Seek my Face

While in quiet time this morning, God was posing some questions to me. "What would you say to Him?" and "What do you want from Him?" After a few moments he went silent, but then in a flurry of thoughts God put the hallmark vision of my life before me. This is the story. 

In an unprecedented change that has never before been seen between God and man, the LORD says to David,

"Seek my Face" (Psalm 27:8)

Let me unpack what this phrase means: "To seek the treasure above every treasure, to the exclusion of generational blessing and suffering we face on the earth"

Actually, I couldn't put it in that few words. What God is really doing here is unprecedented, he's presenting a challenge to David with a very real reward. In Hebrews 11:6 we read:

But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

note the last two words. "Seek Him" God is real right, so why wouldn't he reward us for the work that we do for Him. You could be reading right out of the dictionary for the rest of the phrase, what the writer of Hebrews is communicating here is this, don't just settle for a reward, SEEK HIM.

I have to be honest, I ought to have shared this with an unbeliever, FIRST, which I didn't, even though I had a divine unction to go and do this. I have repented of that.

I knew that it was important to share with others what you had received, but I never knew.

Another thing that is evident from this passage is this: the exclusion of everything else. What I mean by that is this, As important as it is to be drawing from the family lines of former generations (and especially from the cultivated olive root of Israel) it pales into nothing in light of God's holiness. The word holy is literally "set apart from sin" - that is pure, and "set apart from creation" - that is transcendant.

The second statement, "the suffering we face on the earth" plays an interesting part.

I'm not saying that you won't go through suffering for Seeking God's face. Actually, the issue is, anyone who knows God, who believes the truth, is going to draw suffering, but that's not your portion, your portion is JOY.

Even now he asks the question to me, "are you willing to suffer for me? first for your sins, next for your family, next for your fallen broken world who are hostile to hear such things"

I want to repeat this in light of the things already said. And it blows me away, is this. God is challenging and proposing us. This challenge and proposal goes above every such one you have ever heard and accepted on this earth in terms of blessing, glory, strength, and honor in the one you seek.

This only touches the surface. If he's holy, then he only communes with those who know Him, first alone that He cannot be with sin, and second because he's transcendantly above everything created.

O Lord, let this touch our heart!

I'm beginning to think that it is right that we would grip ourselves with endurance that comes through the Spirit of grace, to resist sin, and to resist suffering and persecution.

I do not believe that everyone has heard this call, or they would not be living the same way. David, in reply, says "I will seek your face" do you say the same things?

I Will Wait for You

Here is a song I came up with today.
It has inspiration from Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 55
I need to say something about the song before you go listen to it.

He has shared his whole heart with you through Jesus. He wants you to be whole-hearted to Him. Abandon yourself completely to himself. Don't look to the things he can do for you before running to Him, it may be too late (Isaiah 55:6)

here is the Rapidshare link

Lyrics

The roses hue is whiter

The birds song is clearer

The trees fall is sweeter

When you are nearer

The fields they are pleasing

The garden breathes in deeper

Awake my soul and start singing

He has come to me

Wash over me with your blood

let me into the fullness of what you made for me

I will wait for You

And in Your love there will be brighter sunshines

And in Your joy there will be sweeter sorrows

I've made up my mind

Turn my pain and loss into love without cost

that I may be found in You

Man has not seen what is His store

I am waiting on the other side

Take me by the hand and let me soar!

Rooting and grounding your life in the testimony of Jesus to withstand persecution

There is a scripture in 2 Timothy that I've been thinking about today. it is in the first chapter. I am using the New King James Version:

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,9 who has saved us and called [us] with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, [who] has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

This has been motivated by a desire to be a Son of God and to model my life based on the teachings of Jesus. There are many incredible traits to this glorious passage but I only want to look at one today. That is what I have already described.  I used to look at this passage and say, what I need to do is remember the way that Jesus called me, (from verse 9) but if you look at the make up of these verses it says first off "do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" what testimony is that? well I can tell you one thing, it is living and active, it comes from an active participation with the hearer. In other words, it is coming from a relationship.

The reason I reject the second clause as being the primary motivator, that is "according to the power of God" because it doesn't line up with my experience. Those who know God will be trusted with His power. The active power to live out the lifestyle of Jesus comes from a knowing of who He is first, which then empowers you to live for Him. If I was to expand on this passage there would be many things I could say.

A question I ought to say is: are you ready to withstand persecution today? are you ready, like David, to cut off Goliath's head because of His undermining the armies of God and blaspheming God's justice?