Living in His Presence - Steadfast Training

One of my devotionals referred to 1 Timothy 4.  The overview is that some will fall away during the last days before Christ's return and how we need to know this is true.  That we should be prepared ourselves as athletes prepare to compete, referring to the discipline in training to compete.  Lastly, to remain steadfast.

Sadly, we see people falling away from belief in Christ.  One possibility is the society we live in today, the "fast food" mentality.  The ideal that we should invest time and energy into anything for a consistent period of time is passé.  Athletes know full well the price required to be in the running for success.  There are no short cuts to success.  We must prepare so we can execute.

We see that history has always taught us that effort, patience and steadfast commitment are the ingredients that brings results.  In growing in God's grace, we find ourselves in a struggle against sin(self) to put in the effort to consistently do our part in walking by faith.  Reading God's word, praying (communicating with our Father) and staying the course.  We partner with our Savior in this journey.

Being available and open to what God has for us begins in the same place as did our salvation, by receiving.  We accepted God's truth about Christ and His sacrifice for our eternal salvation, so we now accept God's plan for our life in Christ here and now.  To continue to receive from God, we remain receptive by learn of God through His word.  His word is full of examples showing us how He interacts, instructs and empowers those who live by faith and follow Him.

Prayer is our way to share our belief in His word and plans for our life.  Our way to share our concerns for where we're going and doing.  To deliver our concerns (intercession) for family, friends and foes (yes we are to love our enemy's & pray for those who persecute us ~Matthew 5:44).  A time to be still and listen for His direction and to know that HE is God.

Although consistently reading His word and praying are difficult, the most difficult part of our growth is remaining steadfast.  All sort of things pop up in life to potentially derail the training plan.  For the athlete, injury, sickness or will power can jump up and mess up the process.  Commitment is often the only thing that separates the winners from the rest of the field.  In our spiritual life, this is the greatest piece of the process.  Without discipline we will stumble, trip and fall.

When we do everything "right" we will still get tripped up, we'll stumble and flat out fall on our face from time to time.  The difference will come as a result of our training, the consistent exercise of our faith in Christ.  Through this we will be able to get back up and back on track, because we'll see what has happened and by God's grace and through Christ's strength.

All of these things will add to the foundation of our relationship with Christ.  As we continue this journey, "Living in His Presence", our foundation is strengthened because we continue to exercise our faith.  Greater tests and more intense trails will come our way, as we face these we will see how God has and is working with us to succeed.

Living in His Presence involves the understanding that we are not alone and we still must do our part for the relationship.  By studying His word, praying and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we grow stronger.  We become increasingly sensitive to Him and this makes it easier to listen and learn from Him.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Living in His Presence - Day 3

Album: My Paper Heart

Artist: Francesca Battistelli

Don’t know how it is You looked at me

And saw the person that I could be

Awakening my heart

Breaking through the dark

Suddenly Your grace

Now there’s a joy inside I can’t contain

But even perfect days can end in rain

And though it’s pouring down

I see You through the clouds

Shining on my face

I have come undone

But I have just begun

Changing by Your grace

(Chorus)

Like sunlight burning at midnight

Making my life something so

Beautiful, beautiful

Mercy reaching to save me

All that I need

You are so

Beautiful, beautiful

Words & Music by:

Francesca Battistelli, Ian Eskelin, Andrew Fromm

God has certainly gifted His creation.  He has blessed us with such talented folks as those who worked together to pen the words to the song, Beautiful, Beautiful.

As Day 3 is coming to a close, I’m sharing this song with you for what I consider a “wow” moment today.  We’ve been on this journey, “Living in His Presence” and I mentioned yesterday about growing in His grace so the lost will see us live out our faith.  The last line of the last verse is: “Changing by Your grace”!

It’s the period or exclamation point for the previous verses.  Looking at the second verse and how it draws us to this acknowledgement of HIS work.  In the second verse:

“Now there’s a joy inside I can’t contain

But even perfect days can end in rain

And though it’s pouring down

I see You through the clouds

Shining on my face”

Even if a “perfect day can end in rain....I see YOU through the clouds, Shining on my face!”  Joy because of what HE has done and even though things don’t appear to be ending well, HE’s there, right there involved in our life.

This journey isn’t taken alone!  Regardless of the things life throws our way, He is right there with us.  Even if we’re separated from our family and closest friends and we feel like it’s all coming apart, HE is with us!!!

This wasn’t the only song today that moved me especially in light of this topic for the last three days, it’s just the one I felt lead to share.  HE loves you and I, all His creation, and this is why Christ gave His life...to save ours.

We can choose to live intentionally in His presence or not, He created us with the opportunity to choose, free will.  Personally, I prefer this journey and can say without a doubt that I know He is changing me.

I’m excited about the possibilities that lay ahead.  Today wasn’t better than yesterday, just different.  Different is better, keeps things fresh.  I know many people don’t care for change or differences day over day, I’m not one of them.  Keep things changing and me on my toes.

Growth is a process, sometimes slow and steady where there doesn’t seem to be much taking place.  Sometimes it’s a grind, where everything seems to take a thousand times longer and we aren’t sure if we’ll make it through.  There are even times where it seems as if nothing goes right and we can’t catch a break.

In every circumstance and at every corner, HE is there and stands ready to provide what we need.  Again, I’ll say it again, when we decide to seek His direction, purposes and goals for our life, He will help us to keep everything in perspective.  This doesn’t mean that we’ll have a life free from trouble and trials.  Actually, we can expect things to get a little crazier, more intense, stumbling blocks that look like the highest mountains in all the world.

How will you choose to journey?  Regardless of where you are in this journey with me.  Or even if you’ve decided to “pass” on this one, make no mistake we are all on a journey.

The journey I recommend is the one where we practice “Living in His Presence.  Join Francesca Battistelli and and myself in proclaiming, "Now there is a joy inside I can't contain.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Living in His Presence - Day 2

I started the day the in the same manner as I fell asleep last night, in His glorious presence!  I drifted off professing Him as Lord of All and my deepest desire to spend as much time as possible living out my life in His Presence.  I woke up this morning and my conscious thoughts returned to the same place I’d left off last night.

The sleep came easy, the rest blessed and the time to rise easier.  I’m not saying there will be a repeat tonight, however I will spend my time the same and by His grace this will become the most consistent part of my journey.  My goal is to spend more of my days in His presence and to me that certainly means fixing my mind first and lastly each day on HIM!

Now for the confession; after I left for work this morning, the wheels came off the “focus bus”.  I was more aware of my decisions and my perspective was less about myself.  I know you can identify with the statement that, "my day just started running on autopilot."

When we’re in this mode of doing what we always do at work, we miss His Presence.  "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." ~Colossians 3:23  I’m starting to realize that this verse, for me anyway, is just the starting point.  I believe that to arrive at the same point as Brother Lawrence did, we must move beyond performing our work for the Lord.  I believe we must move to the point of knowing He is right beside us as we labor.

How we work at our jobs and how we interact with people, this is where we bring glory and honor to our Father.  Either we honor Him or we discredit Him and His message for the world.  Remembering that our desire is to honor our Father with all of our life.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” ~John 3:16-17

People in our world today really do not want to hear more testimonies, they deeply desire to SEE testimonies!  Everyone is looking for the authentic in this world, for a hope that isn't just "live for now and it's done."  With the constant pressures and requirements in the world today, is it any wonder that Christians are viewed no differently than everyone else?  The lost don't see a consistent difference in the "Christian life" than their own.  I believe that as we grow in His grace, we will become very sensitive to the rest of the world around us and even to those living on the opposite side of the world from us.

Looking back to John 3:17, let’s not miss the point.... “but to SAVE the world through Him.”  Jesus was asked a question about the greatest commandment in the law and “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

God loves the whole world and Jesus said we should love God our Father with all that we are and not only that BUT our neighbor as our self!  You and I may not like our neighbors very much for any number of reasons, HOWEVER our Father loves them with every drop of blood shed by Jesus on Calvary!!!

This is the new journey, to see with God our Father’s eyes and His heart.  We will only succeed “Living in His Presence” day by day and moment by moment.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Living in HIS Presence

Christ said, "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from ME you can do nothing." ~John 15:5  And, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." ~John 14:26

Brother Lawrence in his book, "The Practice of The Presence of God" speaks to what we're going to discuss here today.  Brother Lawrence speaks about washing dishes for God and not for the brothers in his monastery (I highly recommend this little book).  To expand on the thought and be reminded of one more point from God's word, "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." ~Colossians 3:23

Before we can start "Living in HIS Presence", we need to get a good grip on these verses.  As God's children through the precious blood of Christ we have been grafted into the vine and as such are a part of the body of Christ.  Do we really understand the depth of this fact?  We are one with our Creator, He with us and us with Him.  "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name...", He's with us now, as Christ is absent from us, we have the Holy Spirit with us.

As we come to fully understand the reality here, something else will begin to come into focus.  How about this, we are in His presence and He's in ours ALWAYS!  God's Holy Spirit has been given to us as our Comforter, Counselor and Guide.  He brings us comfort during the trials, tribulations and troubles in this life.  He provides counsel during these times and during times of great stress.  He provides guidance when we are faced with hard decisions.

Many of you know everything I've written to be true.  Have you considered that He walks with us all the time?  That He stands with us and walks with us throughout our days?  I believe He waits for us to see Him in everything we see and hear.  In what we touch, smell and feel.  All that we survey has been created by Him.  He waits for us to seek Him in the little things that come our way with the same intensity and determination as we do the "major" things of life.

Imagine going through the day with the Holy Spirit constantly engaged with us in every step!  Now realize that He waits in fact for us to seek His guidance, counsel and comfort minute by minute.  All we need to do is actively and intentionally acknowledge His presence!!!  The God of the universe is constantly with us through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  As we seek Him first, seek His direction, seek His will and live with our heart and mind fixed specifically in His direction...change takes place!

The change takes place within me, within you!  We begin to KNOW, His presence in new and intimate ways.  We see His purposes for our life differently, they become our purposes.  Our days become easier and the burdens lighter, because we know we aren't alone and every step has been in HIS presence.  The trials, tribulations and troubles all still come and yet now we find ourselves joining Paul in a new understanding for the phrase, "peace that passes all understanding".

I have to stop here for now and allow everything to really sink in to our hearts and minds.  Tomorrow I'll continue as together we embark on the journey that really is, "Living in His Presence"!!!

Blessings & Peace
~Robert

Pressing Forward

Streams in the Desert Daily Devotional, Charles Cowman, Christian Bible Devotions:

"I was crushed...so much so that I despaired even of life, but that was to make me rely not on myself, but on the God who raises the dead" (2 Cor. 1:8, 9)."

"Pressed out of measure and pressed to all length;

Pressed so intensely it seems, beyond strength;

Pressed in the body and pressed in the soul;

Pressed in the mind till the dark surges roll.

Pressure by foes, and a pressure from friends.

Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends."

Pressed into knowing no helper but God;

Pressed into loving the staff and the rod.

Pressed into liberty where nothing clings;

Pressed into faith for impossible things.

Pressed into living a life in the Lord,

Pressed into living a Christ-life outpoured."

Over and over again lately I've been reading about pressure. Pressure specifically in our Christian walk. We all experience pressure in our daily life from family, friends, co-workers and the list continues. The difference for us as Christians is the way we deal with these pressures and the impact on God's kingdom work through us.

How we endure or crumple under these pressures, weigh on how the world see us and Christ. Remember that we are the only Christ the lost will see before knowing Christ for themselves. How we handle this pressure cooker world often bears greatly on whether or not someone comes to Christ. I'm not saying that you or I are solely responsible, I saying we have an impact.

Remember, God has chosen us to share His plan of salvation for mankind through Jesus Christ. Our actions good and bad are seen by those around us. If we live our life the same way the rest of the world lives, then the question in the heart and mind of the lost is, "why do I need to be a Christian?".

Christian's aren't perfect, however the way we live, either shines a light on the path to salvation and a life in Christ or we say Christ isn't the answer. We either reflect the best of Christ or we don't. Pressure in this life is often for the benefit of others and at times for us directly. Regardless, pressure produces greater depth of character or we crumble like dried out clay and have no value to our Lord and His Kingdom.

Seek God and His grace to endure the pressure and grow stronger in HIS strength. As the title of the linked devotional directs, press forward in Christ and trust that He has your best at heart. That even if we stumble, how we get back up and move forward in Christ's strength and grace will speak volumes to those who watch.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Gentleness

Quiet Walk Daily Bible Reading Devotional, Walk Thru the Bible, Christian Devotions:

"Gentleness is not a word which suggests weakness or impotence. It is used of powerful war horses who have been skillfully trained to instantly obey their masters. It is a word which suggests power under complete control. It offers much."

Not fragile, powerless or weak. Gentleness is often, especially in today's society, mistaken for these negative definitions. Yet, with God these are character traits which reflect HIS character. Full of God and His power, Christ wasn't a brute and He certainly was never considered weak.

Example after example throughout the gospels are provided for us. When we observe how He interacted with people individually a strong and yet gentleness are always displayed. Certain, determined and firm are words that we are very likely to have come to mind as we think over Christ and His ministry.

We are challenged to control ourselves; mentally, physically and spiritually. Control and discipline are hallmarks of the Christian life because we have these examples in Christ. As we seek to be like Christ and grow in God's grace, these traits should come through in our character.

What a great thing to be said about someone as a Christian, he/she is gentle. I don't know about you, as for myself, being aligned with Christ by any definition that reflects HIS character and God's is fine by me!

Choose today for yourself, Christ and all that He is or yourself. God and His path are much greater than any we could or would choose for ourselves.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Can Thine Heart Endure?

Streams in the Desert Daily Devotional, Charles Cowman, Christian Bible Devotions:

"The way to peace and victory is to accept every circumstance, every trial, straight from the hand of a loving Father;...."

If you've ever wondered why when we pray for one thing the opposite seems to come our way, then click the links for this wonderful devotion.

There isn't much for me to add here today on this topic. When we ask for specific things in response to God's word, like patience. Almost immediately we feel like the wheels come off and everything in the world comes against us and our earnest desire to become more patient.

This is just the first of so many topics covered in today's devotion and we can all identify with at least one of these. The truth is that only through trials are we able to grow in our Father's grace and become stronger. It should not surprise us that the best things in life come through fire and pressure.

As we look at the most beautiful things in this life, materially speaking as an example, either fire or pressure is responsible for the creation of the product. A raw diamond, created by unbelievable pressure is not the most beautiful thing to behold, however when the craftsman is done.... The craftsman cuts the stone and polishes the stone and with great care produces the finished product that is so desirable.

I could use so very many examples beyond the diamond and space and time limit them here. God, the only expert craftsman in all of life, He alone know exactly what we need and what work He needs to complete to being us to completion. We are each created with a specific purpose by God and as His children, He is on the job as the Master Craftsman. His will and way is to mold us through pressure and fire into the His designed purpose.

Our job today and everyday is to submit to the Master's hand. To ready ourselves to submit to whatever we need to experience in order to grow and become who God created us to become. Choose today to become a willing participant in our Father's plan.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert