The tree must have grown normally at first. The trunk is straight for the first six feet. Then something happened. The bending process began. The slender vines entwined around the trunk had pulled it down year after year, little by little. The tree, which began straight, ended up bent over, humbled by flimsy vines.
It wasn't the strength of those vines or even the weakness of the tree, it was their persistence, as daily the vines applied pressure to the tree. They attached themselves and ultimately shaped the direction the tree would grow.
Our lives can be like that bent Maple tree without the LORD and His saving grace. The Holy Spirit's power can help us to resist the vines of temptation and habitual sin that pull on us daily.Often we may start out a day with head held high , fortified with great intentions and then the pull and stress of old habits bring us low. That's when it's time to pray.
Please, Jesus, help me to grow in the direction You want for me. Help me listen to Your Spirit and take the way out You always provide for those who are tempted. I need to get away from the old patterns of sin and temptation that have bent me to their will too often. I ask for Your strength to do Your will,the discerning wisdom I need to see these pressures for what they really are,and the presence of mind to come to You for help right away. May I never bow down to anyone or anything but You. Thank you, LORD. Amen Doma
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A Clear and Present Jesus
"The One who is, and who was, and who is to come..." we encounter this phrase describing God in the first chapter of the book of Revelation. It is repeated twice in Rev. 1:4 & 8. I want to explore the first description of God, "The One who is."
The One who is, the Spirit of the living God, given to us by Jesus Christ at Pentecost and when we receive and believe Jesus is our Savior. The indwelling One who "restores our soul", is our "All in all", and is "...the rewarder of all who seek Him." There are so many verses that begin with the statement "God is" ...I think of "God is an ever present help in time of need", and "God is love", and the imposing and startling statement; "Our God is an all-consuming fire"
The simplest terms I can think of in regard to the statement, "The One who is" are these: Right now, Jesus, our Savior, exists in our present with us and we with Him. He is immediately here and we can be assured of that truth. He said, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Accepting what He said, believing and acting on it as fact, can restore our soul, our sense of well-being and contentment.
So, with a God who says He has not abandoned us, who is ever present with us, who "...lives to make intercession for us", and stands with us and won't leave us, why do we sometimes feel He is not around? Or, we may feel He does not want to be bothered with our little problems. Or, we may believe the words of a popular song that simply says."...God is busy."
When we think about God in human terms and rely on how we feel, we deny what He has told us. He is the clear and present Jesus. He is! He exists in our now. He wants to restore our souls. We must depend on what He has told us and not on how we feel. Come to Him now as He meets us here in prayer.
O, God, I want to be restored and to see You in my situation. Please reveal Yourself to me and be the "God who Is" right here in my life. Thank you, LORD. Amen Doma
The One who is, the Spirit of the living God, given to us by Jesus Christ at Pentecost and when we receive and believe Jesus is our Savior. The indwelling One who "restores our soul", is our "All in all", and is "...the rewarder of all who seek Him." There are so many verses that begin with the statement "God is" ...I think of "God is an ever present help in time of need", and "God is love", and the imposing and startling statement; "Our God is an all-consuming fire"
The simplest terms I can think of in regard to the statement, "The One who is" are these: Right now, Jesus, our Savior, exists in our present with us and we with Him. He is immediately here and we can be assured of that truth. He said, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Accepting what He said, believing and acting on it as fact, can restore our soul, our sense of well-being and contentment.
So, with a God who says He has not abandoned us, who is ever present with us, who "...lives to make intercession for us", and stands with us and won't leave us, why do we sometimes feel He is not around? Or, we may feel He does not want to be bothered with our little problems. Or, we may believe the words of a popular song that simply says."...God is busy."
When we think about God in human terms and rely on how we feel, we deny what He has told us. He is the clear and present Jesus. He is! He exists in our now. He wants to restore our souls. We must depend on what He has told us and not on how we feel. Come to Him now as He meets us here in prayer.
O, God, I want to be restored and to see You in my situation. Please reveal Yourself to me and be the "God who Is" right here in my life. Thank you, LORD. Amen Doma
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