The Future

The future is not determined by what awaits us tomorrow, but how we treat today.


copyright 4/22/2015

Loving Jesus Part 10

LOVE…always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.  (1 Cor 13:7, 8)

Love transcends knowledge.  Love transcends emotion.  Oh sure, it involves knowing, and the results of love trigger our emotions, but to love God (who, in every essence, IS love) encapsulates our entire being. 

I would not have been able to truly know love without first experiencing Jesus’ love for me.

When I come into harmony with my Creator, then and only then, am I able to experience the love that accompanies the God of creation.

Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  (Matthew 11:28, 29)

When I experience love with my body, soul and spirit, the reward is entirely unexpected. 

All of my Christian life I had heard about “the peace that passes understanding.”  I had heard about “freedom from the bondage of sin.”  I had heard about “the joy of the Lord.”  But none of those phrases held any meaning for me until I was willing to humble myself, and earnestly seek the presence of Jesus; forsaking all else.  Until that moment, I never really knew.  

Now, I have the joy and privilege to say that I have been gifted with the knowledge that Jesus’ love is real and alive in my life. It has overwhelmed me with peace, where no problem is so difficult He cannot solve.  And I am greeted, in the morning, with unspeakable joy.

Corny?  Not at all. But it is so unexpectedly real. Is this my spirit every day?  Of course not.  But it is what I seek and what I know is possible when I walk with my Jesus.  

I will fail; we ALL fail to love God as He deserves.  But this list of always protecting His name before others, and always trusting Him, and always putting my hope in Him, and always persevering against all odds… is something only God can always do.  But as we grow in the love He is constantly revealing to us, we continue to establish our love for Him and return it to Him in a more steady measure.  

So even when my love for Jesus fails, love never does. Because JESUS never fails!

copyright 4/15/2015

 

Loving Jsesus Part 9

LOVE...does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (1 Cor 13:6)

If I know that evil is totally contrary to who God is, delighting in it would be like a slap in Jesus’ face. But is it enough just to avoid delighting in obvious evil?  I don’t think so because the rest of the verse gives me the action to cancel the first part.  I need to rejoice in the truth.  

But what about if I take delight in the ways of the world and incorporate its point of view into my own thinking?  Generally speaking, the ways of the world are not often in line with the truth.   They’re not outright evil, though, so sometimes I think they’re okay.  But are my thoughts and actions prompting and rejoicing with the truth?  

I have to continue asking myself these kinds of questions so that I understand that everything I do, and everything I think, either propels me toward the side of God (rejoicing in the truth) or widens the distance between us (delighting in evil). 

To love my Jesus would be to do what He asks of me; to rejoice with the truth. The word “with” almost implies that I’m not rejoicing about something, but rather with Something, or … Someone.  Of course, “the truth” is Jesus. So rather than delight in things that do not bring honor to God, I choose to rejoice with Him and place my focus on heavenly things.  

copyright 4/9/2015

Loving Jesus part 8

LOVE… keeps no record of wrongs.  (1 Cor 13:5)

In the first place, God does no wrong so it would appear quite foolish to think of me as keeping a record. But I am sure we all have preconceived notions about God’s choices and whether they were the “best” ones for us or whether they were “wrong.”  Or whether He answered a prayer like it “should” be answered or not.  

For example, I often pray for healing for others. There seems to be a rash of bad knees and hips in our church lately. I think I've prayed with and for every one of them. It hasn't been just me, but along with other prayer warriors, we have anointed and ask for God's touch of restoration. No visible change appears to have taken place.  That seems somewhat “wrong” to me.  After all, the Bible tells us to pray for healing for others and that the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.  I did what the Bible said yet the prayer was not answered.  I’m sorry to say that I probably have a mental record of many of those failed healing attempts.  Especially when other prayers are answered...

On another occasion, one Wednesday evening at prayer meeting, I was sitting beside a gentleman who had a serious stomach problem. I can’t recall the proper name for his disease, but it was interfering with his overall health to the point of great concern. The physicians seemed to have no remedy for his condition.  In that moment, the Lord prompted me to pray for him. I asked a few others who believed in the power of prayer to join me. We prayed and anointed him and he was healed.

I cannot tell you what made the difference, but if I had taken into account the other times we prayed, I could have thought, Well, God didn’t answer all those other prayers, so what makes me think He’ll answer this one.  And that kind of response would certainly be keeping a record of what I perceived as a wrong on God’s behalf.  

Until I have the answers for all of these questions, I will put my trust in Jesus and continue to pray, making an honest effort not to judge God’s responses and count them as “wrong.”  

copyright 4/3/2015

Fields Of Green

I want to walk through fields of green,
Waving tulips in the Spring.

To hold an eagle in my hand.
And spread my wings throughout the land.

I want to muse beside the tree,
That gives me life eternally.

To hear the music of the bird,
And understand their every word.

I want to sing on mountain tops,
Where songs of praise never stop.

I want to touch His love-filled face,
And find sweet rest from the race.

I want all this and yes, far more,
Of what He has for me in store.

Sing, oh heart, and praise my soul,
It's the greatest story ever told.

copyright 4/2/2015

Loving Jesus Part 7

LOVE....it is not easily angered. (1 Cor 13:5)

Anger appears to more often occur in response to feelings of being hurt. Rather than confessing our hurt feelings and exposing our vulnerability, it seems easier to avoid the appearance of weakness and react with anger instead.  We do that to protect our egos, but if I think before I act, I should never have to protect my ego from my Creator.

In my own heart, I respond in anger when I feel that God seems to not care what happens to me.  What appears to be a lack of caring or gentleness on His part causes me hurt and I lash out at Him instead. "How could you let this happen!”  The pain is further compounded when I allow that distance and anger to stand in between my spirit and His.  And I feel rejected and abandoned by Him all because He didn't respond the way I expected Him too.  The more I pull away from Him, the greater the distance grows and the more I try to hurt Him back by ignoring Him.  It’s a vicious cycle that could have been so easily avoided.  This response is not my intention but it seems to come out without thinking when pain is felt.

 Do you suppose Jesus feels hurt when I blame Him for trials that He has already warned us about? He promised that trials and hardships would come to all who follow Him. "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him." (Phil 3: 29)  

No matter how I get angry with Jesus it all seems to stem from what I expect from Him.  And when expectations are not realized, anger  reflexively occurs.  What a sorry state this puts me in.  Wow; it’s hard to reflect on how I treat Jesus.

Because I love my Jesus I would expect Him to do what’s best for me.  Not what I think is best for me, but what He knows is best for me.  Expecting Him to do that, is exactly the kind of expectation that will provide a healthy response towards Him rather than an angry one. 

"Teach me never to question Your intentions Jesus, or Your motives, but believe that You are, absolutely, always for me and never against me."

If I did that, I would never have a reason for anger.  And that would give Jesus a reason to smile because I would be loving Him.  I would just be loving Him!

copyright 3/27/2015