top of page
Search

Nothing can separate love and presence

Writer's picture: Matt BeckenhamMatt Beckenham

Ever wondered what God is doing in the present moment that we are all currently in? Have we given up on the present to look purely at the future? Are people only attracted to the prophetic so they can see something of the future?


There is no more important moment than the one you exist in right now. Your past is done and your future stands in front of you in some kind of hazy way. Why do we find it so difficult to remain in the present?


This causes me to wonder about the disciples…so much of their language recorded in the bible revolves around the future, the Kingdom to come, who’s going to live, and who’s going to die. But Jesus had this brilliant way of keeping them in the moment. Do you remember when he sent them out two by two? They were given instructions to heal, deliver and declare the Kingdom is near. He pointed them to the people they would meet, rather than the Kingdom that they were walking towards. Some people would accept their message and receive their blessing. Others would reject it and the blessing was lifted. But each one was given the authority to be present with the needs of the people that sat right in front of them.


When they returned, they were all celebrating and testifying about the things they had seen. Jesus revealed that as they moved in His authority on earth, he saw Satan falling from heaven. As they were being present with the people surrounding them, the spiritual atmosphere changed.


And this got me thinking…


Jesus continually invited his disciples to see what the Father was currently doing, rather than what the Father might do. When they pressed him on the future, he always seemed to give them answers that sounded like “wait and see.” When he was in the moment with them, he was pointing out a woman who put two coins into an offering box, a blind guy called Bartimaeus on the side of the road, or a tax collector that had climbed a tree. Jesus was constantly present with the Kingdom of God that was clearly operating in and through Him.


Simply put, Jesus modelled presence for us.


And at the age of fifty-two, I’ve realized that for most of my life I have been looking at what will be, rather than understanding what is. As a pastor it had me looking at people the wrong way, I was looking for what they could do, rather than who they were.


There is no greater gift than the love that you are able to give to the person who stands right in front of you. I believe that love is God’s manifest presence and that every time I love, something of God flows from me to the person that I’m speaking to. It’s a gift of such great value, it’s indeed what I believe Jesus means when he likens the Kingdom to a giant pearl. All of our lives we have searched for this love and when we find it, we will let go of everything else to hold on to this love.


I believe that this is why people were drawn so powerfully to Jesus. He was love in the flesh. As His Father is love, so is he. It is this love that he so freely shared with those that were right in front of him and it was this love that changed the lives of those he touched. I believe that healing and love are inseparable and I believe that this world would see so much more of the healing power of God if they could grasp the power of His love.


Love and presence…these two things are inseparable. Once you find one, you will discover the power of the other.


“God is love” 1 John 4:16


Grace and peace,

Matt




141 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


  • YouTube
  • Facebook

To get regular emails and updates from us just fill in you email address and hit subscribe 😊

Thanks for subscribing!

©2020 by Greater Things Pty Ltd. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page