What's the point?

I often study the life of David - from boy in the field tending sheep to the ruler of a nation. David had an intimate relationship with God - something quite evident in how frankly he spoke with God and how "free" he was in the presence of God. There is much to be said about having a deep, beyond the mundane, relationship with God. Look at what David reminds us time and time again - God is the one who welcomes, we are the ones who come into that place invited. We aren't interlopers in God's presence - we are welcomed and embraced.

You've always given me breathing room, a place to get away from it all, a lifetime pass to your safe-house, an open invitation as your guest. You've always taken me seriously, God, made me welcome among those who know and love you.  (Psalm 61:3-5)

David acknowledges that God gives him something we call 'space' - that thing we like to refer to as breathing room - a place of complete sanctuary. Have you ever had a really good friend that you can just be yourself around? You can kick off your shoes, let down your guard, and be your real self - no pretense, no masks, just you. God desires that kind of relationship with us - extending to us the invitation to come into his presence and "chill" - to find rest for our souls, nourishment for our spirits, and uplifting for our emotions.

We are reminded that it is a lifetime experience - not a one-time experience, but a cultivated enjoyment of the presence of God. We have an open invitation - to come freely into his presence, drink deeply of his graces, and know that we are there as an invited member of his household. We aren't just invited 'guests' - we are members of his family. David's most consistent theme in his writings is that God knew him and he knew God. He even acknowledged that he is aware of this most because God "takes him seriously". Nothing he shares with God escapes God's attention or care. Why? Because he knew God in a personal way and he loved God with all that his heart had the capacity to love.

Jesus came to this earth, taking on the form of human nature, to connect with us. He laid aside his divinity to take on human form - connecting with the struggles we encounter, understanding the limitations of our mortal bodies, and involving himself in the tasks of ordinary everyday life. That is why scripture reminds us that we have a Savior that is not unaware of our struggles, knows what temptations await us at every turn. We are soon approaching the season we celebrate his birth. As my pastor likes to remind us, sinners (like you and me) are the POINT of the birth of our Savior in human form. They are not just PART of it, they are the POINT of it. God takes each of us quite seriously - we are the objects of his affection and the consistent POINT of his attention. Isn't it time that we recognized the tug of Lord on the strings of our heart? Isn't it time that we came into his presence, thoroughly enjoying the sanctuary of his graces? We are the POINT - sinners in need of a Savior. When you are at the place of asking, "What's the point?" - you are! You are the point of his every action! Just sayin!

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