Many things happen when God visits (from soul food)

God does actually visit the world in general and with people in particular.

Luke 1:78 indicates this great truth:Zacharias acknowledged the visit God to his family and the approaching visit of God to the world in the person of his Son Jesus.

David wondered what was so special about mankind that God would so closely watch each of us.

In Psalm 8:4 he asked, “Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

Psalm 8:4— There is power in the word “visited.” The word translated visited is from the Greek word episkeptomai – which means to go see about, lookout for and relieve. It indicates that when God visits he intends to check on us, see about us, lookout for us and relieve us.

God visited Adam in the garden to check on him. He visited Israel in the Wilderness to lookout for them. He visited Hezekiah in his sick room to relieve him.

Today, we should not be afraid for God to visit us but should invite him. When he comes he brings blessings and encouragement peace and hope.

That’s why some of the old warriors sang, “Spirit come in the building if you don’t stay long.”

When God visits he honors us with his presence.

We don’t want to miss an opportunity to visit with him that’s why we sing “Pass me not oh Gentle savior, hear my humble cry.

While on others thou are calling, do not pass me by.”

how do you follow the example Jesus set of a humble servant?

After my mother died i began to wonder how i would live my life without her. how would i pick up the pieces and keep going? one day i realized my mother had left me the answer to that question. her mother had died the year before i was born. Throughout my lifetime my mother had been a living example of how to live after the loss of someone dear. i remember that she had her moments of sadness and cried nearly every mother's Day. At the same time, she was thankful for the life God had given her and she lived with joy. She cared deeply for other people and served God through various ministries in her local church. From her example, i found strength and assurance to move on
When Jesus and the disciples gathered in the upper room, Jesus knew this would be their last supper together. His time on earth was coming to a close and the disciples would soon entrusted with the responsibility of continuing Jesus' earthly ministry, a ministry of self sacrifice and service. Jesus took the opportunity to give the disciples another example of what this ministry of service really meant.
Because the roads in that region were dry and dusty, and since most travel was done on foot, it was customary to wash the feet of one's guests. Footwashing was servant's task and was often done while the quests reclined at the table before a meal.
When Jesus and his disciples gathered in the upper room, no servants were present. None of the disciples offered to take this role, possibly because of the competition that existed between them "as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest" (Luke 22:24). So Jesus, their "teacher and Lord" (Jhon 13:13) "poured water into a basin" (verse 5) and washed the feet of his disciples. By doing so, he placed himself in the role of servant and set a powerful example for the disciples about the meaning of discipleship.
Footwashing is not part of our daily life, yet there are other tasks that we might think are menial or beneath us. Jesus showed by example that no form of service is beneath a follower of christ. God calls us to reach out in love and serve our neighbors in need... (from Daily bible study)

Accomplishment Often Comes at Great sacrifice (sermonidea.com)

Every step that a believer makes is the result of sacrifice. Today, we enjoy the faith of the ages but this great privilege came because of the sacrifice of others. The cloud of witnesses that gather for each graduate commemorate the moment. That means that they remember. There are many today who have achieved great ends because of the sacrifice of others who were not able to share that moment.

At any graduation there is a mother or uncle or an aunt that watches the graduate march across the stage and they speak silent to themselves “Oh if he could see you now!” or “Oh if she could see you now, she would be so proud.” Each steps forward because of the sacrifice of someone else. It is the father who dreamed of seeing of his children educated. It is the mother whose only desire in life was to see her children stand on their own two feet.

Those who graduate, walk across the stage in hallowed moments of commemoration as family members reflect on the words and deeds of others in the family whose sacrifices made it possible.

One reason many institutions ask for quiet during such ceremonies is to allow the families to observe the procession of history and to hear the voices of a cloud of witnesses that include mothers, fathers, great grandmothers and great uncles and aunts speak from the silent balconies of eternity and say, “well done.”

It is good to have ancestry in the balcony. Sometimes, other than the voice of God, it is the only voice we hear!

Friend help us to celebrate (sermonidea.com)

There are many people who want to help us celebrate the moment. They share our joy and they share our enthusiasm. Often people come from far and near to share in the celebration. Celebrations are scriptural!
When friends of his family hosted a wedding Jesus joined the celebration, indicating that helping others celebrate the moment was an act of friendship and fellowship sanctioned by God himself. Despite the fact that there are thousands of people who come to some celebrations there are certain people that each of us desires to see present to share that moment.
Those who know our story, who have seen us grow and mature, fall down and get back up, as well as grow stronger by the year are best able to appreciate and celebrate the moment. Those who know us well know from whence we have come. When we are on in the mountaintop only those who have seen us when we were in the valley can appreciate the full gravity of our accomplishment. It is good to have those in the balcony as witnesses who have seen us at our worse and now see us at our best. When Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner became the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, the day she was sworn in was a great day. There were thousands of people in attendance. But Justice O’Conner scanned through the crowd to find the eyes of a mother and mouthed the words thank you. As far as she was concerned only one person could really help her celebrate that moment.
Believers who accomplish something today must remember that there are only a few people who can really help them celebrate the moment and it’s good to have them in the balcony.

Blind alley situation (from sermon idea.com)

At various turns in life we enter blind alley situations. Blind alleys are those circumstances in which we are cornered by no action of our own, but the unfair unjust circumstances of life take us on a path in which we cannot see an escape.

Often we are frustrated by life's blind alleys. They are the circumstances that result in bad things happening to good people. That's the essence of a tragedy, when a bad thing happens to a good person. It's what happened to Job. He was a good man who faced a blind alley situation. Bad things were happening to him repeatedly, death, financial disaster, loss of family and many other problems. There was no place to escape and no place to turn. Yet, even in the blind alley of life, Job resolved to remain faithful to the Lord. The poor widow woman faced a similar blind alley. With no money or resources she did all she knew how to do. Finally she gather two sticks and her last cruz of oil and prepared to make a final cake of bread for herself and her children.

Every believer knows what it's like to face a blind alley situation where you are helpless against powers greater than yourself, defenseless with little room for escape or retreat and your every action is falsely interpreted with often terminal results.

What's your blind alley? Is it a sickness that you cannot overcome?

Is it a financial loss that seems colossal?

Is it an unwarranted attack by enemies upon you or your family?

At first glance, we are frustrated by blind alley situations. Why is it that the just suffer injustice?

Why is it that the good suffer at the hand of the bad?

Why is it that those who labor in the vineyard of life seem to have such a difficult time?

Why doesn't God help the helpless avoid blind alleys?

These are questions we all face when we find ourselves in life's alley looking down the barrel of situations that are being used against us, to an undesirable end. What purpose comes from allowing a believer to wander into a blind alley only to fall into the hands of enemies?

That was the question that the disciples asked in John 9:1-7 when they noticed a blind man who stumbled through the alleys all of his life. They wanted to know the purpose of situation. Was it a family sin that brought this upon him? Did he do something wrong? Jesus answered by saying that the man's entire purpose in life was to provide an opportunity for Christ to do a great work through his circumstance and thus bring salvation to many.

Since each of us has a purpose in life, our blind our alley situation could very well be the one circumstance that God uses to correct wrongs that exist for generations to come. He did it so many times. People received a new view of mentally disabled people when Jesus cured the man who ran wild in cemeteries. They began to see the mentally disabled as human beings. The woman at the well came from a blind alley circumstance, but Christ used her social stigma to show the value of every human being, even those once thought dispensable. Even Lazarus was allowed to die to demonstrate the power of the Lord over life and death situations.

The great preacher Robert Schuler, underwent a sickness that incapacitated him for a while. In the interim he wrote a book by the title, "Life is not fair, but God is good."

That should be our resolve, Life may present us with unjust situations, but God is still good!

When we reach blind alley situations and can't see our way out, we only have one resolve, to "lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help, my help cometh from the Lord who made the heaven and earth."

WE CAN BE ASSURED THAT GOD WILL NOT CHANGE

n a difficult world where everything changes instantly, it is a blessing for believers to know that God’s hand is unchanging. His way of dealing with us is constant and predictable. He won’t be with us today, then forsake us tomorrow. The Biblical record is filled with reassurances that God will be with us in a predictable manner.

When Israel prepared to go into unknown territory Moses reminded them in Deuteronomy 31:6,”Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth to with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” In the New Testament this is repeated again for Christian believers. Hebrews 13:5, “..for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

This is a reassurance that whatever situation that may arise, God will be there, holding our hand. Even when our parents and relatives seem to change in their relationships toward us, God is unchanging. Psalm 27:10 says,” When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.” In God’s hands, we are safe. He will not walk out on us. He will not abandon us. We will be there for us regardless of the circumstance. (from sermonideas.com)

Despite disappointments, there is always hope

In our disappointments, there is always hope. There is an old saying that behind every dark cloud, there is a silver lining. The song writer says, “There is a bright side somewhere.” In our disappointments, God always show us His grace. In our sickness, tragedies and setbacks, God speaks boldly to our situation and we find hope. That hope is the promises of God. The covenant that God makes with us is what keeps us going. We have His word that He will make a way for us out of no way and be a bridge for us over all of our troubling waters. Therefore even if life gives us disappointments, we don’t give up because God is still on the throne (from sermonideas.com)