Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Kissing the face of God…

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Journal,

In my last entry I drew attention to the song, ‘Mary did You Know?’ I’ve been playing that song over and over. It speaks so much to my heart. The lyrics had to come straight from heaven.

The one line that stood out the most to me was, ‘Did you know that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?’

I well remember when my heart was being dealt with concerning who Jesus really was. I was not long out of the Navy. And here I was, struggling over Jesus. I kept wondering, ‘Who is Jesus that I should place my faith and trust in Him?’

It was only when the Lord opened my ears to hear that I came to understand that Jesus truly is the great ‘I AM’ of the Bible. But I also came to understand that this Jesus was the same One that my mama had taught me to pray to as a small lad.

It happened on a Sunday afternoon in 1964. The struggle was on. And here I am reading to Bible, searching for answers.

This was when I heard the voice of the Lamb of God for the first time.

He said…

Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou has not known me, Buddy?

Yep - That is exactly what the Lord spoke into my heart. I was reading from John 14, in my trusty King James Bible. The disciples were questioning Jesus.  Their questions were my questions.

Well, since I’ve already shared this in a previous entry, I’ll leave off the details of my first encounter with the Lord. It is enough to say that the Lord had been with me from the time of childhood.

This was the very same Lord that I had prayed to as a wee bit of a lad, saying, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

Suppose this is why I love Mark Lowry’s song so much. It literally speaks to my own experience with the Lord. I am truly a worshipper of God, and I have truly kissed the face of God.

Got you with that one!

Yes, I have kissed the face of God… 

Ok, the fact is that every person who truly loves Jesus and worships the Father, can be said to have kissed God Himself. This term expresses worship in the new covenant. Listen carefully. Jesus said…

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23,24 nasb)

Here is the wonder of the Greek language. The Greek word for worship [proskuneo'], is a derivative of the word which means ‘to kiss; to adore; to fall or prostrate before.’ But it literally means to ‘kiss toward someone, or to throw a kiss in token of respect or homage.’

The Lord is explaining to the lady at the well that true worship is a very intimate spiritual experience between the Father and His worshippers. And all this takes place in the new covenant that would come out of the cross.

OK, lets carry on to something else that could be of interest. I read some interesting facts concerning the Christian faith in America. Want to hear it?

Here goes…

What about the United States and the Christian faith…

Is this a Christian nation? Good question.

Constitutionally speaking, this nation endorses no religion. But when it comes down to the basic facts, the United States has an overwhelming component of Christian believers of various assortments. The percentage is so large that it could nearly be said that America is a Christian nation. (Unofficially that is.)

The latest Gallup poll shows that about 82% of the respondents identify directly with the Christian faith, and that the actual Christian adherents may even be more than 90%. Here is some interesting reading:

PRINCETON, NJ — This time of year provides an opportunity to answer frequently asked questions about exactly where America stands today in regard to religion, based on Gallup’s extensive archives.

Christmas is obviously a Christian holiday. But what percentage of Americans today identify with a Christian religion?

About 82% of Americans in 2007 told Gallup interviewers that they identified with a Christian religion. That includes 51% who said they were Protestant, 5% who were “other Christian,” 23% Roman Catholic, and 3% who named another Christian faith, including 2% Mormon.

Because 11% said they had no religious identity at all, and another 2% didn’t answer, these results suggest that well more than 9 out of 10 Americans who identify with a religion are Christian in one way or the other.

You can read this at:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/103459/Questions-Answers-About-Americans-Religion.aspx

I’ve also read that this nation has the largest percentage of Church attenders than any nation on the earth, including Israel.

Well, its time to get on with other things. Just want to leave you with something to think about.

I pray that you’ve had a wonderful time with your family and friends this Christmas. And may the days ahead find you falling even more deeply in love with Jesus.

Much love coming your way.

Buddy