Revisited and revised~
His Imprint On Our Lives- in His Word 11-16-15 (Also from Session 3 My Little Retreats)
I delight to do
your will, Oh Lord, I delight to do your will, and to walk with you is not
grievous unto me, I delight to do your will.
Psalm 40:7-9
The other day I was listening to a public television show that talked about ‘reducing our footprint’ and I thought of how contrary that s to the purpose God has given us. We want people to know that we were here but not by our own feet pressing down but more so by the Word of God imprinting itself into our hearts and minds and those around us as well.
I believe that God would have us share His imprint.
Open
my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. Psalm 119:18
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Back in the day they would have us finger print with ink when applying or starting a job as a teacher. Today they have you scan your fingerprint which gives more clear detail but also puts you into the computer to be able to verify that you are who they think you are.
On Sunday in
Church, Pastor spoke a bit about God’s imprint; it got me thinking about how
God’s imprint in our heart shows in our life. It shows by the finger prints and
smudges of the Gospel we leave everywhere we go. Much like the glass sliding doors of our kids lives, finger prints on the glass shows when they went out and if they washed thier hands after that pb and J! God's vision of our lives shows the honest truth to our heart, mind and the things inbetween. Let's be honest with ourselves here; we do not always do the right thing and make the right choices in life. Often we suffer for our wrongs, but sometimes we think we swept something under the rug only to have it show up again...eventually. God sees it, we know it, and eventually as the Word of God says, our sins will be revealed. James 4:8 says we should draw near to God and repent, then He will cleanse us from our sins. Then our fingerprints will not longer have smudges, but be pure Imprinted by God.
Internal- the Holy Spirit dwells within us to
guide us daily, moment by moment as we request Him to.
Mandatory – we all need the Lord God to survive
in a dying world, and everyone needs to know Him.
Oh come; let us sing to the Lord! Let us
shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us
shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Psalm 94:1-2
Presence- His presence is here, now , if we only
reach out for His hem we can know that He is near. When we pray we spend time
reminding ourselves of His presence but He is with us always, even to the end
of the Earth!
Rests – His presence rests with us, for only when we know that
the Holy Spirit is with us and taking care to direct our paths ( our steps
ordered of the Lord) then we can know the rest that Jesus talks about. He shall give you rest….
Individually- God, Jesus, the Holy spirit knows each
of us individually, we are not just part of this church or that we are a child
of God, and He is our Father. He knows us better than we know ourselves really,
but the good thing is that in knowing us He knows what it takes to reach our
hearts and minds and mold them like clay to be used by Him to bring others to
the safety of His presence. We can reach
out and touch the Lord!
Newness- I remember the joy of the beginning of
my walk with Christ, everything I learned was exciting! I can have that every
day as I open my Bible, God’s Word, and read to hear the newness of each day’s
lesson for me personally! We can get excited about today’s reading because God
chose it for you and I to read today.
Therefore, as the elect of
God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness,
longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if
anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of
perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also
you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians
3:12-17
Truth – His Word is truth and when we have hidden it in our hearts
we can walk in truth and know that it is real. The truth is that He is the way
the truth and the light, so if this is the case then we walk in His presence
and we are walking in Truth. The Holy
Spirit is with us so that while we walk through this dark world that is
sprinkled with those who would draw us away from God’s purpose for each of us;
we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.
me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” John 14: 6-7
God’s imprint in our lives should show that we
are following in His steps. Let us choose to walk accordingly.
Dear Heavenly Father, direct our paths that we
may leave the imprint of Love that You have left on our hearts so that others
may know You and gain life eternal in Your Presence, knowing You are near. In
Jesus’ name, amen.
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg
you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be
humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each
other’s faults because of your love. Make every
effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together
with peace. Ephesians 4:1-3