Behold You Are There

Psalms 139: 7-9, “Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into Heaven You are there; if I make my bed in Hell, behold You are there."

Ever since the day I was born, I have been the son of a preacher man. Much like Pastor Eric, I cut my teeth on the back of a wooden church pew. And, in my teenage years, I, too, had a drug problem---my parents drug me to church! As a teenage boy, I knew without a doubt the Lord had called me into ministry. However, I had seen ministry, lived in a home of ministry---watching my father and all that came along with it. The life of a minister did not look appealing to me at all, and I wanted no part of it! I wanted to pursue my own life, get a career, and do my best to get mine, having nice possessions. I would spend most of my teenage years running from the call of God. It seemed as if the more I would run, the more I would run right back into God, as if He were a brick wall! I could not escape, I could not run, and I could not hide.

I now look back and laugh, questioning, “Where can I go from Your spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?" I could never get away because He was always there! Although a lot of poor decisions may have been made, and I would create a self-made hell, He was still there. He never left me, He would never forsake me, and He upheld me with His mighty right hand!

Where do you feel like you are today? Are you ascending into Heaven, through praise and worship unto God? Maybe all hell has broken loose in your life, and you have just stopped and made your bed in Hell. I've got news for you---He is right there with you! I have learned that anytime you see the word “behold” in the word of God, it has significant meaning. Behold means you move into a new place, never to move back into the old place again! It is time to move into a new place! Give God praise, and no matter if I have made my bed in Hell, behold, for You are there!

This Seat is Saved

Imagine in your mind: a cozy restaurant, dim lights, a very intimate atmosphere. You look across the room to see a lonely man seated at a small round table. At first glance, you would think he was alone. But in his mind, he knows he's saving a seat for a very special person. Have you ever found yourself reserving a seat or section for a special person in your life?

In our reading today, we see David coming home to his palace. After defeating many kings and nations, he settles himself in the comfort of his surroundings. In that moment, he realizes that something (or someone) is missing. In his heart, he makes a "reservation" for the King of Glory. He makes a statement to Nathan, the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent."

Are you that person in the restaurant? Have you saved a place in your heart and life for God? If you find that you have cancelled that reservation, you may want to consider re-booking it! Jesus said that if you invite Him, he will come in and eat with you.

Work as Unto the Lord

Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly". (1 Chronicles 28: 20, NLT)

As I do each time before reading the text I am supposed to blog about, I pray that God will make at least one verse just stand out, or leap off the page with something relevant from which to write. Some days are easier than others for this to happen. But, tonight, as I read the designated text, I thought, "How appropriate!" (By the way, I usually prepare my blog the night before my assigned day so I can have it ready to post for the next morning. That's why I'm saying "tonight" even though you may be reading this in the a.m.)

Oh, yea, back to my thought! Why was this verse appropriate? I had painted for a few hours today on the new church building. I, along with several others, on more than one occasion, have already painted, swept, mopped, etc., working to prepare the new building (Temple). And, there will be several more days of work to be done before it is completed. Are there work crews there, sub-contracted out by the general contractor? Sure there are, but sometimes you need other "workers in the field" to come along to make sure the work is done to satisfaction, or also to stay on budget.

If anyone has built a house, you know what I'm talking about. There is a lot of work to be done, but there are also different types of work ethic. There are those who work hard, and it shows in the end results. Then, there are those who "cut corners". Some one's idea of excellence may be different than yours or mine. Some may work with the attitude, "As long as it's done, what does it matter what it looks like, or if it functions properly."

I believe that God wants us to work to the best of our ability. I believe He calls us to excellence. On a day like today, it's comforting to know and be reassured that God hasn't left us. He's going to give us the strength and the energy to do the work. And, He, God, will see that any work relating to His temple, and in our case, the building which will house the congregation of 3trees Church, will be "finished correctly". PTL!

A Light In The Darkness

By your words I can see where I'm going;
they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
I've committed myself and I'll never turn back
from living by your righteous order.
Everything's falling apart on me, God;
put me together again with your Word.
Festoon me with your finest sayings, God;
teach me your holy rules.Psalms 119:105-108 Message Bible

By your words I can see where I'm going....

Everything's fallen apart on me, God; put me together again with your Word...

Do you ever feel like you don't know where to turn next? Do you have problems that you do not know the answers to? Perhaps you have decisions to make and you don't know which choice is right?  Do you ever feel like nothing is going your way? Do you feel as if everything has fallen to pieces?

If so, I have good news for you! God has already provided us with our answers. Everything we need to know can be revealed to us in His Word. As we study the Word, over time, these words become "hidden in our hearts" so that we may draw from them when we need them. You may not find the answer you are looking for the first time that you pick it up. However, if you will keep reading it and asking God to reveal His will to you, then it will become known to you. The Holy Spirit will whisper the answers right to your heart!

When you feel like you have done all you can, when you feel like your life is a mess, there is only One who can put the pieces back together again! God is waiting to restore you completely! Just call upon Him and place it all at His feet! He is our deliverer in this life! He holds the key to all of our problems!

Take your problems to the Lord. Seek the answers in His Word. Call upon Him and He will answer.

 

Praise Him

A psalm. For giving thanks.

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

² Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

³ Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his ^a]">[a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalms 100:1-5

It's interesting that the readings for the last few days have focused on praise, and my mind has also been thinking about praise even before I read it.

When we arrived at church Sunday night, the pastor told us that we were going to sing some old songs and enter into some praise. I said out loud to the person next to me. "Good, I'm ready. Let's get started." I don't know if that person had any idea how serious I was by that, but I am certain no one near me did out praise me that night. It helped that those were some of my favorite praise songs. I needed a night like that as much as a starving person needs food and water. My soul was longing for a night like that, a night where I could really praise Him.

This last Thursday, the pastor said we didn't get where we could have that night. I noticed the same. As a corporate body, most were hesitant to enter into that realm of praise. Why is that? Could it be that people were thinking about the rough week they just had? Were they thinking about all the prayers they were still waiting on? Or, were they just afraid for someone else to see them?

If you get desperate enough, you won't care who is there to witness it. Somebody came by and asked me if they could "get some of that". I guess they thought I had some happiness they desired.

The truth be known, last week was a terrible week for me. There were a lot of stressful personal issues that I had to deal with. It did end with Captivate, which was a great ending! However, that in itself was a tiring day. Honestly, I doubt my current life situation was any better than any one else at the moment. I just knew that I needed God to show up, and He was the only answer there could possibly be. I needed to praise Him for a month of preparing for Captivate and a great ending. I also needed to praise Him for all the personal issues I had to deal with that were yet unresolved. I needed to praise Him like it was already done! At some point, you have to understand that if there is nothing else in this world going right for you, you still have God and that is all you need.

Are you desperate enough to praise Him in both the good and the bad? Do you need Him to the point that you wouldn't care who noticed?

In the youth, they sing a song, "My soul longs for you---Like a deer pants for water". This song is also drawn from lines in the book of Psalms. Does your soul long for Him? Do you need Him as much as you need water and food? You do, even if you don't realize it. Without Him, your soul will wither up and die. After many days without Him, you will just be going through motions without even feeling His presence. It won't matter how good your life is. Your soul will still be dying and happiness will evade you.

Keep Him close to you. Praise Him! Praise Him for all He is, for all He has even done, and for all He ever will do. Just praise Him!