One of keys to going deeper in our faith is a commitment to press into God. The concept of pressing in is often hard to fully understand and can sound like just another piece of Christian jargon. Once understood, however, it becomes a powerful tool in creating a robust Christian life.

So, what exactly does it mean to press into God? Is it reading more Scripture, extending our time in prayer, or being more active in church, or is it something different? While it may include some of these things, pressing in is not just about doing more, it is about persistently cultivating an awareness of God’s presence and savoring that relationship in every circumstance.

If you’ve ever made microwave popcorn, or watched someone else make it, you already know something of the nature of pressing in. The process is fairly simple. You place the bag in the microwave in the proper position, set the timer for the time listed in the instructions, and allow the popcorn to heat and to pop. It is that simple.

Now, imagine the instructions said to heat it in the microwave for 2 ½ minutes, but instead of setting the timer that way, you chose to set it for 15 seconds, then removed it, put it back in for 15 seconds, and repeated this action for a total of ten times. The total heating time would be the same, but the result would be far different. Instead of a bag of delicious popcorn, you would produce a bag of burnt kernels that never popped.

For many, the Christian experience is made up of occasional visits with God, rather than a continued life of staying in God’s presence. A devotional here, a church service there, mingled with an occasional prayer, will not produce the same results as soaking up God’s presence and saturating ourselves in the truth.

Jesus told his disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He was clear that our identity, direction and life were to be found in relationship with him. He also said, “My word is truth.” Which is why we need to keep ourselves immersed in God’s word. When we regularly fill ourselves with the word of God, and live in a dynamic relationship with the Living Word, Jesus Christ, we are pressing into the presence of God. It is there that we are transformed.

Saturating ourselves with the truth may mean that we need to study more Scripture and pray more, but it may also mean that we need to meditate on Scripture, chewing it over and over to release its deeper meaning. We may need to memorize parts that strengthen our spirits. As the Psalmist wrote, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. We may need more personal worship, more stillness to listen, more time spent in the community of faith, and more awareness of God’s presence. There is no formula, rather it is an intentional decision to seek God in all things, at all times, and in all places. Pressing in means that we do not shrink back, or settle for what we already have in our relationship with God. Instead, we consistently continue to cultivate that relationship so that better fruit is produced and in greater abundance.

The Scripture clearly states that, “we reap what we sow.” The more of our resources and ourselves we sow into our relationship with God, the greater the harvest of faith we will see in our lives, and the deeper that faith will become. As we press into God, we are filled to all the fullness of Jesus Christ, and his presence overflows our lives into our circumstances, our families, and the world. Regular visits with God are good, living in God’s presence is great. Deep faith requires the deep roots that come from saturating ourselves with the presence of God.

The post Pressing In appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

Passing by an area of wetlands set against a backdrop of dense forest, I began to think about all of the life hidden from my sight as I continued to drive. I saw a few birds, a woodchuck and a cat, but I know the environmental areas I saw were filled with life. Add all the drivers and families around me on the road and the people in the towns I passed and it was clear that I was surrounded by life.

That is when it hit me, God saw and knew each person and creature I passed. Even the life I could not, and may never see, was known by God. The Scripture tells us that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the knowledge of God, and goes on to remind us that God cares about that sparrow.

What an amazing reality! God knows and cares for all of creation. Nothing escapes God’s sight or concern. It is a truth that draws our spirit to celebrate the scope of God’s greatness and the closeness of God’s presence.

I took away two great thoughts from my experience. First, God sees me, knows me, and cares about me. Nothing in my life is missed by God and he is working for good in and through the circumstances of my life. Even better, this is true for us all. Such loving attention from God is a blessing beyond words.

Second, I could celebrate that God is present and attending to all of the circumstances of life that, at least for the moment, I do not see. God is actively caring for all of creation and weaving things together that will only be seen when spiritual eyes are opened.

I recently heard someone say, speaking of their financial situation, “Sometimes things are difficult and we don’t know what will happen next. We may not have much, but we have Jesus.” That is good news for what we see and what we do not, for in every moment, God is there and every moment is in God!

Let’s pray that our eyes will be opened to all that the Spirit would have us see and celebrate God in every facet of life.

The post How Great is Our God! appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

The psalmist wrote:

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me, even at night my heart instructs me. (Ps. 16:7)

When we orient our hearts toward the praise of God, and when we seek and receive the counsel of God, then even in the night our heart will lead us to a deeper understanding of God and his direction for our lives. Our active attention to the Lord makes the way for even the hours of rest to become moments of growth with God.

Recently, I was confined to the sofa for a while to keep my leg elevated due to a serious infection in the skin. My wife was busy caring for our son who was injured at work, so there was plenty of time by myself. I used that time to read some books on the Bible and foundational theology, to meditate on some Scripture and to enjoy some worship music I recently purchased. After just a few days, I found that I would awaken in the middle of the night with a praise song on my lips or a word of Scripture in my head. The time spent saturating myself in God during the day, led to praise even in the wee hours of the morning.

More importantly, God began to use the words I listened to and read, to speak to me about important issues in my life. Even as David once prayed, “search me and know me, O God,” the Word of the Lord began to search my heart. Many things I needed to see were revealed. Some were very comforting, while others were quite challenging, but all were meaningful and necessary.

When we make time through conscious effort to place our attention on God, and when we saturate ourselves in the truth of his Word, then our quiet moments can become times of great revelation, instruction and encouragement. The things we actively took in begin to bear fruit, unfolding the truth of God before us. Yes, we learn and grow during our active study and meditation, but when we fill our spirits with the things of God, even the passive moments can be full of revelation.

As you walk through this day, may your eyes and ears be open, and your spirit receptive to all that God is doing around you. May you actively seek God and soak in his truth. And tonight, while you rest, may the Holy Spirit speak to you through all that you have seen and heard that you may draw closer to God, know his great love for you, and discover more of the destiny he has in store for your future.

Be blessed in the day, and in the night.

The post Night Lessons appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

The words of this chorus are deeply rooted in the words of Jesus when he told his disciples, “by this will everyone know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Notice, he did not say that people would know we are his followers by the logo on our t-shirt, by the size of our Bible, nor by the structure we worship in. The world will not affirm our faith in Christ and his influence in our lives by the years we’ve attended church, the positions we hold, or even the words that we speak. No, the telltale sign that we belong to Christ is the love that we have for one another.

As we enter into the month of February, when people will celebrate affection and love, it is a perfect time to reflect on how we are demonstrating real love. Are we putting Christ and his purposes first? Are we speaking blessing over one another and over the world around us? Are we setting aside our differences and working in unity to demonstrate the loving power of Jesus? When people look at us and the way we treat others, do they see Jesus Christ, or do they just see us?

When we put Christ first, celebrate his love for us and share that love with others, we take one more great step toward the transformation of the world. You and I can make a difference. We can change our environment and the world around us. We can truly show all people that we are Christ’s disciples by the love we have for each other, When they see the beauty of that discipleship, they will desire a similar experience. They will desire Christ.

Real love is more than a rose, a card or a day on the calendar. It is the power of heaven to lead people to Christ and transform the world. Friends, let us love one another even as Christ has loved us.

The post They Will Know appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

All of us wrestle with our identity and would that it were only though our teenage years of self discovery. Many of us are haunted by the question of who we are and what our place is in the world. If the question is left unanswered, we will pursue a myriad of paths to fill the inner void, many of which will lead to pain and destruction.

The glorious truth is, that no matter what the world around us may say, our identity and worth is not determined by what we possess, by where we’ve come from or by what others think of us. Instead, it is fixed in knowledge that we are created in the image of God. We bear God’s mark upon us and, even more affirming, we are loved by the One whose image we bear.

Our craving to understand who we really are is satisfied by drawing near to God and allowing God to draw near to us. It is when we cease from our striving to find validation in temporal things or the affirmation of others, and accept the awesome love of the Creator, that we can discover the answer we long to find. It is God, the One who calls us by name, who declares that we are of infinite worth.

Sometimes, amid the many voices around me that tempt me to embrace another reality, I need reminded that my hope, my identity is is God. Maybe, you too wrestle to know who you are. Maybe, you too are tempted to look in places that can never satisfy. Today, we can together make a decision to celebrate who we are and like Brother Thomas declare, “I am one loved by Christ.”

The post Who We Are appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

Her eyes still reflect the light
Of the candle we lit together.
Her touch still speaks
It’s language of intimacy and love.

The path we’ve shared
Resembles the one we charted.
While the destination first embraced,
Is still our journey’s goal.

Her love for me grows deeper
As does mine for her,
As our hearts are drawn together
By Love’s unseen hand.

With tomorrow’s dawning, will come,
Yet another moment to see,
The beauty of this life with her,
Embodied in our love

The post Our Journey appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

More than anything, I could not wait to make our new home where I would be able to share my life with my bride. While it has become increasingly more common for couples to live together prior to their marriage, we wanted to take things in their proper order and wait until we were married. So, I could not wait for the precious moments of waking up together, sharing time at home with one another, and ending our day together.

Now, 25 years later, I still celebrate those wonderful little moments that make up being home with my wife. Whether it is sharing coffee on the porch, eating dinner together or just waking up in the middle of the night to the presence of the one I love next to me, being home with her is one of the greatest blessings of my life.

In John’s gospel, we hear the words of Jesus, “”If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (14:23) Think of that. Jesus is saying that when we walk with him in the light of his teaching, God chooses to make his home with us.

Now, I remain amazed at the beauty of sharing my life with my wife, but the thought of the Creator of the world choosing to share that same intimacy with me is truly awesome. God wants to be in relationship with humanity – a close relationship. God loves us so much that he wants to make his home with us.

God called Abraham, “friend,” and he wants that deep relationship with us as well. That is an awesome and beautiful thing, and it is a reason to celebrate our life with God. Right here, right now, Jesus Christ is making his home with all those who will choose to obey his teaching and enjoy the relationship that follows.

The post Home With God appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

“How fast can you get that done.”

“Is there an abridged version?”

Speed is the order of the day. We travel faster, read faster and work faster. Slow traffic annoys us. We prefer television programs where the plot is introduced, developed and resolved all within 30 minutes (including commercial breaks). An entire business market has developed to help us grasp great works of literature by only reading the notes and outline. We even order our food fast and complain if it takes more than a few minutes to complete our order. The world we live in is on the move and we are in a hurry to get things done.

In the midst of all this busyness, it is easy to wonder what we are all so busy rushing for. Do we really want to get to the places we are speeding to reach, or are we in a hurry to get to someplace we will rush to leave? What does all this hyperactivity say about us and our values and are we losing something important in the flurry of activity we’ve become accustomed to?

We watch as families and relationships weaken. We listen to the pain of people with desires and dreams that are lost in the undertow of their schedules. We even see our most profound relationship, the one with our Lord and Savior; struggle to grow under the weight of all of our activity. What can we do?

We must begin by understanding that some things, especially those that are very valuable, cannot be rushed. Relationships and faith cannot be nurtured into maturity overnight. There is no shortcut… no set of three easy steps to a deep and meaningful relationship with Jesus. Something so important requires and investment, especially of the priceless commodity, time.

We may live in a world that has become comfortable with microwaving everything, but the truly delicious meals require some slow cooking. Others may be satisfied with a superficial spirituality developed at high speeds, but God continues to call us make the sacrifice and spend some regular, quality time with Him. Only then can we, “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

We will need to address our priorities and decide if we can do without another rerun, or, another trip to the mall. We must ask ourselves if our schedules reflect our convictions and if not, make some changes. We might even find that our calling is to live in a way that demonstrates to our culture that there is something more… something deeper than appointments and crossing off items on our “to do” lists.

There will always be important things for us to do and the Word of God encourages us to, “redeem the time,” but maybe it is time for us to stop, look at our lives and ask if we can join the Psalmist when he says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more that anything on earth.” It is something to consider when you have a little time.

The post Slow-Roasted Faith in a Mircowave Age appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

(Penned in reflection folowing Baptism)

The post Reborn appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.