Saturday, June 26, 2010

GREAT FRIENDS

“Prayer is the practice of being in the presence of God.” That being said, THINK about what it means to you --- to be considered a great friend? What JOY is found in a GREAT relationship? What does it mean to PRACTICE being in my friend’s presence? What do we do together? We confide in each other. We congratulate and encourage each other. We thank each other for things done on our behalf. We ask for advice. We admit when we are wrong and ask to be forgiven. We hang out and simply enjoy TIME together. Saturday June 26th I hung out with GREAT singles from Crossroads in bumber boats and we PRACTICED on the course, just BEING in His presence with JOY! BEING WHOLE IN ONE! If the God in me recognizes and values the God in you, then it is my desire to practice being in the presence of God with my friends. When we are with God, in prayer, we are confiding in Him. We tell God our deepest hurts, highest dreams, and greatest longings. (Jeremiah 33:3) We glorify God when we admire and ENJOY all of His creation while singing, dancing and golfing!. (Pslm 71:8, Pslm 72:18, Pslm 92:1, Isaiah 63:7, Matt 15:31; Zeph 3:17). We give thanks to God for all things, in all ways, gladly each day!.(1 Thess 5:18 and Matthew 25:34-40) We seek His personal advice when we read scripture and then list the FACTS – the LESSONS + ASK ourselves a QUESTION about the LESSON. Because GOD knows our heart, He does not ASK for our advice. He does, however, long to give us personal answers. (Pslm 18:6, Pslm 28:7, Pslm 33:20, Hebrews 4:16, James 1:5) When we spend time in His Word, in His presence, we should ENJOY being together with JESUS. (Ps 16:11, Matt 28:20, 1 Jn 3:19)"After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him." John 13:5 During His last supper, a holy final time to be in the presence of Jesus --- (read the scripture before and after) List the facts and the lessons, then with introspection we connect with the Holy Spirit. Ah, the last supper and my last sitting with my Bible open, was indeed a time to be exceedingly treasured. However, the close friends of Jesus were asking for favors, they asked for a prominent position in the Kingdom they believed Jesus was to establish. "So Jesus got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing..." What was He teaching them? What lesson does the Holy Spirit reveal in this scripture about spending TIME slowly savoring the Word of God? Jesus called us His friends. Do we spend more time with our friends than we do with Jesus? Do we sit with our Bibles open, UNAWARE of the presence of the exalted King of Kings, JESUS, the One Who has all the power, glory and authority in the world??? Do we consider our position, our time, our agenda to be greater, more important, more of a priority than spending time with Jesus? Halleluiah! I truly LOVE the edifying, inner convicting - Holy Spirit's TIMELESS friendship and perfect counsel in just TWO scriptures a day! My prayer, my practice of being in the presence of Jesus leads me to ASK the Holy Spirit to impress upon all hearts to serve humbly as we encourage one another. Lord because You first loved us, we have been given the Holy Spirit and we ask that our passion for Jesus increase. AMEN

1 comment:

  1. You certainly have a gift for writing. I am sure your growth group is enjoying their experience with you. I think about you often and pray for all of you. Looking forward to our meeting in July. Blessings, Nancy Wilkins

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