In His Presence

Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:18b-20 NIV

It's been said that he who sings, prays twice. There are those who might disagree, but all I know is the Word says, Come before His presence with singing (Psalm 100:2 NKJV), and when I praise Him in song - singing and making music from my heart to the Lord - I get there. And when I do, my focus is totally on Him and as the old song says, ♪♫ "and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace"♪♫

You might be like me; sometimes my praise pump needs a little priming. You can't just listen your way into His presence. You have to be an active participant. So, I go to YouTube and pick a song I like and sing along. Old songs. New songs. Harmony. Unison. It's all there and God loves all of it. And it just takes off from there. 

All the cares and stresses of the day and of life lose their grip on my soul. Pain is eclipsed by the warmth of God's love. I am rejuvenated because in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11), and His Word reaffirms that the joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

What do you need? Whatever it is, you will find it in His presence. Get there! Go now. What are you waiting for? He will meet you there. He's waiting for you.

Prayer:

Father,
            We will enter Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise; we will give thanks to You and praise Your Name. For You, Lord, are good and Your love endures forever; Your faithfulness continues through all generations. Father, show us the path of life. We want to be at Your right hand forevermore. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* A New Wardrobe

You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.
Colossians 3:9b-10 The Message

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.

Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Colossians 3:1-14 The Message

Prayer:

Father,
           According to Your Word in Colossians 3, Let the peace of Christ keep us in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing our own thing. Remind us to cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Help us to give it plenty of room in our lives. Cause us to instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And to sing, sing our hearts out to You! Let every detail in our lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Sealed With A Kiss *

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6 NLT

From Matthew 26 - The Message...Jesus told them, "Before the night's over, you're going to fall to pieces because of what happens to me. There is a Scripture that says, I'll strike the shepherd; helter-skelter the sheep will be scattered.  But after I am raised up, I, your Shepherd, will go ahead of you, leading the way to Galilee."

Peter broke in, "Even if everyone else falls to pieces on account of you, I won't."
"Don't be so sure," Jesus said. "This very night, before the rooster crows up the dawn, you will deny me three times."

Peter protested, "Even if I had to die with you, I would never deny you." All the others said the same thing.

Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, "Stay here while I go over there and pray." Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. Then he said, "This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me."

Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, "My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?"
When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, "Can't you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don't wander into temptation without even knowing you're in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there's another part that's as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."

He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, "My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I'm ready. Do it your way."
When he came back, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn't keep their eyes open. This time he let them sleep on, and went back a third time to pray, going over the same ground one last time.

When he came back the next time, he said, "Are you going to sleep on and make a night of it? My time is up, the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the hands of sinners. Get up! Let's get going! My betrayer is here."

The words were barely out of his mouth when Judas (the one from the Twelve) showed up, and with him a gang from the high priests and religious leaders brandishing swords and clubs. The betrayer had worked out a sign with them: "The one I kiss, that's the one—seize him."

Prayer:

Father,

         Forgive us our sins by the precious Blood shed for our redemption... In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Making Decisions

Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
Proverbs 4:7 NKJV

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:5-6 NLT

We make many decisions in a day. Some are considered 'no-brainers' - things we don't have to decide daily because at some previous pivotal point, we decided we would do it regularly. Other decisions require conscious effort, deep thought and reasoning, and just when we think we've made the hard decision, we think about it some more.

Some decisions are made for us - such as what the boss wants done and when he or she wants it. Some are seemingly without thought because they 'go with the territory' - if you deliver pizzas, you need a driver's license and the state-required insurance, and a vehicle of some sort.

The bottom line is this: we make our decisions - and our decisions make us. More than that, decisions we make affect the lives of those around us. To choose to live righteously, to choose to have an attitude of gratitude. To choose to reach out to others... or not. It affects everyone within our sphere of influence. If we don't make conscious decisions, it will be our mindless decisions that will affect our lives and those around us.

So, knowing that - how are you at making decisions? Do you have all the wisdom you need in order to make them?

Prayer:

Father,
          We come before You today and ask for Your inspired wisdom to make the right decisions to follow Your purpose for our lives. Lord, Your Word says You will give it to us and not rebuke us for asking. Our faith is in You alone, Father - we do not want to waiver. We need Your wisdom. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Love In Any Language

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Proverbs 4:7 KJV

Dr. Gary Chapman wrote a best-selling book titled, The 5 Love Languages. The description from the website* about his book reads,  Of the countless ways we can show love to one another, five key categories, or five love languages, proved to be universal and comprehensive—everyone has a love language, and we all identify primarily with one of the five love languages:
Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

I'm not here to sell you the book, but to borrow from its premise that if we don't know the language, it's hard to make ourselves understood. If your love language is Receiving Gifts and all you're receiving is the language of Quality Time sans gifts, you're probably not very happy. Friends of mine (who are married to each other) experienced this in their marriage. He speaks Acts of Service - he would clean the house, cook dinner, washed laundry, etc, thinking all the while that he was being incredibly loving and romantic. However, she only hears Words of Affirmation. Her question while she sat in a spotless house was, "If he loves me, why doesn't he just say so?"

The Great News is that God speaks all languages. He created them AND you. And because God IS love, He can and will communicate with you in ANY love language and can receive your love back to Himself accordingly. No more excuses for not speaking with Him.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for always providing exactly what we need, when we need it and where we need it. Help us to be fluent in our conversations with You and with others about You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen


*www.5lovelanguages.com/learn-the-languages/the-five-love-languages/

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* At the End of the Rainbow

Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” [underline emphasis is mine]
Genesis 9:8-17 NLT

This morning, I had the illustrated sermon of this Scripture passage. It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience! You may find it a little hard to believe, but every word of it is true... However, before I tell you about it, let me backtrack just a little.

God has been RE-establishing in me the importance of first-time obedience. We get older, we get more laid-back, and many times, we develop an "I'll-get-to-it-eventually" attitude. You can best believe that didn't work for me when my kids were growing up, and I'm sure, God doesn't like it, either.

This morning, I felt impressed to make a phone call. I knew in my heart it was the Holy Spirit, but I didn't reach for the phone at that moment. I thought, "Let me finish getting ready for work, and then I'll call." And instantly, I heard, "When the Lord speaks, if it's not first-time obedience, it's rebellion." I do NOT want to walk in rebellion. I want to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I want to hear God's instruction and be trusted to immediately respond. I picked up the phone and dialed, as I asked for forgiveness. And I don't know how to explain this to you, but after the phone call, it was as though I could feel that God was pleased with me. That was cool, but that is not the incredible, once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience.

As I left for work, it began to rain. In my "aware of God" moment, I thanked Him for it instead of complaining that I was getting wet. As I got a couple miles down the road, the sun was shining like there was no rain even though it continued to rain. I started looking for a rainbow. I knew there was going to be one. And sure enough, up ahead and to the left, the arc of the bow began to form. I knew it was going to be a good one with the bright sun behind me and the heavy downpour in front of me. It was wide and very vibrant and in a matter of minutes, it was a full rainbow and as the road turned for me to head due west, one end of the rainbow was in the road directly in front of my car! I could hardly believe it! I exclaimed, "Oh, Father, I'm at the end of the rainbow! There's no pot of gold, but this is so much better!" For it was in that moment, that I understood what making a covenant meant to God. Here we are, thousands of years later, and His Word still stands! I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds.

In that moment, I understood that even if I'm heading into a terrible storm, God has promised never to leave me, never to forsake me. He promised. His Word cannot be broken. In Matthew 28:20, His Words are: Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Oh, I have found riches untold at the end of the rainbow!!

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for the great report Denise got today. You are an awesome God! Seal all that You have done in our hearts this day. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Simple Obedience

But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord:  your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols."
1st Samuel 15:22-23a NLT

Right here (in this passage) is where King Saul was deposed. God told him to destroy everything of the Amalekite nation, but Saul didn't follow through. Oh, he did most of it, but not all of it. When confronted with the livestock that he kept, Saul replied they were going to use it to sacrifice to the Lord. It sounded logical. Seemed reasonable to Saul. However, there was a problem. Disobedience.

NOT doing what God said to do is disobedience. Wanting to do it your own way instead of His is being stubborn. Doing your own thing - or picking and choosing what part of it you want to do instead of what He said to do is rebellion... as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols...

Simple obedience... Is it an oxymoron? Sometimes it seems very difficult to fully obey, but anything less than fully obedient is disobedience and will get you deposed.

There is no "that's close enough" in the Kingdom of Heaven. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Immediately, completely and without hesitation. Never a question of whether or not it will be done, or how much of it. It's simple, really.

Simple Obedience.

Prayer:

Father,
           Open our eyes to see our disobedience. Change our hearts to rid us of our stubborn and rebellious natures. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Scary Thought +

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 4:20-23 NLT 

I stopped into the store to pick up a few items I needed at the house. While there, I noticed a bin of discounted CDs that contained re-releases of music I listened to years ago. I picked two - one Christian artist and one American blues singer.

Music is amazing! It ties us to moments in our lives. You hear an old favorite and it takes you back to a particular time or place. That's exactly what happened as soon as I got back in the car and slipped in the CD of the blues. The music strummed down the inroads of memory lane and the vocals massaged and manipulated me back to that time in my life... I cranked it up and hit the repeat button many times.

This morning when I woke up, the melody playing in my heart was from that CD. It's not "bad" music, but it is not conducive to worship. It hasn't put me in a mindset of prayer. It has not lent itself to assisting me to focus on the Lord and seek His direction for today. It's not what I normally wake up hearing in my heart. Verse 23 of our text for today - Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Determines the course of my life... Scary thought. What else am I allowing into my heart?

Prayer:

Father,
           Awaken our hearts to only You, Lord. Always shine the Light of Your Truth into our lives so that everything we do is pleasing to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

Stay In the Race *

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NKJV

Hebrews 12 follows the chapter most Christians refer to as the 'Hall of Faith' - those whose faith was counted as righteousness before God. Those are the ones who endured SO much more as Christians than most Americans could even imagine. Those are the ones who have gone before us and are waiting for us to finish this race.

Pastor Glen Harding related the story of the 4-man relay team who led the circuit throughout the season in wins - they were unbeatable. When it came time for the world games competition, the starting shot was fired, and the race was on in an electrifying launch. The first runner of the team was out in front - feet flying. Coming into the first turn, he misstepped, twisted his ankle, lost his balance, and fell face-first into the cinder track. The crowd uttered a collective gasp and then, "ohhhhh..."

The other teams' runners raced right on by. The projected winner was face-down on the track and for all practical intents and purposes was out of the race. However, he had been in training. Training taught him - you finish what you started. You finish the race. Slowly, painfully, his face, hands and knees bleeding, he pushed himself up off the track and searched for the dropped baton. With it in his hand, he began to gimp his way to hand it off. In his mind, all was lost. His heart was broken and as he handed off to the next runner, he fell to the sideline, sobbing. Broken. Failed... He had failed... but as he lay there sobbing...

The second runner ran for all he was worth. His goal was to get to the next runner. He successfully handed off to runner 3 who had already started running. Runner 3 ran with all his might while runner 1 was still inconsolable on the sideline. Broken. A failure... Not seeing, not knowing that runner 3 had caught up with the pack and was handing off to the 4th and last runner. 

The last runner had his eye on the goal. He did not think about his teammate on the sideline. He did not regard those in front of him. He did not consider the obstacles he had to overcome. He had the baton and he did what he was trained to do. Run for the finish. Run for the prize... and he did. Against all odds. They won. Runner 1 was still on the sideline, sobbing that he had let down his team. Broken...a failure?

No. He wasn't a failure, but he didn't know it yet. He had gotten up against all odds and finished what he set out to do. Hand off the baton to the next runner. He could have lain there and not gotten up. He could have hobbled off to the side because no one expected him to get up and run. People would have shaken their heads in pity and totally sympathized.

What do you want? Victory or sympathy? Solomon said the race is not to the swift. Christ never said it would be easy. He just promised He would never leave us. Did you see His run? You've got the baton. Stay in the race. Get up. Run.

Prayer:

Father,
         Your Son - the Author and Finisher of our faith - who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross. Help us to endure to the finish line. By Your grace, we will win when we stay focused on You. Help us to keep our eyes on the prize and press toward it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

A Complete Stop *

I come to your altar, O Lord, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders. I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells.
Psalm 26:6b-8 NLT

The first traffic ticket I ever got was for not coming to a complete stop at a posted stop sign. On the daily route, there were 4 stop signs to get to the main road. At the last stop sign that morning, I slowed way down but did the infamous California roll instead of stopping completely...and I had to pay the price for it. Oh, I thought I was justified - even tried to talk my way out of it (I wasn't saved then). The officer patiently explained to me that the book did not read three out of four stops are okay, nor did it say I got to choose which laws I would obey, or that I could stop only when I felt like it and had the time.

There are days when life threatens to overwhelm us with all that we have to do and all the things and people who need a piece of us and there just isn't enough time. Combine that with Christmas and all the extras we want to do as part of this season (and more than likely won't get to accomplish) and it becomes our focus, creating a sure-fire recipe for potential disaster. It's the fourth stop sign all over again. Except this time, we're not stopping to acknowledge and praise God in all things. Are we stopping to give Him thanks in all things - everything - as Scripture instructs? The Book doesn't read three out of four times are okay, nor does it say we get to choose which laws we will obey, or that we could stop only when we felt like it and had the time. Oh, we may throw a few thanks heavenward - they may even be heartfelt - but are we taking the time to come to a complete stop and give Him our full attention to praise Him and thank Him?

If not, take 5 minutes right now and stop. Seriously. Stop. List 5 things you are thankful for - something besides a spouse or children. Something that you know you have only by the grace and goodness of God.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Now praise Him for who He is. Acknowledge His greatness. Sing with awe and wonder...How Great Thou Art!  
(This rendition is by the group Selah - the middle verse is sung in their native tongue -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ZbcCjoj70)

Prayer:

Father,
          It is only by Your mercy and grace that we even breathe. We acknowledge and give great thanks that it is only in You we can even live and move and have our being. We know that every good and perfect thing comes from You and we give You praise. In Jesus' Name. Amen