Well, I never had that privilege until I was 30 years old. That's when I was born of God's Spirit, the day I was saved. The joy of having a Father at last was overwhelming. I was thrilled at being able to address someone as "Father." I reveled in my newfound relationship with the Lord. It was fun having a Father who was so rich and famous.

Some years later a verse gave me an idea .. ...

"Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do it heartily as to the Lord and not as unto men." (Col. 3:23)

I began to see the only way I could do things "as unto the Lord," was to do them WITH Him. But how would I start? At first I would pray and then go to work on what I wanted to do. That went on for some time before I realized I wasn't satisfying God's heart. I was still doing too much in which He was not involved. There was a big difference between doing things with Him and offering some prayer before I started. Somehow the gap in between praying and doing had to be filled in with some kind of fellowship.

After that I began to talk to Him while I was doing the job. Of course if the job required careful attention, that wouldn't work. So I began to hum a hymn. That worked and I could feel His presence even as I worked. Of course if the job was hard or not going well, I'd stop and discuss it with Him.

One day I picked up a new lavatory faucet at Home Depot. I needed a new one and this one appealed to me. Besides, the price was right. It seemed simple enough to install, so I figured on doing it myself. It wasn't easy getting the old fixture out of the lavatory. In fact I ran into a real snag, which can occur when you're lying flat on your back and reaching up. I fussed for a time trying to loosen a rusted nut. It just wouldn't break loose no matter what I did. I was about to give up and call a plumber, when I remembered I hadn't been doing the job with Jesus.

I learned He wants to be included in all we do. Now I want to tell you of a man who learned this long before I did. This man said .....

"I'm through with this world. I'm giving it all up to become a monk."

Sounds like someone disgusted with today's crime and violence; someone tired of our moral squalor and political corruption? The person making that statement has been dead for 300 years! Nicholas Herman was the man, but you wouldn't know him by that name. He's more famous as . . .

Three centuries ago this man turned his back on the world to enter a Carmelite monastery in Paris. With a longing for the Lord and a hatred for the world, Lawrence thought he'd found a shortcut to an ideal life of spiritual enjoyment. But things didn't work out that way.

As the newest man to enter the monastery, it became his lot to scrub the pots and pans after the other brothers had made the mess. It was a detestable assignment. He saw himself as nothing more than a household slave. At first he tried looking on it as a means of mortifying his flesh, but that didn't work. Bitterness gradually overtook him.

THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED

In the process of complaining to the Lord day after day, he began to picture the Lord as LISTENING TO HIS GRIPES. Sensing the Lord's sympathy, he continued his complaining. In the process, the Lord became more and more real to him. Before long he was VISUALIZING THE LORD as doing the work with him. The result? The tiresome task became less and less tiresome.

Brother Lawrence was soon looking forward to scrubbing pots and pans with Jesus. What was once drudgery finally became feasts of joy! Then it was he developed a new obsession—a passion for the presence of Jesus! Lawrence was transformed.

Lawrence developed the art of VISUALIZING JESUS and it revolutionized his life. So intense was his delight in the Lord, his life radiated a glow people could see. Word of his joy spread over Europe to the place where Christian royalty journeyed to see him. They envied his joy and glowing peace.

When I first read brother Lawrence's little book, PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST, my heart leaped for joy. Growing up without a father left a vacuum in my soul, a terrible longing for a father. When I was saved, I had little theology. I didn't know any better than to behold Jesus as my PERSONAL FRIEND and enjoy Him in my imagination. The privilege of intimate fellowship with Jesus has been available since Pentecost, when the Lord Jesus came to indwell us via His Holy Spirit. On that day a new experience became possible, one announced by James:

 "DRAW NIGH TO GOD AND HE WILL DRAW NIGH TO YOU" (James 4:8).

"Have you ever had time pass, say an hour or two, and it suddenly dawns on you that you haven't once thought of the Lord?  You haven't focused on Him in any way? Embarrassing, isn't it?"

That's sure a far cry from  being  a  witness for Him. I'm not going to fault you for it, instead I have a suggestion, something that has brought me closer to Jesus.

Take a simple task, such as taking out the trash. That doesn't take long. Try  saying, "Lord, let's do this together."    Then speak to Him all the time you are walking with the trash. It won't take long and He'll love the company. From there you can go to such tasks as mowing the lawn or doing dishes. Simple jobs at first and then graduate to those that take more time. This will put you in close faith touch with Jesus and you're going to love it.

But where do we learn how to work with the Lord? You guessed it. We learn how to do that NOW. We have this one life on earth to learn how to work with Him. We can't learn it later in heaven. The jobs will be assigned when we meet Him in the sky, when we're all judged for our works on earth (2 Cor. 5:10).

I want you ready for that day.  For the past 50 years my ministry has been geared to preparing believers for Jesus' appearing and our appearing before His judgment seat. If you feel you need encouragement or motivation to start getting ready, then I suggest you consider these two books.

JESUS IS COMING—GET READY CHRISTIAN will help you calculate how close that day is and LONGING TO BE LOVED will show you how to enjoy the Lord at close range. I think you can see how valuable this information will be to anyone who enjoys the Lord's appearing. Get these tools in your life and your spirit will glow with a . . .

This article is Copyright 2000 by Dr. C. S. Lovett and is found on www.cslovettbooks.com