To find a quiet place is not an easy thing to do in our world. Even harder is to have and keep a quiet heart - to have quietness and peace inwardly is something that takes work...it takes time and someone that is willing to put some effort into having a place where God's rest can abide.
David was a man that encountered God in his everyday job of looking after sheep. This job was considered way low on the totem pole as far as jobs in his day. He was probably looked at as not important, or unvalued...but during this time of looking after his sheep, he encountered God. God used this time when it was just the two of them in the middle of a pasture with no one else around to birth a relationship that would later be the very foundation that God used to rule a nation. He had no other distractions...no one else to pull on him for his time. All he had was nature, his God, and the task of caring for some sheep!
Distractions are our worst enemy - especially in our culture and day. When I went to Honduras a few years ago, something was awakened on the inside of me. It was a longing to lay aside the things that surround us that, in the view of eternity, will have no value. I saw something in the Hondurans that I wanted...in their poor state, they were rich in relationship and prayer with God - which was obvious. They knew how to worship - they loved Him because they depended on Him for everything - daily! Here I was as a 25 year old...I've never starved, been in need of shelter, or went a day without showering. Yet, I was able, by the grace of God, to see how poor I really was. I want to be rich in Him - and that can only happen through leaning and trusting in Him for everything. In America we don't need much, so sometimes our relationship with God is put on the back burner. Right now in my life I'm in the middle of trying to figure out how in the world I can live as someone who is "poor in spirit" in a world of materialism and greed...it's not easy and the price is sometimes harder than we think. The fact is, it's harder to trust God in a nation that has everything we've ever needed - and more, for that matter!
Like I said earlier, David was a man with a history with God. It wasn't a history of encountering Him in a church service with other people. He had this intimate, one-on-one relationship wtih God that no one else knew about until later in His life. He knew the secret of knowing God for Himself and being around people that knew Him would never be enough for David because He tasted of a relationship with God that nothing else would satisfy. For years it was just Him and God!
I love my friendships...I wouldn't be able to go through life's seasons if it was not for the incredible people God has placed in my life. They are scattered everywhere...some are in my city - others are throughout the state - others are throughout the nation - and then still, others are in different countries. Yet, even in knowing the importance of these people and how precious it is of the Father to bring them into my life, I know that if I do not, at some point in my day or week, spend time alone with God, my strength will soon fade. We desperately need others. But if we put all our dependency on others, we'll stand disappointed and empty. This is easier said than done because we can see people with our eyes. Trusting in a God we cannot see takes true faith and belief that He is who He says He is. Does He really love me enough to take care of me in this season? Can I trust that You will come through with what you said? It's hard...but the reward is incredible. The secret place with God is like the eye of a storm. The noise surrounds us - panic, worry, fear, being uncertain about life, etc. The noise can almost do us in. But there is a place of peace and rest. It's a small little place, but it's still a place! No one can go with you into that place - it's just a place for you and God. But if you go, you will be changed forever because it's only in that place of surrender will we learn to trust and lean on Him. He will prove Himself to you, but often He allows trouble to occur in our lives that will drive us to Him. It's really the only safe place in life!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Beautiful Jesus
I love who Jesus is attracted to. It's so different than who you and I are attracted to. He loves so differently...so purely. We tend to be attracted to outward appeareance or personality. It's so different for him. He loves the unloved, the friendless, those in need. His love is so beautiful and it can fill every lonely hurting heart anywhere in the world. He chooses the not so good looking ones, the not so talented, the not so popular. And He brings them near to His big heart and heals them with His embrace. I love who He is. And I really want to be more like that. After all, I'm one of many He has offered this free gift of incredible love. I'm blown away by His love - it stays the same through every season...and I've had many. Sometimes I just ask Him what in the world is He going to do with me - someone who is so fragile, so inconsistant, so unperfect. Then I sense His smile upon my life and I'm wrecked again and in awe of someone who can love someone like me this way. May we allow Him to love us into being lovers!!! There are so many hurting people - so many that just need a word of hope. Life is so short. Whatever you have to do to change me, than do it. Make me a lover whose heart is alive with the reality of Jesus. He sees beauty in everyone - and especially the poor, the broken, homeless, the motherless/fatherless, and those that have nothing. This is who He chooses. Brake us Lord - and give us your incredible heart!!! It's big enough for all of us! There is healing in His embrace.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Mistakes
A connection between Kindergarten and our lives!
As most of you know, my life is wonderfully consumed with Kindergarten. I love it. I’m reading this book on guidance and it’s talking about appropriate discipline in the classroom. It states that mistakes are developmentally appropriate for children. I’m sure most of you know what that means, but I’ll put it in simpler terms. As a teacher, you have to know and expect the kind of behavior that will be happening on a day to day basis. Older kids can sit longer than younger kids, so teachers plan accordingly. A teacher should not be shocked when a five year old begins to poke, kick, bite, take their shoes off, lay down, undress, or whatever they want to do when they’ve been sitting at the carpet for an hour! It’s no longer the kid’s fault, but the teacher’s when that happens. It’s just not appropriate for 5 year olds to sit all day! Kindergarten days are active. Developmentally you cannot expect them to sit at desks for hours upon hours. It aint happen’n!
So, as a teacher I know that one important factor that will be happening every day of the school year is MISTAKES! Kindergarten students will be experiencing a lot of social problems that they have never experienced (fighting over paint brushes, sharing a book, cutting in line, etc). If I expect there to be no mistakes in my class, I’m in for a big suprise. As a matter of fact, Kindergarten is all about making mistakes and it being ok! Students should feel safe in making mistakes. It’s perfectly ok that my student draws a horse that can fly with pink and purple polka dots or spell words wrong. My job is to guide them to do it differently next time, not to make them feel like they are a failure.
I can’t help but think God has a similar perspective when looking at us here on earth. I think he would say that mistakes are developmentally appropriate for us. It’s going to happen! Life is just like a kindergarten classroom - a safe place to make mistakes. But, if our view of authority and of God is not right, we will be shame based and feel as if we are a disappointment to God and others. But, if we view life as a "safe place to make mistakes," we know that when we make a mistake, we won’t have to sit in God’s time out corner, put our nose in a circle on the heavenly chalk board, or write our bible scriptures ten times perfectly! God’s job, just like a good teacher, is to guide us to do it differently next time, not to make us feel like a failure. Just like students, some of us will catch on the first time we make a mistake, others will make the same mistake several times before we learn there is a better way of doing it. The truth is, mistakes are a big part of our life - probaby one of the most important parts of our life! Knowing that, I can sure handle my own life better and be a whole lot patient with others!
Therefore, my new motto is "MISTAKES ARE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE!!!"
As most of you know, my life is wonderfully consumed with Kindergarten. I love it. I’m reading this book on guidance and it’s talking about appropriate discipline in the classroom. It states that mistakes are developmentally appropriate for children. I’m sure most of you know what that means, but I’ll put it in simpler terms. As a teacher, you have to know and expect the kind of behavior that will be happening on a day to day basis. Older kids can sit longer than younger kids, so teachers plan accordingly. A teacher should not be shocked when a five year old begins to poke, kick, bite, take their shoes off, lay down, undress, or whatever they want to do when they’ve been sitting at the carpet for an hour! It’s no longer the kid’s fault, but the teacher’s when that happens. It’s just not appropriate for 5 year olds to sit all day! Kindergarten days are active. Developmentally you cannot expect them to sit at desks for hours upon hours. It aint happen’n!
So, as a teacher I know that one important factor that will be happening every day of the school year is MISTAKES! Kindergarten students will be experiencing a lot of social problems that they have never experienced (fighting over paint brushes, sharing a book, cutting in line, etc). If I expect there to be no mistakes in my class, I’m in for a big suprise. As a matter of fact, Kindergarten is all about making mistakes and it being ok! Students should feel safe in making mistakes. It’s perfectly ok that my student draws a horse that can fly with pink and purple polka dots or spell words wrong. My job is to guide them to do it differently next time, not to make them feel like they are a failure.
I can’t help but think God has a similar perspective when looking at us here on earth. I think he would say that mistakes are developmentally appropriate for us. It’s going to happen! Life is just like a kindergarten classroom - a safe place to make mistakes. But, if our view of authority and of God is not right, we will be shame based and feel as if we are a disappointment to God and others. But, if we view life as a "safe place to make mistakes," we know that when we make a mistake, we won’t have to sit in God’s time out corner, put our nose in a circle on the heavenly chalk board, or write our bible scriptures ten times perfectly! God’s job, just like a good teacher, is to guide us to do it differently next time, not to make us feel like a failure. Just like students, some of us will catch on the first time we make a mistake, others will make the same mistake several times before we learn there is a better way of doing it. The truth is, mistakes are a big part of our life - probaby one of the most important parts of our life! Knowing that, I can sure handle my own life better and be a whole lot patient with others!
Therefore, my new motto is "MISTAKES ARE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE!!!"
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
When We Have Nothing We Have Him
Psalms 146:4-9 "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them- the Lord, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow.
This reading gives us such insite into who Jesus is and what He does. It gives us insite into what He is interested in and WHO is interested in.
It speaks of who He is interested in (I don’t think this is a complete list, but it gives us a good picture of the heart of God): the oppressed, the hungry, prisoners, the blind, the bowed down, the alien (outcast), fatherless, and widow. Jesus was drawn to these kinds of people when He was on the earth. He looked for the people that didn’t have...the people that were missing something in their life...the people that others overlooked...the one that thought they had been forgotten. These were the ones Jesus noticed. He noticed them when no one else did.
It describes what Jesus does. It describes what ministry that comes from Jesus looks like. Awe...and it’s beautiful. It wasn’t enough that he found these types of people, he actually acted on the compassion He felt in His heart. This is what He does: he upholds, he gives food, he sets free, he gives sight, he lifts up, he watches over, and he sustains.
If you’re missing something in your life, can’t see your future, don’t understand your circumstances, feel alone, feel like an outcast, or feel like a prisoner then you are just the one that God longs to love. Often in these times we feel as though he has abandoned us. It’s in these times that He is with us the most. Think of what it must feel like to be a widow. You’ve lost the person you have loved the most. There must be a feeling of emptiness and loneliness in the heart of a widow. Yet, Jesus promises to sustain. He promises to watch over them. The fatherless and motherless of the earth...they hold such a place in the heart of the Father. Yet, the child must feel alone and abandoned. My point is, Jesus never promised we would have everything we wanted, or even need on this earth. Every kind of person that is listed is someone who is struggling in relationships or circumstances. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in both situations several times. He did promise one thing though...
It says, He "remains faithful forever." To the widow He remains faithful. To the outcast He remains faithful. To the oppressed and prisoner He remains faithful. There are seasons where we can’t see it or feel it. Believe me, I know how difficult those seasons can be and I’m sure you do to. But, His promise is that He is faithful. It’s not about us feeling strong or feeling like we have control of our lives, or us knowing our future. It’s all about His strength and His love for us. His faithfulness and love does not change like shifting shadows. Think about shadows...they are always shifting because the sun is constantly in a different spot causing shadows to move. Yet, His faithfulness and love for us is unmovable. Circumstance or situations can never change His mind or heart. As long as we have a heart that turns towards Him, He promises His love and faithfulness. He doesn’t require us to be strong. He just requires a heart that turns toward Him in difficulty. In this particular scripture His promise is especially to those that are without, uncertain, confused, unloved, oppressed, the widow and the fatherless.
In every person there is a God given desire to be loved. As you know by now, more times than we want we may feel unloved and rejected. We were made for strong, healthy and loving relationships. Our hearts weren’t formed for rejection. It isn’t supposed to happen. Yet, it happens. Relationships change. And it sucks. And it hurts. Yet for every lonely person, for every disappointment and injustice, for every person that has been left behind by the one they thought loved them most, there is one that understands. There is one ready to love, comfort, uphold, sustain, and watch over. We don’t have to have it all together. We just have to have a heart that turns towards Him. For the weak person there is hope - He remains faithful forever. That’s really the only sure hope we have in the world.
I’m so glad He has loved me like this. There are times in my life that I have been around a ton of people, yet I feel so alone. There’s been times where I’ve wanted to give up...does anyone understand what I’m feeling? Not only that, but does anyone really care? There’s been times when I have not understood one bit what the Lord was doing in my life. There’s been times when I’ve been weighed down by lifes disappointments. It’s in these times the Lord has shown up. I’ve encountered Him as a friend, Father, and the love of my heart. But it has not been during "easy" seasons. It’s been in the middle of difficulty. He has proved His love to me and I write these words as someone who has been touched by the love of Jesus. Not because of my goodness, but because of my lack. I’m so serious when I say we don’t have to have it all together. I used to think we do. It’s through the process of bringing brokeness and humility in my life that the Lord has taught me about His love, tenderness, and faithfulness. I know when I see His face it’s not going to be all the great things I’ve done for Him that gets me into His Kingdom. It’s only going to be because of His goodness, kindness, and mercy He has poured out on me. He doesn’t treat us as we deserve, yet He delights in showing mercy and love to those that need it. He is the safe place we are longing for. We can rest in His embrace. Receive His love for you today...it’s a free gift! I’m SO thankful for Jesus! I would be such a mess without Him!
This reading gives us such insite into who Jesus is and what He does. It gives us insite into what He is interested in and WHO is interested in.
It speaks of who He is interested in (I don’t think this is a complete list, but it gives us a good picture of the heart of God): the oppressed, the hungry, prisoners, the blind, the bowed down, the alien (outcast), fatherless, and widow. Jesus was drawn to these kinds of people when He was on the earth. He looked for the people that didn’t have...the people that were missing something in their life...the people that others overlooked...the one that thought they had been forgotten. These were the ones Jesus noticed. He noticed them when no one else did.
It describes what Jesus does. It describes what ministry that comes from Jesus looks like. Awe...and it’s beautiful. It wasn’t enough that he found these types of people, he actually acted on the compassion He felt in His heart. This is what He does: he upholds, he gives food, he sets free, he gives sight, he lifts up, he watches over, and he sustains.
If you’re missing something in your life, can’t see your future, don’t understand your circumstances, feel alone, feel like an outcast, or feel like a prisoner then you are just the one that God longs to love. Often in these times we feel as though he has abandoned us. It’s in these times that He is with us the most. Think of what it must feel like to be a widow. You’ve lost the person you have loved the most. There must be a feeling of emptiness and loneliness in the heart of a widow. Yet, Jesus promises to sustain. He promises to watch over them. The fatherless and motherless of the earth...they hold such a place in the heart of the Father. Yet, the child must feel alone and abandoned. My point is, Jesus never promised we would have everything we wanted, or even need on this earth. Every kind of person that is listed is someone who is struggling in relationships or circumstances. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in both situations several times. He did promise one thing though...
It says, He "remains faithful forever." To the widow He remains faithful. To the outcast He remains faithful. To the oppressed and prisoner He remains faithful. There are seasons where we can’t see it or feel it. Believe me, I know how difficult those seasons can be and I’m sure you do to. But, His promise is that He is faithful. It’s not about us feeling strong or feeling like we have control of our lives, or us knowing our future. It’s all about His strength and His love for us. His faithfulness and love does not change like shifting shadows. Think about shadows...they are always shifting because the sun is constantly in a different spot causing shadows to move. Yet, His faithfulness and love for us is unmovable. Circumstance or situations can never change His mind or heart. As long as we have a heart that turns towards Him, He promises His love and faithfulness. He doesn’t require us to be strong. He just requires a heart that turns toward Him in difficulty. In this particular scripture His promise is especially to those that are without, uncertain, confused, unloved, oppressed, the widow and the fatherless.
In every person there is a God given desire to be loved. As you know by now, more times than we want we may feel unloved and rejected. We were made for strong, healthy and loving relationships. Our hearts weren’t formed for rejection. It isn’t supposed to happen. Yet, it happens. Relationships change. And it sucks. And it hurts. Yet for every lonely person, for every disappointment and injustice, for every person that has been left behind by the one they thought loved them most, there is one that understands. There is one ready to love, comfort, uphold, sustain, and watch over. We don’t have to have it all together. We just have to have a heart that turns towards Him. For the weak person there is hope - He remains faithful forever. That’s really the only sure hope we have in the world.
I’m so glad He has loved me like this. There are times in my life that I have been around a ton of people, yet I feel so alone. There’s been times where I’ve wanted to give up...does anyone understand what I’m feeling? Not only that, but does anyone really care? There’s been times when I have not understood one bit what the Lord was doing in my life. There’s been times when I’ve been weighed down by lifes disappointments. It’s in these times the Lord has shown up. I’ve encountered Him as a friend, Father, and the love of my heart. But it has not been during "easy" seasons. It’s been in the middle of difficulty. He has proved His love to me and I write these words as someone who has been touched by the love of Jesus. Not because of my goodness, but because of my lack. I’m so serious when I say we don’t have to have it all together. I used to think we do. It’s through the process of bringing brokeness and humility in my life that the Lord has taught me about His love, tenderness, and faithfulness. I know when I see His face it’s not going to be all the great things I’ve done for Him that gets me into His Kingdom. It’s only going to be because of His goodness, kindness, and mercy He has poured out on me. He doesn’t treat us as we deserve, yet He delights in showing mercy and love to those that need it. He is the safe place we are longing for. We can rest in His embrace. Receive His love for you today...it’s a free gift! I’m SO thankful for Jesus! I would be such a mess without Him!
He is Not Ashamed of Us!
The longer I serve the Lord the more I realize something... I'm definately a broken human being. For me it has been a journey of grace. Maturity for me has not been becoming more perfect, but instead it has been the ability to accept the love of God in the midst of my brokeness. Someone who is immature in the love and grace of God will run from God when they sin. They'll beat themselves up over it. Someone who knows a little about the grace of God will not run from God when they sin. Instead, they have an understanding of His grace and acceptance and an understanding of their own sinful nature. Someone who does not have an understanding of the grace of God but does have an understanding that they are broken will live in condemnation and fear. In other words, they are perfectly aware that they are broken, but they have trouble receiving His love when they sin. Someone who doesn't have an understanding of either God's grace or their own brokeness will condemn easily, judge easily, and will not understand why people do the sinful things they do. Self righteousness comes from being blinded about ourselves and our own brokeness. The thing we must realize is that we don't know the fullness of our sinful nature. Have you ever had a situation arise where you realize a new part of yourself that you didn't know was there? You just found a part of your sinful nature that has never risen up before? Where the heck did that come from? Well, it's no suprise to God. He knows how dark and sinful we are. That's why my definition of maturity is having an understanding of both our sinful nature and the grace of God. One without the other seems to bring an unbalance to our lives.
In Hebrews it speaks about Jesus as our high priest - the one who is able to cleanse us from our sin. It gives a description of who a high priest is - there are very clear descriptions that paint a picture of who Jesus is towards us. I love Hebrews! In chapter 5 it gives the following requirements for the priests before Jesus came: 1) Must be selected from among men, 2) He represents others by offering gifts and sacrifices for sins 3) He deals gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray because he himself is subject to weakness. It was important for the priest to undersand the weakness of the people he was representing. In the same way, Jesus can be our priest and cleanse our sin because he too became weak just like you and I. The only difference is He did not sin. It was necessary that He not only represented us, but understood humanity fully. He is glad to represent us before the Father. I love 1 John 2:1,2 "I write this to you so you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." I am blown away by the truth of this verse. Jesus actually DEFENDS us! Imagine what He tells the Father concerning you... It may sound something like this, "I know she screwed up, but look at her heart, she really loves you. I know who she is going to be in eternity and it looks much different. Her identity before me is not in her sin - it's in the fact that she will love me fully and completely and perfectly on day," or "I know he is struggling with that sin, but Father - my love covers a multitude of sin and I am perfectly able to keep him in my grace until he sees me face to face." Do you see Jesus like this? As the one who really defends you? Is that not amazing!!! (This is why it's so important we agree with the heart of Jesus about one another and not be the voice of accusation that comes from the enemy) He understands broken people and He realizes we are weak. He became one of us so He could fulfill these priestly responsibilities. This is why He deals gently with us - because He understands us in our weakness. This is why we should deal gently with one another. One who has encountered the love of God will always deal gently with others. When we encounter God's gentle heart, it seems to become a part of us as well. I love the gentleness of the heart of God and I'm so glad He deals with us gently, and not in ways we really deserve.
Hebrews 2:11 says, "...Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." It's talking about you and I - and all of humanity. Jesus is not ashamed of us. I wonder what the angels see and think when they see Jesus freely choosing to love broken people. He could have chosen to love the angels more than us. They are glorious. They are always worshipping. They are never distracted. Yet, Jesus freely chooses to love us in our brokeness. This is the heart of God - He loves to show mercy to those who don't deserve it. He loves to treat us in ways that we don't deserve. He is not hanging His head in disappointment about the human race. His heart is satisfied because He sees something much more than we see. Where we only see brokeness He has the ability to see beauty. Where we think our sin weighs more than our "good" things, He sees a small part in our heart that we sincerely love Him and to Him that outweighs all of the sin. He doesn't only see our love for Him, but next to our sin, our love for Him outweighs our sin. Jesus is not ashamed of us!!! He's not disappointed in us!!! HOORAY!!! He does not see you as you are right now. He sees you as you will be in eternity. This is how you are defined. We need to renew our minds in the love and nature of God so we can live in the freedom of His grace and acceptance. His love covers a multitude of sins! I'm so glad mine are covered! He loves us so much - more than we will ever know! I believe we will spend eternity learning about the depths of love that He has for us in His heart. Not only that, but we will bring much satisfaction to Him becasue we get to love Him in return. The love we will have in heaven will be something none of us have ever even began to touch or experience here on earth. That's why He is so moved by someone who chooses to love Him on the earth. We can't see Him, yet we love Him! ..and we don't have to wait until heaven...it begins now!
In Hebrews it speaks about Jesus as our high priest - the one who is able to cleanse us from our sin. It gives a description of who a high priest is - there are very clear descriptions that paint a picture of who Jesus is towards us. I love Hebrews! In chapter 5 it gives the following requirements for the priests before Jesus came: 1) Must be selected from among men, 2) He represents others by offering gifts and sacrifices for sins 3) He deals gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray because he himself is subject to weakness. It was important for the priest to undersand the weakness of the people he was representing. In the same way, Jesus can be our priest and cleanse our sin because he too became weak just like you and I. The only difference is He did not sin. It was necessary that He not only represented us, but understood humanity fully. He is glad to represent us before the Father. I love 1 John 2:1,2 "I write this to you so you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." I am blown away by the truth of this verse. Jesus actually DEFENDS us! Imagine what He tells the Father concerning you... It may sound something like this, "I know she screwed up, but look at her heart, she really loves you. I know who she is going to be in eternity and it looks much different. Her identity before me is not in her sin - it's in the fact that she will love me fully and completely and perfectly on day," or "I know he is struggling with that sin, but Father - my love covers a multitude of sin and I am perfectly able to keep him in my grace until he sees me face to face." Do you see Jesus like this? As the one who really defends you? Is that not amazing!!! (This is why it's so important we agree with the heart of Jesus about one another and not be the voice of accusation that comes from the enemy) He understands broken people and He realizes we are weak. He became one of us so He could fulfill these priestly responsibilities. This is why He deals gently with us - because He understands us in our weakness. This is why we should deal gently with one another. One who has encountered the love of God will always deal gently with others. When we encounter God's gentle heart, it seems to become a part of us as well. I love the gentleness of the heart of God and I'm so glad He deals with us gently, and not in ways we really deserve.
Hebrews 2:11 says, "...Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." It's talking about you and I - and all of humanity. Jesus is not ashamed of us. I wonder what the angels see and think when they see Jesus freely choosing to love broken people. He could have chosen to love the angels more than us. They are glorious. They are always worshipping. They are never distracted. Yet, Jesus freely chooses to love us in our brokeness. This is the heart of God - He loves to show mercy to those who don't deserve it. He loves to treat us in ways that we don't deserve. He is not hanging His head in disappointment about the human race. His heart is satisfied because He sees something much more than we see. Where we only see brokeness He has the ability to see beauty. Where we think our sin weighs more than our "good" things, He sees a small part in our heart that we sincerely love Him and to Him that outweighs all of the sin. He doesn't only see our love for Him, but next to our sin, our love for Him outweighs our sin. Jesus is not ashamed of us!!! He's not disappointed in us!!! HOORAY!!! He does not see you as you are right now. He sees you as you will be in eternity. This is how you are defined. We need to renew our minds in the love and nature of God so we can live in the freedom of His grace and acceptance. His love covers a multitude of sins! I'm so glad mine are covered! He loves us so much - more than we will ever know! I believe we will spend eternity learning about the depths of love that He has for us in His heart. Not only that, but we will bring much satisfaction to Him becasue we get to love Him in return. The love we will have in heaven will be something none of us have ever even began to touch or experience here on earth. That's why He is so moved by someone who chooses to love Him on the earth. We can't see Him, yet we love Him! ..and we don't have to wait until heaven...it begins now!
Friday, January 11, 2008
From Master to Husband - God's Divine Work in our Lives
I believe hidden in the heart of God is an unrelenting longing and desire for the hearts of His people. Now that might sound very shallow and we've all heard it before, but has this truth really penetrated us in a way that causes us to have an understanding of God's heart and the motive behind what He allows to happen to us in our lives?
I've been studying Hosea. It shows the struggle between Israel and God - His heart of love towards a people that are, what He calls, living like a prostitute. They are going after other loves and God creates certain obstacles in their lives that causes them to turn and love Him again. This can be seen in our lives as well. The fact is that God wants to be the very center and core of our lives. We can see a pattern of how God draws us back from the times that we turn from Him and give our hearts to other things. Let's look at it!
God tells the prophet Hosea to find and marry a prostitute. Can you imagine how crazy this must have sounded to Hosea? Not only did God want him to marry her, but to have children with her. God said this would be a sign of the love that He had for the nation of Israel. It is a picture of God's loves towards us as well. There are times in all of our lives that we seem to stray from God. Other things look better than God. They bring more pleasure to our lives, and at the time they satisfy our hearts - but only for a short time. For some of us it is outward sin that keeps pulling us away - the drawing of old patterns that sneak up from our past. For others it is finding ourselves in a place of boredom and apathy spiritually. We have fallen asleep on the inside and our hearts no longer have the fresh love and sincerity it once had. Yeah, we're going to church, but inside we are deader than roadkill on an Oklahoma highway. Both are dangerous and both are a reality in every person's life. No one on earth ever stops struggling in one or both of these two areas. It takes time and effort to keep our hearts tender before God. There are so many distractions - not necessarily bad distractions, that allure us away from our first love in Him. Hosea was married to Gomer the prostitute. They had kids together. They lived together. Yet, this was not good enough for God. He doesn't want us to be a live in roommate, He wants your heart. He doesn't want us to use Him for what we can get from Him that will bring properity to our lives - like the attitude of "what's in it for me." He wants a relationship with us like a picture of a healthy marriage - one that sticks through thick and thin because the bottom line is, the man and woman love each other. When another man or woman comes to draw us away from our one love, we will close the door real fast becasue our hearts are set on one love, our husband or wife. That's how God wants it. He wants our hearts, not just our money, our time, or showing up at church three times a week. That's not enough to satisfy the heart of God.
So God has a problem. He is in love with the nation of Israel, yet Israel no longer acknowledges Him. What does God do in our lives to draw us back when we are in this place? He shows how he works in the book of Hosea. In chapter 2:6,7 it says, "Therefore I will block her paths with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better of than now." He will block her path with thornbushes. Have you ever been on a path where life seems to be going great, and all of a sudden trouble seems to overtake you. Nothing is going right. Sometimes it's the enemy, but sometimes it's God drawing us back to Him - it's the discipline of the Father and His love wanting to woo us back to our first love. Psalms 139:5 says, "You hem me in behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me." There are times where God hems us in on every side. We cannot escape Him. I don't know where this verse is, but there is a verse that says, "All my fountains are in you." We all at different times drink from other fountains of pleasure. We are creatures of pleasure - we long for it, we look for the next best thing that will give our hearts pleasure. We are like this because are made in the image of God. God's heart is full of pleasure. But, He is a jealous lover and He wants our hearts to take pleasure in Him. Some may be reading this and think "oh great, what a life. Taking pleasure in God." But I believe in our generation God is releasing the pleasure of God's heart over us and the message that the fountain in His heart tastes better than any other fountain. We will be the generation that says, "All my fountains are in you." But, this won't come to the heart that is asleep in religion. It will come to those who are pursuing Him wholeheartidly with all they have. He will have the hearts of our generation.
Anyways, there are times that God "hems us in behind and before" and places thorns around our lives. The sinful pleasures that we were partaking of that brought us satisfaction are ripped away and there is nothing left. We thought life would stay that way forever, but it never does. We thought we'd be happy forever. When we give our hearts to other loves, we end up hurt, bitter, bruised, and broken. Hosea 2:8-13 speaks of how she didn't realize that the good things in her life (grain, new wine, wool, linen, etc) came from her husband. She thought she could live as a prostitute and still have those things. She wanted both worlds - the good things of a christian life, yet the pleasures of sin. When she gave into sin, she realized that she no longer had those things her husband provided. Instead, she was left with nothing. This is the perfect time when God steps into our lives. He creates the perfect timing that our eyes are opened to our sin and we realize that what we are partaking in is not as good as we thought - it can't satisfy us. So, we turn back to God - for we once loved Him in a way that was sincere. And there God is - with His arms open wide, ready to embrace and heal our wounded hearts. He was working in our lives the entire time, even when we were living like a prostitute. He was the one that caused trouble in our lives, not because He was mad, but because He is a lover - a jealous lover that wants our hearts. It is worth it to Him for us to go through trouble if it means He gets our hearts in the end. Can you see his love in your own life? May we view times of hardship differently - Song of Sol says that His banner over our life is love. Everything He allows in our live is because of love - it's His motive for allowing trouble and good into our lives. He wants our hearts in the end and someitmes He will cause divine trouble in our lives for that to occur. So if you've had a lot of trouble, you must be really loved!!!
I love this part. She is left with nothing. She has figured out that her sinful pleasures don't last forever and she is left hurt, broken, and bruised. Chpt 2:14 God speaks and says, "Therefore I am now going to allure her; i will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." Awe yes...the desert times. In the desert there are no springs to drink from. There are no pleasures. Everything has been stripped from her life. It is during this time that God breaks in and speaks to her. He doesn't speak angrily such as, "Why the heck did you do that? You're a horrible...blah blah blah." Instead, He speaks to her tenderly. AWE!! I LOVE THIS ABOUT GOD! When someone returns to Him, He binds up there wounds. He speaks tenderness into their heart and heals them again with His love. This is how He brings someone back to Him, through lovingkindness. He then goes on and says, "There (in the desert) I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope." The VAlley of Achor literally means the valley of trouble. So God is saying over her that the time she just went through of trouble will end up being her hope. What does that mean? Her eyes have opened to what sin is and what it does in her life. She has tasted other streams and fountains and she knows what that leads her to - a broken and bruised heart. The very trouble that God allowed has brought her hope. She has an understanding of life now that she did not have before and she says yes to God again. God says after that, "There she will sing as in the days of her youth..." A heart that sings of His love. God has won her heart again. She will sing as she used to! In v. 16 it states, "In that day, declares the lord, you will call me 'husband,' you will no longer call me 'master.' I will remove the names of other gods from her lips..." She once called Him 'master.' God wants to bring us to a place where our view of God is as a lover, not as someone who is bringing rules into our lives that we have to follow. She saw Him as a master, not as a lover. Now that she has tasted other loves, she knows that His love for her is better. She now calls him husband. God wants our view of Him to be as the one who loves us, not as the one who disciplines us out of anger. He is a God of tenerdness and affection.
V. 19 says, "I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge the Lord." He was saying over her that His love she experienced is not just for a season - His promise for her of this kind of love was forever. She had experienced what she thought would be pleasure that lasted forever, but now she has found true pleasure in God's love for her, and it will never end. She had not been faithful, yet His promise to her was that He would faithfully love her forever. His compassion towards her would never end. He also promises at the end that she will acknowledge the Lord. In other words, she would know Him, she would have an undersatnding of His love and she would acknowledge it. It would no longer be just Him loving her, they would be in this thing together - she would love Him also.
Chapter 6:1 "Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds...he will revive us."
No matter what the Lord has allowed to happen in our lives, there is a promise of restoration and healing. He doesn't want a part of us, He will allow divine things to occur in our lives that will shake us and transform us until we have an undersanding of God's heart of love for us. Desert times can be the best thing for us! Do you feel like you have been torn to pieces? It's time to return to the one who loves you - He has been a part of every season of our lives - the difficulties, the times we have not acknowledge Him, every part!
I've been studying Hosea. It shows the struggle between Israel and God - His heart of love towards a people that are, what He calls, living like a prostitute. They are going after other loves and God creates certain obstacles in their lives that causes them to turn and love Him again. This can be seen in our lives as well. The fact is that God wants to be the very center and core of our lives. We can see a pattern of how God draws us back from the times that we turn from Him and give our hearts to other things. Let's look at it!
God tells the prophet Hosea to find and marry a prostitute. Can you imagine how crazy this must have sounded to Hosea? Not only did God want him to marry her, but to have children with her. God said this would be a sign of the love that He had for the nation of Israel. It is a picture of God's loves towards us as well. There are times in all of our lives that we seem to stray from God. Other things look better than God. They bring more pleasure to our lives, and at the time they satisfy our hearts - but only for a short time. For some of us it is outward sin that keeps pulling us away - the drawing of old patterns that sneak up from our past. For others it is finding ourselves in a place of boredom and apathy spiritually. We have fallen asleep on the inside and our hearts no longer have the fresh love and sincerity it once had. Yeah, we're going to church, but inside we are deader than roadkill on an Oklahoma highway. Both are dangerous and both are a reality in every person's life. No one on earth ever stops struggling in one or both of these two areas. It takes time and effort to keep our hearts tender before God. There are so many distractions - not necessarily bad distractions, that allure us away from our first love in Him. Hosea was married to Gomer the prostitute. They had kids together. They lived together. Yet, this was not good enough for God. He doesn't want us to be a live in roommate, He wants your heart. He doesn't want us to use Him for what we can get from Him that will bring properity to our lives - like the attitude of "what's in it for me." He wants a relationship with us like a picture of a healthy marriage - one that sticks through thick and thin because the bottom line is, the man and woman love each other. When another man or woman comes to draw us away from our one love, we will close the door real fast becasue our hearts are set on one love, our husband or wife. That's how God wants it. He wants our hearts, not just our money, our time, or showing up at church three times a week. That's not enough to satisfy the heart of God.
So God has a problem. He is in love with the nation of Israel, yet Israel no longer acknowledges Him. What does God do in our lives to draw us back when we are in this place? He shows how he works in the book of Hosea. In chapter 2:6,7 it says, "Therefore I will block her paths with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better of than now." He will block her path with thornbushes. Have you ever been on a path where life seems to be going great, and all of a sudden trouble seems to overtake you. Nothing is going right. Sometimes it's the enemy, but sometimes it's God drawing us back to Him - it's the discipline of the Father and His love wanting to woo us back to our first love. Psalms 139:5 says, "You hem me in behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me." There are times where God hems us in on every side. We cannot escape Him. I don't know where this verse is, but there is a verse that says, "All my fountains are in you." We all at different times drink from other fountains of pleasure. We are creatures of pleasure - we long for it, we look for the next best thing that will give our hearts pleasure. We are like this because are made in the image of God. God's heart is full of pleasure. But, He is a jealous lover and He wants our hearts to take pleasure in Him. Some may be reading this and think "oh great, what a life. Taking pleasure in God." But I believe in our generation God is releasing the pleasure of God's heart over us and the message that the fountain in His heart tastes better than any other fountain. We will be the generation that says, "All my fountains are in you." But, this won't come to the heart that is asleep in religion. It will come to those who are pursuing Him wholeheartidly with all they have. He will have the hearts of our generation.
Anyways, there are times that God "hems us in behind and before" and places thorns around our lives. The sinful pleasures that we were partaking of that brought us satisfaction are ripped away and there is nothing left. We thought life would stay that way forever, but it never does. We thought we'd be happy forever. When we give our hearts to other loves, we end up hurt, bitter, bruised, and broken. Hosea 2:8-13 speaks of how she didn't realize that the good things in her life (grain, new wine, wool, linen, etc) came from her husband. She thought she could live as a prostitute and still have those things. She wanted both worlds - the good things of a christian life, yet the pleasures of sin. When she gave into sin, she realized that she no longer had those things her husband provided. Instead, she was left with nothing. This is the perfect time when God steps into our lives. He creates the perfect timing that our eyes are opened to our sin and we realize that what we are partaking in is not as good as we thought - it can't satisfy us. So, we turn back to God - for we once loved Him in a way that was sincere. And there God is - with His arms open wide, ready to embrace and heal our wounded hearts. He was working in our lives the entire time, even when we were living like a prostitute. He was the one that caused trouble in our lives, not because He was mad, but because He is a lover - a jealous lover that wants our hearts. It is worth it to Him for us to go through trouble if it means He gets our hearts in the end. Can you see his love in your own life? May we view times of hardship differently - Song of Sol says that His banner over our life is love. Everything He allows in our live is because of love - it's His motive for allowing trouble and good into our lives. He wants our hearts in the end and someitmes He will cause divine trouble in our lives for that to occur. So if you've had a lot of trouble, you must be really loved!!!
I love this part. She is left with nothing. She has figured out that her sinful pleasures don't last forever and she is left hurt, broken, and bruised. Chpt 2:14 God speaks and says, "Therefore I am now going to allure her; i will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." Awe yes...the desert times. In the desert there are no springs to drink from. There are no pleasures. Everything has been stripped from her life. It is during this time that God breaks in and speaks to her. He doesn't speak angrily such as, "Why the heck did you do that? You're a horrible...blah blah blah." Instead, He speaks to her tenderly. AWE!! I LOVE THIS ABOUT GOD! When someone returns to Him, He binds up there wounds. He speaks tenderness into their heart and heals them again with His love. This is how He brings someone back to Him, through lovingkindness. He then goes on and says, "There (in the desert) I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope." The VAlley of Achor literally means the valley of trouble. So God is saying over her that the time she just went through of trouble will end up being her hope. What does that mean? Her eyes have opened to what sin is and what it does in her life. She has tasted other streams and fountains and she knows what that leads her to - a broken and bruised heart. The very trouble that God allowed has brought her hope. She has an understanding of life now that she did not have before and she says yes to God again. God says after that, "There she will sing as in the days of her youth..." A heart that sings of His love. God has won her heart again. She will sing as she used to! In v. 16 it states, "In that day, declares the lord, you will call me 'husband,' you will no longer call me 'master.' I will remove the names of other gods from her lips..." She once called Him 'master.' God wants to bring us to a place where our view of God is as a lover, not as someone who is bringing rules into our lives that we have to follow. She saw Him as a master, not as a lover. Now that she has tasted other loves, she knows that His love for her is better. She now calls him husband. God wants our view of Him to be as the one who loves us, not as the one who disciplines us out of anger. He is a God of tenerdness and affection.
V. 19 says, "I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge the Lord." He was saying over her that His love she experienced is not just for a season - His promise for her of this kind of love was forever. She had experienced what she thought would be pleasure that lasted forever, but now she has found true pleasure in God's love for her, and it will never end. She had not been faithful, yet His promise to her was that He would faithfully love her forever. His compassion towards her would never end. He also promises at the end that she will acknowledge the Lord. In other words, she would know Him, she would have an undersatnding of His love and she would acknowledge it. It would no longer be just Him loving her, they would be in this thing together - she would love Him also.
Chapter 6:1 "Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds...he will revive us."
No matter what the Lord has allowed to happen in our lives, there is a promise of restoration and healing. He doesn't want a part of us, He will allow divine things to occur in our lives that will shake us and transform us until we have an undersanding of God's heart of love for us. Desert times can be the best thing for us! Do you feel like you have been torn to pieces? It's time to return to the one who loves you - He has been a part of every season of our lives - the difficulties, the times we have not acknowledge Him, every part!
Unlearned Before God
I have just graduated from OU with my teaching certificate. I have a growing heart for children and feel I am more equipped than ever to work with children. That's what I thought, anyways. The Lord suprised me with what He thought about it... The other day the Lord spoke something out of the blue straight into my heart. It was one of those times that you know it was Him...it was not a thought I was thinking that I wondered maybe if it was Him. I knew He had spoken it to me. He told me plain and clear that before Him I was unlearned. WHAT? God, I have just graduated from OU! How can you think that? What else do you expect me to do!The next few days He began to speak to me concerning this...and I want to share it!
I truly believe that God is searching for a type of person to place His anointing and favor on for this day and time on the earth. I, like so many, look at my natural talents and abilities (graduating from OU, etc.) and think that it is those things that are preparing me and getting me closer to what God has for me. There is no doubt that God will use those types of things to prepare us (education, etc), but He is looking for much more than outward human wisdom in someone. He is looking at their heart. When we talk about a heart, what exactly do we mean? The Bible defines all sorts of different kinds of hearts that we can all have. Some are good, some are dangerous. Some of these include a grieved heart, willing heart, stirred heart, tender heart, pure heart, broken heart, hardened heart, wicked heart, proud heart, deceiful heart, bitter heart, wounded heart, and the list goes on and on... the fact is that God is looking for a certain type of heart. He isn't looking for a talented person, a smart person, a good lookin' person, a rich person, an experienced person, or anything else that we so often use to measure someone's importance and stature in life. These are all human standards, but what He is wanting to release to us is the very heart of heaven. It is so different than the system we live under. It is not in us naturally, but can only be developed through times of devotion and communion with the Lord. Like any good friend, He will rub off on us if we just spend some quality time with Him. This is what He wants. To share His heart. So what in the world does that look like?
Well I certainly don't feel like I know...I mean, the Lord Himself communicated to me that before Him I am unlearned. So the cry of my heart has been "teach me Lord...teach me about what is important to you. Teach me about what moves your heart - the things that you love. Let me love them." He wants to bring us to a very low place - a place of humility where we can hear what He hears and feel what He feels.
1 Corinthians 1 states, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?...For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were before you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things - that things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him."
Notice the adjectives describing what God chooses in the world - foolish things, weak things, lowly things, despised things, things that are not. In this He is speaking of people. He chooses weak people, lowly people, despised people, people that are NOT the things that world would call someone to be chosen. God chooses the foolish things of the world. So, the invitation God has given us is that we would humble ourselves before Him and take on the very nature of Christ - the nature of a servant. The nature of someone whose heart breaks for the lowly of the earth - the orphans, the widows, the poor, the sick, the elderly, those that cannot help themselves. This is what God chooses - the foolish things of the world that everyone overlooks - this is the heart of God. I am so unlearned - and my cry is that God would teach me about His Kingdom - to love what He loves and to get His heart so much on the inside of me that He walks and talks through me with compassion, mercy and love flowing through my life.
In Matthew Jesus said the poor in spirit are blessed and that the Kingdom of God belongs to them. The calling of heaven is to become poor in spirit - to humble ourselves and take on the very nature of Christ - growing in compassion, growing in the knowledge of who Jesus is and His love and nature so that "they will know us by our love."
We must have a listening heart. I've quit asking God for things. I've asked God for things for years and He has gotten me to the place where I just listen. There is a time to ask and that's very biblical. But, in my life right now I feel He is calling me to listen to Him, to learn from Him - the greatest lover of mankind and in doing so, to get His heart. To sit at His feet as one that is unlearned - I don't know how to do it God...I have no idea, give me your heart! May His heart be what we are after - not ministries, not anything else. He is calling us to abide in Him - to be so near to Him that He can live through us. This is when we will see real fruit and the kingdom of God released on the earth! We will love the poor, love the orphans and widows, love the brokenhearted and we will bind up their wounds in His name!
I truly believe that God is searching for a type of person to place His anointing and favor on for this day and time on the earth. I, like so many, look at my natural talents and abilities (graduating from OU, etc.) and think that it is those things that are preparing me and getting me closer to what God has for me. There is no doubt that God will use those types of things to prepare us (education, etc), but He is looking for much more than outward human wisdom in someone. He is looking at their heart. When we talk about a heart, what exactly do we mean? The Bible defines all sorts of different kinds of hearts that we can all have. Some are good, some are dangerous. Some of these include a grieved heart, willing heart, stirred heart, tender heart, pure heart, broken heart, hardened heart, wicked heart, proud heart, deceiful heart, bitter heart, wounded heart, and the list goes on and on... the fact is that God is looking for a certain type of heart. He isn't looking for a talented person, a smart person, a good lookin' person, a rich person, an experienced person, or anything else that we so often use to measure someone's importance and stature in life. These are all human standards, but what He is wanting to release to us is the very heart of heaven. It is so different than the system we live under. It is not in us naturally, but can only be developed through times of devotion and communion with the Lord. Like any good friend, He will rub off on us if we just spend some quality time with Him. This is what He wants. To share His heart. So what in the world does that look like?
Well I certainly don't feel like I know...I mean, the Lord Himself communicated to me that before Him I am unlearned. So the cry of my heart has been "teach me Lord...teach me about what is important to you. Teach me about what moves your heart - the things that you love. Let me love them." He wants to bring us to a very low place - a place of humility where we can hear what He hears and feel what He feels.
1 Corinthians 1 states, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?...For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were before you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things - that things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him."
Notice the adjectives describing what God chooses in the world - foolish things, weak things, lowly things, despised things, things that are not. In this He is speaking of people. He chooses weak people, lowly people, despised people, people that are NOT the things that world would call someone to be chosen. God chooses the foolish things of the world. So, the invitation God has given us is that we would humble ourselves before Him and take on the very nature of Christ - the nature of a servant. The nature of someone whose heart breaks for the lowly of the earth - the orphans, the widows, the poor, the sick, the elderly, those that cannot help themselves. This is what God chooses - the foolish things of the world that everyone overlooks - this is the heart of God. I am so unlearned - and my cry is that God would teach me about His Kingdom - to love what He loves and to get His heart so much on the inside of me that He walks and talks through me with compassion, mercy and love flowing through my life.
In Matthew Jesus said the poor in spirit are blessed and that the Kingdom of God belongs to them. The calling of heaven is to become poor in spirit - to humble ourselves and take on the very nature of Christ - growing in compassion, growing in the knowledge of who Jesus is and His love and nature so that "they will know us by our love."
We must have a listening heart. I've quit asking God for things. I've asked God for things for years and He has gotten me to the place where I just listen. There is a time to ask and that's very biblical. But, in my life right now I feel He is calling me to listen to Him, to learn from Him - the greatest lover of mankind and in doing so, to get His heart. To sit at His feet as one that is unlearned - I don't know how to do it God...I have no idea, give me your heart! May His heart be what we are after - not ministries, not anything else. He is calling us to abide in Him - to be so near to Him that He can live through us. This is when we will see real fruit and the kingdom of God released on the earth! We will love the poor, love the orphans and widows, love the brokenhearted and we will bind up their wounds in His name!
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