a view beyond



I am convinced I have written about this before. Today it is heavy on my heart, once again.

As we wistfully look to the future or ponder the past, we often get caught up in what "could be," rather than what "is."

Spending time here is something we all do, and we tend to do it frequently.

When we think of the past, we tend to rationalize or romanticize the memories. When we think of the future we tend to worry over its contents.

One of the things that BJ seemed to do fairly well, was to remain in the presence of Christ. It was reflected in his attitude and his demeanor/

In Exodus 24, God told Moses to "come up here and be here." The translation of this word from the Lord loses some of its weightiness, when put into English.

It was understood by Jews of that day that what was being said, was really, I need you to come up here and be here with me. I need you to be fully present, when you come. Do not be tied to thoughts of the past, or worries of the future. Do not be concerned about what will happen when you leave this place. Do not entertain any thoughts of anything other than our time together, and all that transpires.

In the US today, I wonder if we ever fully grasp this concept? When we attend services, so much of the time we are preoccupied with relationships, fashion, time, schedules, etc., that we are seldom truly in His presence.

If we do not enter into His presence, then we will likely not be prepared for what will come. If we are not prepared for what will come, we are likely to try to 'do it on our own.'

At what point to we learn to eliminate all distraction, and just be with Him?

We each must live. We each must fight. We each must seek Him above issues of self. Learning to be 'fully present' is a discipline. It involves focusing on Him and doing so at all costs.

Moses was called up to the mountain when this occurred. There will be times when we are called to Him, and times when we seek Him because He is all. During those times, He expects us to leave behind all the baggage and just catch all He has for us. When we learn to deny ourselves, we learn to do this.

I teach this and more on the mission field with our teams, as those times are specific times of calling, that must be walked out in obedience. They are times when the Lord is ministering to us and then through us.

When we refuse to yield to Him, then we are just going through motions and they don't precipitate change in us or those around us.

Yielded and surrendered lives, are the ones He uses to bring necessary change.

Today...this weekend...this Sunday...when you come into His presence, be fully present. Be disciplined to leave all distraction, all ties to the past and/or the future behind. Allow Him to reveal Himself to you, and you will see a new thing.

He gave Moses the commandments. What does he have for you? What does he have for me? How will we use what He provides to bless the lives of others? Seek Him while He may be found!

brent