Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3
We will find ourselves habitually enraptured in His Presence if we will simply resolve to do for God’s sake that which we commonly do for our own. That means that while we are busy doing our daily activities, we are to relinquish our natural tendency to focus on what is seen and instead give Christ, who is unseen, our foremost attention. It’s as if we were holding both hands out in front of us with one in front of the other, and then switch hands so that the other hand is in front. We switch which one we see first so that our communion with God is interwoven with our daily labors.
For example, while we are vacuuming, living coram Deo entails switching our primary focus to letting Him speak to us. Each time outward business diverts us from thinking about Him, we are to establish the habit of stirring a fresh remembrance of Him. While this takes diligence and humility, soon we will find that our persistent resolve has made us as much or even more united to God in our daily activities than we are during our quiet times! We will find that rather than distracting us, His Presence aids us. As we persist in seeking His face, life itself will seem to become one long unbroken practice of His Divine Presence. (Lawrence 2004)
Fellowshipping with and believing steadfastly on Christ is our most important work; everything else is secondary. When we seek Him first, everything else is added to us. (Mt. 6:33) We are to “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Col. 3:1-2) This initial uncomfortable yielding of our heart’s eyes is what it takes to live coram Deo, but over time it will become more uncomfortable not to!
Maintaining a coram Deo focus every moment while living out our busy lives seems impossible. In order to maintain our coram Deo resolve through life’s many ups and downs, we must stand steadfast on this principle: A willing spirit is a right spirit before the face of God, even if our flesh is weak. (Bickle 2000) God will never reject a willing, transparent heart.
“God nowhere tells us to give up things for the sake of giving them up. He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having—life with Himself.” -- Oswald Chambers
Adapted from the Coram Deo Secret
http://www.marisarickerson.com/coram-deo.html
We will find ourselves habitually enraptured in His Presence if we will simply resolve to do for God’s sake that which we commonly do for our own. That means that while we are busy doing our daily activities, we are to relinquish our natural tendency to focus on what is seen and instead give Christ, who is unseen, our foremost attention. It’s as if we were holding both hands out in front of us with one in front of the other, and then switch hands so that the other hand is in front. We switch which one we see first so that our communion with God is interwoven with our daily labors.
For example, while we are vacuuming, living coram Deo entails switching our primary focus to letting Him speak to us. Each time outward business diverts us from thinking about Him, we are to establish the habit of stirring a fresh remembrance of Him. While this takes diligence and humility, soon we will find that our persistent resolve has made us as much or even more united to God in our daily activities than we are during our quiet times! We will find that rather than distracting us, His Presence aids us. As we persist in seeking His face, life itself will seem to become one long unbroken practice of His Divine Presence. (Lawrence 2004)
Fellowshipping with and believing steadfastly on Christ is our most important work; everything else is secondary. When we seek Him first, everything else is added to us. (Mt. 6:33) We are to “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Col. 3:1-2) This initial uncomfortable yielding of our heart’s eyes is what it takes to live coram Deo, but over time it will become more uncomfortable not to!
Maintaining a coram Deo focus every moment while living out our busy lives seems impossible. In order to maintain our coram Deo resolve through life’s many ups and downs, we must stand steadfast on this principle: A willing spirit is a right spirit before the face of God, even if our flesh is weak. (Bickle 2000) God will never reject a willing, transparent heart.
“God nowhere tells us to give up things for the sake of giving them up. He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having—life with Himself.” -- Oswald Chambers
Adapted from the Coram Deo Secret
http://www.marisarickerson.com/coram-deo.html
RSS Feed