His Presence...

God's presence is simply the best place to be in. To think that Adam and Eve had the opportunity to enjoy this even if it was for a short period of time, makes me envy them so much...

I love the lyrics to this song. It is called No Higher calling and it is written by Lenny LeBlanc... it goes

Down at Your feet, oh Lord, is the most high place
In Your presence, Lord, we seek Your face
We seek Your face
There is no higher calling, no greater honor, than to bow
And kneel before Your throne
I’m amazed at Your glory, embraced by Your mercy, oh Lord
I live to worship You

I need you to just meditate on the lyrics of the song and think of how wonderful it will be to live in the House of God, beholding His beauty... Just think about it...

Maybe you will feel the way I do now...

Trotcha!

GOD CAME NEAR 002: QUESTIONS FOR MARY

In his Book, God Came Near, Max Lucado listed 25 questions he would love to ask the woman who bore our Saviour and took care of Him while He was on earth. All the questions were things that have been on my mind or questions I will also love to hear Mary or Jesus Himself answer. Below are some of the questions I really liked.

How did He respond when He saw other kids giggling during the service at the synagogue? This is something I will like to know. Sometimes we tend to do unnecessary things during service but are we supposed to act unruly? I mean it is God’s house, right?

Did you ever feel awkward teaching Him how He created the world? I can just imagine. I just hope Mary had listened in History class.

Did you ever see Him with a distant look on His face as if He were listening to someone you couldn’t hear? I really want to know the answer to this one. Were there times when he was just conversing with the Father on His own?

Did the thought ever occur to you that the God to whom you were praying was asleep under your own roof? I mean He could have been sleeping in her arms and she will pray for grace to take care of Him or something.

Did you ever try to count the stars with Him... and succeed? Considering the fact that he put all the stars in their exact locations

Did He ever come home with a black eye? I hope not

Did you ever scold Him? Can you imagine Mary scolding her savoir? I cannot.

What do you think He thought when He saw a prostitute offering to the highest bidder the body He had made? That will not be a nice sight. To see someone offering up his sanctuary for... I do not even want to think about it

Did you ever accidentally call Him Father? I am very sure when she does, people will look at her as if she is crazy. They will not know the real deal.

Did you ever think, That’s God eating my soup? I know it is funny but think about it. That will be so cool!

Looking at these questions, I am sure you see the point Max Lucado was trying to make with this book. Most times, we have seen Jesus through religious coloured glasses and have forgotten that the Man who we so struggle to be like, was once a man...like you and me. Mr Lucado makes a point when he said, “in becoming man, God made it possible for man to see God”. When the prophecies said His name would be called Emmanuel, it did not mean it like it in passing. They were not saying a religious jargon but it was saying the truth, God was with man... in flesh.

I want you to take time out and look over your life. What is that thing that you are scared to talk to God about? The pain you feel can you just lay at His feet. We are so lucky because we do not have a God who has no clue what it feels to be human. No. We have a High Priest, Jesus who understands our weaknesses. How does he understand it? It is so easy; he faced all of the same tests and trials we do. So what are you waiting for? Let us go boldly towards the throne of grace and obtain mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it the most.

If you have not read God Came Near, go get your copy. Let us take this journey together and see how the Word became flesh.

Selah.

The Kitchen

Max Lucado is an amazing teacher of God's word and this an amazing piece that inspired me. I hope it inspires you too...

 

The Kitchen: God's Abundant Table 

by Max Lucado

“Give us this day our daily bread…”

Your first step into the house of God was not to the kitchen but to the living room, where you were reminded of your adoption. “Our Father who is in heaven.” You then studied the foundation of the house, where you pondered his permanence. “Our Father who is in heaven.” Next you entered the observatory and marveled at his handiwork: “Our Father who is in heaven.” In the chapel, you worshiped his holiness: “Hallowed be thy name.” In the throne room, you touched the lowered scepter and prayed the greatest prayer, “Thy kingdom come.” In the study, you submitted your desires to his and prayed, “Thy will be done.” And all of heaven was silent as you placed your prayer in the furnace, saying, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

Proper prayer follows such a path, revealing God to us before revealing our needs to God. (You might reread that one.) The purpose of prayer is not to change God, but to change us, and by the time we reach God’s kitchen, we are changed people. Wasn’t our heart warmed when we called him Father? Weren’t our fears stilled when we contemplated his constancy? Weren’t we amazed as we stared at the heavens?

Seeing his holiness caused us to confess our sin. Inviting his kingdom to come reminded us to stop building our own. Asking God for his will to be done placed our will in second place to his. And realizing that heaven pauses when we pray left us breathless in his presence.

By the time we step into the kitchen, we’re renewed people! We’ve been comforted by our father, conformed by his nature, consumed by our creator, convicted by his character, constrained by his power, commissioned by our teacher, and compelled by his attention to our prayers.

The prayer’s next three petitions encompass all of the concerns of our life. “This daily bread” addresses the present. “Forgive our sins” addresses the past. “Lead us not into temptation” speaks to the future. (The wonder of God’s wisdom: how he can reduce all our needs to three simple statements.)

First he addresses our need for bread. The term means all of a person’s physical needs. Martin Luther defined bread as “Everything necessary for the preservation of this life, including food, a healthy body, house, home, wife and children.” This verse urges us to talk to God about the necessities of life. He may also give us the luxuries of life, but he certainly will grant the necessities.

 

Any fear that God wouldn’t meet our needs was left in the observatory. Would he give the stars their glitter and not give us our food? Of course not. He has committed to care for us. We aren’t wrestling crumbs out of a reluctant hand, but rather confessing the bounty of a generous hand. The essence of the prayer is really an affirmation of the Father’s care. Our provision is his priority.

From The Great House of God
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado

Thanks for reading and I hope you were blessed.