AWESOME!

Note: I’m old, I’m retired, and it’s my birthday so I’m taking the day off. Let me share something with you I wrote some 14 years ago. It’s still true. 
Scripture for the day: Psalm 139:1-6 "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." 
Thought for the day: I want you to imagine with me for a moment. I know these exercises are more difficult for some of us than for others but try to imagine yourself in the presence of God. Your purpose for being there is that He might examine you and find out anything that could possibly be wrong; anything that might tend to separate you from Him in relationship. You've known this was coming so you've tried as best you could to present yourself in the most positive way possible. You've taken a bath, washed and scrubbed yourself and your clothing a dozen times to make sure there isn't a spot or wrinkle anywhere. This is going to be what the army calls a "white-glove" inspection, and then some. You've spent hours rehearsing what you're going to say to Him, anticipating every possible question He might ask. 
 As you enter the throne room you notice there are two others there besides God the Father. His Son sits at His right hand and there is a Spirit hovering just in front of the throne. He bids you come nearer and, as you slowly, fearfully, mount the steps at the base of His magnificent throne, your knees begin to get weak. The strangest thoughts crowd into your mind: "Did I memorize the right scriptures?" Did I wash behind my ears?" Have I worn the whitest robe in my closet?" - and a thousand more. You can't remember any of the answers you were so confident of just yesterday. You're standing in the presence of the God of the Universe, the creator of heaven and earth, the giver and sustainer of all life, including yours! You've been ushered into the presence of everything that is Holy, pure, righteous and just. And that presence reminds you in ways more forceful than you could have imagined how unholy, unrighteous, impure and unjust you really are. 
 The examination begins though not a word is spoken. The Father stares intently at your face as the Spirit moves slowly and silently from the throne. He stops directly in front of you and then glides ever so slowly around your quaking frame. Every evil thought, every contrary attitude, even the tiniest sins are suddenly exposed to the blinding light that surrounds you. Things you thought you'd hidden for years burst into the light and are shown for the evil they truly are. No questions are asked; no explanation is sought from you. The Spirit simply illuminates everything in your life that has ever been done or even thought contrary to the holiness and love of God. 
 How does that make you feel? Now project that same feeling into everyday life as David did in this Psalm. He realized that the same God who would examine us in His throne room examines us every moment of every day. That same God knows before we can even form the words, what we are about to say, how our words will affect others and what we are about to do. He knows the feelings and thoughts we keep hidden from everyone else in the world. He knows more about us than we could possibly know about ourselves, including everything evil, unrighteous and unlike Him. He knows every time we've tried and failed to keep some commandment; He knows the path we take each day. His Spirit hovers, probing with an irresistible light into every nook and cranny, every locked closet of the heart, until our whole lives have been laid bare before the very embodiment of holiness; and He does this all day, every day. 
 Now, how does that make you feel? Is it frightening? In a way, it should be, I guess. Is it awe-inspiring? It is for me. But do you know what's even more awe-inspiring for me? Understanding the depth to which I'm examined every day by the Lord, and knowing how far short I fall of His holiness, I'm absolutely amazed that the God of the Universe loves me anyway! 
 Bask in that love, my friends. Enjoy that love. Respond to that love with a deep love of your own. The God who knows you loves you. What more could anyone ask for? 
Now go take on your world.  -  bILL