Practicing Presence – The Essence of Worship - Purity 1325
Purity 1325 04/13/2024 Purity 1325 Podcast
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Good morning,
Today’s photo of a spectacular nighttime sky over
the silhouette of a mountain horizon comes to us from an unknown FB friend with
a really good camera, mad photography skills, or both, who shared this scene on
social media on or around April 23rd, 2021.
If this beauty is yours and you would like the photo credit you deserve,
let me know and I will update the blog after the fact.
Well, It’s Saturday and I share today’s photo
because of the awe it inspires and how it points to the Lord. Our created
universe points to a Creator and when you take a moment to look beyond yourself
it is natural to come to a conclusion that there is a God and He is good.
Yesterday, I drove up to my countryside home because
in spite of the rain I encountered on the way, I knew that the trip would be
worthwhile because of the company I would find there, that of my beloved wife,
TammyLyn. Regardless of the weather, I find peace and joy in the presence of
the woman I love, and it is only natural to express my affection for her when
we are together. When I am with her I express my appreciation for her with
compliments, acts of service, and physical touch. My love for her causes me to do these things
naturally and doesn’t much matter what we have planned for our time together, I
find peace and joy just being with her.
Similarly, I can find peace and joy when I go out
into nature and take a hike and start to appreciate that the beauty of what I
found there was provided for us through God’s handiwork.
After dinner last night, the rain stopped and in
despite the flooding from the downpour that created rushing streams of water
running over the countryside, my canine friend, Harley, and I took our walk
down “Freedom Road” and as we made our return trek from the clearing at the end
of that old wheel rutted dirt and gravel pathway, I stood in awe over the
beauty of the overall scene of the surrounding farmlands and how the sky was
filled with clouds in motion and how the last lights of day was breaking
through them all as they dispersed themselves on the horizon. As I slowly walked back I marveled over beauty
of the scene before me but before I reached the roads end, I started thanking
God for the wonder of the world He created, my life, and all that I have been
blessed with as I have walked through my life’s journey up to that point. My
sense of peace, joy, and gratitude over that present moment was deep and I just
had to how I reached out to God to know I appreciated it and Him.
When we get out of our heads and just notice what’s
going on around us – the wonder of God’s creation and the miracles of our
everyday lives, it is only natural to worship the Lord.
These experiences all happened yesterday but I
encounter similar moments of peace and joy quite often because I “practice presence”
with the Lord. I live in the context of my Christian faith by literally “walking
and talking with God” – what I think of as the essence of a discipled or
surrendered Christian life – but it also could be considered as the “essence of
worship” which is only natural when we contemplate or spend time with God.
Neil Anderson shares similar thoughts from his latest
blog this week and I felt to share the good doctor’s thoughts here to emphasize
just how natural it should be to worship God.
Neil Anderson writes:
“The Essence of Worship
When I taught at Talbot School of Theology there was a student on campus who was seven feet six inches tall. I felt sorry for him, because people would stare, i.e. until he looked back. They probably didn’t want to, but they could hardly keep themselves from doing so. I found myself sneaking glances at him. Most strangers said nothing to him other than an occasional, “How is the weather up there?” Everyone thought, “That man is really tall!” That is the natural response to attributes that are unusual or outstanding, which is the essence of worship.
Worship
is ascribing to God His divine attributes. God doesn’t need us to tell Him who
He is. He is completely secure within His own Godhead. Nor do we worship God to
appease Him. Some believe that if they keep telling God how good He is, He
won’t deal harshly with them, or will grant them favors. That is spiritism, and
that is not why we worship. We worship God, because we need to keep fresh in
our minds the divine attributes of God. You will never be alone if you know
that God is omnipresent. You will never feel powerless if you know that God is
omnipotent. You will never feel unloved if you know that God is love.
Suppose
you saw the student mentioned above, but he was a mile away. He would appear to
be similar to any other mortal, and seeing him from a distance would solicit
very little response. If you were standing next to him, you would be in awe.
Your natural inclination would be to say or think, “Man, you are really tall!”
The dominant thought in your mind would be on that singular attribute.
Such
is our relationship with God. If you are not practicing His presence, He would
seem to be a distant figure, and not too large. He would be easy to ignore. But
if you were ushered into His presence you would be overwhelmed by His
attributes. If that happened you wouldn’t say, “Praise You.” You would say,
“Holy, beautiful, wonderful, powerful, etc.” Nobody would have to tell you to
do that. Angels are not forced to worship God. In God’s presence they naturally
proclaim His divine attributes.
When
I first saw a giant redwood tree in the Sequoia National Park, I stood at its
base and was overwhelmed by how big it was. I wanted to tell everyone, “Look at
the size of that tree. It would take more than twenty men to put their arms
around it!” I don’t worship trees or people. I am naturally in awe of nature,
but it is just showing forth the glory of God (Ps. 19:1). I worship God who
created trees, sunsets, and rainbows.
The
closer I draw to my Creator, Redeemer, Savior, and Lord, the more natural it is
to worship Him, and share Him with others. Should I feel disconnected from Him,
I recall to my mind His divine attributes and “therefore I have hope” (See Lam.
3:21-24). (https://blog.ficm.org/blog/the-essence-of-worship)”
That was from Neil Anderson, and I hope it
encourages all my friends to take some time this weekend to draw close to God
and to worship Him. When we recall to mind His divine attributes and realize He
is with us, we can connect with Him and enjoy His peace, His joy, and His hope.
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For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick
Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late
author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This
morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Death and Eternal Life
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)
13 But we do not want you to
be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as
others do who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him
those who have fallen asleep.
15 For this we declare to you
by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming
of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself
will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise
first.
17 Then we who are alive, who
are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord
in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore encourage one
another with these words.
Today’s
verses fall under the sixth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s
section on Death
and Eternal Life.
7. Believers who have died are absent from the body, but at home
with the Lord.
Today’s
verses command us to encourage one another with the fact that Jesus will return
one day, causing those who place their faith in Him to rise from the dead and
to meet Him in the air before He reclaims the earth to rule and reign with us
for 1,000 years. Death is not the end. And
for the Christians who have left this mortal coil, their “eternal rest” in
heaven will be interrupted as they follow Jesus into resurrected life. They may be absent from their bodies currently,
but they are present with the Lord and will come with Him at His glorious
return. And whether we pass before Jesus
comes back or not, that’s good news.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A
Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.
MORNING READING: JOHN 17
“These are in the world … They are not of the world
…
I also have sent them into the world… . That the world
may believe that You sent me.” – John 17:11, 16, 18, 21
“These are
in the world” (v. 11). This is the believer's presence in the world. It is the
sphere into which every man is born. It is the place in which he has to live.
If he is to be kept from evil, he must seek the necessary power through the
name of God.
“They are
not of the world” (v. 16). This is the believer's position in the world. He is
not of it, so must live entirely independently of it.
“I also
have sent them into the world” (v. 18). This is the believer's purpose in the
world. As Christ was sent with and for a purpose, even so is the believer sent,
“That the world may believe …” (v. 21).
I do pray for power and grace to live in relation
to the
world as You have taught me here in Your Word. Amen.[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional
Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
