God is working in you, with you, and through you

Just before He was arrested and taken to the cross, Jesus prayed, “[Father], I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” When it comes to recognizing and responding to God’s presence in our lives, Christian author John Ortberg says he lives by these twelve truths: (1) God is always present and active in my life, whether or not I see Him. (2) Coming to recognize and experience God’s presence is learned behaviour; I can cultivate it. (3) My task is to meet God in this moment. (4) I’m always tempted to live “outside” this moment. When I do that, I lose my sense of God’s presence. (5) Sometimes God seems far away for reasons I don’t understand. Those moments, too, are opportunities to learn. (6) Whenever I fail, I can always start again right away. (7) No one knows the full extent to which a human being can experience God’s presence. (8) My desire for God ebbs and flows, but His desire for me is constant. (9) Every thought carries a “spiritual charge” that moves me a little closer to or a little further from God. (10) Every aspect of my life, work, relationships, hobbies, or errands is of interest to God. (11) My path to experiencing God’s presence will not look quite like someone else’s. (12) Straining and trying too hard do not help. So the word for you today is this: God is working in you, with you, and through you!