Coffee With The Lord

What’s your favorite city? Why did you select that one? … The food, the entertainment available, your experience with friendly, helpful people; or perhaps the fact that you lived there once? How about your least favorite city? Why did you select that one? (Let’s not go there, eh? J)

This morning in my Bible reading during “coffee with the Lord” I read about “Zion”… favorite city of the ancient people of God – the Jewish nation. For them (and in the Bible) an idealized city, representative of a future city – “the New Jerusalem” – eternal home of the righteous and God’s eternal abiding place! Psalm 48 talks about – a “song of Zion”!!

“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the Great King. Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress… As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever! Selah

“We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad! … Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, (i.e. consider her beauty – her qualities) that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.” (From Psalm 48 ESV)

All of this reminded me of an old southern gospel song: “Looking For a City!” – The Chuck Wagon Gang ….

“Here among the shadows living in a lonely land,

With strangers we’re a band of pilgrims on the move;

Through dangers, burdened down with sorrows

And we are shunned on every hand,

But we are looking for a city built above!

“Here in disappointment often we so sadly roam,

And earthly friends, no longer speak one word of love;;

But truly we have found contentment,

Jesus promised us a home!

So we are looking for a city built above!

“In this land of dangers we are going here and there,

We’re simply trusting in the blessed Savior’s love!

And mercy tho’ we may be strangers,

Living in this world of care,

We’re always looking for a city built above!

Refrain:

“Looking for a city where we’ll never die,

There the sainted millions never say goodbye!

There we’ll meet our Savior and our loved ones, too!

Come O Holy Spirit, all our hopes renew!”

The book of Revelation puts it this way…

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’” (Revelation 21:2–4 ESV)

Now here is an awe inspiring and sobering thought from my Bible reading today (in Texas)!…

“Now you [YA’ALL] are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12.27)

And here’s a definition/description of the Church I crafted based on that concept several years ago that has been a blessing to many people…

We are His hands! We are His feet! We are His voice! We are to be His healing presence! And our task is to re-present/represent Him in our communities and around the world without distortion in the power of the Holy Spirit both personally and collectively.

Tall order isn’t it?!! (But we can do this through His enablement, empowerment and leadership!)

I mean, think about it… Paul called the CORINTHIAN CHURCH – “THE BODY OF CHRIST”!! If you know anything about “the Corinthian Church” that is “grace!” [and points up the possibilities for YOUR CHURCH as it is led and empowered by the Holy Spirit!]

I’ve been around awhile and observed a contrast: The way some wealthy people handle money and other possessions, and the way some people with very little handle money… it’s interesting to observe. Could say a lot about it, but perhaps it’s best to just let the Bible speak to the issue!

This is what I read this morning in my Bible reading…

“Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked… The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously… I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing!” (from Psalm 37:12-26 NIV)

Brought to mind this story in the Bible… “As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ‘Truly I tell you’ He said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All of them gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21.1-4 NIV)

And then that prompted me to recall this… “Godliness with contentment is great gain! We brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing we need to be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” And then the Bible says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant not to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (From 1 Timothy 6.6-10 and 17-19 NIV)

Hey, I didn’t say it… But I tell you it’s true! And I want to heed the message, don’t you?!