As if His eternal sacrifice wasn't enough, He chooses to bless me even when I wander from Him...
He gives me such encouraging brothers and sisters...and people that constantly speak truth to me
He gives me His Holy Word.
I understand to some I'm crazy, but you have to understand this crazy love.
It's a kind of love that truly satisfies.
It's a kind of love that grasps me with overwhelming peace even when I weep.
It's a kind of love that gives me divine appointments.
It's a kind of love that gives me the next breath.
It's a kind of love that changes lives.
I would be crazier if I didn't respond to this love. THAT'S WHAT IS CRAZY.
The more I grow in Him, the more I realize there is truly nothing pretty in my fleshly heart. Any good fruit produced in my life is not even from me...it's the King in me. It is Christ through me. The only good thing about me is Jesus Christ in my heart. My life is worthless, pointless, and hopeless without Him.
I pray you can receive and pursue this kind of love.
Ephesians 3:16-19
"16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Perhaps you've never heard it like this before...and if you have I hope it serves as a great reminder!!
I mean I'm sure many of us have heard it all our lives right? The gospel I mean. Man separated from God. Man needs to be made right with God through burnt offerings. God sends Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins, to die for our sins and get the wrath of God... in order that we can have relationship with the Father and have everlasting life..and for the time being we need to make disciples for His kingdom. Sounds familiar? To most of you at least.
But hold on.
I think we take it too lightly.
The wrath of God is a BIG DEAL! it's some scary stuff. read this.
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man’s heart will melt. 8 And they will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, their faces aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises, And the moon will not shed its light. 11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud, and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. 12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold, And mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts In the day of His burning anger. 14 And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, Or like sheep with none to gather them, they will each turn to his own people, And each one flee to his own land. 15 Anyone who is found will be thrust through, and anyone who is captured will fall by the sword. 16 Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished (Isaiah 13:6-16).
That's how powerful Yahweh is. I think we diminish His glory and power way too often in this individualistic, self-directed generation. We forget that the Creator of the universe has this authority over our lives. Even though God may seem a wrathful God in the Old Testament..and which He is. He is also very gracious as well..because time and time again the Israelites disobeyed Him..and He could have zapped them so He pleased..but He showed soooooooo much grace as well.
Here's where the gospel comes in then it gets crazy nuts for the New Covenant believers.
JESUS becomes the ATONING SACRIFICE for our sins. He's betrayed. He's humiliated. He's mocked. He's scorned. He is abandoned. He is tempted. He is in pain from all the floggings and physical abuse. I mean I can go on and on...and those who have seen Passion of the Christ might be able to visualize more details as well. And then he was nailed on the cross for our sins, but get this..that was NOT the end of it. He had to endure the full wrath of God ...which the verse in Isaiah above can maybe just a little glimpse to what that might means. Why? to save US? us messed up, filthy, human beings?? who tend to intentionally choose to disobey? and this is a gift?? man oh man.
What's nuts is that 2000 years later...lives still literally transform by Him. by the power of His Holy Spirit..and he gives gifts to His children and manifests Himself in their lives and answers their prayers..and gives them community.
Whoa take a breath.
I hope this convicts you, to fall deeply in love with Him if you have not already made the decision to accept Him in your life. Because it's really nuts. and Oh man...He's so jealous and affectionate for us..how can we not help but cry sometimes at this love story!
But hold on.
I think we take it too lightly.
The wrath of God is a BIG DEAL! it's some scary stuff. read this.
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man’s heart will melt. 8 And they will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, their faces aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises, And the moon will not shed its light. 11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud, and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. 12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold, And mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts In the day of His burning anger. 14 And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, Or like sheep with none to gather them, they will each turn to his own people, And each one flee to his own land. 15 Anyone who is found will be thrust through, and anyone who is captured will fall by the sword. 16 Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished (Isaiah 13:6-16).
That's how powerful Yahweh is. I think we diminish His glory and power way too often in this individualistic, self-directed generation. We forget that the Creator of the universe has this authority over our lives. Even though God may seem a wrathful God in the Old Testament..and which He is. He is also very gracious as well..because time and time again the Israelites disobeyed Him..and He could have zapped them so He pleased..but He showed soooooooo much grace as well.
Here's where the gospel comes in then it gets crazy nuts for the New Covenant believers.
JESUS becomes the ATONING SACRIFICE for our sins. He's betrayed. He's humiliated. He's mocked. He's scorned. He is abandoned. He is tempted. He is in pain from all the floggings and physical abuse. I mean I can go on and on...and those who have seen Passion of the Christ might be able to visualize more details as well. And then he was nailed on the cross for our sins, but get this..that was NOT the end of it. He had to endure the full wrath of God ...which the verse in Isaiah above can maybe just a little glimpse to what that might means. Why? to save US? us messed up, filthy, human beings?? who tend to intentionally choose to disobey? and this is a gift?? man oh man.
What's nuts is that 2000 years later...lives still literally transform by Him. by the power of His Holy Spirit..and he gives gifts to His children and manifests Himself in their lives and answers their prayers..and gives them community.
Whoa take a breath.
I hope this convicts you, to fall deeply in love with Him if you have not already made the decision to accept Him in your life. Because it's really nuts. and Oh man...He's so jealous and affectionate for us..how can we not help but cry sometimes at this love story!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Transparency
Recently I've been learning a lot about transparency. During the last 6 weeks (as stated in my previous blog) I dealt with a lot of weakness and confusion internally. What I realized during this season is that without the body of Christ, I would have crumbled. I believe the Lord put me in this state to make me learn to be dependent on Him and on others as well. So often we always try to do this alone. When people ask us how we are, we too often respond "Good", without thinking twice about it. Truth is, we aren't always "good" 24/7. I'm sure not. As people we always tend to conform and portray a certain image of ourselves so that people might perceive us a certain way. It's part of the fleshly nature. However, I believe God is really teaching me to be honest. To be honest with others when I'm completely broken, completely frustrated, completely desperate for help. Granted, you take a risk there when you become vulnerable..however the feeling of being truthful and knowing that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8)is so freeing.
We are all essentially the same inside. We are all longing for acceptance, security, and happiness. We are always looking for the next thing that can fulfill and satisfy us. Only Jesus Christ can give us full acceptance, security, joy (which is a thankful heart in happy and even in sad times, fulfillment and satisfaction. Because of this truth, I am able to be free and share with you all that I am still at times very broken, I don't have it all figured it out, I do care how you think sometimes, but it's so reassuring that I have no ability to change any of these things about me..but that it's only through the dependence on my Savior and the power of the Holy Spirit, that God can make me more into the likeness of His son.
So brothers and sisters, may I encourage you to embark on this journey with me of being honest with one another, so that we can continue to grow individually and as a body, so we can be used by Him even more.
I really enjoy this next passage in Ephesians which summarizes and conveys better the point I'm trying to aim at. That if we as the body speaks the truth in love and continue to be honest with one another, we can grow more in unity and become mature together. I'm so glad Scripture OWNS! hahah
Ephesians 4:11-16
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
We are all essentially the same inside. We are all longing for acceptance, security, and happiness. We are always looking for the next thing that can fulfill and satisfy us. Only Jesus Christ can give us full acceptance, security, joy (which is a thankful heart in happy and even in sad times, fulfillment and satisfaction. Because of this truth, I am able to be free and share with you all that I am still at times very broken, I don't have it all figured it out, I do care how you think sometimes, but it's so reassuring that I have no ability to change any of these things about me..but that it's only through the dependence on my Savior and the power of the Holy Spirit, that God can make me more into the likeness of His son.
So brothers and sisters, may I encourage you to embark on this journey with me of being honest with one another, so that we can continue to grow individually and as a body, so we can be used by Him even more.
I really enjoy this next passage in Ephesians which summarizes and conveys better the point I'm trying to aim at. That if we as the body speaks the truth in love and continue to be honest with one another, we can grow more in unity and become mature together. I'm so glad Scripture OWNS! hahah
Ephesians 4:11-16
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
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