Coffee With The Lord

Just think about the character of God…

…Your Heavenly Father, the Almighty, holy, loving, just, compassionate, merciful, faithful, steadfast, reliable, responsive, Savior, empowering, patient, providing… and I could go on – Wow!!!

I just finished reading Psalm 113 this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” and all of that (and more) came to mind about “the Lord!” In fact the descriptive title given this Psalm by the publishers of the Bible I was reading was “WHO IS LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD?”

You really should read it for yourself today in the version of your choice! Your “life-attitudes” will change after reading and reflecting on its inspired words… Here’s a taste of it from the ESV (English Standard Version)… (Hope it blesses you!!)

“Praise the Lord! Praise Him, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!

“Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

“The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! WHO IS LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD, Who is seated on high, Who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. PRAISE THE LORD!”

Well, I think that’s the third time I’ve read it this morning… Feel even better this time than the last time I read it! Come on – give it a try… READ it > REFLECT on it > and then RESPOND to our God – for “WHO IS LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD?!”

Temptation to sin and compromise Christian values are everywhere! Friends who claim to be “Christ-followers” really living their lives fundamentally no different than the pagan culture around them. Religious groups claiming to be “Christian” tolerating (even approving) things the Scriptures clearly teach as sin. And this week I read a statistical study that revealed fewer and fewer people are abandoning the Church and their personal Christian faith!

If you’re seeking to be a “devoted, obedient follower of Jesus” (a “disciple” – an authentic “Christian”) the challenge is getting greater every day… every year!

What to do? My Bible reading this morning during “coffee with the Lord” prompted me to jot a few key principles in the margin of my Bible under the title: “Walking with the Lord in a Pagan Culture”… Here are the principles…

1. Be careful about your lifestyle

2. Exhibit godly wisdom

3. Be discerning in your use of time and activities

4. Live a Spirit-empowered life

5. Worship the Lord continually

6. Give thanks to God always and for everything

7. Humbly submit first of all to Christ, and then to others

Where did I get that, you ask? Here it is right out of the Bible…

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15–21 ESV)

As wickedness and apostacy increase, as the Bible prophesies, I’ve got to tell you I want passages like this to be my moral and spiritual compass before the Lord returns!

What it means to be a “disciple” – a “follower of Jesus!”

“And He said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.  For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?’”  (Luke 9:23–25 ESV)