I recently spent a few days with one of my good friends, we did many things together, we went out we joked, we played, and we prayed, we ate, we talked, it was awesome. I didn’t want to leave after the weekend we had. I enjoy times like this spent with VGFs. (very good friends)
Days after I returned, I was full of life, happy, and just generally felt good about myself, partly due to the fact that I was away for a couple of days and spent time relaxing with someone whose company I enjoy.
This got me thinking: Can it be this way always! Can I be joyful, happy and relax always? Maybe it can, maybe I can. Why can’t it be, if I spend time with my best friend in the whole world, my best friend who is also my dad, my help, my all in all: God my Father? Now imagine what it will be like to always talk with him, walk with him, share jokes with him, giggle with him, listen to him, cry to him, and unburden your heart to him: imagine what that will do to and for you. We can be joyful every minute of every day. It is possible, why? Because we will never leave his presence and in his presence there is fullness of Joy! He said his presence will go with us and he will give us rest.
I came away from the presence of my friend refreshed, this lasted for a couple of days (as all holiday does). Imagine, if I don’t have to leave the presence of the Joy Giver, it means I’ll be Joyful Always! I know, we cannot be happy, hippy all the time, that’s what we’ve been told and we’ve come to believe it. The main reason we are not always joyful is because we leave his presence and pursue our own agenda. We feel a temporal high from being with him and then we leave.
We associate our special prayer times and places of prayer with the presence of God. Often, we finishe praying, get up and carry on as usual, there’s subtle unconsciousness of we’ve finished, “now we can go about our business”, “we are leaving the presence” till our next “prayer time”. The presence of God should be with us everywhere we go, in, during and outside our specific prayer times and place. Staying in his presence is the only sure belt that we can be Joyful All The Time.
So with the help of the Holy Spirit, practise being in his presence all the time, every day. Find small ways of involving him in your daily activities. Stop and pray in the middle of work. Set little reminders to get you back into his presence and soon it’ll become second nature to you and you’ll find you are full of joy unspeakable All The Time.
So straight from my heart: I encourage you seek his presence more than his presents,
His presence brings peace which passes all understanding, peace in the mist of dire circumstances, which permeates the souls, unleashing it from the tangles of pain, sets it free to be joyful, Joy that trickles as an endless stream which flows from being with him, never ending, always abiding. Always a joy to be joyful always!
29 June 2010
3 June 2010
Rest In God
I’ve been thinking a lot about this sentence and what it means. Given the current state of the world’s economic, natural and man made disasters, personal turmoil, terminal illness, and difficult situations. Men’s heart fail because of the uncertainty they are faced with, we no longer know what it is like to rest in God. We’ve allowed circumstances within and without to upset our rest in God.
I’ve come to realise that rest in God is not something we achieve overnight. Mastering the habit of resting is a daily, minute by minute task as we are faced with life’s perplexing issues. Once mastered, we can become unshakeable in the face of difficult circumstances.
The rest of God releases us into God’s possibilities. It is only in resting that we are revived, restored and renewed.
How do we rest in God? You may ask, well start by immersing yourself in God’s word, rather than let your heart be troubled by what you read in the media, hear on the radio or see on TV or around you, let your heart be saturated by the truth in God’s word.
God’s word says let not your heart be troubled: are you troubled by the recession, the possibility of loosing your job, your home or your livelihood or your health? If this is the case, it means your reality is bigger than God’s possibility. When we are troubled by our reality, God’s word looses it hold and becomes insignificant if not applied to your reality: Resting means trusting in God regardless of the present and future outcome of whatever we are faced with, trust releases us into a place of calmness, it is in this place we can say like David, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death I will fear no evil. Only a heart of trust and rest can be in the valley of shadow of death and not fear.
God’s word says we are more than conquerors: Do you act that way? Do you see yourself as a conqueror in the face of your present circumstance? I do not know of anyone who is not currently facing some tough time right now, if you are not you may have at some point, if not, one is around the corner. It’s not a cause it’s just the simple fact of life. As one who has conquered, we should walk as victors even when we don’t see it in the physical. It is a done deal.
God’s word is full of wonderful promises, holding on to them releases us into His rest: we will still have trials and tribulations, there will still be cares which unsettles us, but being seated in Christ in Heavenly places means that we can ride through life’s storms anchored to Him:
Christ in us is our Hope of Glory, no matter what is happening right now, we may not be certain of the outcome of our situation, but we can be certain of a God who glorifies His Name in every circumstance we are faced with and works it out for our good.
So I say, enter into his rest, a place of quiet attest, where fear fails and cares are vanquished.
Strive brings discontent which comes with anxious thought of tomorrow’s toil,
Rest in his love, for it assures and releases us to trust
Let the quietness of being with him still your heart and release you to rest.
Enter into his rest, for it is only in resting we can truly abound unto every good works
I’ve come to realise that rest in God is not something we achieve overnight. Mastering the habit of resting is a daily, minute by minute task as we are faced with life’s perplexing issues. Once mastered, we can become unshakeable in the face of difficult circumstances.
The rest of God releases us into God’s possibilities. It is only in resting that we are revived, restored and renewed.
How do we rest in God? You may ask, well start by immersing yourself in God’s word, rather than let your heart be troubled by what you read in the media, hear on the radio or see on TV or around you, let your heart be saturated by the truth in God’s word.
God’s word says let not your heart be troubled: are you troubled by the recession, the possibility of loosing your job, your home or your livelihood or your health? If this is the case, it means your reality is bigger than God’s possibility. When we are troubled by our reality, God’s word looses it hold and becomes insignificant if not applied to your reality: Resting means trusting in God regardless of the present and future outcome of whatever we are faced with, trust releases us into a place of calmness, it is in this place we can say like David, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death I will fear no evil. Only a heart of trust and rest can be in the valley of shadow of death and not fear.
God’s word says we are more than conquerors: Do you act that way? Do you see yourself as a conqueror in the face of your present circumstance? I do not know of anyone who is not currently facing some tough time right now, if you are not you may have at some point, if not, one is around the corner. It’s not a cause it’s just the simple fact of life. As one who has conquered, we should walk as victors even when we don’t see it in the physical. It is a done deal.
God’s word is full of wonderful promises, holding on to them releases us into His rest: we will still have trials and tribulations, there will still be cares which unsettles us, but being seated in Christ in Heavenly places means that we can ride through life’s storms anchored to Him:
Christ in us is our Hope of Glory, no matter what is happening right now, we may not be certain of the outcome of our situation, but we can be certain of a God who glorifies His Name in every circumstance we are faced with and works it out for our good.
So I say, enter into his rest, a place of quiet attest, where fear fails and cares are vanquished.
Strive brings discontent which comes with anxious thought of tomorrow’s toil,
Rest in his love, for it assures and releases us to trust
Let the quietness of being with him still your heart and release you to rest.
Enter into his rest, for it is only in resting we can truly abound unto every good works
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