Practicing His Presence

Thursday, March 6, 2014

 

Contents: What’s in here today?

1.  Greeting (salutation)

2.  Victoria (the latest on my little grand-daughter)

3.  Yesterday & Today (A few meanderings about my life)

4.  Thoughts Worth Pondering (quote of the day)

5.  The Bread of Life (today’s Bible study)

6.  Confession of Faith (today’s positive confession)

7.  Tickling the Funny Bone (jokes)

8.  Closing

GREETINGS

Hello all!  Hope all of you have been blessed and happy since we last visited.

VICTORIA

As you may know I am quite enamored with my little munchkin.   I have nicknames for her.  Often I’ll call her “Sang” as in; “My pretty wittle sang.”  You know how grandparents can be.  😉

YESTERDAY & TODAY

I have been looking on the net at recording equipment and making a list of the things I am believing God for.  What would be the point of writing what I believe to be terrific songs and not record them and make them available to the public.  Since I am a DIY kind of guy I want the equipment to record them myself rather than go to a studio like I did with my “Goin’ Goin’ Gone!” recording.  You make the recordings and contract the duplication out.  Some of the software costs more than the equipment!  Yet I am believing God to supply and I can hardly wait to get started.   You mark my words, God will get it to me.

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As most of you know I have been working on a novel called Balmora.  It is coming along.    I go back and read over it looking for necessary corrections and enjoy what I have written so very much.  It’s a long process though, much more than I thought it would be.  I’ve been working on it about a year now.  It took Margret Mitchell ten years to write Gone With the Wind so to still be working on it after a year is not bad.

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Boy is it raining outside.  Supposed to rain all day.  Gotta go to town after lunch and I don’t look forward to getting out in that rain.

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You folks living around Savannah getting ready for St Patrick’s Day?  I would like to go to the parade this year but probably won’t make it.  I’ve been in the past and of course you know I love Savannah.  I have three places on this earth that I never get tired of seeing and they are, Savannah, the Northeast Georgia mountains and the area where I grew up and that’s Effingham County.  If I had my way I would be living in NE Georgia now and if not there it would be closer to Savannah.  I greatly enjoy the mountains.  I’ve never been higher than Tenn and NC.

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One of my absolute favorite stores is a little tourist stop called Tallulah Point.  I never go without stopping there whenever I am in or near Clarkesville, GA.  This little store is right on top of Tallulah Gorge and has all types of unusual snacks and drinks and old fashioned things that I thought were no longer being made.  If you’re ever in that area check it out.

THOUGHT’S WORTH PONDERING

“I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it.”

—Edith Sitwell

THE  BREAD OF LIFE

 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” – Matthew 28:20 (KJV)

Here Jesus was instructing his disciples and urging them to go and make more disciples by “teaching them to observe all things…commanded.”  Commanded by whom?   By God.  Jesus  spent three and one half years on the earth teaching his followers by word, deed, and example.   He never did anything of himself or on his own.  Jesus ONLY did what he saw his Father do and he ONLY said what he heard his Father say.  (John 5:19 & John 12:50)  He then turned this task over to the disciples, now promoted to Apostles, and instructed them to follow His lead.

How we missed this all these years I do not know.  I have read that verse many many times and failed to pick up on the fact that he only did and said what God the Father did or said. This same thing still holds true for us today.  We are to follow His lead and demonstrate the truths of God’s Word to the Church and to the world by learning to mold our words, our deeds, and our example to the world after Jesus’ example and only do what God does and only say what He says.   This can only come about by spending time in the Word and in prayer.

We believers sing songs like “I Surrender all” and “Oh for a Thousand Tongues” when in reality we hold back so much of ourselves for ourselves and we misuse the one tongue we have.  I am guilty and you are too.  No man is an island unto himself.  Your life touches literally thousands of people throughout your lifetime.  People are watching you and listening to you whether it appears so to you or not.  We should learn to commit more and more of our lives to Him.  Time is quickly drawing to a close.   Don’t throw your testimony away by retaliating or trying to avenge yourself when someone talks about you or mistreats you because you are a Christian.  Instead lift those holy hands and praise God you were counted worthy to suffer persecution for His name. (Acts 5:41)

He is also reminding us again, telling us He is with us 24/7.  He never leaves us.  We are never alone.    He is always with me.  He always loves me.  He is always ready to help me and comfort me and when I’m feeling weak I can turn to Him and He always gives me strength.

What we need to learn to do is “practice His presence” on a daily basis.  Not just once but throughout the day.  Purposely turn your thoughts toward Him.  Ask him what He thins about things.  Even the little things.  Purposely push yourself into Thinking of Him and worshipping Him.  You will find as you do this, He will become more real to you.

I will be difficult for a while but it will get easier and easier as you go on.  I am learning to practice His presence.  I am learning to spend my day with Him no matter what else I am doing.  I have discovered this; if it is important to me it is important to Him.  He wants to be my best friend.  He wants to “pal around” with us.  He wants to share your life and not just be someone on whom you call when you are in trouble or sick. Learn to cast your cares on the Lord  but even more importantly learn to practice his presence all throughout the day.

I believe it is possible to get so close to God that He is more real to you than your closest friend or family member.  That is my goal to have Him so close to me and me to Him that I am more aware of Him than I am anyone or anything else because He is with me “always, even to the end of the world”

CONFESSION OF FAITH

Lord, I set myself to start right now to practice Your presence.  I know you are with me.  I set my affection and love on you.  Thank you for helping me and reminding me of yourself and your love for me throughout the day.  I will purposely turn my thoughts toward you.  I love you and I believe the love you have for me.

TICKLING THE FUNNY BONE

  

A mother went to wake her son for church one Sunday morning. When she knocked on his door, he said, “I’m not going!”

“Why not?” asked his mother.

“I’ll give you two good reasons,” he said. “One, they don’t like me. Two, I don’t like them.”

His mother replied, “I’ll give you two good reasons why YOU WILL go to church. One, you’re 47 years old. Two, you’re the pastor!”

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A poster read: “God is dead” – Nietzche.

The graffiti underneath read: “Nietzche is dead” – God.

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A man dies and meets St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. Peter says to the man, “Here’s how it works. You need to have one hundred points to get into heaven. You tell me about all the good things you’ve done. They are all worth a certain number of points. If your total is one hundred or more, you can come in.”

“Well,” says the man. “I was happily married to the same woman for 52 years. I never looked at another woman. I was attentive and loved her dearly.”

“That’s great,” says St. Peter. “That’ll be two points.”

“Hmmm,” says the man. “This is going to be harder than I thought. Well, I attended church regularly, volunteered my time and tithed faithfully.”

“Wonderful,” says St. Peter, “That’s worth another point.”

“One point!” says the man. “Okay, okay. I was involved with a prison ministry for twenty-five years. I went into the prison, at least monthly, and shared Jesus with them.”

“Wow!” says St. Peter. “That’s another two points!”

“Only two points!” says the man. “At this rate, it’ll be only by the grace of God that’ll I’ll ever get into this place.”

“Bingo!” says St. Peter. “That’s one hundred points! Come on in.”

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Stay positive!    Jesus is coming soon!

Love to all,

Rev. Hyers

YFAFS