The Good Shepherd.5

"He that enters in
by the front door of the fold
is the shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper
opens the door,
and the sheep thrill at
the sound of his voice."

--Jesus

Thrill at The Sound of His Voice:

The Adoration of God

Is there a more beautiful and poignant description in Jesus' words -to all mankind- of the kind of relationship our Creator longs to have with each of us?

George MacDonald has rightly said:

"The reason every human is born is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ!"

Oh that we could change the hearts of those ambivalent toward abortion:

every child IS wanted

by the Creator

to know the love

and adoration

and presence of God!

[tragically, monsters of death will always be among us until the establishment of the Righteous Kingdom]

In the timeless book The Practice of The Presence of God, Brother Lawrence,

a 17th century French monk, offers insights into developing intimacy with our Creator. In describing the impact of Brother Lawrence's life a friend wrote: "God desired to keep saints for Himself until the end of the world. These saints would pay Him a respect worthy of His grandeur and majesty and would be models of virtue because of the holy example they set...such a man was Brother Lawrence."

Here are excerpts from his insights on developing intimacy with God:

"All things are possible to him who believes; still more to him who hopes; still more to him who loves; and most of all to him who practices all three. All of us who believe and are baptized have taken the first step toward perfection [the perfecting Love of God].

First of all, we need to be considerate of God in everything we do and say. Our goal should be to become perfect in our adoration of Him throughout this earthly life in preparation for all eternity. We must make a firm resolution to overcome, with God's grace, all the difficulties encountered in a spiritual life.

From the outset of our Christian walk,

we should remember who we are and that we are unworthy of the name of Christian, except for what Christ has done for us. In cleansing us from all our impurities, God desires to humble us and often allows us to go through a number of trials or difficulties to that end.

We must believe with certainty that it is both pleasing to God and good for us to sacrifice ourselves for Him. Without this complete submission of our hearts and minds to His will, He cannot work in us to make us perfect [in love].

The more we desire to be perfect [in love], the more dependent we are on the grace of God. We begin to need His help with every little thing and at every moment, because without it we can do nothing. The world, the flesh, and the devil wage a fierce and continuous war on our souls. If we weren't capable of humbly depending on God for assistance, our souls would be dragged down. Although this total dependence may sometimes go against our human nature, God takes great pleasure in it. Learning to do so will bring us rest.

The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure

in His divine company, speaking, humbly and lovingly with Him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way. This is especially important in times of temptation, sorrow, separation from God, and even in times of unfaithfulness and sin.

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Take a moment to enjoy a

Musical Interlude: Tobymac "Everything"

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"We must try to converse with God in little ways while we do our work; not in memorized prayer, not trying to recite previously formed thoughts. Rather, we should purely and simply reveal our hearts as the words come to us.

We must do everything with great care, avoiding impetuous actions, which are evidence of a disordered spirit. God wants us to work gently, calmly, and lovingly with Him, asking Him to accept our work. By this continual attention to God, we will resist the devil and cause him to flee (James 4:7).

Whatever we do, even if we are reading

the Word or praying, we should stop for a few minutes--as often as possible--to praise God from the depths of our hearts, to enjoy Him there in secret. Since we believe that God is always with us, no matter what we may be doing, why shouldn't we stop for awhile to adore Him, to praise Him, to petition Him, to offer Him our hearts, and to thank Him?

What could please God more than for us to leave the cares of the world temporarily in order to worship Him in

our spirits? These momentary retreats serve to free us from our selfishness which can only exist in the world. In short, we cannot show our loyalty to God more than by renouncing our worldly selves as much as a thousand times a day to enjoy even a single moment with Him.

I do believe that it is a common mistake of Spirit-filled people not to leave the cares of the world periodically to praise God in their spirits and to rest in the peace of His divine presence for a few moments."

What can you do this day to Practice His Presence and thrill at the sound of His voice! Let us be those Spirit-filled people who leave the cares of this world on a regular, daily basis to communion with the Shepherd of our souls!

[emphasis added to excerpts]