It was a dream this morning thru which God was speaking to my spirit. I had met a young man who was struggling in his relationship with God. I asked him if he had even had a "sample" of God. As I thought about such an idea, I began to realize that many have not had a "taste" or a "sample" of God in His real presence with us.
We have had lots of religious ideas and practices fill our mind and life, but how much have we experienced of the rich fellowship and communion He offers us.
We have had lots of religious ideas and practices fill our mind and life, but how much have we experienced of the rich fellowship and communion He offers us.
In Psalm 34:8, the psalmist writes, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
When someone offers you a taste of a dish they have prepared, you taste it and you might say "Umm...this is good." Then you would request a complete helping to enjoy. I wonder if we have tasted the Lord and found that He is good and then wanted to receive more of Him.
As I thought about this, I began to think of how we have filled our lives with so much earthly "stuff" that we have left no space for just enjoying fellowship with the Lord. We work...we play...we fill our lives with things to entertain us, all of which pertains to things of this world...things which are soon passing away.
And yet the Eternal Christ, the Creator of all things, our Saviour and Lord has offered to be with us continually, to even live in us and to reveal more of Himself to us.
Several scriptures to meditate on:
As I thought about this, I began to think of how we have filled our lives with so much earthly "stuff" that we have left no space for just enjoying fellowship with the Lord. We work...we play...we fill our lives with things to entertain us, all of which pertains to things of this world...things which are soon passing away.
And yet the Eternal Christ, the Creator of all things, our Saviour and Lord has offered to be with us continually, to even live in us and to reveal more of Himself to us.
Several scriptures to meditate on:
1 Chronicles 16:11Amplified Bible (AMP)
11 Seek the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually!
Revelation 3:20Amplified Bible (AMP)
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.
Exodus 33:
7 Now Moses used to take [his own] tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting [of God with His own people]. And everyone who sought the Lord went out to [that temporary] tent of meeting which was outside the camp.
8 When Moses went out to the tent of meeting, all the people rose and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses until he had gone into the tent.
9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and the Lord would talk with Moses.
10 And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the tent door, and all the people rose up and worshiped, every man at his tent door.
11 And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Moses returned to the camp, but his minister Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the [temporary prayer] tent.
Does not our Lord desire that face-to-face fellowship with His people today? I believe He does.
There is a sad account in the Song of Solomon of a missed opportunity for sharing love. The maiden has retired for the night when her beloved comes seeking entrance to be with her. She decides that it's too much trouble to rise now and give him entrance.
After hesitating, she has a change of heart and expresses her disappointment.
"I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away and withdrawn himself, and was gone! My soul went forth [to him] when he spoke, but it failed me [and now he was gone]! I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer." Song of Solomon 5:6
I don't want this to be my experience. Surely we can find a way to go apart from the "camp", as Moses did, away from all the worldly distractions and activities that fill our minds and our time, and "taste and see that the Lord is good". I want more than a small "sample" of the Lord's presence.
Consider this passage from 2 Peter quoted from "The Message":
"Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness."
In the beginning, when there was only Adam and Eve and God in the garden of Eden, it seems that Adam and Eve walked in fellowship with the Lord. But then that day came when they disobeyed God and yet God came looking for them. His words, "Where are you, Adam?" are some of the saddest words of the scriptures.
"Where are you, Adam?" Can you not hear His question still? as He seeks to have fellowship with His own.
He is offering to us the most precious gift beyond our comprehension...to sit at a table of communion with the King of Kings, the Creator of the entire universe, the Father of everlasting mercy and love, the Son who shed His blood for our redemption, the Holy Spirit who knows the deep things of God and reveals them unto us.
There is a sad account in the Song of Solomon of a missed opportunity for sharing love. The maiden has retired for the night when her beloved comes seeking entrance to be with her. She decides that it's too much trouble to rise now and give him entrance.
After hesitating, she has a change of heart and expresses her disappointment.
"I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away and withdrawn himself, and was gone! My soul went forth [to him] when he spoke, but it failed me [and now he was gone]! I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer." Song of Solomon 5:6
I don't want this to be my experience. Surely we can find a way to go apart from the "camp", as Moses did, away from all the worldly distractions and activities that fill our minds and our time, and "taste and see that the Lord is good". I want more than a small "sample" of the Lord's presence.
Consider this passage from 2 Peter quoted from "The Message":
"Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness."
In the beginning, when there was only Adam and Eve and God in the garden of Eden, it seems that Adam and Eve walked in fellowship with the Lord. But then that day came when they disobeyed God and yet God came looking for them. His words, "Where are you, Adam?" are some of the saddest words of the scriptures.
"Where are you, Adam?" Can you not hear His question still? as He seeks to have fellowship with His own.
He is offering to us the most precious gift beyond our comprehension...to sit at a table of communion with the King of Kings, the Creator of the entire universe, the Father of everlasting mercy and love, the Son who shed His blood for our redemption, the Holy Spirit who knows the deep things of God and reveals them unto us.