I would like to write a few thoughts on the depth of love our incredible Father has for us. Can I just say how much His love has changed my life? I mean, to be able to say with your mouth about His love is one thing, but when He has completely all together changed the INSIDE of you, there seems to be a validity to what otherwise would be just words. Oh to know fully His unending tenderness, His unyielding passion and adoration towards us, and His words that can pierce any broken or hurting heart and bring healing. What can one do but cry a million tears at the feet of this beautiful God. Only to feel His gentle hand wipe away every one. He is a servant. Not to the rich or the powerful, but to the broken. To the hurting. To the poor. To those in need of someone to care for them. It is to this one that He opens wide His heart, extends His embrace of endless love, and holds them close to Him until every wound is completely covered and healed by the words of one who understands exactly where we have been, what we have been through, and where we are going. He has prepared a home for us in His heart. He offers a home to the one who has never had another speak kindly to them, the one who has never known a safe place, and to the one whose trust has been broken again and again. It is in His heart that we find who we are -- that we are truly loved and wanted by another. He brings value to us, sets His seal of ownership on us, and has said with all the authority that is in His Kingship that WE ARE HIS. In a world where most are trying to find a place to belong, He beckons us to come and drink freely of the endless supply of healing, love, and acceptance. This is what He loves to do - take the broken places in our lives and gently redeem every part. He sees us differently and calls us by a new name -- no longer forsaken or forgotten, but completely covered in the shelter of this home he has made for you and I. And all we have to do is come, let our guard down, open up our hearts, and let Him take His place in our hearts. There is absolutely not a trace of fear in His love.
Another school year has started and I am struck again by His heart for the children. As I see such pain in their eyes, I know there is One whose smile can bring joy to the sadness they are carrying. The Father will bring justice to them. I am desperate to have His healing hands heal through mine, His eyes of love shine through mine, and His joy abound through me. For I am not much different, really. Just a girl who happened to stumble upon a God who said I was special, valuable, and different than what others had spoken over my life. Oh to be one that carrys His love on the earth.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Pain of Separation and the Gift of Longing
I remember the first time I experienced a new demension of who God was. I had known certain parts of God, such as the importance of prayer and trying to stay far from sinful things. I loved God, but was quite legalistic and judgemental. Because of His love for me, He would soon bring a shaking and brokenness that would cause all of my pride to shatter under His mercy for my life. I had no idea what was about to hit! Although I had the mental knowledge of His love, I had not experienced it on the heart level like I was going to in my early 20s. It was during this season of divine shaking from the Lord that I would experience His love for the first time on a level that I was not accustomed to. Although I didn't understand the heart of God in what was happening to me then, I look back with a different perspective and I see His mercy written all over it. It's funny how we often need time to have some understanding of what God was doing in situations of the past. What an opportunity to more fully understand God's heart of jealousy over us by Him allowing certain things to take place. Even more than us, it's His desire that we mature into our true identity - lovers of God. If you are as stubborn as me, sometimes it takes some shaking sent straight from the throne room of heaven. Oh the treasure of understanding His kindness in all of life's seasons! His banner over us is love!
In that sweet season of encountering the precious heart of Jesus and His love for me, I became ruined. I loved more than anything to sit with Him and drink deeply of His presence and sweetness that, day by day, brought such healing to me. I found Him as a dear friend and confidant that knew every part of me from beginning to end. I had never known such friendship before. I was amazed that, after all my years of what I thought was devotion, I hadn't really known Him. I hadn't really experienced who God was. In my zeal for Him, I was actually missing the point -- to love Him and be loved by Him. I wanted to prove to Him that I was something special, but it was now time that He proved to me His love, zeal, and commitment to me. He knew my heart and, for the first time with no striving, I was actually enjoying God. It was a season where He took my aside and lavished me with His love. Although I didn't realize it then, it was a time of preparation.
Now, 10 years later, I long for that season again...to be close to Him, to listen to Him, and to forget about the things that are truly of no importance. There is nothing like being close to Him. If you also have the longing in your heart, you are blessed. For one day there will not be the gift of longing. We will be in His presence forever. For now, during these few days on the earth, may we value the gift of a longing heart --- one that finds no satisfaction in worldly things, but even in the pain of separation that our hearts would long for the One that can fill every part. Nothing else can satisfy. Nothing.
With that, I want to type a part of the book, "Union and Communion," by Hudson Taylor. It happens to be my favorite book. It speaks of the bride in Song of Solomon, a picture of the church.
"She has had her eyes open to know His love and longs for a fuller enjoyment of His love. This experience of knowing His love gives a divine warrent for the desire for perceptible manifistations of His presence--heartfelt communications of His love. It was not always so with her. Once she was content in His absence--other friendships and other occupations sufficed her--but now it can never be so again. The world can never be to her what it once was. She has learned to love her Lord, and no other companionship can satisfy her like companionship with Him. His visits may be occasional and brief, but they are precious times of pure enjoyment. Their memory is cherished in the intervals and their repetition longed for. There is no real satsifaction in His absence, and yet He is not always with her: He comes and goes. When He comes, her joy in Him is like heaven, and when He goes she is longing in vain for His presence. Like the everchanging tide, her experience is a constant ebb and flow. It may even be that unrest is the rule, satisfaction the exception. Is there no help for this? Must it always continue this way? Is it possible that He has created these unquenchable longings only to taunt her? It is strange indeed if this is the case. There are many who look back to the delightful hour of their conversion who are far from finding the rich inheritance in Christ they once enjoyed, and they are conscious that they have lost their first love. Others, who may not have lost their first love, may be feeling that the occasional interruptions to communion are becoming more and more unbearable. His absence is an ever-increasing distress "Oh that I knew where I might find Him! Would that His love were strong and constant like mine and that he never withdrew the light of His countenance!" Poor mistaken one! There is a love far stronger than yours waiting, longing for satisfaction. He is waiting for you all the time, and the conditions that debar His approach are all of your own making. Take the right place before Him and He will be most ready, most glad, to satisfy your deepest longings, and to meet and supply your every need."
In that sweet season of encountering the precious heart of Jesus and His love for me, I became ruined. I loved more than anything to sit with Him and drink deeply of His presence and sweetness that, day by day, brought such healing to me. I found Him as a dear friend and confidant that knew every part of me from beginning to end. I had never known such friendship before. I was amazed that, after all my years of what I thought was devotion, I hadn't really known Him. I hadn't really experienced who God was. In my zeal for Him, I was actually missing the point -- to love Him and be loved by Him. I wanted to prove to Him that I was something special, but it was now time that He proved to me His love, zeal, and commitment to me. He knew my heart and, for the first time with no striving, I was actually enjoying God. It was a season where He took my aside and lavished me with His love. Although I didn't realize it then, it was a time of preparation.
Now, 10 years later, I long for that season again...to be close to Him, to listen to Him, and to forget about the things that are truly of no importance. There is nothing like being close to Him. If you also have the longing in your heart, you are blessed. For one day there will not be the gift of longing. We will be in His presence forever. For now, during these few days on the earth, may we value the gift of a longing heart --- one that finds no satisfaction in worldly things, but even in the pain of separation that our hearts would long for the One that can fill every part. Nothing else can satisfy. Nothing.
With that, I want to type a part of the book, "Union and Communion," by Hudson Taylor. It happens to be my favorite book. It speaks of the bride in Song of Solomon, a picture of the church.
"She has had her eyes open to know His love and longs for a fuller enjoyment of His love. This experience of knowing His love gives a divine warrent for the desire for perceptible manifistations of His presence--heartfelt communications of His love. It was not always so with her. Once she was content in His absence--other friendships and other occupations sufficed her--but now it can never be so again. The world can never be to her what it once was. She has learned to love her Lord, and no other companionship can satisfy her like companionship with Him. His visits may be occasional and brief, but they are precious times of pure enjoyment. Their memory is cherished in the intervals and their repetition longed for. There is no real satsifaction in His absence, and yet He is not always with her: He comes and goes. When He comes, her joy in Him is like heaven, and when He goes she is longing in vain for His presence. Like the everchanging tide, her experience is a constant ebb and flow. It may even be that unrest is the rule, satisfaction the exception. Is there no help for this? Must it always continue this way? Is it possible that He has created these unquenchable longings only to taunt her? It is strange indeed if this is the case. There are many who look back to the delightful hour of their conversion who are far from finding the rich inheritance in Christ they once enjoyed, and they are conscious that they have lost their first love. Others, who may not have lost their first love, may be feeling that the occasional interruptions to communion are becoming more and more unbearable. His absence is an ever-increasing distress "Oh that I knew where I might find Him! Would that His love were strong and constant like mine and that he never withdrew the light of His countenance!" Poor mistaken one! There is a love far stronger than yours waiting, longing for satisfaction. He is waiting for you all the time, and the conditions that debar His approach are all of your own making. Take the right place before Him and He will be most ready, most glad, to satisfy your deepest longings, and to meet and supply your every need."
Monday, June 14, 2010
Overcoming Bitterness Through Meditating on God's Goodness
I want to write this for anyone who has, at some point in their life, not understood what is happening in their life or the life of someone they love. Life is a mystery, full of ups and downs and situations that we don't fully understand or comprehend. Though we try to control details of our lives that are both big and small, we soon find out that we simply can't. I'm not saying we are not responsible for certain things, because we are. There is certainly an accountablity we must live by, but my point is that we truly don't know what's going to happen from one day to another.
If you are like me, it's very difficult to not be in control. Whether it's having the freedom of choosing simple things such as what I will eat for dinner or what I will wear, to more important issues like what my life will look like in ten years, I really like the feeling that I am in charge. It's when we can't see, when we can't explain, and when we didn't plan on "that" happening is when the ugliness of bitterness seems to try and hook us. It is when disappointment seems to cloud our understanding and we seem to give up or lose hope that we give place for bitterness to take root. If you have not experienced this, just live a bit longer and I can assure you that this experience will be a part of your journey. If you have experienced, know that you are not alone.
So what is the answer to this battle we all fight against? It's a battle between having a heart of tenderness and trust towards God and having a heart that is untrusting, angry, resentful, and full of blame towards others and possibly God. I think everyone, at some point, will have the latter because we are simply human. We can't see the big picture and our perception of what God is doing in our lives is often twisted by our own ignorance of who He is and His heart towards us.
For example, take Job. This story is just painful. He loses everything he has including family and possessions. He has never done a thing wrong. As a matter of fact, God calls him "blameless." You can imagine what was going on in his mind when he tried to comprehend what was happening around him. He even began to question God and wondered if He had become his enemy. At this point, God speaks to Job and asks, "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?" I believe darkening here represents a lack of true knowledge. In the bitterness of his pain and discomfort, Job had expressed rage over the injustice he was experiencing. He claimed that God was angry with him and that He was his enemy. From the events throughout the story that are unseen by Job, the reader knows this isn't true. I think I can safely say that Job's biggest problem was ignorance about God's heart and what His motives were in allowing certain things to happen. If he knew the things that we know as we read the story, his attitude would probably be very different.
The fact is, the more we meditate on the goodness of God to us and His love for us, bitterness will not have root in us. The moment we begin to accuse God or anyone else for that matter, we are in a very dangerous place. I've been there before and though I have crawled out of that pit a few times, I have to set my mind upon the Word and fill my thoughts with His love for me. Otherwise, that pit will be a familiar place for any of us. We can know, even though we don't understand what's happening, that God is good and God is fair and God is just. It will also do good for us when we can know in our hearts that there are things we don't know, things we can't see, and a plan that is unfolding more awesome than we realize. Our temporary problems, quesitons, and concerns are nothing in comparison to what will come about one day!
If you are like me, it's very difficult to not be in control. Whether it's having the freedom of choosing simple things such as what I will eat for dinner or what I will wear, to more important issues like what my life will look like in ten years, I really like the feeling that I am in charge. It's when we can't see, when we can't explain, and when we didn't plan on "that" happening is when the ugliness of bitterness seems to try and hook us. It is when disappointment seems to cloud our understanding and we seem to give up or lose hope that we give place for bitterness to take root. If you have not experienced this, just live a bit longer and I can assure you that this experience will be a part of your journey. If you have experienced, know that you are not alone.
So what is the answer to this battle we all fight against? It's a battle between having a heart of tenderness and trust towards God and having a heart that is untrusting, angry, resentful, and full of blame towards others and possibly God. I think everyone, at some point, will have the latter because we are simply human. We can't see the big picture and our perception of what God is doing in our lives is often twisted by our own ignorance of who He is and His heart towards us.
For example, take Job. This story is just painful. He loses everything he has including family and possessions. He has never done a thing wrong. As a matter of fact, God calls him "blameless." You can imagine what was going on in his mind when he tried to comprehend what was happening around him. He even began to question God and wondered if He had become his enemy. At this point, God speaks to Job and asks, "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?" I believe darkening here represents a lack of true knowledge. In the bitterness of his pain and discomfort, Job had expressed rage over the injustice he was experiencing. He claimed that God was angry with him and that He was his enemy. From the events throughout the story that are unseen by Job, the reader knows this isn't true. I think I can safely say that Job's biggest problem was ignorance about God's heart and what His motives were in allowing certain things to happen. If he knew the things that we know as we read the story, his attitude would probably be very different.
The fact is, the more we meditate on the goodness of God to us and His love for us, bitterness will not have root in us. The moment we begin to accuse God or anyone else for that matter, we are in a very dangerous place. I've been there before and though I have crawled out of that pit a few times, I have to set my mind upon the Word and fill my thoughts with His love for me. Otherwise, that pit will be a familiar place for any of us. We can know, even though we don't understand what's happening, that God is good and God is fair and God is just. It will also do good for us when we can know in our hearts that there are things we don't know, things we can't see, and a plan that is unfolding more awesome than we realize. Our temporary problems, quesitons, and concerns are nothing in comparison to what will come about one day!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
He Says Yes
I think there are times in all of our lives when we are needing encouragement. At times, weariness seems to set in and the race gets a bit tiring. It is in these times when I am so greatful for the comfort of friends and those around me that can strengthen my heart in the Lord. Yet, there are times in life when no human can reach the depth of our heart that we are in need of being touched. We need something greater.
I love the Holy Spirit's job. He has a lot of them, but one thing He loves to do is encourage. He knows the human heart so well...that we are prone to discouragement and negativity. He knows our perspective has a tendency to wonder into confusion and He knows the human heart can be our worst enemy. In knowing that, He has said yes to being the greatest encourager to our hearts. He has said yes to walking along side us in this life. He has said yes to being the great reminder of who we are when we begin to believe otherwise. His gentle touch on our hearts does more than 1,000 words from another and once you experience His passionate pleasure over your life, you can't help but be awed by this one who loves to help us. He doesn't do it grudgingly, but with such pleasure knowing that we are the Lord's treasure and reward. He is a servant to us. As a matter of fact, He is the greatest servant as He prepares our hearts in love for the day we will meet the Lord face to face. Through every trial and every disappointment, He is able to turn it to good as He gently and patiently mends our wounds and heals every false idea about ourselves. His words bring healing and although His love has been proven over the centuries, there is no better proof to me than His sweet kindness I have experienced in my short life. He is truly committed to us. Although there is a responsibility in all of us to commit to one another (even this we seem to fall short of so often), there is no committment so strong as the one He has made for us. Our committment to Him seems so weak when all we see so often is our weakest parts, but that is just another reminder of what God is like. His patience with us, is...well...I have no words, really. I used to think it was MY committment to God that was getting His attention. Now it is HIS committment to me that gets my attention. In all my desire to love Him and be committed to Him, at the end of the day I am left with the brokeness of my own humanity. But then, there He stands, faithfully beside me...saying yes to me again. And this, my friends, is the story of my life.
I love the Holy Spirit's job. He has a lot of them, but one thing He loves to do is encourage. He knows the human heart so well...that we are prone to discouragement and negativity. He knows our perspective has a tendency to wonder into confusion and He knows the human heart can be our worst enemy. In knowing that, He has said yes to being the greatest encourager to our hearts. He has said yes to walking along side us in this life. He has said yes to being the great reminder of who we are when we begin to believe otherwise. His gentle touch on our hearts does more than 1,000 words from another and once you experience His passionate pleasure over your life, you can't help but be awed by this one who loves to help us. He doesn't do it grudgingly, but with such pleasure knowing that we are the Lord's treasure and reward. He is a servant to us. As a matter of fact, He is the greatest servant as He prepares our hearts in love for the day we will meet the Lord face to face. Through every trial and every disappointment, He is able to turn it to good as He gently and patiently mends our wounds and heals every false idea about ourselves. His words bring healing and although His love has been proven over the centuries, there is no better proof to me than His sweet kindness I have experienced in my short life. He is truly committed to us. Although there is a responsibility in all of us to commit to one another (even this we seem to fall short of so often), there is no committment so strong as the one He has made for us. Our committment to Him seems so weak when all we see so often is our weakest parts, but that is just another reminder of what God is like. His patience with us, is...well...I have no words, really. I used to think it was MY committment to God that was getting His attention. Now it is HIS committment to me that gets my attention. In all my desire to love Him and be committed to Him, at the end of the day I am left with the brokeness of my own humanity. But then, there He stands, faithfully beside me...saying yes to me again. And this, my friends, is the story of my life.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Faithful Confidant
Tonight I was thinking about the Lord being one who carries the heaviness in our hearts. He actually likes to take the heaviness that is mine and carry it for me. And that’s just what He did by dying. He took those things that were against me that I was guilty of and carried them for me. But it’s not only sinful things. I believe He wants us to enter into His peace now, even in this lifetime. I believe He is calling us to live in a place of trusting Him no matter what our situation is. In the face of such circumstances that cause us to fear or worry, He wants us to know the Rock in which we stand upon. He is calling us to carry the lightness of his burden. The Holy Spirit, who is a fantastic teacher (He would definitely win teacher of the year), wants to teach us how to live by allowing Him to have those things we worry and stress over. Instead of carrying them ourselves, He wants us to live in peace, like a child standing safely with their father. Even in times when we don’t know what’s ahead and we can’t see how life circumstances will change, we can trust with confidence that His faithfulness is our shield. One of my favorite verses is Psalms 131:2, “Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” David had learned the lesson of trusting God. He was not like a child crying and needing milk. Instead, he learned to not complain or worry about his situations. He had matured to the point of trusting the One who had proved Himself to be faithful. His heart could wait quietly and trust that God saw Him and knew His situation. Though war raged around Him, He lived in God’s peace inwardly.This is what He is calling us to…to enter into this place of rest He has created for each of us. We are not meant to live in stress, anxiety, and fear. He wants to lift that off of us and teach us to learn from His heart. There is nothing like His presence. I am so thankful for the One who wants to lift the heaviness in our hearts and teach us to live in peace and trust! He is a faithful confidant!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
God's Pleasure in Day to Day Events
In looking back at my life up to this point, I see the journey with a completely different perspective. It's a powerful thing to have lived long enough to look back at one's life from a different angle. I'm not sure if it's just the fact that with age comes the wisdom of seeing situations with a more mature perpsective or if it's something else. Maybe in another ten years, I'll be able to answer that question with a more profound understanding.
What has truly changed in my understanding of life is how important and precious our days are to the Lord. Not only are our day to day events hidden deep in the heart of God, but the different seasons, which consist of numerous days and months are a part of the treasure He calls our lives. We can not fully understand how He sees our lives. I can only imagine the emotions He must feel when He sees, before His eyes, what He thought of before time began. Every life consists of many changes, big and small. I think of my own Mother when I ponder on this issue (only because I know her life well). I think of the many different stages she has gone through in her life, which resembles many women in our culture. She grew up in a large family of 5 girls who lived in a rather small house and spent much of their time working to help make ends meet. In a small Colorado town of not more than a few hundred people, she spent her time in 4-H and other community events throughout highschool. She soon got married and moved off with my Dad. After 7 or so years of being married, they had their first child, Cristy. Three years following, Sherri came along, and then a year later me. I can only imagine what it was like having three little girls running around the house. I'm sure that she didn't have much time to call her own having to care for us! The day came when we were all out of the house and she got to enjoy retirement, which is the season she is in today. Although my Mom is a quiet woman who has nad no problem living in the background, her days and seasons are not only precious to the Lord, but are full of purpose and destiny that she cannot fully comprehend. Just like my mother's, my life, as well as yours, is full of purpose and importance that we can't fully grasp or understand.
Think of your own life and the changes that have taken place. You may not have had as many changes as my Mother, but everyone who stops to look back can see how life is full of different seasons. The time line of our lives is being watched ever so delicately by the one who knit our very lives together in our mother's womb. He is watching with such delight as we take steps closer to fulfilling our God-given plans on this earth. The time line of our lives is very precious to Him and one day, when all is said and done, we will see the tapestry of our lives with clearness and understanding. In that moment, we will see the wisdom of God in every situation, the patience of God throughout our mistakes, and the sustaining love of God that helped us endure through pain, confusion, and sorrow. And (I write this with much excitement), we will never feel that pain, confusion, or sorrow again as we will forever live in the presence of God and see His face. May we not let the day to day boredom stop us from knowing that we are not merely living, but we are walking out a time line full of purpose and destiny that was thought up by God Himself. When we live in that truth, there is no place for devaluing our lives or having the feeling of being unimportant. When we feel as though nothing is happening in our lives, just remember it is part of a bigger picture that will have a glorious ending. For some, death is the end. For others, it is a glorious beginning of true life! I know on that day we will not be disappointed!
What has truly changed in my understanding of life is how important and precious our days are to the Lord. Not only are our day to day events hidden deep in the heart of God, but the different seasons, which consist of numerous days and months are a part of the treasure He calls our lives. We can not fully understand how He sees our lives. I can only imagine the emotions He must feel when He sees, before His eyes, what He thought of before time began. Every life consists of many changes, big and small. I think of my own Mother when I ponder on this issue (only because I know her life well). I think of the many different stages she has gone through in her life, which resembles many women in our culture. She grew up in a large family of 5 girls who lived in a rather small house and spent much of their time working to help make ends meet. In a small Colorado town of not more than a few hundred people, she spent her time in 4-H and other community events throughout highschool. She soon got married and moved off with my Dad. After 7 or so years of being married, they had their first child, Cristy. Three years following, Sherri came along, and then a year later me. I can only imagine what it was like having three little girls running around the house. I'm sure that she didn't have much time to call her own having to care for us! The day came when we were all out of the house and she got to enjoy retirement, which is the season she is in today. Although my Mom is a quiet woman who has nad no problem living in the background, her days and seasons are not only precious to the Lord, but are full of purpose and destiny that she cannot fully comprehend. Just like my mother's, my life, as well as yours, is full of purpose and importance that we can't fully grasp or understand.
Think of your own life and the changes that have taken place. You may not have had as many changes as my Mother, but everyone who stops to look back can see how life is full of different seasons. The time line of our lives is being watched ever so delicately by the one who knit our very lives together in our mother's womb. He is watching with such delight as we take steps closer to fulfilling our God-given plans on this earth. The time line of our lives is very precious to Him and one day, when all is said and done, we will see the tapestry of our lives with clearness and understanding. In that moment, we will see the wisdom of God in every situation, the patience of God throughout our mistakes, and the sustaining love of God that helped us endure through pain, confusion, and sorrow. And (I write this with much excitement), we will never feel that pain, confusion, or sorrow again as we will forever live in the presence of God and see His face. May we not let the day to day boredom stop us from knowing that we are not merely living, but we are walking out a time line full of purpose and destiny that was thought up by God Himself. When we live in that truth, there is no place for devaluing our lives or having the feeling of being unimportant. When we feel as though nothing is happening in our lives, just remember it is part of a bigger picture that will have a glorious ending. For some, death is the end. For others, it is a glorious beginning of true life! I know on that day we will not be disappointed!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friendship With God
It seems I am in an inward tug-a-war as I realize the battle between knowing truth in my heart and actually walking it out. I would tell anyone that I am completely uninterested in religion, yet I unknowingly walk in it most of the time. I can talk the talk nicely, but I want to see my life as it really is, not as I think it is, covered in mere religious words and ideas. I think everyone would agree no one needs or wants anymore religion. I really want to know and experience Jesus. If it is possible for a heart to encounter God in such intimacy, than I want to be a candidate. With a bit of fear and trembling, I'm asking that a bull's eye be placed on my heart and that God would find a place in my heart that He can relax, enjoy, and find rest. I want to stop caring so much about religious duties and begin caring about God Himself. May we be those that honestly care for God -- what is really on His heart! Things that we care for are cultivated. Whether it's the main things in life, such as our families, or smaller less important things like yard work or gardens, we give our time and energy to making sure those things are in tact. It is no different with God. He really wants us to cultivate friendship with Him and be those that carry His heart to others.
I add "with a bit of fear and trembling" because, though I don't know a lot about the subject, the invitation to friendship with God is more than what I once thought it was. I think about whom the Lord called His friends throughout the Bible and I realize the life lived in friendship with God is one that is costly -- at least with the perspective of earthly things. It is laying aside what we think we deserve or need and with joy in our hearts sharing the thoughts, burdens, and cares that the very God of the universe carries in His heart. This is a daily struggle for me personally as I encounter nearly every day the selfishness in my heart as to what I think I need or deserve. If only I would lay aside temporary things to carry the perspective of heaven in my heart so much so that I die to what I want, think I need, and believe I deserve. It is truly a narrow path that many in the Western world criticize and call unnecessary. Yet to God, it is a life lived in wisdom and an invitation to greatness in His Kingdom. We lay down our lives to gain Him. We say yes to a life of being poor in spirit, of being desperate for His touch on our hearts, spending our energy for the sake of others, and being willing to carry His heart for the poor and forgotten of the earth. Although foolish to many, I would think that those who find this place in God would begin to believe that the temporary pleasures of this earth are as nothing compared to encountering true pleasure that flows from God's heart to those who hunger for Him. Bitterness has no root in them because they walk the way of tenderness, forgiving others and walking in humility and love. Jesus, be the love of our hearts -- that we would not walk in religion, but in real encounters with you.
I add "with a bit of fear and trembling" because, though I don't know a lot about the subject, the invitation to friendship with God is more than what I once thought it was. I think about whom the Lord called His friends throughout the Bible and I realize the life lived in friendship with God is one that is costly -- at least with the perspective of earthly things. It is laying aside what we think we deserve or need and with joy in our hearts sharing the thoughts, burdens, and cares that the very God of the universe carries in His heart. This is a daily struggle for me personally as I encounter nearly every day the selfishness in my heart as to what I think I need or deserve. If only I would lay aside temporary things to carry the perspective of heaven in my heart so much so that I die to what I want, think I need, and believe I deserve. It is truly a narrow path that many in the Western world criticize and call unnecessary. Yet to God, it is a life lived in wisdom and an invitation to greatness in His Kingdom. We lay down our lives to gain Him. We say yes to a life of being poor in spirit, of being desperate for His touch on our hearts, spending our energy for the sake of others, and being willing to carry His heart for the poor and forgotten of the earth. Although foolish to many, I would think that those who find this place in God would begin to believe that the temporary pleasures of this earth are as nothing compared to encountering true pleasure that flows from God's heart to those who hunger for Him. Bitterness has no root in them because they walk the way of tenderness, forgiving others and walking in humility and love. Jesus, be the love of our hearts -- that we would not walk in religion, but in real encounters with you.
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