The Holiness, Rest and Presence of God

Who is mankind, that our holy God would give us a moment of His attention? We are nothing, worthless and the foulest form of life on this planet. 

Yet, God lowered Himself below the angels, and became a man, in order to save us and to bring us into eternity with Him forever (Psalm 8:4-6). Amazingly, God gives us His full consideration, care and affection now and always (Job 7:17).

If we relinquish control of our life to God's Spirit, He brings us into the presence of our Father God through Jesus Christ, illuminates God's Word to us and guides us to do God's will (John 14:26). 

The Spirit then begins the lifelong process of sanctifying us as His holy temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). He slowly transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ's perfect, divine nature (Romans 8:29; 2 Peter 1:4).

Each moment of our day, the Holy Spirit endeavors to bring us into the rest of God. We thwart Him by filling our hours with busyness. We cause our self to experience fits of stress and high blood pressure, because we do not allow our self to enter into God's rest (Hebrews 4:10). 

Yet, God's Spirit continually draws us ever deeper into fellowship with God until we finally, completely surrender to Him.

Then, we learn to walk in the holiness of God's precepts. His Spirit puts His love in our hearts for one another, so that we are proof of His existence (John 13:34-35). 

Christ in us loves the brethren through us by His Holy Spirit. As we seek God first, His Spirit will direct us in loving one another according to His will, without enabling one another.

Prayer: 
Father God, our ultimate joy is to live in Your presence, filled with Your Son, Jesus, and empowered by Your Spirit, who abides in us. Christ in us is our only hope of entering into Your glorious Kingdom (Colossians 1:27). 

Give us a burden for the lost, so we can reclaim them for Your Kingdom (Mark 16:15). Even the angels in heaven rejoice when one sinner repents and comes back to You (Luke 15:10).

Thought for the Day:

May we surrender our every waking moment into service for our God and King.

A Seed for a Miracle

Read: Luke 11:8-13

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:6-7

As normal human beings, we usually focus on, complain about and lose hope over all the negative aspects of our existence. We cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel; and often if we do, that light is a train! We end up broken, bruised or buried alive in the negative focus of “why me?” We grumble, quarrel, regret and wallow in the mire of negativity, habitual skepticism and unbelief. 

This unconstructive lifestyle causes anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, stomach illnesses, panic disorders, addictions and even schizophrenia. We often mask our fears with an unconcerned attitude or we anesthetize them with addictions or escape them by compartmentalizing our life. In order to appear spiritual, we may even internalize our unconstructive thoughts and feelings in our subconscious mind. We do our best to ignore them, only to find them emerging in some form of physical ailment or overpowering emotion, which our soul designs to capture our attention.

There is a seed for a miracle in each negative incident we experience. In Philippians 4: 6-7, Paul exhorts us to be anxious for nothing, prayerful about everything and thankful in all things. Paul learned from experience that God always works positive results in our lives through our destructive circumstances (Romans 8:28). We can trust God’s transcending peace, which rises above our human understanding, to guard our soul – our mind, will and emotions - through any turmoil, which occurs in our life. With this in mind, then, we can rejoice in the Lord always, because we trust Him to cause all things to work together for our good (Romans 8:28).  

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I learned by experience that the surest path to physical illness and mental and emotional break down is to worry about everything, to neglect prayer, and to live a pessimistic and ungrateful life. Help us to remember that the only real cure for our problems is found in giving You thanks in all things and trusting our life to You and our loving, Heavenly Father.

Thought For The Day:

Even when life is cloaked with the darkest shroud, Your Son is always shining.