"Matter Over Mind"

I just finished our "Quiet Time". I say "our" instead of "my" because that is part of my problem, and maybe yours, too. When we speak of time set aside to be with God, we can still be self-focused. This isn't "my" quiet time if my purpose is to ease into God's presence and linger there awhile. To quote the famous theologian Jeff Spicolli, "If you're here and I'm here, doesn't that make it our time?" (FYI - No. He is not a real theologian, but a character in a movie. There. Disclaimer completed.)

Lately I have been trying to spend more time just being silent and truly entering God's presence as opposed to taking a deep breath, closing my eyes and launching into a monologue (monologue verses dialogue is another issue). Don't misunderstand. I sincerely focus on talking to God and not in vain repetition. My heart of thankfulness will not allow me to ask a thing without first offering a sincere prayer of thankfulness for His goodness. But I still find that I can sometimes come to him more like a son coming home for a visit from college. You know, barging in with my baggage (yes, full of "dirty laundry"), shouting, "Here I am!" and flopping on the couch to start rattling off the events of my life. Even if I offer a heart-felt peck on the cheek to mom and a quick fist-bump to dad, I didn't enter into the moment with the adoration and respect they deserve.

We can do the same when we enter into a time with our Heavenly Father, can't we? Wouldn't parents experience a sense of a child's love and adoration if they entered the room and just held one another for a few moments first? When we enter God's presence, we should take our time. We need to take in the awe of His presence and the wonder of being in the midst of His holiness and power. That is what my attention was drawn to this morning. 

When I make a deliberate effort to swipe away every thought, other than being in God's presence, I am just so aware of how difficult it can be to keep my mind from detaching from the moment. I don't mean sleepily nodding in and out, but being wide awake and still having to "pull" my thoughts back towards God. Our minds are like spastic, little Chihuahuas darting to and fro while the owner is tugging on the leash yelling, "Heel!"

This is more of an observation than anything else. These random, cameo appearances of thought are not always negative or even sinful, but they are not on God. When this happens, we need to tug on the leash and say, "Heel!" and re-focus our mind on God. 

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 

  be pleasing in your sight, 

       O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. - Ps. 19:14

Though we cannot always control what thoughts enter our mind, God has given us the ability to choose which ones we allow to linger and which thoughts we decide to nurture. To meditate on God, putting what matters over the mind,  takes some effort and discipline, but the conversation that follows is much sweeter when we enter the room and make the effort to stay in his arms awhile. 

Cross-Eyed

        "Quit crossing your eyes or they'll stay that way!" I remember being around 7 or so and my cousin, Bonnie, taught me how to cross my eyes. Sorry, Bonnie - cat's outta the bag. I know I am not the only one who was reminded time and again that if I continued to cross my eyes, they could remain that way.
         This week, I was searching for more songs to use for our Easter services and came across one called, "When I Face the Cross". It describes the wonderful things God supplies when we turn our thoughts from the worries and distractions of the world and focus on the price and power of the cross.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18

We must not just remember the cross of Christ and its power and purpose, we must abide in that revelation. For us to live the abundant life Christ spoke of in John 10:10,  we need to transform our relationship with God the Father from a sporadic, one-sided conversation to a supernatural, life-changing conversion. For each step we take closer to God, He takes one giant step towards us -

Come near to God and he will come near to you - James 4:8

 I know you have more than likely seen the image above. If you stare at it long enough without blinking (consistently) when you look somewhere else, you will still see the face of Christ. I am learning (many times the hard way) the more purposefully and consistently I walk with Christ, the greater my desire to so grows and the stronger my faith grows.

Lord, continue to teach me to be "cross-eyed" because I know the more I do it, the greater the chance that "they will stay that way."   

"The Power is Out"

This Sunday morning I am more thankful than usual for batteries in laptops. About five minutes ago the power went out here at the church because of a storm passing through. I immediately went into “plan B” mode in case it doesn’t come back on. I haven’t gotten much further than that. As I was texting Kim to tell her, the words “the power’s out at the church” just didn’t sound right for some reason. Uh-huh. I’m going to camp out on this term for a bit. :^)

          I try to place situations into a God perspective; desiring that He teach me something new or remind me of the great things He has already done. I don’t do this as much as I should, but this morning is one of those times. The power of God in the church is so much more essential than any power that man can create! Any powerful thing that takes place in church is a by-product of HIS power being manifested in our presence. This is why His actions are termed “SUPER-natural”. This Sunday morning, we will experience the supernatural power of God!

        On the flip side, man-made power is not reliable; it can go out. It can be manipulated by conditions as we are experiencing this morning; a storm. When we are in our homes and the lightening starts to light up the sky, the thunder makes you heart pound and the wind begins to pick up, we say, “I hope the power doesn’t go out.” Many times, sure enough, usually before you can remember where you put the candles from the last time, everything goes black. Man-made power is unreliable. 

But when we are in our walk through our lives and the lightening starts to flash on the horizon, the thunder’s roar causes our hearts to pound, and the winds begin to pick up, man-made power – our power – is futile as well. But here is God’s Emergency Broadcast Instruction:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – Jesus, John 16:33

    Let’s not forget that wonderful gift that we get from JEA each month. It, too can make your heart pound! Man-made power is not free.  But the power that is in us, God’s power, has been paid for in full! When we move into God’s neighborhood we get free utilities!

Water:

“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” – Jesus, John 4:13-14

Light:

“The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us.” – Psalm 118:27

And POWER:

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of HIS mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead...”Paul – Ephesians 1:18-20

So whether the “power” comes back on soon this morning or not; I know THE power is never going to go out.