09/21/24 EVERY MOMENT

09/21/24 EVERY MOMENT

Concerning the presence of God in the believer's life, the song says,
"I need Thee, oh I need Thee,
Every hour I need Thee."
This is not simply poetry or a pious platitude: this is vital truth.

I know it is true for myself.
It is His living presence in my life that gives me spiritual and eternal life.
It is His light that gives me knowledge, understanding, reason, wisdom.
It is His salvation that gives me grace and victory.

I need Him every moment.

As a pastor, I have the privilege of being able to study, meditate, pray much more during the day than most people, and I need all of God available to me. I certainly need all of God's blessings to equip me for ministry, but in fact, I need Him for my own personal life.

If pastors need God all the time for grace, knowledge, understanding, reason, wisdom, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, leading, power, compassion, courage, humility, holiness of heart and life, then it is also true that all other believers need the constantly abiding presence of God, which gives us victory and causes us to be continuously triumphant.

No one gets a weekly dose of Divine supply in a single service, or a single day, or a single week of spiritual focus and emphasis. Overcoming grace is dependent on a constant, continuous, consistent, connection with God.

I need God to guide my steps, to empower my walk, to broaden my awareness of His will and His work of salvation.

All parishioners need the same kind of spiritual input as pastors. God does give us directives that are unchanging, but He also guides us moment by moment. He enlightens and enables us to deal with ever changing circumstances. This is why Lone Ranger Christianity is futile.

We experience success based on our awareness and submission to God. We don't just need God for the "salvific" issues, or for the BIG issues of life. We need Him all the time. We need Him to enlighten our thoughts, to approve our words, to guide our daily steps, to avoid the pitfalls, to find the treasures. Part of God's working in our lives includes teaching (doctrine), reproof, correction and training in righteousness. God provides these benefits both privately and corporately; through personal discovery and ministry leadership.

A pastor who does not seek and depend constantly on Jesus is not a man of God. A parishioner who does not seek and heed the leading of God is not a man of God.

There are dangers in our daily lives; in our finances; in our recreations; in our alliances; in our cultural and social alignments, in our interpersonal encounters with others.

Yes, there are spiritual truths we will learn, but we never outgrow our constant need for the life giving forces of God (our air, our water, our food, our leading, our power). These qualities come from a vibrant personal relationship with God and from receiving what God provides through other believers.