In His Presence

Because we are joined together with Christ and He lives within us, we can think in accordance with
His will and be cognizant of His presence with us. 1st Corinthians 2 states:
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Verse 16 then says:
16 For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

The mind of Christ.  If we were to evaluate our thinking, would we find it to be generally consistent with the Word of God?  Or do we say we believe in Him, but do not acknowledge Him in our daily routine? We have the daily choice to put to death the desires of the flesh and to walk in the Spirit; but it can't be done if we are consumed with ourselves.  We are called to take every thought captive, so that the Word of God and the awareness of the presence of God are foremost in our thinking.

+++++

Each day consistently, we can draw near to God and allow His principles and the awareness of His
presence to be in our thoughts. Romans 8 says:
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Yesterday, we explored the first of the 10 Commandments: to have no other gods before our God, the one true God, the Lord Almighty.  There are all sorts of ways through which we can keep Him at the forefront of our minds, including reading and studying the Word of God, so that we retain His truths in our hearts.  We can also meditate on Scripture, pray, and worship, so that we maintain that awareness of Him.

And, about two-thirds of Protestants who regularly attend church claim to think about God "throughout the day," according to a new LifeWay Research study.  The survey summary states:

About 2 in 3 Americans who regularly attend a Protestant church (67%) disagree with the statement: “Throughout many of my activities I don’t think about God,” with 40% strongly disagreeing.

45% of women and 33% of men relate strongly that they think about God throughout the day.

46% of those in the 50 to 64 age group "affirm their constant thoughts of God," while 33% in the 18 to 34 group do.

Almost 4 in 10 church attendees say they "set aside time for private worship, praise or thanksgiving to God every day," with another third saying they do that a few times per week.

In processing the data, Scott McConnell, Executive Director of LifeWay Research says, “A Christian has the opportunity to walk with God,” adding, “Most churchgoers affirm their thoughts are on God as they go about life’s activities.”  He also states regarding worship, “Having an attitude of praise requires noticing who God is and what He is doing. This takes intentionality...Once we choose to observe His work, however, the thanks and worship come naturally.”

And, over three-quarters of Protestant churchgoers "agree they find themselves praying at the spur-of-the-moment throughout the day, with 44% strongly agreeing."

McConnell reminds us that “Jesus opened the way for people to enter God’s presence through His death on the cross..."

Please allow me to emphasize three areas of emphasis here:

First of all, we can do an inventory of our thoughts and pinpoint whether or not we are thinking about God throughout the day.  There are multitudes of thoughts that enter our consciousness daily, even hourly, and we have to make the choice to allow our thinking to reflect our true nature in Christ.

Not only do we consider thinking about God, but we also can consider thanking or worshipping God each day.  The Psalmist even put a number on it in Psalm 119:
164 Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.

Now, seven is considered to be the perfect number, so we could say that David was committed to maintaining a thankful heart and attitude.  It's not a goal to be attained, but can provide a framework for our consistent worship of God.

So, we think about God and thank Him.  We can also consider taking time to pray, even in the everyday activities or routine of life.  He lives in our hearts, He is near to us, and calls us to call on Him, bringing our requests, burdens, and concerns before Him.  Praying for our decisions, seeking Him for wisdom, and being faithful to pray for the needs of others.