Presence is more than a reference to time & place. It’s personal. It’s about heart, mind, soul and strength. For Jesus the Power Verse of the entire Bible was “Love the Lord your God with all your Heart, with all your Soul, with all your Mind and with all your Strength.” Deut. 6:4
Having your body present at important times and places is what we all must do in life. But – too often, I think – - we may show up somewhere but not really be there. We’re there. But we’re somewhere else … in our minds, our hearts. We drift in and out of presence.
What’s important from a spirit-level, is that we learn to become more fully present. “Mindfulness” is a concept that speaks to this spiritual discipline of presence. To be mindful is to become aware, by intentional & purposeful effort, of our current thoughts, feelings, surroundings, as well as our activity. It brings focus to our actions. It brings peace to our souls. (It may also lower blood pressure and relieve stress. Yes, practicing Christian principles has physical health benefits! But that’s nothing compared to the eternal benefits!!)
That’s a start for ministering *to* yourself… Now think about a ministry of presence *through* yourself. You can embody the presence and the peace of Christ to others. Being centered on God and present with God can empower you to have a ministry of presence anywhere, anytime.
When you are really present, truly mindful of self and others, people will be more able to see Christ in you.
Brother Lawrence was a Christian who lived about 400 years ago, yet his story is still valuable today [see his book, “The Practice of the Presence of God”]. Brother Lawrence saw no difference between his quiet time in prayer and his chores or his long hours of daily work as a humble cook. At all times he was just as happy, sensing the very presence of God.
Dates, phone numbers, passwords, combinations, prices…not to mention financial accounts. Numbers are everywhere. Our days are enumerated. What can you do without numbers these days?
Baseball has more stats than I can keep up with. I usually don’t pay much attention to Major League until October, but this time of year I like to see who’s going to the World Series. But ya can’t watch a game without an avalanche of analysis by the numbers.
Our culture is calculating. It keeps score of everything. We track stats on employment, income,
Recently I learned that the average American family has 2.3 children. Who’s my “.3” child – my dog? Ok, that’s enough.
The world tries to tell us that our worth is determined by a number. Names are different: names don’t say “how much?” but “how well,” not “what,” but “who.”
I’d rather live by names. Your name is the most significant sound you can hear. But there is an even higher name. Jesus. The Power of the Name puts numbers, stats and even facts in their proper place. Subservient to the higher power and purpose of the Name. Numbers’ values must be determined by laws of mathematics. The Name has intrinsic value , eternal value – infinite value. But even more, the Name determines identity, that of God and that of humanity.
In John 1 (you know I had to throw a number in here), we learn that “in the beginning was the word…” The Biblical greek says logos – which means “the divine expression,” or “universal principle”, or intelligent, guiding-principle of the universe.
Physics teaches us of the elegance of the universe and it’s mathematical brilliance. The numbers, the quantifications and the equations…. are universal.
In John 1 God names this intelligent universal principle: Jesus. “The Word (logos) became flesh and dwelled among us.” (John 1:14). The universal became local, specific, personal – human. The elegant “number” took on a name.
How personal is that? God – the Creator of the universe – chose a specific time, place and person to show us the way that leads to life. The Name of Jesus is, indeed, the Name above all names (and numbers).
As I write this, I notice that David Ortiz, of the Boston Red Sox, is batting only .200 for this post-season. And by the way, Jesus is the only one of us to ever bat 1.000.
Geology has often interested me. I was walking back to our car the other day when my 5th grader pointed out a large stone in the landscape-island of the mall parking lot. “That’s an igneous stone, Dad.” “A what?” It just looked like an ordinary rock. But when you stop to look – there are no ‘ordinary” stones. Each of them is unique. Each has character.
When you first come to the Shenandoah Valley area you notice how many stones there are sticking out of the ground around here. Learning some of the types of rock (e.g., igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary), makes me think of the great length of time, the great variety and complexity with which God works the wonders of creation.
“Oh, who cares. A rock is just a rock.” Read more…
I have this cup, a stainless-steel & black travel mug. I’ve had it for about ten years. It goes with me everywhere. Most of the time it’s filled with ice-water (sometimes coffee). I think I get dehydrated quicker than most people. But really, I just love water.
A lot of us carry water bottles around. It doesn’t have to be hot. It doesn’t mean that we’ve been exercising. We’re thinking of our health. We’re mindful of our physical needs.
What about our souls? Do we notice our spiritual dehydration?
“Whoever drinks of this [physical] water will thirst again,” Jesus said in John 4. “But those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”
Here is our oasis in the midst of the desert of life. In the middle of a world that is drying up, for lack of spiritual depth, Jesus is the Living Water.
Just think of this image in light of the news of the day. For many people who are losing jobs, falling behind financially, worried about the future: Hope is drying up.
Jesus is the Living Water. For those who will drink, we have a well, a fountain, a spring – that never runs dry.
So, we – who share this living water – can be hope for others.
GOD’s people “are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.” (Psalm 1:3)