Coffee With The Lord

I’m so grateful for the leadership, guidance and help of the Holy Spirit! The New Testament refers to Him as the Divine “Paraclete” (the “Helper”) … and believe me, we need one!!!

In my Bible reading this morning I read the following wonderfully mysterious passage – a wonderful promise to God’s ancient people Israel as they journeyed toward the Promised Land – the Divine destiny God had promised them…

“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him… for my Name is in him. But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries!” (from Exodus 23:20–22 ESV)

For us on our life journey, I believe that promise has its equivalent in the promised Holy Spirit! Consider the following words of Jesus…

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ever the Spirit of truth… He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you! … The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you… I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you… When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you!” (From John 14 and 16)

Just let me say, in my journey as a follower of Jesus through this life and onward toward my eternal future in heaven, I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE GUIDANCE, LEADERSHIP AND HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!! Aren’t you?!

Just a really delicious “sip” from God’s word this morning… “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord! I have no good apart from You! … You make known to me the path of life. In Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!!” (From Psalm 16)

The Bible is the centerpiece of my time with the Lord every day… As many of you are aware… I call it “Coffee with the Lord.” It’s a time I open with a season of worship… Then I take my Bible and pray this prayer… “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things out of Your Law (i.e. God’s Word” – Psalm 119.18) What follows is a time of Bible reading, reflection, conversation with the Lord, and journaling.

One of the passages I read today contains a wonderful invitation and promise for those who are truly hungry for what ultimately satisfies. An invitation to leave the “spiritual junk food” that we sometimes fill our bellies with and instead eat and drink the spiritually delicious and nutritious feast spread out on God’s table.

The passage I read today urged me to listen closely to God’s voice – to seek Him with all my heart. And the assured result? Life! The promise of experiencing God’s incredible love fulfilled in my life!

God’s plans for us are so much higher than ours – they’re in a totally different dimension – higher and better than anything we can even imagine. And the good news? If we’ll cooperate with what God is trying to do in our lives He’ll surely fulfill His purpose and promise – just as surely as the spring rains water the earth and seeds that are sown there spring up and produce a harvest.

And the outcome of living this way… Joy, celebration, rejoicing… an incredible satisfying party “here on earth, just as it is in heaven!”

Just let me say, you REALLY should read Isaiah 55 (the passage I read) for yourself today! But just in case you haven’t I’ve posted most of it for you below…

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“Come, everyone who thirsts! Come to the waters! And he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price! Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food!

“Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love…

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”

Good, eh?!