So it's 1:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. I've been laying in bed, reading the Bible, talking to Papa. We've had lots of conversations lately. He's convicted me to change the way I view stuff. Stuff like stress and rest, clutter and organization, being alone and being loved.
You see, I have this nasty habit. It's called overdoing it. I overdo and over think and over analyze until I'm a crazed wreck of a woman. He's been showing me how I've always been that way, and His way is different. I'm a difficult student. I don't learn my lessons easily. I have to be repeatedly thumped in the head, especially when it comes to the overdoing part of things. Once again, I have pushed myself too much. I am in pain, and it's my own fault. Why can't I learn this lesson? He specifically told me to stop: "Stop doing too much and leaving no time for Me. Stop trying to make it all work on your own. My way is easier. My way is better. My way is the ONLY way."
So why don't I get it? I'm human. I think I know everything. I always think, today... today is the day I will be able to do everything I want to get done and I will feel great. I know I shouldn't. I know that every single time I push myself too far, I suffer the consequences. I begin to hurt, and then I don't sleep, which causes the next day to be bad, and the cycle continues until I find myself stuck in bed, unable to function. Why can't I just listen the first time?
Don't get me wrong... I do rest. Just not enough, or maybe I should say often enough. But then I have days like today where I feel the need to do and do and do. I traveled to Tulsa and back the last two days, and while that is a relatively short trip, for me, it's hard. I know better than to push too hard the next day. Well, I should know better anyway... But what did I do? I "pushed through" the pain and ended up pushing too hard.
One of my sweet sistas even told me yesterday to rest today. Instead, I listened to "Queen Melissa" and cleaned part of the garage, finished up laundry, straightened up the house and sorted through the girls' clothes... then attempted to ride my bike. How many times do I have to be thumped over the head? Apparently a lot. I really should listen.
In searching my Bible tonight about rest, I found these verses:
Hebrews 4: 9-11 “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”
Deuteronomy 28:15 "But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord
your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that
I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you."
Ouch.... I'm being disobedient. Crap. So what do I do? I go back to The Word to find out what He says about obedience....
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord, and do not do what
I say?"
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
James 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says"
Ok Papa, I'm listening. Lord please forgive me for my disobedience. Please help me to obey. Show me what I am to do each day, and I will do no more than what You ask. Thank you for showing me my sins. Thank you for forgiving me, and for bringing a wonderful family and Sweet Sistas to remind me to listen and be obedient. Help me when I stumble Lord, and lift me up out of the mire of mess I have created. Show me Your plans, and guide me through them. Thank you Papa... I love you!
So Dear Friends and Family, if you see me doing instead of resting, remind me it's a sin and I'm deceiving myself. Pray for me, that I will be obedient to His plan and stop relying on my own. And if you have to, if I don't seem to be getting it... A little thump just might be what I need.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Perfect
Are you perfect? No... no one is. Despite this fact, many of us strive for a perfection we will never reach. For most women, it's that perfect look-- hair, clothes, makeup, shoes, accessories, and weight. Or maybe it's the perfect life-- homemaker, business woman, mother, or a combination of the three. How about that perfectly clean, immaculately decorated and perfectly organized home that other women would be jealous of? Ahhh.... there it is. In seeking those "perfect" things, who are we really trying to prove our perfection to? Our peers? Our families? Ourselves? Why are we striving for things we cannot attain, things that will not make us happy after all? Why stress ourselves to the point of no return, when we don't have to?
We live in a world where there's a constant bombardment of "buy this, you need this, you can't have a 'perfect' life without this". Enough is enough.. We don't need the world's version of perfect. We will never have that version, as it is constantly changing. Look around you. Do you REALLY need this season's "perfect" shoe? What happens next season? Oh there's a new perfect shoe! Do you REALLY need to lose those last five pounds to be perfect? Who says? The same people who decided a size two was too big? Why are we listening to the world around us?? Is the world perfect? I think not.
What is perfection anyway?
The definition states this: the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects.
Huh... So being perfect is being free from defects and flaws.. Who can claim that and be telling the truth? Not a single one of us. Not one. We are all imperfect. We are all flawed. We all have those things that we hide from everyone else and hope no one ever finds out how far from perfect we are. We wear masks everywhere we go... work, church, the kids' schools and parties, even, for some of us, in our own homes. How sad is that? I have flaws and defects, people. I'm only human.
But you see, there's this One who IS perfect. He knew we were so messed up and sin had so overtaken the world, we couldn't do anything to save ourselves. There's absolutely no way. He had to send Himself, as Jesus, to save us. He had to show us just how much He loves us, because in the world around us, we are being told constantly: "You aren't worthy of love. You aren't perfect. You won't be perfect until you buy this or do that or change this thing over here." He says: "You are loved. You aren't perfect, but I am, and in my perfection, you will be saved. You will be exactly who I designed you to be, if you will just love ME."
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Philippians 3:18-19 says "For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things"
We are all sinners. All of us. None of us is perfect. The good news is, we have a Papa who loves us and is perfect. He can change us, perfect us, make us a new creation that is more than anything we could have imagined. Don't you want that? Don't you want to stop striving and stressing and reaching for those things that won't fulfill that need in you? There's only one way to fill that need, and that is with a PERSONAL, INTENTIONAL, REAL relationship with Papa. Not religion, relationship. Not perfection by the world's standards, but perfection according to the Only standard that should matter... Our loving, patiently waiting Savior.
If you don't know Him, or don't know HOW to accept the Love He already has for you, please pray. Ask Him to guide you to Him, to forgive your sins and to show you what is truth and what is lies, what is real and what is not, and most importantly, what is His definition of love. If you need someone to walk you through it, call your local pastor, a friend who shows God's love, or even message me! Papa will guide you to Him, and you will be so glad He did.
We live in a world where there's a constant bombardment of "buy this, you need this, you can't have a 'perfect' life without this". Enough is enough.. We don't need the world's version of perfect. We will never have that version, as it is constantly changing. Look around you. Do you REALLY need this season's "perfect" shoe? What happens next season? Oh there's a new perfect shoe! Do you REALLY need to lose those last five pounds to be perfect? Who says? The same people who decided a size two was too big? Why are we listening to the world around us?? Is the world perfect? I think not.
What is perfection anyway?
The definition states this: the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects.
Huh... So being perfect is being free from defects and flaws.. Who can claim that and be telling the truth? Not a single one of us. Not one. We are all imperfect. We are all flawed. We all have those things that we hide from everyone else and hope no one ever finds out how far from perfect we are. We wear masks everywhere we go... work, church, the kids' schools and parties, even, for some of us, in our own homes. How sad is that? I have flaws and defects, people. I'm only human.
But you see, there's this One who IS perfect. He knew we were so messed up and sin had so overtaken the world, we couldn't do anything to save ourselves. There's absolutely no way. He had to send Himself, as Jesus, to save us. He had to show us just how much He loves us, because in the world around us, we are being told constantly: "You aren't worthy of love. You aren't perfect. You won't be perfect until you buy this or do that or change this thing over here." He says: "You are loved. You aren't perfect, but I am, and in my perfection, you will be saved. You will be exactly who I designed you to be, if you will just love ME."
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Philippians 3:18-19 says "For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things"
If you don't know Him, or don't know HOW to accept the Love He already has for you, please pray. Ask Him to guide you to Him, to forgive your sins and to show you what is truth and what is lies, what is real and what is not, and most importantly, what is His definition of love. If you need someone to walk you through it, call your local pastor, a friend who shows God's love, or even message me! Papa will guide you to Him, and you will be so glad He did.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Intentionality
Do you ever have one of those days where the thoughts just keep coming and buzzing around in your head and making you all crazy and it's happening so fast you can't get them out and onto paper and it's driving you crazy cause they are just great thoughts and important and MEANT FOR SOMEONE?!?!?!? Yeah.... that's happening in my head, RIGHT NOW.....
So here I am, trying to bring some of these thoughts into focus. Thank God for prayer! I could not do any of this without a conversation with our Father first. After praying, this is what we are starting with....
Intentionality.... What does that even mean? Well I attempted to look it up to tell you guys what the good ol dictionary had to say, but apparently it's not a "real" word. Funny, since a lot of non-believers consider Jesus to not be a "real" God. So if someone says something isn't really real, does that make them right? I'm gonna have to say no.
You see, I KNOW Jesus is real. Not from anyone else's experiences, but from my own. I KNOW the difference He has made in me. I KNOW the times He has saved me... either from someone, something, or more often than not... from myself. You see, I am my own worst enemy. I destroy my own confidence. I undermine my own authority. I react instead of responding. I know what I should do... that doesn't necessarily mean I do it every time. Am I perfect? Bwahahahahaha, not by any stretch of the imagination. Fortunately, I have a Savior who IS....
I may not be a great theologian. I may not be able to reach eleventy billion people with my awe inspiring prose. I may not have all the answers. (In fact, I'm pretty sure I don't have very many answers at all. My go to response is pray about it... mainly because until I pray about it and study, I am straight up clueless!) The good news is I don't have to be. I just have to be me... Be real... And be intentional about the relationships I am currently in and pursuing.
Intentionality can't be defined by a dictionary, and that's ok. I think I get it. Intentionality is deliberately, purposefully pursuing the people around us. That would be our kids, our spouses, our family, our friends, our neighbors, our community. And I know what you are thinking.. Mel, seriously that's a lot of people, how in the world am I supposed to do that?!? Well, by the world standards, you can't. We are dealing with something supernatural here... we are dealing with God.
He is Love... He is the Love you need to pursue that many relationships deliberately and purposefully. When you have a relationship with God, you know Him, you know Jesus, and you know the Holy Spirit... Each separately and all together. God can do what we cannot. With a little prayer, we can ask God for the strength, love and direction to forgive, love and grow a relationship that may be new, broken, or wounded. With a little faith, God can heal our brokenness. With a little trust, God can create in us a love for others that wasn't there before. With a little obedience, we can share the story of God's love for us.... not because He needs us to, but because of the relationship He desires with us... and by us I mean EVERYONE. He loves us ALL.
Don't you wanna tell someone? When you have that loving relationship with Him, you do.... oh boy, you do. If you don't have that loving relationship with Him, pray. Ask Him to show you. If you need guidance, ask for that too... It'll be the best thing you've ever done.
So here I am, trying to bring some of these thoughts into focus. Thank God for prayer! I could not do any of this without a conversation with our Father first. After praying, this is what we are starting with....
Intentionality.... What does that even mean? Well I attempted to look it up to tell you guys what the good ol dictionary had to say, but apparently it's not a "real" word. Funny, since a lot of non-believers consider Jesus to not be a "real" God. So if someone says something isn't really real, does that make them right? I'm gonna have to say no.
You see, I KNOW Jesus is real. Not from anyone else's experiences, but from my own. I KNOW the difference He has made in me. I KNOW the times He has saved me... either from someone, something, or more often than not... from myself. You see, I am my own worst enemy. I destroy my own confidence. I undermine my own authority. I react instead of responding. I know what I should do... that doesn't necessarily mean I do it every time. Am I perfect? Bwahahahahaha, not by any stretch of the imagination. Fortunately, I have a Savior who IS....
I may not be a great theologian. I may not be able to reach eleventy billion people with my awe inspiring prose. I may not have all the answers. (In fact, I'm pretty sure I don't have very many answers at all. My go to response is pray about it... mainly because until I pray about it and study, I am straight up clueless!) The good news is I don't have to be. I just have to be me... Be real... And be intentional about the relationships I am currently in and pursuing.
Intentionality can't be defined by a dictionary, and that's ok. I think I get it. Intentionality is deliberately, purposefully pursuing the people around us. That would be our kids, our spouses, our family, our friends, our neighbors, our community. And I know what you are thinking.. Mel, seriously that's a lot of people, how in the world am I supposed to do that?!? Well, by the world standards, you can't. We are dealing with something supernatural here... we are dealing with God.
He is Love... He is the Love you need to pursue that many relationships deliberately and purposefully. When you have a relationship with God, you know Him, you know Jesus, and you know the Holy Spirit... Each separately and all together. God can do what we cannot. With a little prayer, we can ask God for the strength, love and direction to forgive, love and grow a relationship that may be new, broken, or wounded. With a little faith, God can heal our brokenness. With a little trust, God can create in us a love for others that wasn't there before. With a little obedience, we can share the story of God's love for us.... not because He needs us to, but because of the relationship He desires with us... and by us I mean EVERYONE. He loves us ALL.
Don't you wanna tell someone? When you have that loving relationship with Him, you do.... oh boy, you do. If you don't have that loving relationship with Him, pray. Ask Him to show you. If you need guidance, ask for that too... It'll be the best thing you've ever done.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Ginormous Huge Awesomeness
So this weekend has been spent watching the Verge 2013 conference webcast. The entire weekend. It started Friday when my sweet sista told us she would like us to tune in instead of our discussion this week. Ohhhhhh my gravy!!! Talk about awesome! A whole weekend of spiritual leaders from all over talking about what God is doing.
The most awesome thing? He's doing it everywhere. It was so awesome to hear these guys and gals talking about hospitality, discipleship, and love. Talking about the importance of relationships. The importance of sharing the story. Not just the story of the Bible, but the story of our lives... our eternal lives. These are all things that Ben and I, as well as many others within the church, are experiencing. God is moving in this dirty nasty world, and doing it the way only He can... BIG.
Big. Ginormous. Huge. Just think about it. All over the world, God is handing out invitations to what He's about to accomplish. He is instructing us, influencing us, informing us of what we are to do in order to share His awesome story with more and more people. How is He doing this?
He is asking us to get out of our comfort zones. Heck, He's asking us to get out, period. Get out. Meet people. Invite them to your home. Show them what your life looks like as a follower of Jesus. Show them love. Show them how you interact with others. Tell them your stories of God's work in your life. We all have a story. Every single one of us can relate to another person's story.. which means every one of us has a story that can be related to... What is your story? How can it help someone you don't even know? Well, you can't share it with someone new if you never leave your couch....
Or can you? Have you ever thought about sharing your story with your immediate arena of influence? That would be your family, your friends, your coworkers... Do they all know you are a believer? Why not??? It doesn't have to be beautiful. It has to be real. We are not perfect, and there is no way we can be on our own. We will not achieve perfection in this world. That's something to look forward to when we leave this world. Perfection, brought about by the only One who can make us that way.
I know what you are thinking... In this world, who can I trust to come into my home and not harm me or my family? Well... we can't put our trust in man. We can only trust One, who is so fully perfect and who loves us unlike anything we've ever experienced. You might also be thinking that we will never reach everyone. Well, you are right. WE can't, but HE can. One day every knee will bow, and every man will declare His majesty. Who's to say we can't see that in our lifetime?!? Wouldn't it be awesome to exeperience, and to know that God used you to spread His Word to this sick, sad world?
Our God can do it! Our God created everything around us, including us. Have you ever thought about that? He created all of it. Every cell, every tiny part that makes up every living thing... HE did that. He can do anything He wants. He can use my story to further His kingdom. He can use yours too...
If you want to know how that can happen, ask Him. He will show you. Just remember, when things get tough and you are under attack, that He is always with you, and if you keep praying and listening to Him, He will show you what to do. He will guide you, equip you, and speak through you. You just have to obey.......
The most awesome thing? He's doing it everywhere. It was so awesome to hear these guys and gals talking about hospitality, discipleship, and love. Talking about the importance of relationships. The importance of sharing the story. Not just the story of the Bible, but the story of our lives... our eternal lives. These are all things that Ben and I, as well as many others within the church, are experiencing. God is moving in this dirty nasty world, and doing it the way only He can... BIG.
Big. Ginormous. Huge. Just think about it. All over the world, God is handing out invitations to what He's about to accomplish. He is instructing us, influencing us, informing us of what we are to do in order to share His awesome story with more and more people. How is He doing this?
He is asking us to get out of our comfort zones. Heck, He's asking us to get out, period. Get out. Meet people. Invite them to your home. Show them what your life looks like as a follower of Jesus. Show them love. Show them how you interact with others. Tell them your stories of God's work in your life. We all have a story. Every single one of us can relate to another person's story.. which means every one of us has a story that can be related to... What is your story? How can it help someone you don't even know? Well, you can't share it with someone new if you never leave your couch....
Or can you? Have you ever thought about sharing your story with your immediate arena of influence? That would be your family, your friends, your coworkers... Do they all know you are a believer? Why not??? It doesn't have to be beautiful. It has to be real. We are not perfect, and there is no way we can be on our own. We will not achieve perfection in this world. That's something to look forward to when we leave this world. Perfection, brought about by the only One who can make us that way.
I know what you are thinking... In this world, who can I trust to come into my home and not harm me or my family? Well... we can't put our trust in man. We can only trust One, who is so fully perfect and who loves us unlike anything we've ever experienced. You might also be thinking that we will never reach everyone. Well, you are right. WE can't, but HE can. One day every knee will bow, and every man will declare His majesty. Who's to say we can't see that in our lifetime?!? Wouldn't it be awesome to exeperience, and to know that God used you to spread His Word to this sick, sad world?
Our God can do it! Our God created everything around us, including us. Have you ever thought about that? He created all of it. Every cell, every tiny part that makes up every living thing... HE did that. He can do anything He wants. He can use my story to further His kingdom. He can use yours too...
If you want to know how that can happen, ask Him. He will show you. Just remember, when things get tough and you are under attack, that He is always with you, and if you keep praying and listening to Him, He will show you what to do. He will guide you, equip you, and speak through you. You just have to obey.......
God IS at Work!!
Thursday night I made a very important appointment. An appointment the enemy DOES NOT want me to keep. You see, tomorrow, I will be sharing my testimony for publication as a life change story in an online Christian magazine. When I was asked, I had many reactions all at once.... honor, amazement, fright, and an overwhelming sense that I was saying yes whether I wanted to or not.
You see I consider myself an introvert. I prefer not to have any attention directed at me. I enjoy the company of my friends and family, but meeting new people kind of freaks me out, and being considered an example absolutely blows my mind. I am nothing apart from God. On my own, there is no way I would consider sharing my story with more than a handful of people at a time. Ha, for that matter, there's no way I would consider sharing my story, period. I would rather be in the background.
So of course, the enemy has been harassing me. A flashback scene on a favorite show sent me into a tail spin of anxiety and fear. It also made me really, really mad. You see, I was in the middle of requesting prayer for myself and the author of the article, as well as another young lady God has put on my heart. I was horrified when I realized what I was seeing, and how exactly like my memories the scene was.I was mad... and yes, a few choice words did come out when I was berating satan for the attack.
It took a bit for me to calm down. I immediately sought prayer from my warriors and prayed myself. Then I went to the Word, and boy, was it good! God led me to Ephesians 2, and my super awesome Discipleship Sista sent me a fantastic article written by John Piper on being weak. Oh, thank God, I am WEAK!!!! I embrace it and welcome and let the One who is STRONG do the work He has planned. As I prayed and read, I realized that God had been protecting me the entire hour long show. The only flashback I saw was the one at the very end of the show. Then throughout the weekend, He sent me Word upon Word, song upon song, friend upon friend, and love upon love......Every song on the radio spoke directly to what I was feeling at that moment. During Discipleship we tuned into the Verge 2013 conference, and every speaker was speaking right to me. In fact, that was so awesome, I have watched it the entire weekend, and it's on right now! Awesome stuff, and confirmation that God can and does work, and He does invite us to join Him where He's working. He's got people all over the world thinking about the same things, loving the same people, wanting to spread His Word in the same ways.... WOW!!!
I have experienced so much love and protection and confirmation this weekend. God invited me to join Him where He is working. It's not going to be easy, but I know, I know, I KNOW it will be worth it. It amazes me that He has chosen me to join Him. Alone, I am not much. With Him, I am a powerful weapon in the war against an enemy who wants to destroy us all. He wants to separate us from the only One who loves us no matter what. No matter what we do, He still loves us. No matter what we do, He still cares. No matter what we do, He still seeks us. He seeks us... And we turn our backs away from Him. We decide that it's too hard to do what He asks us, or that we just don't want to obey. We hurt Him over and over again and He STILL loves us.
I want to be the me that He sees in me. I want to follow the path He's set before me. I want to obey. I want the story of what He's done in my life to touch someone. I want them to see that He changed me, and that He can change them too. He heals. He loves. He wants. He doesn't need us.... He wants us. Do you want to be healed? Loved? Wanted? Seek Him. Pray for someone to come along side you and disciple you and allow God to teach you about His love. He wants you to know Him and know just how much He loves you... Don't you want that too???
Friday, February 22, 2013
Love
Well hello there world! Long time, no see, right? It's been a crazy few months around here, with some healing of epic proportions. God has really been seen in and around us, and it blows me away. The wonderful people I am surrounded by have shown us just how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father. It overwhelms me to know how much He loves us.
So what do you think about when I say "love"? Is it the ooey gooey fake love movies and tvs tell us about? How about the love songs? Is that real love? Real love, you say??? What is that?!? Trust me when I say that most of the love we see in movies and tv shows as well as in songs is not real.... Real love is the most beautiful thing in this sick, sad world. Love has become so distorted and undermined. Well played, satan. Turn the beautiful gift that God gave us into a meaningless thing that few people understand anymore. Downplay the reality of what Jesus went through because He loves us. What a horrible thought, but think about it. It's exactly what he does with everything God gave us. He turns beautiful things into things of ugly, distorted, meaningless drivel. The worst thing? We submit to it. We allow him to turn the beauty around us into drivel. We allow him to distort the Truth about Love.
No, God doesn't need us to fight His battles. He can do it all on his own. The thing is, He wants us to want to fight battles with Him, because He loves us. He created all of us to be warriors, lovers, every beautiful thing you can think of... He created us for beauty and Love. Real Love. The kind of love you get from having a relationship with our Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. You can't appreciate Love of that magnitude unless you have a relationship with all Three as One.
Read these scriptures:
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
This is what Love looks like:
John 15:9-17 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
What a fantabulously exciting idea. For the Love our Father has for us is even greater than what we could EVER imagine... It's so much more than the love of a husband and wife, mother or father and child, brother and sister, best friends..... It's everything you feel from each of these relationships, to the bazillion quadrillionth power, and that isn't even all of it! There is no measure for how full of Love you become when you have the Love of the Father pouring into and out of you.
So look inside yourself.... Do you experience that Love? Do you abide in His Love? If not, don't you want to?? Look around..Do you exhibit that Love? Look around again.. who exhibits that Love? Talk to them, pray with them. Seek Him. Ask Him to show you what Love looks like. Talk to Him, have a relationship... There is no greater joy than what is found when you have that relationship with the One who created you for Love.
So what do you think about when I say "love"? Is it the ooey gooey fake love movies and tvs tell us about? How about the love songs? Is that real love? Real love, you say??? What is that?!? Trust me when I say that most of the love we see in movies and tv shows as well as in songs is not real.... Real love is the most beautiful thing in this sick, sad world. Love has become so distorted and undermined. Well played, satan. Turn the beautiful gift that God gave us into a meaningless thing that few people understand anymore. Downplay the reality of what Jesus went through because He loves us. What a horrible thought, but think about it. It's exactly what he does with everything God gave us. He turns beautiful things into things of ugly, distorted, meaningless drivel. The worst thing? We submit to it. We allow him to turn the beauty around us into drivel. We allow him to distort the Truth about Love.
No, God doesn't need us to fight His battles. He can do it all on his own. The thing is, He wants us to want to fight battles with Him, because He loves us. He created all of us to be warriors, lovers, every beautiful thing you can think of... He created us for beauty and Love. Real Love. The kind of love you get from having a relationship with our Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. You can't appreciate Love of that magnitude unless you have a relationship with all Three as One.
Read these scriptures:
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Love isn't some minor, meaningless drivel. Love is beautiful. Love is open, honest, trusting. Love is so much bigger than any word can describe. Love is a Father, sending His Son to die for OUR sins. Love is doing that while we are STILL sinners. Love cannot be overcome.
Love is forgiveness. Has someone hurt you? Respond in Love. Has someone harmed you? Respond in Love. Has someone shaken the ground you stand on? Respond in Love.
I have been in love for nine years. I loved my husband before Christ, but I didn't really Love him. I had no concept of what Love could be until Jesus showed me the difference. Physical and emotional love are an important part of marriage, but nothing... NOTHING.... NOTHING compares to the spiritual love that comes from knowing God. There are no words to describe how amazing it is. My relationship with Jesus changed me. Ben's relationship with Jesus changed him. Our relationship with each other AND Jesus completely rewrote our love story. Do we hurt each other? Sometimes, because we are, after all, human. However, forgiveness is a beautiful thing. Knowing our Love is so much more than this world's version of love, that it's ETERNAL.....
Think about that for a minute... Love for eternity.....
This is what Love looks like:
John 15:9-17 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
What a fantabulously exciting idea. For the Love our Father has for us is even greater than what we could EVER imagine... It's so much more than the love of a husband and wife, mother or father and child, brother and sister, best friends..... It's everything you feel from each of these relationships, to the bazillion quadrillionth power, and that isn't even all of it! There is no measure for how full of Love you become when you have the Love of the Father pouring into and out of you.
So look inside yourself.... Do you experience that Love? Do you abide in His Love? If not, don't you want to?? Look around..Do you exhibit that Love? Look around again.. who exhibits that Love? Talk to them, pray with them. Seek Him. Ask Him to show you what Love looks like. Talk to Him, have a relationship... There is no greater joy than what is found when you have that relationship with the One who created you for Love.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
The Beauty in The Storm
We walked outside tonight to see if we could see the meteor shower. We couldn't see them yet, but what we did see was amazing! A storm is rolling in, but it's still quite a distance away. The lightning was streaking across the sky, highlighting the clouds with this wonderful pinky-orange color, just on the horizon. As we sat there watching the show, I started thinking about how beautiful the storm can be.
Sometimes the storm is so harsh, we don't take a moment to enjoy the beauty that God creates in the midst of it. We are so engrossed in the pain and drama, we miss the little moments that are there just waiting on us.... Those moments that remind us that God is there, with us. He's always there, waiting on us to accept the love, mercy and peace that only He can bring to the storm. He wraps us in His love and guides us through the storm. He shows us the beauty in our surroundings if we just open our eyes to it.
How many times do you stop to see the beauty of your surroundings and thank God for them? I know, it can be hard when life is going reasonably well. Add a storm, and it can be pretty darn close to impossible. It causes us to focus only on the storm, and not on anything good. God has created so many wonderful things. Do you really want to miss them? No, you want to enjoy the beauty He created. He speaks to us in the beauty of every day as well as in the storm.
So look around you. Notice the beauty that God has created for us to enjoy, and praise Him for it. Listen to the birds, the bugs, the wind, the rain, and the thunder. Smell the flowers, the grass, the dirt and the rain. Focus on the beauty of the trees, the flowers and the sky. Listen to God as He speaks to you... even in the storm. Especially in the storm.....
Sometimes the storm is so harsh, we don't take a moment to enjoy the beauty that God creates in the midst of it. We are so engrossed in the pain and drama, we miss the little moments that are there just waiting on us.... Those moments that remind us that God is there, with us. He's always there, waiting on us to accept the love, mercy and peace that only He can bring to the storm. He wraps us in His love and guides us through the storm. He shows us the beauty in our surroundings if we just open our eyes to it.
How many times do you stop to see the beauty of your surroundings and thank God for them? I know, it can be hard when life is going reasonably well. Add a storm, and it can be pretty darn close to impossible. It causes us to focus only on the storm, and not on anything good. God has created so many wonderful things. Do you really want to miss them? No, you want to enjoy the beauty He created. He speaks to us in the beauty of every day as well as in the storm.
So look around you. Notice the beauty that God has created for us to enjoy, and praise Him for it. Listen to the birds, the bugs, the wind, the rain, and the thunder. Smell the flowers, the grass, the dirt and the rain. Focus on the beauty of the trees, the flowers and the sky. Listen to God as He speaks to you... even in the storm. Especially in the storm.....
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