HEAVEN
Many of us try to imagine what Heaven must be like. We talk of the streets of gold, all the angels, the magnificence of all our mansions and so much more, our human minds can’t even imagine. All of this sounds amazing, but what I want most is to sit at the feet of Jesus! The very thought of this can make me weep!
THY KINGDOM COME
In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount discourse is the line ‘Thy Kingdom Come’… and for the most part I’ve always thought that was about His return, and that indeed is part of it. But it also includes allowing God’s Kingdom to live within us; to live within our human bodies, in our spirit, in every part of our lives, right now.
WHAT ARE WE WORKING TOWARD?
I wonder, do we really allow God to actively ‘live within’ us? Or do we sometimes get so caught up in ‘doing it on our own’ we shut the door to His presence? Do we strive so much for perfection that we miss His peace? Or even, have we worked so hard to get everything done, we’re so exhausted we can’t even think, much less be still and let him be God?
OVERWHELMING TO-DO LIST
there is so much to do! Thanksgiving has just passed and now it’s time to dive into all the ‘to-do’s required of Christmas and it can be totally exhausting!
There are Christmas cards to ready, gifts to purchase and wrap, decorations to take care of, and get-togethers to plan; foods and desserts to make; and this is only a tiny part of the list!
We want to get ‘it’ right, what ever ‘it’ is. We all have a life to live, and the newest draw on our time, Christmas, requires a lot of time. We don’t want to disappoint our community because we haven’t done our part of decorating, or our co-workers who are excited about the Christmas party, and family who have huge expectations with gifts, dinner and more; so we push harder.
GOD WANTS OUR PRESENCE
But getting ‘it’ right, isn’t what God wants from us. God isn’t interested in our ‘performance’. He wants our presence. He isn’t asking us to be flawless and follow a long list of things to do that may or may not include him, even with our best intentions.
Even when our to-do’s are scripturally sound, and they should be, He still wants our presence; not someone who’s given everything they have to everyone else around us, but have forgotten that the ‘event’ isn’t about every body else or even himself…It’s about Jesus! Is God even thought about in all the busy-ness we’ve involved ourselves in?
ARE OUR HEARTS ALIGNED WITH HIS?
Our thought processes may be spot on, but is our heart aligned with His? Are we focusing on what we believe we have to do to keep up with the trends and our friends, while we covet theirs and others approval? Or are we stopping…. and sitting at the feet of Jesus?
JESUS’ GIFT TO US
Jesus’ gift to us was, and is, his presence, for our eternal salvation, and for our lives right now! He will meet us right where we are, if we are ready to sit down and ‘be still and know that He is God’. Even his name…Emmanuel means God with us! Being present with God, is worship in the truest sense.
THIS IS CHRISTMAS
Are you taking time to just sit and be quiet with God, listening to His still, small voice, accepting his peace and allowing your heart to fill to the brim and overflow with the love he is offering? This is worship! This is Christmas!
Photo Credit: Christmas church
Photo Credit: God Wants Presence
Photo Credit: God's Gift To Us
