Far too often I find myself living my days unaware and inattentive to the reality that God is present with me. The message of the New Testament is full of the teachings of Emmanuel, God with us. Far too often I find myself not even thinking or looking for His activity. I want to change that. I want to be aware. I want to be more attentive. The message of the New Testament is that God is active and working. Emmanuel, God with us, is just as true today for the follower of Christ as it was 2,000 years ago. Dare I say that in many ways Christ is more present today than He was then? Now He dwells within us! If attentive, I shouldn’t have to look too hard to see or sense His work.
Several years ago our church participated in an exercise called a God Hunt (I think I first heard of it from author David Mains). The exercise was to hunt for God’s activity on a daily basis. Maybe it would be through creation, the words of a friend, a conviction, a song, a hurt, and through innumerable other ways. The point was to seek to be aware and attentive. Then when we noticed God’s activity in and around us, we were to tell someone; a friend, spouse, or your small group. I have encouraged the church that I pastor to intentionally be on a God Hunt each day for the next month. I am looking forward to how this is going to heighten the awareness and prayerfully the attentiveness of our church to God’s activity.
I am personally looking forward this active discipline of looking for God’s activity. I know that it is not grammatically correct, but I am calling this heightened attentiveness and awareness emmanueling. Emmanueling is my way of describing my attentiveness and awareness to His being with me.
I would like you to invite you to go on this God Hunt with us. To participate with us in emmanueling and to give testimony to His work in your life.
So let me ask, how have you noticed God today working in your life?
Encourage us all with your story of His work by commenting in this blog.
Your partner in the gospel,
Pastor Paul
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