May God shine so brightly from us that we blend into the background…and only HE is visible!
Dig into the truth of a life hidden in Christ with Oswald Chambers. Here are some excerpts to make you thirsty!
Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection.
I share with you this AM not a specific name but a concept throughout Scripture and supported by many verses. The One true, triune God, is ALL–and all we need for a full, abundant life.
Colossians 1:17 is a great place to begin thinking on this.
In Revelation we looked at Christ as the Beginning and the End…He is everything in-between as well! There are only two choices on how to live life: trusting Him or not. God longs for us to seek Him and know Him. All of life draws us to make the ‘right’ choice. Indeed, the “chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
The presence of God transforms! Do you drink it in or wonder where it is? Is the presence of God a moment-by-moment awareness for you—or an illusionary concept? Would you be surprised to know His presence is not always in a Church…or that the Living Word can be void of vitality? In Acts 17, Paul spoke to those who worshiped without life:
“…so that they might look for God, somehow reach for him, and find him. Of course, he is never far from any one of us. For we live, move, and exist because of him, as some of your own poets have said: ‘For we are his children, too.’” (verses 27 and 28)
It is not the heartbeat of God to have lifeless worship. He longs for you to enjoy His presence because He wants to enjoy yours. Are you weary of life? If you are, spend time with LIFE and enjoy the abundance. Without His presence, life drains the strongest. That is right and good, for God never intended that we would live this life on our own!
His Word and the Church are tools the Spirit uses to help us know what God is like…so that we can recognize His
presence. Like those in Athens, though, sometimes we mistake the tools for the Truth. Time in the Word and time with believers are necessities in the life of a Christian…but they are not Life itself.
The echo of hearts crying, “Is this all there is?” beats at the doors of heaven. “There is so much more!” calls the Father. “Come, walk in the light.” And to those of us who walk in His light, the great commission still stands: “Go, make disciples.” Our grand purpose in life is to live in the Light of the love of the Father and help others do the same. He longs for us to bring his light to a world covered in shadows so others may know He lives!
Those shadows conceal treasures…treasures of darkness only children of the Light can unearth. Without the Light, the shadows terrify. The shadows cause those in the dark to trip and fall prey to the lies of the enemy. Jesus, the Light of the World, reveals the snares and the beauties shrouded in darkness. When we spend time in the light, we absorb light and can be a lamp for others. We are called to be servants! Let’s take light into the shadows, light that exposes the pits, expels the evil and unearths precious gems!
What shadows will you illuminate today? Can we stand with you in prayer?
If you struggle to enter the presence of God, some thoughts and tips can be found here.
Not every life story is about a challenge. Part of our legacy flows from the things we love! Look for God in the things you love. For example, I love to garden: bringing order and beauty to a plot of dirt reminds me of the blessings of cultivating spiritual life. A healthy, vibrant garden–earthly or spiritual–requires persistent effort: cultivating, sowing, weeding, pruning.
Our home gardens are a testimony to the blessings God has used to decorate our lives. We use flowers and colors our parents loved along side perennials from friends, family and previous homes. Before new gardens are created, we ’redeem’ the plot from its previous purpose…usually lawn. The intertwined roots of lawn grasses and buried rocks make cultivation difficult. That work reminds me of the persistent love of God which reaches out to every soul piercing the barriers life creates. Decisions instantly change destinies but the transformation takes place in daily details.
The perpetual growth of weeds reminds me of two ever-present dangers to my spiritual garden: endless activity and plain old sin. Both are capable of overshadowing any vision of God’s touch on my life. The busyness of life joins with natural sin tendencies creating disorder and waylaying the purposes of God. It is my privilege and responsibility to pluck out sin and pointless activity so that the view of God in my life is unobstructed.
Some of the weeds in my gardens produce tiny flowers; their deceptive attraction sometimes persuades me to let them stay. Inevitably, they overtake my intentional plantings. Similarly, sometimes I hold fast to habitual sins that I perceive as adding to my life. Their produce, though, is more deadly than my garden weeds for the fruit of every sin is always death. The only results of my natural tendencies–let alone my sins–are earthly and temporary. Eternally beautiful life gardens require intentional cultivation of the life of Christ within.
Also in my garden are some extremely productive perennials. As much as I like them, pruning their fruitfulness protects other blessings of God from being crowded out. These prolific beauties remind me of the truth that too much of a good thing is still too much. God has granted me passions and interests–but serving those passions will leave my life unbalanced and His purposes for me stunted.
Finally, both of our dads loved ’bulb’ flowers. Our tulips and irises do most of their growing out of sight, but attentively nurturing the bulbs produces results as well. Likewise, not all of our spiritual life is visible, but the Holy Spirit produces great growth as He searches our depths, convicting us and calling us to fellowship with God.
The purpose of life is to know God: His greatness and His goodness. He provides the nourishment and care we need because of His love; our right response to that love is to seek Him and obey Him. The presence and participation of others in our life gardens is part of His design. We are to be both blessed and a blessing as we journey through life. May each of our lives be a garden that reflects His glory for all to enjoy.
