The Presence of God

This month we celebrate the birth and life of Jesus - our Emmanuel! His very name reminds us that He came so that God could be with us - live in us and through us. He came so that we could enjoy His presence forever.

The greatest joy in all the earth is in the presence of God—this is the primary path we need to take in life

Ps. 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Ps. 21:6 For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.

Acts 2:28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

Of all the wonders and delights in heaven and earth, there is no joy to be compared with the joy we can know in the presence of God. Imagine the utter joy that sports teams experience when they win an important game; or the pleasure at the birth of a child; the excitement one must feel at winning the lottery; the delight of seeing a sunset or hearing a wonderful piece of music—yet none of these can measure up to the utter joy of His presence! No other emotion or experience known to man can even come close to what God has planned for those who know His presence.

1Pet. 1:8 …Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory…

Such inexpressible joy is full of God’s glory! Our pursuit of the presence of God is also a pursuit of His glory. One path to the glory of God is through the magnificent joy of His presence.

Don't go to your churches tomorrow to GET the presence of God

go CARRYING the presence of God -

Don't go simply to GET a blessing -

go with a heart to BE a blessing.

The gods we worship
write their names on our faces,

be sure of that.

That which dominates
will determine man's life and character.

Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship,

for what we worship we are becoming.

Ralph Waldo-Emerson

3 Things - Come To Bethlehem

In the Bible, we can find three occasions where a significant journey was made to Bethlehem. Two of these journeys occurred because there was death. The third journey, of course, is memorialized because of the birth of our Savior.

In the chart below, you can see the states of heart that brought each one to the city, and in the next column you can see that over time, the central figure of the Bethlehem story was first a man - Boaz; then a Boy - David; and finally a baby - Jesus.

In the final column, I am suggesting how we can bring our hearts to the Lord as a fresh offering of myrrh, frankincense and gold. This is what Christmas is all about - receive the Savior - He is our Emmanuel - the One who is with us through all things; and offer more of yourself to Him in this Christmas season:

Come To Bethlehem

Matt. 2:11

And when they were come into the house,
they saw the young child

with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:

and when they had opened their treasures, 
they presented unto him gifts;

gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Three Trips To Bethlehem How Far They Travelled	Why They Came	How They Came	Who They Found	Bring to Him
Ruth & Naomi Ruth 1:22 (About 30 miles)	They came because of the death of their husbands	Empty, bitter & broken because of the past	A Man A Redeemer Boaz	Myrrh – lay all your bitterness, losses, Disappointments and frustrations before Him
Samuel 1Samuel. 16 (About 10 miles from Ramah)	He came because there was going to be a death (Saul's)	Fearful because of the future	A Boy A King David	Frankincense – Lift up all your hopes and dreams for this coming year. He is your priest who is interceding on your behalf (Rom. 8:27; 34; Heb. 7:25)
Mary/Joseph/ Magi/Shepherds Luke 2:2-6 (Mary/Joseph - 80 miles over 5-7days; The Magi - approx. 1000 miles over a couple of months)	They came because there was going to be a birth	Obedient because of God’s promised Emmanuel (God is with us in our past present and future) The Shepherds came with haste: Lu. 2:16	A Baby A Savior Jesus - Emmanuel	Gold – Give Him your heart. Jesus gave us His all. Take time on this Bethlehem journey to give all of yourself to Him.

More on Bethlehem: Here

...and a series on Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh: Here