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I am with you....always!


Introduction to this letter written to my father on January 18, 2019

I am with you always


I hate to say it but I’m getting older. Of course, every one is getting older but there comes a time in a person’s life the “getting older” takes on a connotation that you want to deny. And then there comes the time where it is simply undeniable. “Age creep” has crept up and startles you as you look in the mirror. Along with this age creep there comes a myriad of questions about your mortality. My oldest sister died at the age of 67, my mother at 73 and I’m right in between. Yikes! Not trying to be overly morbid but you can’t help wonder about these things.


So, what if, what if I knew the providential timeline of this earthly life of mine? I don’t know about you but I would do some planning, serious planning. Some of this planning would be the last words I would speak to my three earthly priceless possessions, Cindy and the children. I would have it all thought out. What words can I speak to them to help carry them through and forward? (Of course, I’m assuming they’ll miss me, am I thinking too highly of myself?)


Jesus was God yet fully man. His earthly timeline was predetermined and known by Him. Of course He knew it, He planned it! I’m sure He got into the planning mode also, serious planning. He loved dearly His priceless earthly possessions, those who had believed in Him and who He was. What was He going to say to them right before He left to go back home? Now, I don’t know all the things Cindy and the children would face if I were to leave. I do know there will most likely be battles to fight, pain and struggles to endure and overcome. Being stuck with living in the enemy’s territory is going to carry with it all the junk and crud that goes along with it.


Now Jesus, He knew ALL that was going to happen to those whom He loved. It wasn’t going to pretty, pretty messy really. He stated that "trouble" lay ahead for His kids. He fashioned His last words to them for maximum impact. I would most likely complicate things by saying too much. But not Jesus. I love Jesus’ simplicity in His last words.


“I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20


That’s it! But infuse these words with the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, you’ve got just the right words that will carry these fledgling believers forward with power, peace and joy. How about us? These words were meant for us also, we too are his priceless possessions. Do we know the power of these words in our own lives?


In this letter to my father, I try to explore the meaning of these words with him. And you know what? Jesus was there, the “Great I AM” was “with” my Pops till the end of his earthly age, I witnessed it. How wonderful is that!



 

I am with you....always!


I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20



Hey Pops,


According to Matthew, this is the very last statement made by Jesus to the Eleven Apostles before ascending to be with Father.


If I were to make one last statement to Cindy and the children before leaving them on this earth, I would make sure my words counted. I would choose my words very carefully; I would craft them for maximum impact. Not for me, but for them. I know this last statement would hopefully walk with them every day till we were reunited.


I am sure Jesus felt the same way, the only difference being is that He was mindful of this sentiment multiplied by infinite Love. For sure, Jesus chose His words carefully! The simplicity of His words was intentional. There is a great current of truth flowing beneath these, his last few words.


I notice that He didn’t say; “I will be with you...” or “I will come to be with you...” or even “Ask me and I will come to be with you...” Jesus is explicit. “I AM with you...” This is a huge difference. From the moment He spoke these words, His presence IS! He IS with us, continuously without pause.


For the believer, this is a promise. This is not a hope we have for some future event. He IS with us, here and now. He IS with us till the end of the age. He IS with you till you depart from this earth and then you will be with Him.


Jesus knew what was going to come in the future for those He was leaving. He foreknew all the details of the remaining years of their earthly lives. He knew how these men were going to die (tradition has it all but one apostle being martyred in various ways, most very cruelly). Yes, He made His words count. Jesus promised He would be with them every step, everyday, in every circumstance of their remaining lives. The “Great I AM” choose to say “I AM with you always!”










As His children, He is saying the same to us today Pops. “Steve, I AM with you always!” “Archie, I AM with you always!” As with the apostles, He knows every detail of the days you and I have remaining here in this foreign land.


This world is upside down. Black is white, white is black. Wrong is right, right is wrong. He says, “I AM with you always!”


I don’t know the future. There is such a battle going on in my life. He says, “I AM with you always!”


There is so much confusion in my life…..up is down, down is up….which way Lord, which way? “I AM with you always.”


I’m getting old, I can’t take care of myself. What’s going to happen? He says, “I AM with you always!”


Heaven gets closer every day. My future here, uncertain. He says, “I AM with you always!”


The “Great I AM” is here with us. As Billy stated, we need to cultivate in our lives those things that allow our spirits to know and bear witness to His presence. He is always, always here. It is we who hinder this promised reality in our lives. Even in our self-produced fog, He whispers, “I am with you.”


Even in our self-produced fog, He whispers, “I am with you.”

Stop! Let’s listen. Draw near to Him and the “Great I AM’s” spirit will fill us up with joy and peace no matter what the circumstance.


“I AM with you, always!”


Love you Pops




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rodneyjlemonier
rodneyjlemonier
17 de jul. de 2022

Thanks Steve I often think of my own relationship with the holy spirit and how he uses the circumstances and the pressure from those circumstances to form me for his intended purpose.

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platosclosetspring
17 de jul. de 2022
Respondendo a

Yes, He is the master engineer of the ALL of our lives. For you He is the master potter, no mistakes, everything on His wheel is perfect.

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rodneyjlemonier
rodneyjlemonier
12 de jul. de 2022

Great reminder to ward off attacks of the enemy

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Convidado:
09 de jul. de 2022

So true and so beautifully comforting, Steve! Thank you for taking us through this precious journey with your dad and for being vulnerable. I love reading your posts! Vicki C

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platosclosetspring
09 de jul. de 2022
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Vicky, so very glad the letters are enjoyable to you. Sometimes it’s hard to know if other will identify with my written thoughts to my father. They are special to me but will others think so? Thank you for your encouragement!

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