follower of Jesus Christ, your worship is directed to God then there is an influence for holiness and purity.
It was declared this way on Sunday -
Authentic worship provides a pathway to personal purity.

You will find yourself being changed as you worship the Lord. It is a process, to be sure, but a process that will change us “…from glory to glory…” as we develop that good and beneficial and influential habit of worshipping God.

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed
into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
II Corinthians 3:18 (KJV)

“Woe to me…My eyes have seen the King…”

““Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
Isaiah 6:5

Authentic worship produces an awareness of personal and corporate sin.
When we come near to God in worship, He comes near to us.
With that proximity, we are told in Psalm 16:11, we are filled with joy.
That nearness also makes the distinction between us and God very pronounced.
He is holy and He is perfect in the complete sense of that word ‘perfect’.
We are not.
As we come into His presence to worship, we understand that we are not as He is.
How then can there be joy?
Because God can make a way where there does not seem to be a way!
He, of course, provided access and fellowship with Him through the atoning work of Jesus Christ, His one and only son.
Jesus became sin for us.
When I, a sinner saved by that grace, through the shed blood, come into His presence to worship Him I am made aware of the remarkable value of that grace that has been extended to me.
Part of my worship to Him flows out of the understanding that
(in the words of an old chorus we used to sing):

He paid a debt He did not owe
I owed a debt I could not pay
I needed someone to wash my sins away
And now I sing a brand new song
Amazing Grace
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay!

As you worship God, allow Him to bring that awareness of who He is, who we are and what He has done to bring us together!

Getting a Clearer View

“Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;”
Psalm 95:6


How do you view God?
Let me state it another way.
Suppose I said the only way you could view God was through a pair of ‘lenses’.
Then what lenses would you use that filters your view of Him?
Would it be through the ‘lenses’ of past hurts?
How about the ‘lenses’ of tradition or the ‘lenses’ of religion?
Do you view God only through the ‘lenses’ of convenience?
Many people view God through the ‘lenses’ of their own opinions.
We heard today that Authentic Worship Requires a True Vision of God.
God can reveal Himself to us in many ways but the authoritative way He has given is through His Word, the Bible. All of the things we mentioned previously, and probably a thousand more we could list, are not reliable ways to view God. Past hurts, religion, convenience, my own opinions; they all fall short of revealing the One True God and they can contribute to a worship of God not based in truth. A worship that is not authentic.
I am not saying that any of these things are always wrong.
I am saying that they are not always right.
What is always right in revealing God? His Word is. What He has revealed concerning Himself in the Bible.
Allow the Word of God to inform your worship by casting, for you, the true vision of God. He is our loving heavenly Father who sent His one and only son to die on the cross and shed His blood to atone for our sins. I love how the New International Version expresses it in Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The God that I love and that I worship did not just say He loved me, He demonstrated it through the death of His son. This was not accomplished after I got my act together but while was still a sinner.
What a Savior and how worthy He is of my worship!

Focusing on What Really Matters

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go…Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’… The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”… He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice
that your names are written in heaven.”
Luke 10:1, 9, 17-20


What do you do when you have lost your focus on the “main thing”?
Call me simple, but you simply refocus.
The scripture above is an example of Jesus gently refocusing
the 72 disciples from the minor things to the major thing.
They had gone out in obedience to the Lord and found – as they explained –
“…even the demons submit to us in your name.”
Were they ‘drunk’ with power?
I don’t think so.
Nonetheless Jesus took this opportunity to refocus His disciples on what really mattered: It wasn’t that they had operated in a level of power (through Jesus’ name) that they could not have imagined but rather that their names were written in heaven.
He reminded them to set their affections on things above and not on
things on the earth as we are told to do in Colossians 3.
History records hundreds of very powerful men and women. None of their power guaranteed them a place in heaven. That is accomplished only by believing in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. God has given us His power and it is to be used to advance the Kingdom of God. When power itself becomes the focus of any ministry (or any life for that matter) it is time to step back and refocus.
Don’t become ‘power hungry’. Instead become ‘presence hungry’!

The Pleasure of Porridge or the Plan of God?

“Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”
Genesis 27:36


All week we have been expanding on the thought that authentic worship requires our focus. We learned that we ought to focus on Gods’ presence over His power and His peace over prestige. Yesterday we looked at focusing on people over possessions. Today we take a look at our focus being on Gods’ plan over our own pleasures.
Gods’ plan for our life is a process as we journey through our time here on earth.
It is not based on a once for-all-time decision but we make choices to follow His plan or surrender to pleasures over and over and over again in the course of our day. When we focus on Gods plan, and obediently respond to it we are taking a long term view of what is right. When we surrender to our flesh and our own desires it is for the short term pleasures we can derive from that surrender.
Esau is an example of surrendering to the desires of the flesh for short term gain over holding fast to see the plans of God fulfilled. He was hungry and allowed that hunger to determine his choice of eating Jacob’s stew rather than the birthright and the godly inheritance it carried.
As the Word of God puts it: “…he despised the birthright…”
No doubt all of his natural senses were beckoning him to make the short term choice. The stew smelled good, it was likely pleasant to look at for someone who was hungry, certainly it would taste good and it carried the promise of immediate satisfaction to his growling stomach.
When we choose our own immediate pleasures over the plan of God we are, like Esau, choosing our flesh rather than God. Sure there was a full stomach then but, as we read there was a bitter pill later.
“… or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.
Hebrews 12:16-17
Choose God’s plans and reject the fleeting, momentary pleasures which serve to draw away your focus and rob you of a blessing.

Using Things and Loving People

“Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
Mark 10:21

Today we continue our look at the fact that authentic worship requires focus.
Yesterday you were encouraged to focus on Gods’ presence instead of power.
Another aspect of authentic worship is seen in those who
choose to focus on God’s peace instead of prestige.
Our emphasis today however, is learning to focus on people instead of possessions.
So often our actions (when we are honest in evaluating them) can reveal true motives more than the words that we speak.
Let me give you a simple (fictional) example:
Suppose you were invited to someone’s home because they said they would like to get to know you better. They greet you warmly at the door but then proceed to spend the rest of your visit with them regaling you with a grand tour of their home, stopping at each and every furnishing and gadget to point out its’ cost, features and absolute necessity to sustain their lifestyle. Then they hustle you back to the door, again warmly expressing their thanks for your coming to ‘visit’ with them, and politely invite your exit.
How would you feel after that visit?
Used? Exploited? Valued? Honored?
The point of my exaggerated story is that we can sometimes value possessions over people and what we value is what we focus on.
Take this simple test: the next time you are with others make it a point to listen carefully where the direction of the conversation heads.
Does it reveal a superficial interest in people and a passion and focus for “things”?
What do they know about you and what do you know about them that you didn’t before your conversation. Is it your (or their) latest purchase or did you find they had a passion for God and for His people that caused them to care genuinely for you and others?
A singer some may remember for his song “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” named BJ Thomas (sorry, it reveals my age) used to sing a song that (I’m paraphrasing) said:
We are loving things and using people
BUT
using things and loving people – that’s the way it ought to be.
What then, does this have to do with authentic worship?
God created you and I in His image and He loves us.
When we focus on ‘things’ over people we
are living with values that are different from Gods’.
Our worship to Him is not authentic but becomes hypocritical.
If you want authentic worship to grow in your life then value what God values. Focus on people instead of possessions.

Presence Trumps Power

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalm 16:11

This past Sunday – and all of this week – we are taking a look at the fact that authentic worship requires focus. Having said that it is understood that from time to time we may find we have lost focus on God and His kingdom.
What do we do when that happens? We refocus.
There were four specific areas we were encouraged to refocus in.
The first, which we shall look at today, is that we need to focus on God’s presence instead of His power. That has sometimes been expressed by encouraging us to seek His face and not His hand. Go after Him and not just after what He can supply. Are you truly hungry for God and DESIRE to know Him or is your interest only in what God can do for you? Jesus’ life was accompanied by great demonstrations of the power of God but they were never done simply to impress the crowd.
Instead, whatever Jesus did He did to reveal the Father.
His goal was never to impress, just for the sake of impressing, but during His ministry He left some pretty remarkable impressions of the Father’s care and love for each of us.
As dramatic as it may have seemed for the disciples on the boat when He calmed the winds and waves; or for Peter, James and John at the Mount of Transfiguration, these things were not done for any “WOW” factor.
Jesus never lamented to the Father that He lacked power to accomplish His mission.
He knew presence trumped power.
All the power in the world meant nothing if it was void of the presence of the Father in His life. He did cry out on the cross, but as you might recall it was with these words:
“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
He cried out to His Father in that moment because He valued the presence of His Father more than anything else. If you find you have lost focus, then as you refocus, remember to focus on God’s presence instead of His power.

Where you Stare – You Will Steer

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2

Have you ever heard the instruction concerning driving: “Keep your eyes on the road!”? It is often too easy, while driving, to become distracted by something else and to start to veer off of the road.
It is true that if you stare in a particular direction long enough then you begin to steer in that direction.
Another way of saying this may be: Where you look, you will go.
Our attention directs our destiny.
If my eyes are always gazing on forbidden fruit, I become consumed with desiring that forbidden fruit. If, instead, my eyes are fixed on Jesus, as our verse today speaks of, then He becomes what I most desire.
I remember a command in the military – it was “Eyes Front!” The Company Commander wanted no one distracted by anything else. Our attention, our focus, needed to be on him if we were to accomplish the goals he had established for the unit.
What is in your ‘line of vision’ today?
What is it that commands your attention?
Are your eyes fixed on Jesus and His Kingdom?
As we look at ‘focus’ over the next several days take the opportunity to seek God for any necessary ‘adjustments’ to whatever may have distracted you from what should be your main focus – Jesus.

Simply Stated: God is Love

“…God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in him.”
I John 4:16b

All too often in life we make things far more complicated than they need to be.
The same is true of our walk with God.
Jesus put it this way:
“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40
What was Jesus saying when he made the last statement? What does it mean to say that all the law and the prophets ‘hang’ on these two commandments? Well, I don’t think it is over-simplifying to say that if you were to keep these two commandments then you have fulfilled all of the law and all that the prophets were sent to declare.
Of course, we are not able to; so Jesus came to die for our sin and to show us how to live by showing us the Father.
My main point is this – keep it simple!
Long ago I recall a song that had a simple phrase that asked:
“Jesus reduce me to love…”
Strip away all of the pretense, all of the presumptions, all of the complicated lists of ‘Do’s’ and ‘Don’ts’ and simply love God and love your neighbor. Oh, and while you are at it; love your enemies too.
Is that hard to do?
Yes, in our own strength it most certainly is.
That is why we have been emphasizing the importance of remaining in His presence.
“God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in him.”

My Action and Gods Reaction

“…he humbled himself…Therefore God exalted him to the highest place…”
Philippians 2:8, 9

Suppose you had what, in the world, is often referred to as the “Midas Touch” and everything you touched turned to gold.
All your endeavors seemed to work out favorably and others only looked at you in amazement because of the abundant blessings that were evident in your life.
How would you handle this?
Would it go to your head?
Would it so swell your ego that others, while recognizing the favor on your life, could not tolerate the arrogance and pride you demonstrate?
Or would it cause you to acknowledge the grace and favor lavished on you by a loving, heavenly Father?
The bible tells us that God resists the proud. Stop and think about that for a moment. God pours into your life but then, because of how your respond to what He blesses you with, you find yourself in opposition to God. Humility, on the other hand, is not only a character trait that attracts others to your life but it also causes God to lift you up. Jesus said in Matthew 23:12 “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” In other words – look at it this way:
I exalt self – God humbles me.
I humble self – God exalts me.
Perhaps more importantly is the understanding that if I want to realize the continual presence of God in my life I need to walk in humility and not in pride!

Maintaining Fellowship With God

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
I John 1:9

Allow me to challenge you today with what should be a pretty basic principle for followers of Jesus Christ but one which, nonetheless, we need to often remind ourselves of. When we sin, when we are less than perfect, when we ‘blow it’ we need to confess our sin, repent from it and move on with God.
Some mistakenly equate the act of confession as repentance.
Confession is not the same as repentance.
Many people confess their guilt when they are caught but when another opportunity arises to commit the same sin they gladly jump at it.
Repentance is more than simply acknowledging your mistake.
It is a 180 degree turning away from it.
You not only recognize your wrong but you declare, by your actions, a turning away from sin and turning toward righteousness.
Does this mean I earn my righteousness?
Absolutely not!
To say otherwise is to trample underfoot the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
What my repentance does declare is that I now reckon myself dead to sin and what once held an attraction for me no longer does due to the transforming work of the Spirit of Christ in my life.
Living a holy life, growing in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is a process.
By holding on to sin and not confessing and repenting and moving on is to spend some more time in the wilderness of immaturity and unnecessarily prolonging the process of perfecting you for God’s purposes in your life.
Keep the fellowship with God’s Spirit active and engaged by confessing and
repenting when He makes you aware of some sin that needs to be dealt with!

God First, Last and Always

“Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day,

rejoicing always in his presence,”
Proverbs 8:30

O.K., you’ve made God your first thought at the start of the day and the last thought before you close your eyes to sleep at night.
What about the roughly 16 hours in-between?
Maybe you’re thinking… “That is simply too much time to make God a priority – I mean, after all, I do have to concentrate at work, don’t I?”
How might God answer that concern?
Let’s take a look at a couple of scriptures:

“I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.”
Psalm 34:1

“Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.”
Psalm 55:17

“pray continually.”
I Thessalonians 5:17

The words or phrases: ‘at all times’; ‘always’; ‘evening, morning and noon’ and ‘continually’ seem to pretty much nail it down for us. Our lives should be in constant communion with God through His Holy Spirit.
If I want to grow, I must abide in His presence.
I hear you – you are not there yet – and neither am I.
However, not being at that place, is no reason to not set it as a goal, particularly in light of the passages we read above. When I make God my priority each and every day He can help me with all of the other issues of my life.
Take a step today in the right direction. Maybe you have neglected this area.
If ever there was a ‘New Year’s resolution’ worth making and keeping, this would be it.
Even better – this is one resolution that God is more than willing to see you succeed with!

The Alpha and Omega of Your Thoughts

“—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8b

Your head is still comfortably resting on your pillow.
It is time to get up but you haven’t moved yet (been there, done that?).
As you lie in bed ready to start a new day, what are your first thoughts?
Do you think about the latest body ache or pain acquired while you slept?
Do you mentally plan and schedule out your tasks for the day
or are you just wondering where the puppy peed?
Here’s a novel thought – how about your first thoughts of the day being of God?
Better yet, why not book-end your day with the Creator of the Universe?
What are His plans for you today?
What would He record in your day-timer and where would He have you go?
Maybe you could just meditate on His love, care and compassion for you.
If you do, there would be far fewer days of ‘getting up on the wrong side of the bed!
I remember reading somewhere of a man of God who had made it a point that the first part of his body to hit the floor was his knees. There on his knees he would then dedicate and surrender his day to God.
Do you ever consider that cultivating a habit of making God your first and last thoughts each day would make an impact in your life?
Absolutely, it would.
It would also begin to develop a lifestyle for you of “Practicing the Presence of God”.
One of the titles of God is that He is the “Alpha and Omega”, meaning He is the “Beginning and End”. What a difference it would make to you if He became the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, of your thought life.
Give it a try – bookend your day with thoughts of God this week.
See if it doesn’t have an effect on your life!