The amazing thing about the death and resurrection of Jesus is that He didn't just give us an eternal gift; He gave us back what sin had taken from us: A life with Jesus. The minute we entered this world we became a sinner. We are born broken into a broken world. We then spend the rest of our lives searching for something to make us feel whole. We go to self-help books written by people who claim to have found "it" but we come out feeling just as empty as ever. We look for fulfillment in people, friends or a "significant other" but, as humans often do, they let us down and only empty more from within us. We look for fulfillment in material things, such as wealth, better house/cars or just plain "stuff." With all of these, however, we have a constant feeling of need (want) and aren't ever happy until we get MORE (which never fills us enough.) We spend so much of our time searching for healing, when all we need to do is be real before God...we must admit that we are a broken mess and cannot fix ourselves. "Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." -James 4:10
By searching in all the wrong places we miss all the right things. But most of all, we miss the kind of relationship with Christ that He so desires to give us. If we feel far from Him it is not because He is pulling away, but because we are backing away. The bible says "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8) The longer we go without seeking God the further we will drift from Him.
The thing I have the hardest time seeking God in frequently would be... my dreams. I get them all planned out by myself and totally forget to seek His will. I forget that my dreams were never mine in the first place. They were given to me by God, planned out since before I was born. I must surrender them each and every day to God, humbly go before Him and place them into His hands. I've learned (through many mistakes) that God doesn't ever just give someone a dream or passion then snatch it away. He might ask us to give them back to Him for a time, but when He gives them back they are more bright a beautiful than ever before! The best part? Once we have given everything over to God, He will bless them even more as we go out and start living them out...because we use them as HIS and not OURS.
Like our dreams, there are so many areas we need to have complete faith in God's promises. He tells us that "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5) and that truly means NEVER. There will be times when we won't see Him, but He is always there and will always provide for our needs. Not always, but many times in our life when we don't see God it is not because He isn't there, but because we aren't looking. We don't go looking for something we think we don't we need. When we've just eaten, we don't go to the fridge just because there is food in there. We go to the fridge when we're hungry. Same with God. This means with man-kinds prideful nature, we often don't feel we need God. This ends with us wandering around like sheep without a shepherd...totally lost because we in and of ourselves are clueless. We have to understand the fact that we need something bigger than ourselves to save us from ourselves.
"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." -Proverbs 4:23
Everything we do and think comes from our hearts. Have you ever heard the saying "follow your heart"? It's actually not a very good idea, because the bible says that "“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) Why would we want to follow such a thing if we want to have a happy life? Again, it would be looking to ourselves for the answer, instead of seeking God. Our sinful nature means our hearts biggest influence IS sin. We must allow God, TRUST God, to lead our hearts in the best direction possible. We make choices based on what "feels good" at this moment, while God chooses what "IS good" for our whole life.
Our hearts are pretty fickle. They don't know exactly what they want...they're always changing their minds. Why do you think marriages and relationships fall apart so quickly these days? Our heart buries hurt deep inside and holds scars longer and deeper than anything else. When we are hurt, we tell ourselves "I'll get over it" and we attempt to move on. However, unless we release those hurts and scars into God's hands, we won't ever have the kind of healing that we're looking for..the kind of healing that we need. We will never have closure without God, because without Him we will be under a dark cloud of hopelessness.
Our hearts, like every other part of us, are selfish. It's just that simple. We want everything without giving up anything. Almost like clock work, the second I am hurt by someone, my first reaction is to build up walls as fast as possible. I want them tall and thick so nobody can penetrate or get over them. I crawl around sweeping up the pieces of my comfort zone, gluing them back together and then quickly crawl inside. And last, but not least, I re create my bubble which nobody is allowed through. I do everything I can to not show a drop of emotion; showing people that I have feelings is completely out of the question, and I put on my "tough girl" face and head back out into the world trying to avoid making any new friends.
Because we all know this will make the pain go away. Right? I have found that being alone has never been a good solution for anything. By hiding from everything, I am also closing up to the love and healing of Christ. I think my solution is the only way, and begin losing trust, faith and hope in God's ability to protect me. I slowly begin to stop seeking all that He wishes to offer as a cure for my pain.
If I have learned anything the past few years it is this: God cannot make everyone around us treat us like royalty. He can't. To do so He would have to take away our freedom, and He will never do that. We are all human, therefore we will all make the wrong decisions. As a matter of a fact, we will have a lifetime of mistakes. For those who think they have have it all figured out...I'd love to hear how you live such a perfect life.
The good news to this (yes, there is some) is that God's hands are big enough to catch us when we're knocked down. Whether it's by people, things or feelings...He is the Ultimate Healer.
When people let us down, instead of keeping our love bound and gagged deep inside, we should choose to give it away! Love is one of the few things that multiplies and expands as we pass it on to others.
Christ was treated like a criminal by so many people, yet He still chose to give His love to each and every one of them. He gave it to those who cursed Him, those who beat Him, mocked Him and spat on Him...even those who betrayed Him. His death was the seal to His promise of everlasting love.
Instead of going to self-help books and worldly affection that will fade away...we need to make a habit of going to God with our problems. When we come back to reality, we will (hopefully) finally realize God is truly the only one who can help us, anyway. He will cover our mistakes up in His blood and, like the verse says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12)
"O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." -Psalm 63:1-8
Are we hiding or seeking?
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Called Following The Calling
"walk in the manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift." -Ephesians 4:1-7
What is our calling? "To preach the gospel to all the world." Just looking around at all of the different famous preachers and teachers, we can see how things should not be done. There are those who preach for the fame or money...spending all of their time talking about how they know the right way to live, yet they have no humility.
It is easy to put someone on a pedestal when they become almost like a fad and have many followers. People can look pretty great on the outside; just take a look at the Pharisees and Sadducees! Everyone thought they were righteous and holy because their life looked perfect. They did all of the rituals correctly, they seemed to outwardly follow the "laws" and "commandments" and everyone thought they were the ones to mold their lives after.
How often do we do the same thing? "The calling" refers to the fact that we have been called; we have been called for a purpose BY God, FOR God.
We are supposed to preserve unity. Now, by looking around at the different churches and "religious" groups anyone can tell that unity is a major problem. We have so many denominations it is saddening. There are more church splits than Wal-Mart locations! Forget the saying "Let's agree to disagree" everyone just disagrees to agree on anything.....whether it be for major factors like salvation or something as small as building renovations. "Being diligent to preserve the UNITY of the Spirit in the bond of PEACE." Since when did we decide we were too good to follow this? I mean, exactly how many of us actually try to be "diligent" in preserving these things? Not many that I see. Everyone is more worried about his/her own agenda than they are keeping any sort of unity or peace with their fellow brothers and sisters.
"For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..."
Though I realize these things are going to come as we get closer to Christ's return, I also think we have the choice to on whether to be a part of the rebellious attitude or not. I don't think so. Even if something is bound to happen (i.e rebellions and the like) we have the free will to not be a part of it. We have the ability to choose how we will react to a situation.
Just as the verse says, there is ONE God, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE Lord. There is ONE way to get to heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ. There is no separation from any of these unless you are not a follower of God. These should be our defining beliefs. These are the important things. Anything else should be of personal conviction and not something that should be forced on to every other person out there. God did not call us to be a cult of people who all believe the exact same thing about every aspect in life. He didn't make us to dress or talk the same, listen to the same kind of music or watch the same TV shows. We are each unique because He MADE US that way. We are each a part of the body of God, and we each have a different gift and way to help others come to HIM.
Things will not always be easy, but God has given us the grace to get through any situation. We will go through battles but we will not be alone. One thing I always try to remember is that God has already won my battles! I don't have to be afraid of rough times in life, because God will go with me through the storm and He will come out ahead of all the rest.
We have a calling, but will we head the call and go forth with the task we have been given?
What is our calling? "To preach the gospel to all the world." Just looking around at all of the different famous preachers and teachers, we can see how things should not be done. There are those who preach for the fame or money...spending all of their time talking about how they know the right way to live, yet they have no humility.
It is easy to put someone on a pedestal when they become almost like a fad and have many followers. People can look pretty great on the outside; just take a look at the Pharisees and Sadducees! Everyone thought they were righteous and holy because their life looked perfect. They did all of the rituals correctly, they seemed to outwardly follow the "laws" and "commandments" and everyone thought they were the ones to mold their lives after.
How often do we do the same thing? "The calling" refers to the fact that we have been called; we have been called for a purpose BY God, FOR God.
We are supposed to preserve unity. Now, by looking around at the different churches and "religious" groups anyone can tell that unity is a major problem. We have so many denominations it is saddening. There are more church splits than Wal-Mart locations! Forget the saying "Let's agree to disagree" everyone just disagrees to agree on anything.....whether it be for major factors like salvation or something as small as building renovations. "Being diligent to preserve the UNITY of the Spirit in the bond of PEACE." Since when did we decide we were too good to follow this? I mean, exactly how many of us actually try to be "diligent" in preserving these things? Not many that I see. Everyone is more worried about his/her own agenda than they are keeping any sort of unity or peace with their fellow brothers and sisters.
"For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..."
Though I realize these things are going to come as we get closer to Christ's return, I also think we have the choice to on whether to be a part of the rebellious attitude or not. I don't think so. Even if something is bound to happen (i.e rebellions and the like) we have the free will to not be a part of it. We have the ability to choose how we will react to a situation.
Just as the verse says, there is ONE God, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE Lord. There is ONE way to get to heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ. There is no separation from any of these unless you are not a follower of God. These should be our defining beliefs. These are the important things. Anything else should be of personal conviction and not something that should be forced on to every other person out there. God did not call us to be a cult of people who all believe the exact same thing about every aspect in life. He didn't make us to dress or talk the same, listen to the same kind of music or watch the same TV shows. We are each unique because He MADE US that way. We are each a part of the body of God, and we each have a different gift and way to help others come to HIM.
Things will not always be easy, but God has given us the grace to get through any situation. We will go through battles but we will not be alone. One thing I always try to remember is that God has already won my battles! I don't have to be afraid of rough times in life, because God will go with me through the storm and He will come out ahead of all the rest.
We have a calling, but will we head the call and go forth with the task we have been given?
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Oh Be Careful, Little Ears, What You Hear
Reading through my bible lately I've noticed something that I don't think I've ever paid much attention to before.
The word, Listen is written over and over and over. "Listen, O people" or "Listen, children" and countless other passages. It's got me thinking less on "waiting" and more on "paying attention to." There's a big difference. I could wait for God to speak to me for the rest of my life, but if I'm not paying any attention then I will miss anything and everything He is trying to say.
Listening to what God is telling us is so very important. There are a few things in life that we just automatically know are wrong. It's embedded into our hearts and has been since the day we were born. But there are times in life when we really don't know which way to go. There are a few paths, and if it were up to us we would pick the easiest one every time.
I've begun thinking about who I listen to or who I go to for advice. If I am just struggling too much with where to go or what to do, I go to my parents. They have known me all my life and know what I need, plus, being Christians as well they can help me discern what God is trying to get through to me (because honestly, sometimes I just need a good knock on the noggin.) Other times I might go to a close friend who I trust to not lead me in a direction that would not be pleasing to God. But what about those times when those people are busy? When I feel I can't bother them...
There are many a number of people we believe we can trust to give sound advice, but the minute they hint for us to go a direction that goes against ANYTHING God has already said, we need to stop. Stop talking, stop listening, stop everything and go to God.
This situation always reminds me of the king in the bible that goes for advice about how to treat his people. He goes to the elders and they tell him "Your father was harsh on the people, treat them with kindness and they will gladly serve you. Then he goes to his peers and asks the same thing, and they say "they will start to rebel if you give them too much freedom. However harsh your father was, you must be even more so! That is the only way you will keep your kingdom." Well, what do you think the king did? He went with the advice of his peers...the story did not end well for him. He not only went to the wrong people for advice, he followed through with the ones who gave him the answer he wanted to hear in the first place! I can't even begin to count the times I have gone to several people for advice, just waiting for someone to tell me to do what I already want to do in my heart. I think if I say they told me it was a good idea then I won't be held totally accountable for my actions....right? Wrong.
I have the freedom to choose who I obey. We can choose the easy rout, the one that our deceitful hearts want to go with, or we can go to those who are wise, maybe someone who has been in that position before; or maybe just someone who God has blessed with wisdom. Joshua says, "Choose you this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, WE will serve the Lord."
Who are we choosing to serve?
You might say, "But I've dealt with this problem for years and years and I just can't handle it the right way anymore...this is the best way for everyone. All of my friends are telling me I'm doing the right thing, and they're all good Christian people." What does God's word say about your actions right here, right now? Not looking at the past or future, but right now.
We cannot trust ourselves to make sensible decisions."Well, I just feel like this is the right way to go. I may fail if I go _____ direction." As the song says, "Take it to the Lord in prayer." Just because we feel a certain situation is hopeless and bound never to change, that doesn't mean it cannot or won't. "With God, nothing is impossible."
There have been times when I used the right excuse for the wrong circumstance or reason. I knew God was pointing me in a certain direction, but kept telling people "Well, I'm just praying God will change their hearts." My prayers mean nothing when God has already given me the answer.... it just wasn't the answer I "wanted" so I kept doing my own thing.
There are times to leave and times to stay, times to love and times to hate, times to walk away and times to simply pray....there is a time for everything, but it is ALWAYS the perfect time to listen to God.
When we're struggling, when we have a deep ache or fear of the unknown, take it to God! He has all of the answers; we don't. We just have to be ready to listen, because He very well might tell us an answer we don't like.
We open our heart to those in need, but do we unstop our ears to the Lord's words?
The word, Listen is written over and over and over. "Listen, O people" or "Listen, children" and countless other passages. It's got me thinking less on "waiting" and more on "paying attention to." There's a big difference. I could wait for God to speak to me for the rest of my life, but if I'm not paying any attention then I will miss anything and everything He is trying to say.
Listening to what God is telling us is so very important. There are a few things in life that we just automatically know are wrong. It's embedded into our hearts and has been since the day we were born. But there are times in life when we really don't know which way to go. There are a few paths, and if it were up to us we would pick the easiest one every time.
I've begun thinking about who I listen to or who I go to for advice. If I am just struggling too much with where to go or what to do, I go to my parents. They have known me all my life and know what I need, plus, being Christians as well they can help me discern what God is trying to get through to me (because honestly, sometimes I just need a good knock on the noggin.) Other times I might go to a close friend who I trust to not lead me in a direction that would not be pleasing to God. But what about those times when those people are busy? When I feel I can't bother them...
There are many a number of people we believe we can trust to give sound advice, but the minute they hint for us to go a direction that goes against ANYTHING God has already said, we need to stop. Stop talking, stop listening, stop everything and go to God.
This situation always reminds me of the king in the bible that goes for advice about how to treat his people. He goes to the elders and they tell him "Your father was harsh on the people, treat them with kindness and they will gladly serve you. Then he goes to his peers and asks the same thing, and they say "they will start to rebel if you give them too much freedom. However harsh your father was, you must be even more so! That is the only way you will keep your kingdom." Well, what do you think the king did? He went with the advice of his peers...the story did not end well for him. He not only went to the wrong people for advice, he followed through with the ones who gave him the answer he wanted to hear in the first place! I can't even begin to count the times I have gone to several people for advice, just waiting for someone to tell me to do what I already want to do in my heart. I think if I say they told me it was a good idea then I won't be held totally accountable for my actions....right? Wrong.
I have the freedom to choose who I obey. We can choose the easy rout, the one that our deceitful hearts want to go with, or we can go to those who are wise, maybe someone who has been in that position before; or maybe just someone who God has blessed with wisdom. Joshua says, "Choose you this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, WE will serve the Lord."
Who are we choosing to serve?
You might say, "But I've dealt with this problem for years and years and I just can't handle it the right way anymore...this is the best way for everyone. All of my friends are telling me I'm doing the right thing, and they're all good Christian people." What does God's word say about your actions right here, right now? Not looking at the past or future, but right now.
We cannot trust ourselves to make sensible decisions."Well, I just feel like this is the right way to go. I may fail if I go _____ direction." As the song says, "Take it to the Lord in prayer." Just because we feel a certain situation is hopeless and bound never to change, that doesn't mean it cannot or won't. "With God, nothing is impossible."
There have been times when I used the right excuse for the wrong circumstance or reason. I knew God was pointing me in a certain direction, but kept telling people "Well, I'm just praying God will change their hearts." My prayers mean nothing when God has already given me the answer.... it just wasn't the answer I "wanted" so I kept doing my own thing.
There are times to leave and times to stay, times to love and times to hate, times to walk away and times to simply pray....there is a time for everything, but it is ALWAYS the perfect time to listen to God.
When we're struggling, when we have a deep ache or fear of the unknown, take it to God! He has all of the answers; we don't. We just have to be ready to listen, because He very well might tell us an answer we don't like.
We open our heart to those in need, but do we unstop our ears to the Lord's words?
Life And Death
There are many people that believe in Jesus, believe that He was actually someone who walked on this earth, but they do not believe that He is alive today. They do not believe that He rose from the dead. To these people I would like to say this; if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then there is no point in believe in Jesus at all.
"For if the dead are nor raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." -1 Corinthians 15:16-17
Our prayers, our testimonies, our faith...everything we supposedly have "faith" in is in vain if God had truly not risen. "Believing in Jesus" means nothing if you do not believe everything God has said. "Even the demons believe in God, and tremble!"
Without God's ability to conquer death and His grave, we cannot, either. If we do not believe the dead can be raised, then we, also, cannot be raised. There will be no heaven. No hope. People can say they "believe" there is a God, even pray to one, but unless they know who He truly is (and not just the "man upstairs") then they have no hope at all.
If there are times when Satan tries to make me doubt God's word or begin doubting that I can truly have hope of life after death, I always think of my two friends who have passed on. Kara and Jimmy. They were probably the most passionately joyful people I've ever known. Their lives, the glow in their smile, the joy radiating from their life was all proof of God and the hope He has given us by keeping His promise to rise. You see, humans cannot be joyful through and through by themselves. The only way to have such pure happiness is to have it through Christ Jesus. That joy they had is so bright, it will touch countless lives even if someone simply sees a picture of them.
You cannot explain that joy away as anything but Christ.
Because our joy in not in vain, we must spread it around. We cannot hold it bottled up inside otherwise it will explode! Even if someone asks why you're always so happy, you can just say "Because Christ has risen!" there's nothing else that even NEEDS to be said! We are not dead in our sins, because God is NOT dead, He is alive!
"The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 5:20-21
If Christ died for all of the peoples sins in the past or even today, then was not raised, what would happen to us when we sinned tomorrow? Or next week? Because He rose, we now have the opportunity to go to God and confess our sins daily and repent. The curtain in the temple was torn in two so that we can have free passage to go to God anytime we wish.
Christ was the perfect sacrifice, the only offering that could be a payment for the wicked sins of mankind. But when you tell people of His great sacrifice, be sure to not leave Him in the grave! He didn't just die for us, He lives for us, as well. That is something to be joyful about.
"Each of us has purity, not because we are pure, but because God us pure. Each of us has power, not because WE have power, but because God is powerFUL." -Bro. Doug
Live joyfully...live freely because it cost HIM His life to set US free.
"For if the dead are nor raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." -1 Corinthians 15:16-17
Our prayers, our testimonies, our faith...everything we supposedly have "faith" in is in vain if God had truly not risen. "Believing in Jesus" means nothing if you do not believe everything God has said. "Even the demons believe in God, and tremble!"
Without God's ability to conquer death and His grave, we cannot, either. If we do not believe the dead can be raised, then we, also, cannot be raised. There will be no heaven. No hope. People can say they "believe" there is a God, even pray to one, but unless they know who He truly is (and not just the "man upstairs") then they have no hope at all.
If there are times when Satan tries to make me doubt God's word or begin doubting that I can truly have hope of life after death, I always think of my two friends who have passed on. Kara and Jimmy. They were probably the most passionately joyful people I've ever known. Their lives, the glow in their smile, the joy radiating from their life was all proof of God and the hope He has given us by keeping His promise to rise. You see, humans cannot be joyful through and through by themselves. The only way to have such pure happiness is to have it through Christ Jesus. That joy they had is so bright, it will touch countless lives even if someone simply sees a picture of them.
You cannot explain that joy away as anything but Christ.
Because our joy in not in vain, we must spread it around. We cannot hold it bottled up inside otherwise it will explode! Even if someone asks why you're always so happy, you can just say "Because Christ has risen!" there's nothing else that even NEEDS to be said! We are not dead in our sins, because God is NOT dead, He is alive!
"The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 5:20-21
If Christ died for all of the peoples sins in the past or even today, then was not raised, what would happen to us when we sinned tomorrow? Or next week? Because He rose, we now have the opportunity to go to God and confess our sins daily and repent. The curtain in the temple was torn in two so that we can have free passage to go to God anytime we wish.
Christ was the perfect sacrifice, the only offering that could be a payment for the wicked sins of mankind. But when you tell people of His great sacrifice, be sure to not leave Him in the grave! He didn't just die for us, He lives for us, as well. That is something to be joyful about.
"Each of us has purity, not because we are pure, but because God us pure. Each of us has power, not because WE have power, but because God is powerFUL." -Bro. Doug
Live joyfully...live freely because it cost HIM His life to set US free.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Jesus + Us = Love
True love, showing it not only on the outside but also on the inside, requires greatness. Love stories from movies are not what true love is about, I'm sorry to break it to you.
"But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." -Isaiah 53:5-6
That is nothing less than true love.
Someone mentioned something today that made me think about how I see Jesus. He is not just another thing for us to acquire. He is the God of the universe. The very One that made us!
Any of you that have ever been in love know how it feels to want to spend all the time possible with that special someone. The question that God has brought to my mind through the past few days is this: How often do I truly desire to spend time with HIM? Do I have to make myself go read my bible because I "know it's what I'm supposed to do" or do I hunger for His word and presence?
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." -Isaiah 53:4
He did more for us than anyone will ever do or even COULD do. Yet, we still reject Him; we still turn from Him.
All of you single girls out there that are in a state of depression because of your relationship status. Don't keep searching tirelessly for "the one" because you already HAVE "the ONE" standing there begging for your heart. You will never be able to have the kind of relationship you're searching for unless you allow God to ready you and your soul mate first. Give God your heart, because He is desperately in-love with you. There is a quote that I absolutely love that says "A girls heart should be buried so deep in God that for a man to win her heart, He has to find God first."
I have too often tried to find love and worth in the people and things around me, but after 20 years I am (finally) starting to grasp the fact that my worth has never come from anything or anyone. Jesus values me more than anyone ever will...I needn't search any further than Him.
Honestly, it doesn't matter what you've done or where you've come from, because God's love is powerful enough to wash it all away as if it never happened. There are none too far that God's love cannot reach.
If we have God's love, fabulous. That is something to be joyful about! Freedom in Christ means freedom in love. It means the one thing that makes us different and unique than everyone else in the world is free for all to have as their own. But what if they don't know about it? What if someone that knows you and spends time with you died today and you had never told them about that love you have inside? That would be blood on your hands. I'm not saying that everyone you know that dies without coming to Christ will be your fault. If you've told those around you about Christ then you've done your job. Prayer is the only thing that can be done if they won't listen. But we had better make sure we proclaim Jesus to those we choose to spend time around. And truly, we shouldn't even HAVE to tell them about God; they should see it in everything that we do.
Go back in your mind to the time before you were filled with the love of God; remember the sadness, the pain, burden of mistakes that haunted you day after day... Do you remember what it felt like? Everyone you choose to keep your gift from, you are allowing to live that miserable life. If we have accepted God's gift of love, our JOB is to share it. The people of the world have been diagnosed with the most deadly of diseases: sin. God has handed us the antidote to spread to everyone we can reach, to share it with everyone who wants it. Are we seeking those who will forever be lost?
I think we have thrown out the "well I made a good Christian" card one too many times. Be honest...we have all gone to those who would "make good Christians" in our minds. We pick and choose who WE feel deserves God's gift... as if we have the right to do so. Most of the time we probably even go to the people who seem to like us! We think "well there's one more that thinks I'm a pretty good role model." This attitude would automatically cut us out of the "worthy" group because we have made HIM about US. We can compare ourselves to the lesser or worse people all we want to make us feel better about how we're living. The cold hard truth is this; doing that doesn't make us look any better.
See, God doesn't compare us to one another. He doesn't pick the homeless man off the street and compare him to the wealthy businessman in the uptown apartment buildings. The perfect example is Christ, and compared to Him I'm sorry to say, we all look like a pile of mud. No more "I'm better than Bob" or "well at least I'm not like Shirley over there." No! We have all sinned, we all nailed those nails into Christ' hands and feel, we have all cursed His name by sinning against the most Holy God.
We were all headed down a slide to hell...but those who called out to God were snatched up with forgiveness into His loving hands, saving them from eternal damnation. Those who have humbled themselves enough to say "I am nothing" are the ones that received EVERYTHING because they have been filled with Christ Jesus.
It gets ever better! God didn't just save us from eternity in the lake of fire; He saved us so He could be WITH us. Think about it. He could have just died, risen from the dead and been on His merry way...not looking back or even ever thinking of us again. But that's not what He chose to do. He loves us SO much that He wants to spend time with us, so He made a way to fellowship with us for eternity. Wow. He WANTS to be with us! How humbled we should be that HE wants US. That He weeps when He loses another one of His creation to hell everyday when He gave everything so He could spend time with them and be there for them.
This is true love. Jesus, is true love. And how grateful we should be that He is.
"But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." -Isaiah 53:5-6
That is nothing less than true love.
Someone mentioned something today that made me think about how I see Jesus. He is not just another thing for us to acquire. He is the God of the universe. The very One that made us!
Any of you that have ever been in love know how it feels to want to spend all the time possible with that special someone. The question that God has brought to my mind through the past few days is this: How often do I truly desire to spend time with HIM? Do I have to make myself go read my bible because I "know it's what I'm supposed to do" or do I hunger for His word and presence?
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." -Isaiah 53:4
He did more for us than anyone will ever do or even COULD do. Yet, we still reject Him; we still turn from Him.
All of you single girls out there that are in a state of depression because of your relationship status. Don't keep searching tirelessly for "the one" because you already HAVE "the ONE" standing there begging for your heart. You will never be able to have the kind of relationship you're searching for unless you allow God to ready you and your soul mate first. Give God your heart, because He is desperately in-love with you. There is a quote that I absolutely love that says "A girls heart should be buried so deep in God that for a man to win her heart, He has to find God first."
I have too often tried to find love and worth in the people and things around me, but after 20 years I am (finally) starting to grasp the fact that my worth has never come from anything or anyone. Jesus values me more than anyone ever will...I needn't search any further than Him.
Honestly, it doesn't matter what you've done or where you've come from, because God's love is powerful enough to wash it all away as if it never happened. There are none too far that God's love cannot reach.
If we have God's love, fabulous. That is something to be joyful about! Freedom in Christ means freedom in love. It means the one thing that makes us different and unique than everyone else in the world is free for all to have as their own. But what if they don't know about it? What if someone that knows you and spends time with you died today and you had never told them about that love you have inside? That would be blood on your hands. I'm not saying that everyone you know that dies without coming to Christ will be your fault. If you've told those around you about Christ then you've done your job. Prayer is the only thing that can be done if they won't listen. But we had better make sure we proclaim Jesus to those we choose to spend time around. And truly, we shouldn't even HAVE to tell them about God; they should see it in everything that we do.
Go back in your mind to the time before you were filled with the love of God; remember the sadness, the pain, burden of mistakes that haunted you day after day... Do you remember what it felt like? Everyone you choose to keep your gift from, you are allowing to live that miserable life. If we have accepted God's gift of love, our JOB is to share it. The people of the world have been diagnosed with the most deadly of diseases: sin. God has handed us the antidote to spread to everyone we can reach, to share it with everyone who wants it. Are we seeking those who will forever be lost?
I think we have thrown out the "well I made a good Christian" card one too many times. Be honest...we have all gone to those who would "make good Christians" in our minds. We pick and choose who WE feel deserves God's gift... as if we have the right to do so. Most of the time we probably even go to the people who seem to like us! We think "well there's one more that thinks I'm a pretty good role model." This attitude would automatically cut us out of the "worthy" group because we have made HIM about US. We can compare ourselves to the lesser or worse people all we want to make us feel better about how we're living. The cold hard truth is this; doing that doesn't make us look any better.
See, God doesn't compare us to one another. He doesn't pick the homeless man off the street and compare him to the wealthy businessman in the uptown apartment buildings. The perfect example is Christ, and compared to Him I'm sorry to say, we all look like a pile of mud. No more "I'm better than Bob" or "well at least I'm not like Shirley over there." No! We have all sinned, we all nailed those nails into Christ' hands and feel, we have all cursed His name by sinning against the most Holy God.
We were all headed down a slide to hell...but those who called out to God were snatched up with forgiveness into His loving hands, saving them from eternal damnation. Those who have humbled themselves enough to say "I am nothing" are the ones that received EVERYTHING because they have been filled with Christ Jesus.
It gets ever better! God didn't just save us from eternity in the lake of fire; He saved us so He could be WITH us. Think about it. He could have just died, risen from the dead and been on His merry way...not looking back or even ever thinking of us again. But that's not what He chose to do. He loves us SO much that He wants to spend time with us, so He made a way to fellowship with us for eternity. Wow. He WANTS to be with us! How humbled we should be that HE wants US. That He weeps when He loses another one of His creation to hell everyday when He gave everything so He could spend time with them and be there for them.
This is true love. Jesus, is true love. And how grateful we should be that He is.
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