Abide

Billions of people around the globe spend time in church worshipping God, but unfortunately not all of them are really trying to reach him. How do we know who really loves God just for who he is? Truthfully, only he can search our hearts, so I guess that's his business.

We can revisit the word of God and see where God honored the ones who stayed in his presence. David was a man after God’s heart. It can be assumed that the love was real since most of what he accomplished in his life was for the glory and honor of the father and not he himself. Mary the sister of Martha, had an alabaster box filled with expensive oil. When she found herself in the presence of the son of God she used it to prepare Jesus for his burial which was set to happen a couple days later (Mark 14:8).

In the same meeting, the ones who considered themselves holier than Mary would not even offer Jesus water to wash his feet after his journey to the city. Jesus, God’s son, spent a considerable amount of time in the presence of his father. His love for us led him straight to the cross at the appointed time. Because of his mercy and grace he allowed himself to be a sacrifice, choosing to lay down his life so that we could have access to the father.

The one day of the week that believers set aside time to spend together in the presence of the father should never be taken for granted. The one place where men and women from different educational, racial and social backgrounds get to come together and bow their heads in solidarity to worship the King should be hard to say no to.

Our desire to spend time with the father is a function of our love for him. The more we learn about him, the more we want to get to know him. Spending quality time with God while in the company of like minded believers can be a very rewarding experience. It is written in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

In order to abide in God’s presence we must learn how to put first things first. Jesus says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33). If we do this we will not have to worry about what we will eat, drink, or wear (Matt 6:31). In John 15:7 Jesus goes on to say

“If ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

God saw the intent of David’s heart and honored him by choosing to use his bloodline to bring Jesus, his only begotten son, into the Earth. Because Mary the sinner, gave all she had to Jesus, he forgave her publicly of her sins and established that selfless moment as one which would be discussed for ages to come. And lastly, because of Jesus’ compassion and God’s love for us, he chose to make the ultimate sacrifice and let his son be nailed to a cross so we all could have a chance to abide with him in heaven.

1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Put first things first and abide in him.

-The Reader's Choice

Tina P