Christmas Presence

 Around the Christmas Season you'll find enormous preoccupation on gifts.

Usually this leads to a strong materialistic mindset. We look for gifts of high value and feel an obligation to provide the same to others.

There is a phrase I have heard which is, "The gift I want the most is your presence."  The word presence in this statement actually serves as a pun, a play-on-words. Because a loved one's presence is in fact the greatest present we can offer.

The same could be said to be true of God.

Often when we focus on the gifts God has given us we're looking for something specific and tangible: a filled need, a commodity, a service. We're looking for healing, miracles, blessings, forgiveness, salvation, eternal life.

This profound thought was re-enlivened for me just yesterday realizing His blessings can never be truly appreciated until we understand that His presence cannot be separated from the gifts He gives. When He gives us a gift He is in fact giving us Himself; the One from whom all good gifts flow!

That is the Christmas Story. Jesus was not born first and foremost to change anything. Rather He was born so the the gift of His presence would be made manifest and accessible to each one of us! Emmanuel, which is often quoted in this season, is another title of Jesus and it means "God with Us".

Have you received the present of His presence? If you're anything like me you're more prone to look for the blessings of what He gives and often miss the greatest blessing we have access to in the salvation He provides.

The greatest gift we have is His Presence!

Quarter-Past Late O'Clock

I've been having this ongoing conversation with God about the areas of my life where I have had difficulty waking up to what is truly reality for me; in other words, areas in which I've been in denial. The conversation lately has generally looked like, "Father, please help me to walk in the reality of who you are in these areas of my life!" I believe His response has been "Keep crying out, keep moving forward, you're moving in the right direction!"

I had this discussion once more with Him this morning and true to His word He delivered within the span of a few hours in a discussion I had with a loved one. 

Sometimes His answers come as soft whispers or barely noticeable impressions; other times as a loud trumpet call. Without going into a whole lot of detail at this time let's just say this morning's call was more akin to tornado warnings, which is fitting in light of the horrific damage done in 3 US states in the course of one night just a week ago!

The basic message was simple, "Your need to wake up is absolutely critical! However you aren't even fully aware of what is at stake if you do not! Here are some reminders of why you should wake up and some practical steps to move in that direction." The overall message was exactly what I had asked of God. His timing to respond when He did was impeccable since I was already open to hear what He might say. As reluctant as I was to hear it, I recognized His voice in the midst of this discussion I had just a few hours later!

Was it what I wanted to hear? Nope!

Was it easy to swallow? Nearly impossible!

Was it what I needed to hear to continue to move forward? Absolutely!

One thing I have discovered in the way God works with me particularly in the area of my working with me in my will is that He does not magically tweak my will so that I suddenly and easily choose what He wants of me, rather He meets me in relational ways like good Fathers do confronting me with the truth and providing the ammunition I need to make better choices even when I still don't want to.

One jarring reality I have had to face is that I will never entirely stop wanting to do things my own way but God is gracious to provide the reality-check I need if I am open to to hear it so I am empowered to make the right choice even if when if feels uncomfortable or unnatural.

Getting out of bed after a rough night of sleep is never easy but the reality check of possibly losing one's job does help make that choice possible when you're already a quarter-past late o'clock!

The Snooze Button

When I started this blog it was under a strong and compelling belief that God was wanting to wake His people up from being half-asleep. 

I'm going to be honest. In many ways I fell back asleep just like I do when I hit the snooze button. I'm a pro-snoozer by the way! After much pain and heartache which resulted from the spiritual stupor I've been in, I am being stirred awake once more.

My friends the time to wake up is now. That can be hard to do especially if you're asleep and don't fully realize it.

Cry out to God even if from your "dream-state" just as I have also been doing. Cry out for His help to wake you up!

Can't you feel it and see it? Millions are asleep and dead to His reality, oblivious to humanity's great enemy, and blinded to the great delusion that is overwhelming the masses. Just because someone made a science fiction movie about it doesn't mean it has no basis in reality.

Revelation 3:2 (New Living Translation)

Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.