This morning, while reading over Galatians 1, I was met in a big way. While puttering around making breakfast and second breakfast, coffee brewing and journal open, I talked to Jesus. I told him how I love him and I thanked him for meeting me on this beautiful, quiet California morning. Paul wrote the first 10 verses of chapter 1 to the churches of Galatia about there being no other gospel but Christ's. I read this seeing Paul with his hands up in the air and confused by the faulty actions of humans in the presence of God's great grace and love. I feel like the Spirit is asking me this question: what other truths or words of some-other-gospel am I living?
Where is my heart behind every action?
I can see the disconnect, Lord. I can see where my selfishness creeps in daily, I can see where my insecurities creep in daily, I can see where I let so many other words or truths dictate how I think and act.
Lord, uncover my heart. I so desire to be grounded fully in You. I want to walk so closely to you Jesus that what I hear, smell, taste, touch is all of your goodness, love and mercy.
"Let the the morning bring word of your
unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul."
Ps 143:8
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Freed
Bob Goff's facebook status today reads "figure out today what you are most afraid of, then ask God to give you courage to decide you're not anymore."
This Wednesday, Lord, I am asking you to take away my fear of loneliness.
Lord, let me set a apart from this fear--let it be crucified in my life--let me live in the fullest way You intended. Let me give freely. Let me lay down my life daily, Lord Jesus, to live fully abiding in seeking to help the least of these. Take away any unneeded fear or doubt. Let me life and learn to love fully.
I'm in awe of what you did on that cross, oh my Jesus! I know that the gospel of Jesus that I follow and chase after sets me free of fear. That's what's good.
In terms of a lifelong spouse, my life's advocate, my other half of life's wild caper:
God, I trust in you. I ask that you will choose my husband for me. I just pray that I would know it when you do.
This season which started as painful grievance of a future lost has been redeemed by the hand of God to a season of newfound freedoms in dependance on Him. Lord, thank you for continuing to teach me. I'm all in to know your ways, I'm all in to know your teachings, I'm all in.
I set my heart and mind on things above.
"It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore, we do not lose hear. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." -2 Corinthians 4:13-18 Amen.
This Wednesday, Lord, I am asking you to take away my fear of loneliness.
Lord, let me set a apart from this fear--let it be crucified in my life--let me live in the fullest way You intended. Let me give freely. Let me lay down my life daily, Lord Jesus, to live fully abiding in seeking to help the least of these. Take away any unneeded fear or doubt. Let me life and learn to love fully.
I'm in awe of what you did on that cross, oh my Jesus! I know that the gospel of Jesus that I follow and chase after sets me free of fear. That's what's good.
In terms of a lifelong spouse, my life's advocate, my other half of life's wild caper:
God, I trust in you. I ask that you will choose my husband for me. I just pray that I would know it when you do.
This season which started as painful grievance of a future lost has been redeemed by the hand of God to a season of newfound freedoms in dependance on Him. Lord, thank you for continuing to teach me. I'm all in to know your ways, I'm all in to know your teachings, I'm all in.
I set my heart and mind on things above.
"It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore, we do not lose hear. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." -2 Corinthians 4:13-18 Amen.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
In a moment of clarity see us straining to love one another with all we have. But we are two images unaware of our porousness, our need and lack. As love grew more difficult we proceeded to look within, imagining WE had the power to love one another through our fears, our hurts and needed healings. So we strained and stressed, eyes focused on the goal. Committed to being better, becoming more, loving more. Trying to build a foundation of love upon our selves, two greatly porous people. But our fixation kept us from seeing our greatest need. HIM.
Our commitment to being all that the other person needed exposed an error in our beliefs. For we can do nothing outside of Christ, but with Him we can do ALL things. It exposed our beliefs that we thought we could actually be everything, that we could actually make ourselves better, and that we could actually heal the other persons hurts on our own. These misaligned beliefs, fears and even the need to make it, kept us from the position of humility. Oh but the graciousness of the Lord. He sent Paul, His servant to speak on this, reminding us of His power, faithfulness and reason for joy. Paul reminded us that he will "boast all the more gladly about his weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Cor. 12:9 and that "we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5 Our very porousness is not something to be filled with shame over, but to praise God for. For he has always loved us as broken people and continues to. We are to look to Him to be the foundation and source in all things as we did on the first day we welcomed Him in. To adopt a belief that we no longer need to be dependent upon Him is contrary to everything we believe but find ourselves doing with ease. It is our very need as heirs to continuously be filled with His identity, which Jesus died in order to share with us, and to humbly accept His grace of abundant provision.
So I will praise God for my weaknesses. For it is only through Him that our porous selves become filled. Each day, being shaped in the image of Christ, each day being thankful for how he made us so His glory can be revealed. So I will praise Him; for my fears, my insecurities, that I processes things slowly, am deeply emotional and am hurting from this hopefully temporary loss. I praise God for my love's confusion, fears, impatience, wrestling and withdrawal. And I pray that, "Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith—that we, being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ
that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God." Eph. 3:17-19 And I will thank Him that we are not yet healed and praise Him that we are separated. For "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Our commitment to being all that the other person needed exposed an error in our beliefs. For we can do nothing outside of Christ, but with Him we can do ALL things. It exposed our beliefs that we thought we could actually be everything, that we could actually make ourselves better, and that we could actually heal the other persons hurts on our own. These misaligned beliefs, fears and even the need to make it, kept us from the position of humility. Oh but the graciousness of the Lord. He sent Paul, His servant to speak on this, reminding us of His power, faithfulness and reason for joy. Paul reminded us that he will "boast all the more gladly about his weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Cor. 12:9 and that "we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5 Our very porousness is not something to be filled with shame over, but to praise God for. For he has always loved us as broken people and continues to. We are to look to Him to be the foundation and source in all things as we did on the first day we welcomed Him in. To adopt a belief that we no longer need to be dependent upon Him is contrary to everything we believe but find ourselves doing with ease. It is our very need as heirs to continuously be filled with His identity, which Jesus died in order to share with us, and to humbly accept His grace of abundant provision.
So I will praise God for my weaknesses. For it is only through Him that our porous selves become filled. Each day, being shaped in the image of Christ, each day being thankful for how he made us so His glory can be revealed. So I will praise Him; for my fears, my insecurities, that I processes things slowly, am deeply emotional and am hurting from this hopefully temporary loss. I praise God for my love's confusion, fears, impatience, wrestling and withdrawal. And I pray that, "Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith—that we, being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ
that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God." Eph. 3:17-19 And I will thank Him that we are not yet healed and praise Him that we are separated. For "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Friday, June 7, 2013
In the places of becoming. (Amory)
After yesterday's conversation which sparked this blessed desire--I am overjoyed for this venture.
For instance, I've known lately that I'm truly allowing God to lead me.
There is something so new in this for me as a follower of Jesus.
I feel a childlike faith returning to me as I envision Jesus
walking before me on this overgrown path, lush and deep with greens.
I see him turning every so often to look back at me to see if I am still coming.
And he is beckoning.
I feel my bare feet moving quicker on the path, not noticing the rocks and rubble beneath my soft arches, but curious to know where Jesus is leading me.
He's looking back now, smiling and laughing, as I'm hurrying now and my once heavy heart is leaving behind all of it's fear, shame, guilt, insecurities, burdens...
I feel lightness in my step and I just want to be closer to follow Jesus.
I want to see the landscapes in his vision for me.
I want to see the hills and valleys, secret passages and surprises...I want to climb the highest treetops, taste the living water, meet neighbors along the way, know the people who will join me
all along this wild road for Jesus.
In this moment, I am not sure what the 60 days of intentionality will bring, but I know that I commit myself today to be uninhibited in my loving. While following Jesus, I will remember in these days how to allow the Lord to search my soul--the very depths of me--to help me find what passions and loves bring me to life. Jesus, thank you.
For instance, I've known lately that I'm truly allowing God to lead me.
There is something so new in this for me as a follower of Jesus.
I feel a childlike faith returning to me as I envision Jesus
walking before me on this overgrown path, lush and deep with greens.
I see him turning every so often to look back at me to see if I am still coming.
And he is beckoning.
I feel my bare feet moving quicker on the path, not noticing the rocks and rubble beneath my soft arches, but curious to know where Jesus is leading me.
He's looking back now, smiling and laughing, as I'm hurrying now and my once heavy heart is leaving behind all of it's fear, shame, guilt, insecurities, burdens...
I feel lightness in my step and I just want to be closer to follow Jesus.
I want to see the landscapes in his vision for me.
I want to see the hills and valleys, secret passages and surprises...I want to climb the highest treetops, taste the living water, meet neighbors along the way, know the people who will join me
all along this wild road for Jesus.
In this moment, I am not sure what the 60 days of intentionality will bring, but I know that I commit myself today to be uninhibited in my loving. While following Jesus, I will remember in these days how to allow the Lord to search my soul--the very depths of me--to help me find what passions and loves bring me to life. Jesus, thank you.
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