Evidence

When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. Acts 11:23

I was in a McDonald’s a few years ago and elderly black man was working the counter. He wasn’t able to move fast and he had gotten one order wrong. A woman returned to the counter chewing him out for his poor performance. He spoke softly and apologized for the mistake as fast as he could he filled the order and said to the lady, “GOD BLESS YOU Ma’am. Have a nice day.”

I am not sure what kind of impact his words had on the young woman, but I know that I was glad and encouraged. I saw in his response the evidence of the grace of God. He had remained true to the Lord with all his heart despite the actions of others.

I remember a preacher’s sermon I heard as a young teen, when he said, “if you were standing trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?” It reminds me that grace in our lives is one of the strongest evidences of Christian character, that God is at work in our hearts.

Grace is a powerful encouraging force that leaves a fingerprint on whatever it touches. Changed lives, restored marriages, reconciled friendships, breaking of harmful addictions are all incontrovertible evidences of the presence of grace. Grace is the DNA of God. It is unmistakable.

Are you carrying any evidence on you today that the grace of God is at work in your life?

Tokens of Divine Presence

"Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. " Exodus 3:12 NKJ

We look for tokens, for signs, for proof of divine guidance that decisions we make are in keeping with the will of God. The token of His presence with us is the desire we have to serve Him. If your heart's desire is to serve the Lord; there is strong evidence that you are moving in unison with the heart of God.

Moses was tending sheep, going through the ordinary routine of the day, when He had an encounter with God. Thus, it often is the case that God engages us with His purposes and His plans at a moment when we weren't looking. Moses wasn't looking for a radical life-transforming encounter. Such encounters are always instigated by the hand of God. It was God who struck the bush and lit it a flame with His presence. It is the certainty that God is with us that causes us to move in directions we had not considered before, doing things that only God could cause to happen.

Certainty in our selves and our own abilities will ultimately lead us to despair. But even if we should choose that path, at the end of our despair is the certainty of God.

Serve God wherever He calls you and all doubts will flee in the overwhelming reality of His presence with you.

Get Ready

"Moses came down the mountain and told the people to get ready for worship." Exodus 19:14 GNT

What are we waiting for? You've asked the question no doubt many times in your life. The little child waiting at the window for daddy to roll in; is the first to announce "Daddy's home!" The spouse waiting for her soldier to step off the plane runs to embrace him. The underdog driving down the field in the last two minutes of the game to win the Super Bowl with 45 seconds to spare.

We all wait for something. The waiting is the getting ready time. Waiting prepares us for that which is to come, be it the celebration, the reunion, the victory or even the dicipline. Many a time I have told my sons, "go to your room. I will be there shortly to deal with this matter."

Maybe you have been waiting a long time for something in your life. Begin now to see the waiting as the "getting ready time." Be bold even to believe that you are getting ready for something grand, for something glorious, for something more wonderful than you have ever known before.

Moses told the people to get ready for worship. To worship God in all of His glory is the grandest thing a human heart can do. A day of worship is coming in my life, a day that I have been waiting for a long time. I call on those who will be there that day to truly worship the living God.

Get ready to hear His voice. Get ready to experience His presence. Don't let a new preacher in the pulpit keep you from worshipping the living God. It is not sermon critique time. It is open our hearts and worship time. The living God wants to speak to you. He is calling you into that holy of holies where nothing else matters, but to be in His presence. D.L. Moody once said:

"The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him. I will try my utmost to be that man."

What would the world see if the people of God put aside all our pre-conceived notions and truly worshipped God with a whole heart, overwhelmed by the awesome priviledge of simply being in His presence. Who knows what might happen. Let's GET READY and See!