“He said, ‘Do not come near, take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ And He said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’” (Ex 3:5-6)

Jesus promised to be with us until the end of the age, but honestly, there times in our day that we can become so focused on the moment that we forget His presence. When our days get so busy and stress levels rise, it is in those moments that we fail to remember He is present with us. There are times when it becomes so hard to see past the trials and troubles of life that we become so consumed with trying to power through in our own strength that we forget to rely on the power that Jesus promises and provides. God wants to reveal Himself to us in the middle of our daily tasks and worries, just like He did to Moses at the burning bush. The Holy Spirit burns within the heart of the child of God, and the place where “you are standing is holy ground.” My friend, take a moment to look for evidence of God in our daily life, in those moments of striving and in your trials. Remember He is always with you, and in His presence you are walking on holy ground. Father, thank You that You will never leave me, and I am never alone. You always care, and You hear me when I call. Help me to know You more fully and recognize Your holy presence at every waking moment. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for Your faithfulness and indwelling me with Your holy presence and Your power. In the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.

As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him. Ps 18:30

Each day we are confronted with new opportunities and challenges where we must make decisions. The decisions we make can have great or little consequences, but every decision reflects who we trust. As a child, we may have gone to our father, because a father knows best. In time, we hesitate to go to him, and our hesitation is reflected in how we trust in the Lord. The scripture passage before us today teaches us that God’s “way is perfect” and can be trusted. “His way is perfect” because God is perfect. God is perfect in His holiness, His righteousness, His wisdom, His faithfulness, His trustworthiness, His mercy, and in all His judgements. God is perfect in all His ways and in every way. He can never fail and will never fail “those that trust in Him.” God wants to be the resource for not only the big decisions you will face, but the small and simple ones as well. He says to all who will look to Him by faith, “in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path” (Prov 3:6). Our loving heavenly Father has made Himself available to all who trust Him by faith and promises to help all who come to Him (Heb 4:16). The greatest thing that hinders a child of God from going to their heavenly Father is fear. We hesitate in fear with thoughts that our matter is too trivial, to small, unimportant or God is busy with more important things. He is the God of the universe. Often our perception of God is filtered through the lenses of how we relate to our earthly fathers. There were times as a child when we seemed to disrupt our earthly father, distracted him from important matters, and on occasion, disappointed him that we were not able to live up to his expectations. This is not so with our heavenly Father. He is never distracted, disrupted, nor disappointed by our coming to Him. In fact, our coming to Him demonstrates our love for Him. Jesus said “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (Jn 14:19). God’s word is that He invites all to come. My friend, go to your heavenly Father today, for He cares for you, and He delights to spend time with you. You will honor your earthly father even more because you “trust in Him.” Father, thank You that Your way is perfect, and Your Word is true. Help me to let go of my fears and trust in You. In the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.

That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. (Phil 3:10)

God wants you to know the depths of who He is. He wants each of His children to truly grasp His majesty, holiness, power, love, grace, and joy. God desires that His children know “the deep things of God” (2 Cor 2:10). How much of God are you willing to know? Our scripture passage teaches us the manner for which we may know God and the mighty truths of God. The ultimate aim and desire for apostle Paul was “that I may know Him.” Paul walked in obedience to his call and God responded to his desire to know Christ and experience Him fully. Paul was stoned, left for dead, but God raised him to know “the power of His resurrection.” On multiple occasions he was beaten and shipwrecked (2 Cor 11:25) and left to be comforted only by “the fellowship of His sufferings.” Paul experienced God fully in mind, body and spirit, and the knowledge gained by each experience encourages him, strengthened him, and even carried him throughout his ministry to know “the unsearchable riches of Christ…hidden in God” (Eph 3:9). Paul was confident in God faithfulness and proclaimed “the Lord stood with me and strengthened me…the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. (2 Tim 4:17-18). My friend, God desires for you to know Him, know His might and strength, know the pleasure of His fellowship, and be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Are you willing to know Him in this manner? Are you willing to know Him at any cost? Father, thank You that through Your love and the death of Jesus Christ “that we may know Him who is true” (1 Jn 5:20) and experience the joy of Your salvation. Your grace is sufficient for all who will come to You and are willing know You. I delight to know You more and more than ever before. Draw me closer to Your bosom side today, that I may know You. In the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.