The
Presence of God
By
Shelby G.
Floyd
The sweet Psalmist
of Israel yearned to be in the presence of Almighty God: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even
faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the
living God” (Psalms 84:1-2). Where God is worshipped in spirit and truth
God is present. David longed to be present in the temple courts at
If assembling to worship God and to be in his presence was such a priority under the Old Testament, how much more should we desire to assemble with the church to worship on each Lord’s Day? (Revelation 1:10). Jesus taught that God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and truth (John 4:24).
Let us exhort one another to love and good works by faithfully assembling with the church each first day of the week: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-26). Our number one desire should to be in the presence of God: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Psalms 73:25).
We live in a time
when worldly pleasure is the chief pursuit of most people. But with God’s
people our joy and pleasure above all else should be the presence of God: “You will show me the path of life; In
Your presence is fullness of
joy; At Your right hand are
pleasures forevermore” (Psalms
Members of the
body of Christ, let us be more faithful and work more diligently than we have. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God (Psalms
42:1-2)? If being in the presence of God is our priority, our friends will
notice and want to be with us. Copyright © 2008