Listening for July 21, 2008: Knowing Him: Sharing the Joy [2008-07-21]

All too often the image of my Savior that comes readily to mind is that of the suffering servant, the spotless Lamb sacrificed on the altar of my many sins. He is the one engaged in unrelenting battle with His tormentors--those for whom His life and teachings were so terribly inconvenient. He is the one seeking time alone, away from the insistent crowd. He is the one hanging from the cross.

But Jesus brought more than suffering with him. His time on earth was, as well, His opportunity to express the unbounded joy of heaven to a grim and needy people.

I will never share in the full, unfiltered, undiluted rapture of heaven until the day I finally cross its shores to kneel before the Throne. No man with feet still standing on the soil of earth can. But until that bright and shining day I can know the joy that Jesus brings to my life here and now.

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This series examines, in an intimate, introspective way, the truth of what our Lord Jesus is to be to us today--right here and now.

As much as we may know the historical Christ, many of us have lost touch with His presence in the here and now. If this is true in your life, I invite you to join us in rediscovering the personal Jesus--the Jesus who walks with us, and talks with us, and shares with us our everyday sorrows and joys.

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A Brand New Devotional Booklet [2008-05-29]

This 55-page booklet is a compilation of Listening issues that considered selected Psalms in a thoughtful, devotional (as opposed to a detailed, verse-by-verse exegetical) manner.