By Pastor John Mateos Ong
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In our lives, we cannot prioritize many different things at the same time. It is either we fail to distribute our attention or we choose what is more important. The Gospel of Luke tells us the story of what happened at the home of Martha and Mary when Jesus and his disciples visited their village. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teachings while Martha was distracted to all preparations. Martha asked the Lord to tell Mary to help her prepare.
Take note of Jesus’ answer on verse 41: 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
What is this important thing Jesus is telling?
Between Martha and Mary, Mary chose the important thing, which is listening to Jesus. Being in His presence and giving Him her full attention. Jesus does not require Martha to prepare or even Mary to listen to Him but Mary knows that it is more important to be in Jesus’ presence instead of worrying for unnecessary things.
We are in a world where distractions are always around us to divert our attention to what is really important. Here are a few things we can do to avoid distractions and enter into His presence.
1. Empty Yourself – When we want to enter God’s presence, we must remove all distractions and empty ourselves. When we open our Bibles and read God’s word without emptying and readying ourselves we fail to grasp and understand what God is telling us. Before anything else, empty yourselves so God can fill you up.
2. Seek for it – There are times we cannot feel God’s presence because we fall short on seeking it, on wanting to feel it. The more you cannot enter God’s presence the more you need to seek for it. Lean in to hear and feel Him.
3. Know that there is Presence – Yes, we know God and His Goodness, but if you are one of the few people that didn’t know there is such thing as entering His presence, I am telling you today that you are invited to get in. You need to know that He invites you to get into His presence and feel Him.
4. Worship Genuinely – Praising is one of many ways that help you to get into His presence. Sometimes it is hard for us to enter but we can try by offering Him praise and genuinely worshiping Him through songs dedicated to Him.
5. Protect Your Intimacy with God – Lastly, protect your intimacy with God. There are people who choose to go to a place where they can be alone with God. We mentioned that there are multiple ways that work for each one of us to get into His presence but one of those is getting intimate with God. It’s just you alone in your quiet time, in His presence.
Here are some of the hindrances that block our way in getting into His presence.
· Logic or your doubts – you question His presence or what you feel when you felt it.
· Dignity or your worldly image – you listen more to what other people will say about you instead of focusing on what will God say to you.
· Bondages or your sins – these are our sins that we still do not surrender to God.
· Impatience or your stress – you cannot enter into His presence if you are impatient or in a rush to do something else.
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