How Should I Love You?

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. John 15:12 (NLT)

After reading this text, I have to ask "Jesus, how did you love us?"

• You gave up something better to come here for us.
• While you were here, you relinquished owning everything to own nothing.
• You gave up security, the security of heaven for the chaos of earth.
• You gave up love and adoration for ridicule and hatred.
• You gave up being 100% God to live in a human body.
• You gave up angels who would fight to their death for fickle human friends who ran away at the first sign of trouble.
• You gave up being surrounded by the wisdom of the ages to be surrounded by people who after three years still didn't get it.
• You experienced immense pain, both physically and emotionally, that lead to death so you could take the imperfect home to perfection.

Jesus loves us sacrificially. After thinking about this I need to ask myself, "How often do we love each other the way Jesus loved us? and What does it look like for us to do that?"

Getting My Courage On

Some times life delivers a blow that comes out of the blue and knocks you to the ground. Have you ever experienced this?  While you may be left standing you don't necessarily feel like you are on solid footing and you are left searching for some meaning - some reason.

This is especially true when you are a Christian. You are tempted to look up and say "Hey! I thought you were in charge!" And some of us do just that. After you do that, what then? Where do you go when you are not sure where to go?  What do you hold on to when the very basis for life seems intangible?

There are two things that have helped me get through these kind of things.  One is to remember who I know God to be. I go through (either in my head or in a journal) and list the character traits of God. Here are a few:

• I know he is Ruler of Everything.
• I know nothing happens to me that he has not allowed.
• I know that he loves me.
• I know that no matter what happens, he will use it for my good and his glory (not necessarily in that order).
• I know he is good.
• I know that he is stronger than Satan.

The next thing I do is go find words of encouragement. Here are some that I've found recently that have inspired me to not give up.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (NLT)

I have called you back from the ends of the earth,
    saying, ‘You are my servant.’
For I have chosen you
    and will not throw you away.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:9-10 (NLT)

My prayer is that as you walk through life's difficult journeys (and we all do at some point), that you will remember how deeply God loves you and that he is always there for you.

A Minute In It - Big Audacious Prayers

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post.

So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon. “Do not be afraid of them,” the Lord said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.”

Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal and took the Amorite armies by surprise. The Lord threw them into a panic, and the Israelites slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon. Then the Israelites chased the enemy along the road to Beth-horon, killing them all along the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As the Amorites retreated down the road from Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword.

On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said,

“Let the sun stand still over Gibeon,
    and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.”

So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies.

Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day..There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day! Joshua 10:7-14 (NLT)

What made Joshua pray such a Big Audacious Prayer (BAP)? Why was he so confident that God would answer? Would you be able to pray such a bold prayer? Why or why not?

In It For The Long Haul

But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Daniel 6:10 (NLT)

Ever ask yourself why Daniel prayed three times a day in front of an open window when the law said that if he did, he would be thrown into the Lion's Den? Why didn't he go to an inner room and pray there? Why ask for trouble? I am sure he knew the men who had gotten the decree signed were after him. He was super high up in the kingdom so he knew of the law and exactly what it said.

Maybe it had something to do with his history with God. Daniel had been captured and taken away to a foreign land. He had gone through lots of frightening stuff.  First, he was probably made into a Eunuch. Then, he found the courage to stand up for himself and ask to eat his preferred diet to keep his strength. He was high up in the kingdom which means the competition and subterfuge were palatable. The kingdom had changed rulers which also created possibilities for death.

All through this Daniel counted on God to protect and deliver him. Day after day God kept his promises and cared for Daniel and his friends. Daniel looked to God for his strength and made him his refuge.

What would you do?  If God had proved over and over again that he was there for you, would you deny your relationship with him because something bad happened to you? Would you look back and remember who God was and what he had done in your life or would you only look at your current circumstance and make decisions based on that?

Often it is easier to walk away and call it quits but if you truly know who God is, you can't. No matter what the cost, you know that this is the side you want to take a stand on. It's always better to trust the God you know than the devil you don't.

Embracing All The Children

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. Matthew 19:14-15 (NLT)

If you are a parent you are doing to identify with what I am about to say. Have you ever had anyone love on your child and it moved you almost to tears? I am a Mom and I adore my children. When anyone shows them any kindness or reaches out to love on them, my heart swells with gratefulness.

It doesn't have to be anything big. As a matter of fact, it is usually the little things like when one of them walks into the room and my friends make it a point to engage them in conversation and include them. When someone calls to encourage them or invites them to lunch just to listen. 

Did I mention that my kids are now adults? And still, still my heart is moved when I see someone reach out to them to show them that they are valuable. No matter the age of your child, no matter what stage they are in their life, if someone loves on them, it fills your heart.

Do you think God feels the same way? Do you think that no matter what age, what stage, what path his kids are on when one of us reaches out to include and engage and share and love on them his heart is full? Do you think he sees his children struggling and wants desperately for someone to reach out to them to heal the hurt? I think he does.

And when we do it, not only is his heart full because he sees his child being taken care of but, his heart overflows because it was done by one of his kids.  Your task today is to go out and make God proud!

Love That Doesn't Budge

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.  Romans 8:26-28 (MSG)

Ever get tired? Have you ever, when you woke up in the morning, decided you were tired of well, everything? Have you ever said to God "I don't want to talk to you today." or how about "I don't feel like talking at all." I have.

I have told him I don't want to talk to him. I have yelled and been angry with him. What does he do? Does he send lightning bolts down to strike me and say "Take that!"? Nope. He does our praying for us. Wait. What? The Holy Spirit takes our attitudes whether it be discouragement, anger, frustration, disappointment or whatever and he still presents that to God and keeps us right where we need to be. Even when we can't do it ourselves, he keeps us close to God.

How amazing is that! How awesome that even when we move in the opposite direction of where God is, he doesn't budge. This is bigger than unconditional love. This is a love that refuses to let go. This is the kind of love that doesn't give up on me when I have thrown in the towel. And it is because of this, this love that I cannot fathom, that I will always come back and talk to him some more.

Your Task For Today

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.  Matthew 6:34 (NLT)

How is it possible to not worry about tomorrow? Don't we all worry about tomorrow? I know I am tempted to. I want to worry about my job, our finances, our parents, our kids and grand kids. I want to worry about my health and the logistics of keeping my home flowing. And sometimes I do.

One of the things God has been talking to me about over the last year is letting him take care of it. What does that mean exactly? Does that mean I can go out and spend a ton of money on unnecessary things and expect God to work out my finances? No. God does expect me to do my part. Does it mean when I have done my best and the ends don't meet that I can trust him to provide? Yes.

Why shouldn't we worry about tomorrow? I think maybe it's because if you spend a lot of time worrying about tomorrow, you miss what God is doing today. God is always at work. He is always doing something. We get so focused on what was or what could be or what should be (in our minds) that we miss what God is saying to us today. 

We miss his love language. We miss the promises he shares. We miss the smiles and laughter that are possible because we think we have to do it all. And most importantly, we miss his still small voice.

So how do you know what is yours and what is God's? Take a sheet of paper. Write down all the things you are worried about. Then, separate them into columns about what you can actually do something about and what you can't. The column that you can do something about is yours to tackle. The column you can't is God's.

Pray over all of it. But, don't try to move stuff from his column to yours (or visa versa). If you do, you will miss the best part of life - and that is today....this moment in time.

A Minute In It - No Blinders Here

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post.

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—
12     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me!

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24 (NLT)

Is there something about you that God is not aware of? Do you have any secrets from him? Is there anywhere you can go that he cannot find you? Is there anything you have done that he has not seen? Does he know you inside and out? What is his response? And what in return should be yours?