Present with The Lord

PRESENT WITH THE LORD I want to talk to you today about the passing away of Jared Joiner just 4 days ago. The Word of God tells us that there is an accuser that accuses us day and night before God. There are certain sensitive people like Jared who set an unattainable bar for themselves that allows these accusations to break their spirit and damage their soul. They cannot cope with this yoke that sits upon them and they seek relief in many different ways from this burgeoning pain, and that becomes a downward spiral. In the book of Romans chapters seven and eight Paul describes the way through and out of this dilemma when he shares about the good that we all, without exception, might want to do but can’t because of our own limited strength, but which can be lived, through the grace of Jesus Christ within us. When Jared was awakened to this truth he grasped it and sought many times to take it into his lovely heart. When he went to live in Melbourne he took his Bible with him and also some of our discussion notes on these Scriptures that he asked me to print out for him. But the pressure of his inner conflicts became too great. He became weakened in resolve as his own mind and heart also accused him. His loving family reached out to assure and encourage him, but his independence drove him to fight this battle on his own, and in his own way, and that was not wise. He got lost in the fog of that war and got stuck and couldn’t go forward. Whatever he put his poor body and soul through to ease that pain ended up depleting his energy and exhausting all the inner and outer reserves that he had, and ultimately stopped his lovely heart from beating.  He is now absent to the body and present with The Lord. He went to Melbourne to sort things out for himself in his inner struggle, and put himself in the care of welfare and rehab in one form or another, and Coral would go to search for him time and again. That’s when she told me about him taking his bible. I would pray with Coral that God would bring him home – not realizing how that prayer would be answered. Coral prayed a prayer that echoed the words of a song sung by Lauren Daigle called ‘You say’ Paul speaks to us about the ever present reality of God’s presence with us and the struggle of the soul to be at home in one place or the other - He speaks in one place about being absent to the body and present with the Lord. He says in another place that whether we live or die we are the Lord’s. 2corinthians 5:6-8 … absent to the body and present with the Lord. Romans 14:8 Whether we live or die we are the Lords Jared struggled in his soul to know God, and at the same time he didn’t feel at home in this world. Paul also talks about other kinds of people of great self confidence who don’t struggle in their soul to know God, but who make this world their only home, and their only struggle is to get as much out of it for themselves as they can. Paul says in another place (Philippians 1:23) Sometimes I want to live here, and at other times I don't, for I long to go and be with Christ. How much happier for me than being here! But the fact is that I can be of more help to you by staying! The Jared that I knew so well, that Jared that could get it all together could make you laugh, and make you know you were loved and appreciated, and he did this for so many people. The final word Paul has on these things is found in another place, put very simply; Be present to what is going on in the world of the spirit. In other words, do you know deep down that God is always present with you in your struggle to know him, having mercy on your weakness, and do you know deep down that you can be present with him in the midst of your blessings and your struggles. 2Tim 4:2 be ready (be present) in season and out of season; (eukairos and akairos – appointed times of blessing and of challenge and testing) God makes all things beautiful in His time, and he has put eternity in the human heart. YOU SAY – Lauren Daigle I keep fighting voices in my mind That say I'm not enough Ev'ry single lie that tells me I will never measure up Verse 2 Am I more than just the sum of Ev'ry high and ev'ry low Remind me once again just who I am Because I need to know oo oh Chorus You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing You say I am strong when I think I am weak You say I am held when I am falling short And when I don't belong oh You say I am Yours And I believe oh I believe What You say of me I believe Verse 3 The only thing that matters now Is ev'rything You think of me In You I find my worth In You I find my identity Bridge Taking all I have and now I'm laying it at Your feet You'll have ev'ry failure God You'll have ev'ry victory Ending Oh I believe yes I believe What You say of me I believe