Enjoying God (Part 2)

By Reverend Lonnie C. Crowe

In order to deeply enjoy God, we must be transformed.

Romans 12:1-2: “I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God."

 
We are to be living, breathing, functioning proof of what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14-16:” But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

To walk in the mind of Christ, we must grow in our knowledge of God.  We must know, truly know, down in the depths of our being that God is good and that He wants the best for us.  God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to Israel.  Jeremiah 29:11” For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 

Romans 11:24 tells us that we as Christians have been crafted into the olive tree of Israel. What God spoke then to Israel, He is speaking to us today. 

In Him, we can have peace, a future and a hope.  Before the storm, during the storm and after the storm. 

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.''  

Some favorite scriptures that help us to see ourselves as God sees us.

▪Job 33:4—“The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

▪Psalm 8:3-5—“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.”

▪Psalm 139:13-14—“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. “

▪Romans 8:38—“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 12:3 cautions us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.  Grammatically speaking, that means that we are to think of ourselves highly, just not more highly that we ought.  We are radically loved by God, but we are not God. 

We must come to expect that God will intervene in our lives.  God’s intervention will most often involve changing us rather than changing our circumstances.  Paul wrote to the church at Philippi from the confines of prison and said, Philippians 4:11-13 :“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:   I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  

Paul, even in the confines of the dungeon, stood in hope.  He did not allow his circumstances to interfere with his relationship with his Lord.

Accepting who we are in Jesus Christ, we fulfill His covenant and we can pray the Lord’s Prayer as a recognition of His covenant promises:

“Our Father, You are in heaven.  Your name is holy.

In Jesus Christ, Your kingdom has come.  Your will is being done in my life on earth as Your will is done in heaven.

You give me my daily bread. 

You forgive my trespasses just as I forgive those who have trespassed against me.

You do not lead me into temptation, but you rescue me from evil.

I declare that You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that

You are all powerful and all glorious forever  and ever.

Amen”

 

 God knows what is happening in our world and is not overwhelmed by it. Let's go to Him for strategies and solutions . In spite of what is happening around us, we can rejoice in our Redeemer and in our redemption. With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Rather than trying to predict the future, we should trace God’s faithfulness in our past.  He was faithful then.  He will be faithful now.

   Zephaniah 3:17 says that God will rejoice over us with singing. I love the concept of God, so full of joy over our walk with Him that He bursts into song. We are created in His image. How can we help but be like Miriam?   Remember what Miriam did when they had crossed through the Red Sea?  She picked up her tambourine and sang and danced in worship. 

We must pick up our tambourines, either real or metaphorical, and dance as we sing praises for what the Lord has done, is doing, and will do. Then we will be singing and dancing with him.