Intimacy with God

Friday, December 19, 2014, 6:03 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Abide In Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 19:7-14 (NASB).

The Word

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.

What does the Word of God mean to you? I can remember when I was young that on one particular day my father saw me open my Bible, and he asked me what I was looking up. For him, I believe, it was head knowledge and something to argue about or to dissect. I suspect that he was not alone in his hunger for knowledge, though, nor would he be now as I see many people who find great pleasure out of arguing theology (words) with others.

When I was young we also spent much time in scripture memory, but I am not sure then that I truly understood what the words meant, though those scriptures have remained with me to this day. We also did Bible quizzing, and so we had to memorize whole passages of scripture so that we could quiz with other teenagers. Again, I am not so sure that I really understood what I was memorizing, though, or that I really knew what to do with it other than use it to answer questions in a quiz, but I am sure the word was planted in my heart.

I did read my Bible and I prayed, because I knew that is what I was supposed to do, and I was beginning to learn what it said and how it was to be applied to my life, but I don’t believe it really became personal to me until after I had my first child, and until I had in my possession an English translation which I could understand. I was probably in my mid to late 20’s (40 years ago) when the Word of God really became alive to me and I began to hear God speak his words to my heart personally and practically, as applied to my life.

Ever since then, the word of God has been God/Jesus right there with me talking with me, like a friend speaks with another friend. It has been God speaking words of hope, encouragement, counsel, correction, instruction, conviction, comfort and healing to my heart. It has been him giving me guidance and direction for each day, answering my questions, and giving me insight into his thoughts and feelings. When I am down, his word lifts me up. When I am feeling empty and lifeless, his word gives me purpose and meaning for my life. When I begin to feel afraid, his word strengthens me and gives me what I need to persevere. When I am sad, it comforts me and I am filled with joy.

When I am lacking wisdom, from the Word I gain understanding. When I need discernment, through the Word I am given insight. I have had many “Aha” moments when the lights turned on inside my head and I saw something I never saw before, or at least that I never saw quite in that light before. I learn godly living and holiness from the Word. Sometimes God warns me about going in a particular direction or about a wrong attitude about something. Yet, no matter what the message God has for me for any particular day, what is a sure thing is that he is speaking to me, his word is true, that I can depend on it, and that in obeying his word there is great spiritual reward. God’s words to me are very precious. They are his love letter to his bride. And, His Word is the best love letter ever!

Pleasing You

Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be blameless,
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

When we spend time with God/Jesus each day in his word, these times should be intimate between us and our Lord. These should be the times when we truly get to know him better, desire more of him, and from which we go out and obey what his word teaches us. We should feel his arms around us, and him gently speaking his words in our ears and into our hearts. We should sense his love and his nurturing of us, and his watch and care over us. In these times of intimacy with our Lord we should grow in our love for him. And, as we grow we should desire even more of him and his word.

Also during these intimate times with our Lord in prayer and in his word we should examine our hearts, confess (repent of) any sin he pinpoints in our lives and also pray that the Lord keep us from willful sin (premeditated). This means, though, that we have to be willing to have him show us how we are playing with sin or with temptation and how we are feeding sin or how we are opening ourselves up to temptation by the things we allow into our minds and hearts each day. For instance, we are not going to get victory over lust if we are spending every evening watching TV shows or movies which entertain us with sexual promiscuity or with sensuality. If we want to be satisfied with our own husbands and not have straying thoughts to other men, we need to stop watching romantic movies which often involve romantic affairs between people who are married to other people.

Spending time in the Word and in prayer each day should never be something we do just so we can say we did it and can check it off our list. We should long for these times with our Lord like a young man or a young woman longs to be with and talk with his or her boyfriend or girlfriend. And, we should want to get to know him, find out what he likes and what he doesn’t like, and then we should live our lives to please him in all that we do, in the power and working of the Spirit within us, as we cooperate fully with that work. In other words, if we are having QTs with the Lord each day, but then we are going around and we are doing just the opposite of what his word teaches us, then we are just like that man who looked at himself in the mirror, but then walked away and forgot what he looked like.

The Word of God will only become precious to us when we decide to do what it says, and when we decide to listen to the Spirit within us and heed his counsel to us, even when we don’t feel like it, or even or most especially when we don’t have it within ourselves to do it in our own strength, but we must entirely depend upon the strength of the Lord in order to obey.

I want to live my life pleasing to my Lord in all that I do, even if it means giving up things I may enjoy doing or having, if those things are hindering my walk of faith, if they are distracting me and are keeping me from doing the will of God, and/or if they are leading me into sin. I want my thoughts, my attitudes, my behaviors and my words to be pleasing in God’s sight, because I love him; because he is my Lord, my Savior, and my first love, and because he is my very best friend.

Abide in Him / An Original Work / July 31, 2013
Based off Ps. 27:14; Is. 40:31; Jn. 14-15

If you wait for the Lord,
Put your hope now in Him,
He will give you His strength
And endurance within.
He will renew your strength,
So you will not lose heart.
You will soar on wings like eagles,
Never depart.


“If you abide in Me,
And My words live in you,
You will walk with Me daily
And follow what’s true.
I will live now in you;
Give you peace now within,
If you obey My teachings
And turn from your sin.”


“If you listen to Me,
And do all that I say,
I will give you My comfort;
Be with you always.
I will heal all your pain;
Life with Me now you’ll gain,
If in fellowship with Me
You always remain.”


http://originalworks.info/abide-in-him/

 
The cure for depression, the answer for a strong spirit. The answer right here. Now who will listen and get help?

I liked the song in the video also.
 
How foreign that psalm 19 reference is to my ears when I really THINK about what it is saying!

You know, as a Christian - I more or less do not usually view the law that way... That the Law contains BLESSINGS and wisdom for living life... The Law should help us to see Jesus and to:

Restore the Soul
Make the wise simple
Rejoicing the heart
Enlightening the eyes

The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

See... We generally only see the OTHER side of the Law... The Grind. The "Do not taste, do not touch, do not handle" (Colossians 2:27) - and we completely miss out on the BLESSINGS and JOY of Obedience.... We have ingrained this idea that the Law is simply to curse us that we miss out that God created the Law out of His Perfect Wisdom....

We miss out on Deuteronomy 4:6 - "... for this is your wisdom and your understanding
in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes"

It's an interesting challenge to go back through the law and ask the question:
What is God's wisdom behind this rule?
What is the intended Blessing?
How will this increase my Understanding?

Thanks
 
How foreign that psalm 19 reference is to my ears when I really THINK about what it is saying!

You know, as a Christian - I more or less do not usually view the law that way... That the Law contains BLESSINGS and wisdom for living life... The Law should help us to see Jesus and to:

Restore the Soul
Make the wise simple
Rejoicing the heart
Enlightening the eyes

The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

See... We generally only see the OTHER side of the Law... The Grind. The "Do not taste, do not touch, do not handle" (Colossians 2:27) - and we completely miss out on the BLESSINGS and JOY of Obedience.... We have ingrained this idea that the Law is simply to curse us that we miss out that God created the Law out of His Perfect Wisdom....

We miss out on Deuteronomy 4:6 - "... for this is your wisdom and your understanding
in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes"

It's an interesting challenge to go back through the law and ask the question:
What is God's wisdom behind this rule?
What is the intended Blessing?
How will this increase my Understanding?

Thanks

Thanks John. That is an interesting way of looking at it. I had not quite thought of it in that light before.
 
That is a beautiful thought!

My Grand Pa would hold me and Read his Bible to me. I have the joy of being from a Christian Family. In our home the Bible was "The Word OF GOD" it was read daily and reverenced always. My Mother taught Bible 'Adult Ladies Bible Class' for 50 years. I was taught to read it with reverence and not just say the words, BUT look for and understand it meaning. I find it says We are Saved By Grace by Faith, when saved we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, our body becomes the temple of God and we are Priest of the most High GOD. Old things are passed away we are new creatures Adopted into the family of God we are His Children Heirs of God Joint Heirs with Jesus Christ, IF THAT IS NOT VICTORY I MISSED SOMETHING SOMEWHERE.

I wrote this for my Mother at mothers day. She is in heaven now. I did and shared with Her every thing in the poem.

I traveled far in many lands.
Where temples of great worship stand.
In cities history remembers as great.
I prayed where pious pilgrims wait.
I prayed where great and lowly pray.
In temples, in countries, in lands, far away.

I traveled the historic Peloponnesian Way,
To Philippi, Thessalonica, and Athens to pray.
I stood in the steps of Paul, and preached
From Mars Hill, where Athens he beseeched.
I walked the shores of Galilee,
And took a boat accost the sea,
I walked the way the Cross Passed By,
Knelt to pray in His tome near by.

Yes, I have seen great temples of worship,
And the reverent souls praying there.
I have traveled many lands to pray
I sought the Master if just for a day.
I found closeness to Him accost the sea,
But I have never been closer to the Master
Than at my mothers knee.
 
That is a beautiful thought!

My Grand Pa would hold me and Read his Bible to me. I have the joy of being from a Christian Family. In our home the Bible was "The Word OF GOD" it was read daily and reverenced always. My Mother taught Bible 'Adult Ladies Bible Class' for 50 years. I was taught to read it with reverence and not just say the words, BUT look for and understand it meaning. I find it says We are Saved By Grace by Faith, when saved we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, our body becomes the temple of God and we are Priest of the most High GOD. Old things are passed away we are new creatures Adopted into the family of God we are His Children Heirs of God Joint Heirs with Jesus Christ, IF THAT IS NOT VICTORY I MISSED SOMETHING SOMEWHERE.

I wrote this for my Mother at mothers day. She is in heaven now. I did and shared with Her every thing in the poem.

I traveled far in many lands.
Where temples of great worship stand.
In cities history remembers as great.
I prayed where pious pilgrims wait.
I prayed where great and lowly pray.
In temples, in countries, in lands, far away.

I traveled the historic Peloponnesian Way,
To Philippi, Thessalonica, and Athens to pray.
I stood in the steps of Paul, and preached
From Mars Hill, where Athens he beseeched.
I walked the shores of Galilee,
And took a boat accost the sea,
I walked the way the Cross Passed By,
Knelt to pray in His tome near by.

Yes, I have seen great temples of worship,
And the reverent souls praying there.
I have traveled many lands to pray
I sought the Master if just for a day.
I found closeness to Him accost the sea,
But I have never been closer to the Master
Than at my mothers knee.

Thank you! That is awesome that you had such an upbringing. I was brought up in the church, and I learned much about God/Jesus there from many different people whose lives touched my life. I was wonderfully blessed with many godly men and women in my life from early on, whose lives and testimonies for Christ have impacted me greatly.
 
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