Word of the week - God’s Presence
“That times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom he must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago.” Acts 3: 20-21
God’s Presence – “Better is one day in your presence than a thousand elsewhere” Psalm 29:10 I was reminded this morning that all we really need is God’s presence in our lives. God’s manifest presence and feeling His presence in our lives makes everything good. As I spend time reflecting on my relationship with God and how He has impacted my life, I recognize that being in His presence and being touched by Him is what has truly transformed my life. It is not about doing more it is about being intentional in connecting and staying connected to God through the person of Jesus. It is about being present with Him so we can experience His presence. Inviting Him into every situation and enjoying our fellowship with Him.
The Person of Abiding – “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15: 1-5
Abiding is all about the most important friendship of your life. Abiding doesn’t measure how much you know about your faith or the Bible. In abiding, we are actively seeking, longing, thirsting to see, know, love, hear and respond to a person, the person of Jesus. More abiding, means more of God in your life, more of Him in your activities, thoughts, and desires. It seems that most believers don’t really believe God likes them. We believe He loves us from a theological sense because God loves everybody, but we don’t feel particularly liked by Him. This is a mindset that keeps us from wanting to spend time with Him. We need to see Jesus as our best friend who desires to spend time with us and likes us, the good the bad and the ugly. What we appreciate in a best friend is exactly what God offers. He is trustworthy and patient. When He looks at you, He does not call to mind the sins you’ve asked Him to forgive. He sees only a beloved friend and worthy heir. If we really abided in His love, we would come away feeling nourished, cherished, liked and deeply loved, that we would desire to spend as much time Him as possible.
God’ Presence - Nothing Else – Jesus! – The lyrics of this song by Cody Carnes are powerful to posture ourselves to experience the presence of God
I'm caught up in Your presence, I just want to sit here at Your feet, I'm caught up in this holy moment, I never wanna leave….
Oh, I'm not here for blessings, Jesus, You don't owe me anything, More than anything that You can do, I just want You
I'm sorry when I've just gone through the motions, I'm sorry when I just sang another song, Take me back to where we started, I open up my heart to You
I'm sorry when I've come with my agenda, I'm sorry when I forgot that You're enough, Take me back to where we started, I open up my heart to You
I'm caught up in Your presence, I just want to sit here at Your feet, I'm caught up in this holy moment, I never wanna leave
Oh, I'm not here for blessings, Jesus, You don't owe me anything, And more than anything that You can do, I just want You
I just want You, Nothing else, nothing else, Nothing else will do, I just want You, Nothing else, nothing else, Nothing else will do
I just want You, Nothing else, nothing else, Nothing else will do, I just want You, Nothing else, nothing else, Jesus, Nothing else will do
I just want You, Nothing else, nothing else, Nothing else will do, I just want You, Nothing else, nothing else, Jesus, Nothing else will do
I'm coming back to where we started, I'm coming back to where we started, When I first felt Your love, You're all that matters, Jesus, You're all that matters
I'm coming back to what really matters, Just Your heart, I just wanna bless Your heart, Jesus
I'm caught up in Your presence, I just want to sit here at Your feet, I'm caught up in this holy moment, I never wanna leave
And oh, I'm not here for blessings, Jesus, You don't owe me anything, More than anything that You can do, Oh, I just want You!!!
Practice the Presence – Brother Lawrence , a seventeenth century lay Christian who worked in a monastery kitchen, describes his presence of abiding in God. Brother Lawrence had a mindset of practicing the presence of God in all things. Remaining in Christ by inviting the Lord into everything he did.
“Think often on God, by day, by night, in your business and even in your diversions. He is always near you and with you; leave him not alone.”
― Brother Lawrence
Have a great week experiencing God’s Presence….
-Duane