Love is Present..Craig Denison Ministries

 Love is Present

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

James 2:26 tells us, “Faith apart from works is dead.” If we are going to experience the fullness of life offered to us through our faith we must be those who put our words into action. We must not profess to love God on Sundays and live as if he isn’t present, real, or good on Monday. May your faith come alive this week as you seek to be a doer of the word.

Scripture:“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7

Devotional:

One of the most comforting aspects of God’s character is that he is present. Jesus made clear God’s desire to be present when he left his throne and took on humanity. God has never desired distance with his children. He fights to have close relationship with us every day. This week we’re looking at how we can not only receive God’s word, but experience more of God through being doers of his word. So, today let’s explore how we can follow the example of Jesus and be present for those around us.

Being present in people’s lives always requires sacrifice. It requires stepping outside of what will solely benefit you in order to live for the benefit of others. Philippians 2:3 teaches us,“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Jesus counted you and me as more significant than his own life. He died so that we might live, and he calls us to do the same. Luke 9:23 says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” John 12:24 makes it clear that in order to bear fruit in this life we must die to ourselves: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Choose today to be a doer of the word, and die to yourself that you might better love others.

You see, before people need your advice they need your presence. Before our need to be fixed we simply need to know we are loved and cared for. It’s in the giving and receiving of love that healing takes place. Being present creates space for them to thrive, heal and be transformed.

Who in your life needs you to be present for them today? In what ways has God been present in your own life? In what ways has he demonstrated his nearness to you? And in what ways could you be his reflection today? I promise you there is someone around you that just needs you to be present in their life. There is someone who simply needs to know that somebody would love them enough to think about them—to be near to them. Take time today to let someone know you are there for them. Listen, love, and watch as God works through you simply being present in the lives of others.

Guided Prayer:

1. Take a moment to reflect on God’s nearness to you. Receive his presence. Encounter his closeness.

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”Psalm 139:7-12

2. Now ask the Spirit to show you someone who needs you to be present for them today. Spend some time thinking about and praying for that person.

3. Ask God how he would have you be present in their life. How can you be a reflection of God’s love to them today?

Have the courage to humble yourself before people around you. Count them as more significant than yourself. You being present isn’t about what they can give you in return or even how they appear to receive your love. Love selflessly today the way Jesus did, and experience the joy and peace that comes from serving rather than seeking to be served.

Extended Reading: Philippians 2

How to Prepare for Heaven..Lynette Kittle

 How to Prepare for Heaven (1 Timothy 6:19)

By Lynette Kittle

In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life—1 Timothy 6:19

Later in her life, my Mom began asking us what items of hers we would like to have when she went to be with Jesus. Of course, this wasn’t something we wanted to discuss or even think about at the time, so we tried to dodge her questions and change the subject.

But she was excited and looking forward to being with Jesus. Just as many plan for their future on earth, Mom was preparing for her future in Heaven by distributing her earthly possessions.

Because Jesus tells us He is preparing a place for us (John 14:3), there wasn’t anything wrong with her looking ahead and preparing in practical ways for her new life with Him. She was looking up, as the song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" encourages:

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light o His glory and grace.”

If we think about it, life on earth really is all about preparing for our future. It’s about accepting God’s gift of Salvation, recruiting others to go with us, and storing up treasures in Heaven.

It’s true what Matthews 6:21 explains, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Even the happiest place on earth doesn't compare to the ultimate place of peace, joy, love, and more waiting for all of us who receive God’s gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ.

How to Prepare for Heaven While on Earth:

Because Heaven is our future destination, how can we prepare on earth for living there?

1. Receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. As John 3:16 explains, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

What could be more wonderful than to receive eternal life and live with Jesus?

2. Leave fear behind. Hebrews 2:9, explains how Jesus suffered death so that He might taste death for everyone. Because He died for our sins, we don’t have to fear death.

As 1 Corinthians 15:54 describes, “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ’Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”

3. Recruit as many people as possible to go there, too. We truly can’t take any earthly possessions with us when we leave but we certainly can recruit loved ones and others to come with us.

Jesus encourages us to preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15), and when we do tell, others will receive eternal life with Him and never perish (John 10:28).

4. Store up treasures in heaven rather than earth.  Isaiah 51:6, describes how the earth is set to wear out like a garment. So rather than spending our time, energy, and resources storing up earthly treasures, Jesus urges,  “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20).

Unlike things we collect in the world, God’s treasures are made to last an eternity. 1 Timothy 6:18 encourages us to store up this kind of treasure by doing good, being rich in good deeds, and being generous and willing to share.

As 1 Timothy 6:19, assures, “In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Whereas treasures in this life are temporary, treasures in Heaven build a strong foundation for our lives to come.

Trusting God with Your FutureAlexis A. Goring

 Trusting God with Your Future

By Alexis A. Goring

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 NLT

A few years ago, while struggling to gain and maintain gainful employment, I called one of my writer friends. We’ll call her Becca. Here’s a snapshot of our conversation that day:

Alexis: I just want stability in my life!

Becca: You have stability because you have Jesus Christ.

Becca further explained that even if I had a traditional position in a thriving career with sufficient and steady income, I could still be fired or laid off from that employment.

Her words made me think because she was right. Even if I had landed a dream job that appeared secure, that security could be threatened at any moment by termination or budget cuts that resulted in layoffs. And these days, it seems that everyone in almost every industry is concerned about losing their careers to AI. 

Apparently, I’m not the only one concerned about the future. In the midst of all of this uncertainty, a quote by Corrie ten Boom resurfaced in my mind. She said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Her famous words resonate deeply with me because my future has long felt very unknown, and my career path has not been steady nor stable. God has blessed me along the way and enriched my life through the different detours. He lovingly provided a variety of professional work experiences. But honestly, sometimes it feels like I’m chasing the wind. I’ve tried re-tooling a few times in different careers, but that didn’t work out. I told a friend recently that I don’t know what else I’m remotely good at that I could do for a living. 

But I was encouraged when I remembered my conversation with Becca. While I’ve been begging God for stability in my life, He’s been saying that He is with me, and He is all the stability I need. This challenges me to learn how to trust my unknown future to a known God. He is good and the Bible says God never changes. According to Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Why is it so important to know and believe that we serve a God who never changes? Because we live in a world that’s never the same! Nothing is truly certain no matter what career we choose. Even if we don’t have a job, nothing is completely certain because the Bible also says tomorrow is not promised (Proverbs 27:1). Therefore, we are to live day by day and not worry about the future. I’ve learned how key it is to focus on the present and ask God for His provision at the start of every new day. He always provides exactly what we need to make it through every 24 hours. 

I’m also learning what it means to seek God with all of my heart and to rest in Jesus as my stability. The Lord is teaching me to not put too much emphasis on a steady paycheck that is here today but could be gone tomorrow. The beautiful lesson is that God will always provide for His children. He is a Good Father. And what do we know about Him? His love never fails! He gives good gifts! He will always provide our every need right on time. 

The Bible also says in Matthew 6:25-34 that God takes care of the sparrows and that we are worth more than little birds. Clearly, He will always take good care of us. Earlier today, I saw a  reminder of God’s provision as I drove by a lake. A flock of mallards grazed on the grass in perfect contentment. Later that day, I noticed more than two dozen small birds congregating on our lawn. They walked about, minding their business and trusting God to provide their food as they faithfully pecked the dirt beneath the grass. They appeared not to have a care in the world because their Creator always meets their every need. Again, are we humans not worth more than sparrows? I speak to me, too, when I say we can trust God.

There’s a song by Audrey Assad about how God provides for us. The song is called “Sparrow.”

I hope that this message has encouraged your heart. May you and I always remember that we have stability in Jesus Christ, and we can always trust our unknown details to the God we know will always be there for us. 

Intersecting Faith and Life

How have you learned to trust God in your struggles? What does trusting a known God with your unknown future mean to you?

Further Reading:

Psalm 136
James 1:17
Philippians 4:19
Luke 12:4-7

A Prayer for When You Feel Forgotten..Jessica Van Roekel

A Prayer for When You Feel Forgotten
By Jessica Van Roekel

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” (Isaiah 49:15-16 ESV)

We had a fierce winter storm blow through that filled our country roads with drifts as high as a car door. The snow fell in big flakes, but the wind tossed it around and piled it into hard chunks. My rural area is divided into one-mile squares with roads running east and west and north and south every mile. I took the westerly route that I knew was open to the hard surface roads, but I was curious about the north/south road. So, instead of turning back into my driveway, I drove right on past it and turned south.

This decision proved to be regrettable. I made it to the half-mile mark, bouncing through a few drifts, and thought that wasn’t so bad, but as I came to a small rise in the road, I gulped. I couldn’t slow down because if I did, I would be trapped with no way to walk home because I wasn’t dressed for it. I had to press on. I accelerated and prayed I would make it through the next half mile, which was one continuous drift.

The car bounced to the left and then to the right, sliding closer to the ditch. I fishtailed my way to the stop sign, relieved I made it. But I still needed to make it home. I couldn’t go back the way I had come, so it was around two sections and a semi-manageable drift before I powered my way up my driveway. Car covered in snow, brakes filled with ice, I slid to a stop in my garage. I sighed with thanksgiving, aware of the gift it was that I made it home. 

Have you ever felt trapped, with no way forward and no way to go backward? Maybe it was a choice you made, like my not-so-smart choice to challenge the wind and snow. Or maybe it was thrust on you by unwanted circumstances. Either way, your feet are on an unwanted path, and there’s no way that you can undo it.

In this chapter of Isaiah, the Israelites believed Lord had forsaken them. They believed their troubles were a sign that God had forgotten them. There are times when our troubles whisper to us that we, too, are forgotten. It appears other people don’t have the same struggles as we do, and we feel it's unfair. We wrongly believe we got the short end of the stick, and we stand accusing God that he forgot us. We have been lost, and so we lose faith in God.

Yet God assured the Israelites that he was with them. That he saw them and that they were important to him. In these words, he reminds us that his love is greater than a mother toward her child. He doesn’t forget us in our times of despair and grief. He makes certain that he looks out for us. His compassion compels him to act on our behalf, whether he relieves our circumstances or brings relief to our anxious hearts.

The evidence of his love for us can be found in the scars on Jesus’ hands. We are engraved on God’s palm. He cannot forget us. Those scars serve as a reminder to us of his sacrificial love that he showed to us and of his unending desire to do what is best for us.

Do you feel as though you have been left far, far behind? It seems like other people have moved on, and you’re left to flounder forward, lonely and feeling lost. Remember that God sees you. When you feel invisible, remember that his heart is tender toward you. He walks with you, guiding you, bringing you comfort and rest.

Let’s pray:

Holy God,
I feel so invisible right now. I feel lost and alone. Everyone else has moved on, and I am stuck in this wretched cycle of the same struggles. But you see me, you know me, and you have engraved me in the palm of your hand. Let me find my comfort and rest in you. You are my everything, and I praise you. I know that because of you, I can make it through. I know that even though I feel forgotten, I am not because you are with me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen