I've been listening to this great Aiyesha Woods CD, "Love Like This.” It's about God's love. One song, " Alive," has made me reflect on how deep—and real—His love is.
It floors me. It's so steady, so consistent. I think of how many times I've disappointed Him. When I’ve forgotten that He has a heart, too. When He's told me to be still, and I haven't been. When I've made promises I haven't kept. When I've given Him anything less than my very best.
Yet He stays, holding His arms out to me--gently leading me back when I stray. He makes me feel forgiven when I feel condemned. He shows me the right way, but so lovingly. I can go to Him at any moment--He never changes, or gets sick of me.
He's showing me how to love. To be steady, forgiving and transparent--like He is. He's The Ultimate Companion; The Best Company. He teaches me what it means to be truly selfless.
I love 1 John 4:10—“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Thank you, Lord, for pursuing me--to the point of death--even death on The Cross. Your name is Greater, Your Love is Higher.
What I render to you for all your benefits, as David said, must
cost me something.
To borrow from "Alive": "You are the giver of all that have/What can I give to You? / Please take my heart / I owe you my life / I offer it all to You / And every day I want the world to see / That your love is alive and well in me.“
Lord, each day, Take my breath away.
Yes, His Love is Alive!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
LIBERTY IN CHRIST
Liberty in Christ. It can be a heavy theological topic—one that Christians divide over. In somewhat simple, and probably incomplete, terms, it’s pretty much recognizing that Jesus’ death on the cross provides freedom from trying to earn salvation by keeping a moral code. Generally, the debate ensues over how Christians should live in light of the fact that what we do does not save us. I’m not writing to engage in the debate, but instead to share how I’ve been mulling over this liberty.
I’ve recently had help from 1 Corinthians 6:12. The verse is part of a famous passage on fleeing from sexual immorality and walking in purity. Because of the emphasis on avoiding sexual sin, I had inadvertently glossed over its message about Christian Liberty in general. For clarity, I’ve been looking at it in a few versions, which I’ll share:
12"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial."Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. (NIV)
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (NKJV)
12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. (NASB)
12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. (New Living Translation)
The greatest reminder from the verse has been that gaining freedom through Christ does not, by itself, ensure that I will live in that freedom. I can still end up doing things that may not be “wrong” under the law of grace, but put me in a state like the very slavery that the Cross happened so that I could avoid.
Instead, I have to make choices that keep me living in freedom. In Him, my new aim is to walk in the grace He’s given, thus avoiding being “mastered” by anything this world offers.
In a host of passages, Paul further explains what this freedom through grace looks like. I struggled to pick just one, so I didn’t:). Along with the verses, a few lessons...Freedom in Christ should cause me to:
1. Make Him My Focus
Colossians 3: 1-3 says: “1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Focusing on Christ means He—not someone else or thing—has our attention first. When something other than God is our focus, we’re susceptible to being negatively influenced by it—whether or not we intended that. However, because The Word of God says that He is light —and free from any darkness—the only “mastery” we can experience when He's first is that we become slaves to righteous living. And because that is our aim in Christ, focusing on Him sends us in the right direction!
2. Be Motivated By Spiritual Growth, Not Just Right and Wrong
Even under grace it can still be tempting to evaluate ourselves not by how much we’re seeking Him, but instead simply by how many sins we’ve committed or avoided. But our freedom calls us to so much more.
I’m always struck by Paul’s rich prayers in his letters to the New Testament Churches. He never asked that they would just, say, keep all of the Ten Commandments, or that they’d merely be “better people” than those around them. Instead, he prayed that they would seek greatness— in Him—and in everything they did. One of my favorites is Philippians 1: 9-11:
“9And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ 11having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (NASB)
When we seek excellence in our freedom, we make the best choices, not just the ones that help us slide by. And, as a result, we honor Him in the highest way.
3. Have Evidence of Freedom
Freedom in Christ has to look unique—like, well, freedom. The well-known “Fruit of the Spirit” Passage, Galatians 5: 22-23, gives us markers: "22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Also add similar words from Peter).
In short, because of Christ, I can do whatever I want. But, also because of Christ, I choose to do the things that bring me the most victory.
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
That’s Freedom. And there’s nothing like it.
I’ve recently had help from 1 Corinthians 6:12. The verse is part of a famous passage on fleeing from sexual immorality and walking in purity. Because of the emphasis on avoiding sexual sin, I had inadvertently glossed over its message about Christian Liberty in general. For clarity, I’ve been looking at it in a few versions, which I’ll share:
12"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial."Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. (NIV)
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (NKJV)
12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. (NASB)
12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. (New Living Translation)
The greatest reminder from the verse has been that gaining freedom through Christ does not, by itself, ensure that I will live in that freedom. I can still end up doing things that may not be “wrong” under the law of grace, but put me in a state like the very slavery that the Cross happened so that I could avoid.
Instead, I have to make choices that keep me living in freedom. In Him, my new aim is to walk in the grace He’s given, thus avoiding being “mastered” by anything this world offers.
In a host of passages, Paul further explains what this freedom through grace looks like. I struggled to pick just one, so I didn’t:). Along with the verses, a few lessons...Freedom in Christ should cause me to:
1. Make Him My Focus
Colossians 3: 1-3 says: “1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Focusing on Christ means He—not someone else or thing—has our attention first. When something other than God is our focus, we’re susceptible to being negatively influenced by it—whether or not we intended that. However, because The Word of God says that He is light —and free from any darkness—the only “mastery” we can experience when He's first is that we become slaves to righteous living. And because that is our aim in Christ, focusing on Him sends us in the right direction!
2. Be Motivated By Spiritual Growth, Not Just Right and Wrong
Even under grace it can still be tempting to evaluate ourselves not by how much we’re seeking Him, but instead simply by how many sins we’ve committed or avoided. But our freedom calls us to so much more.
I’m always struck by Paul’s rich prayers in his letters to the New Testament Churches. He never asked that they would just, say, keep all of the Ten Commandments, or that they’d merely be “better people” than those around them. Instead, he prayed that they would seek greatness— in Him—and in everything they did. One of my favorites is Philippians 1: 9-11:
“9And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ 11having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (NASB)
When we seek excellence in our freedom, we make the best choices, not just the ones that help us slide by. And, as a result, we honor Him in the highest way.
3. Have Evidence of Freedom
Freedom in Christ has to look unique—like, well, freedom. The well-known “Fruit of the Spirit” Passage, Galatians 5: 22-23, gives us markers: "22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Also add similar words from Peter).
In short, because of Christ, I can do whatever I want. But, also because of Christ, I choose to do the things that bring me the most victory.
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
That’s Freedom. And there’s nothing like it.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
THE WORD
I want to share how God has used His Word in my life.
Scripture has been special to me for most of it. In preschool my parents enrolled me in a weekly Bible-memory program at church. But as the story goes, I latched onto it quickly. Early on God gave me a desire to know Him and a love for memorizing. Learning Scripture was the perfect task.
My earliest recollection of enjoying it was about first grade. At that point I would learn a couple verses weekly for four months a year.
But there also was this rule that, on the first week of the program, participants could say as many verses in their books as they wanted. After that you had to follow the weekly schedule, mostly to ensure people spent time meditating on the verses.
I remember always taking that first-week “challenge” very seriously, each year trying to beat my record of verses memorized from the last year. I participated in the program most years through high school.
Despite the fact that I understood the verses I memorized, I didn’t fully comprehend the value of knowing them until college. It was, as they say, that “Coming of Age” period when I had to decide for myself how I would handle stresses and temptations as an "adult" (technically, at least). God constantly brought verses to memory that fit whatever situation I was in. Through His Word I felt Him loudly encouraging me to make sound choices. And when I heard Him, I felt I couldn’t let Him down.
I think too often Christians downplay the role of Scripture in God speaking to us. The Bible says it is written and inspired by God, so every time we read it, He talks directly to us. We don’t always have to wait for God to give us a “feeling,” or what someone else tells us God said (That’s not to say God can’t speak those ways, too, but I think we overrate them).
Further, memorizing Scripture enables us to fight our doubts and temptations as they happen. Sometimes our thoughts can try to defeat us before we even have time to open our Bibles. When His Word is already in our memory, it becomes that powerful, active sword that that helps us fight temptations as they’re thrown at us.
I also love Scripture because it helps us, well—“do the right thing.” There’s so much discussion about how difficult living for Christ can be. Of course it's a constant, daily battle, but having direction from His Word certainly helps! In Psalm 119: 9-11 the psalmist asks that very question: "9 How can a young man keep his way pure?"
The answer includes Scripture memory: “10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
I still memorize Scripture (although not as much as I’d like). However, now I focus much more on learning passages that challenge and encourage me where I am. One I've worked on--on and off--is Psalm 91. It’s about the benefits of "dwelling"--trusting--in God.
Romans 15:4 sums up what Scripture has been to me—a spring of encouragement (especially lately): “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
As it’s been said: The Revelation (for life) is The Word.
Scripture has been special to me for most of it. In preschool my parents enrolled me in a weekly Bible-memory program at church. But as the story goes, I latched onto it quickly. Early on God gave me a desire to know Him and a love for memorizing. Learning Scripture was the perfect task.
My earliest recollection of enjoying it was about first grade. At that point I would learn a couple verses weekly for four months a year.
But there also was this rule that, on the first week of the program, participants could say as many verses in their books as they wanted. After that you had to follow the weekly schedule, mostly to ensure people spent time meditating on the verses.
I remember always taking that first-week “challenge” very seriously, each year trying to beat my record of verses memorized from the last year. I participated in the program most years through high school.
Despite the fact that I understood the verses I memorized, I didn’t fully comprehend the value of knowing them until college. It was, as they say, that “Coming of Age” period when I had to decide for myself how I would handle stresses and temptations as an "adult" (technically, at least). God constantly brought verses to memory that fit whatever situation I was in. Through His Word I felt Him loudly encouraging me to make sound choices. And when I heard Him, I felt I couldn’t let Him down.
I think too often Christians downplay the role of Scripture in God speaking to us. The Bible says it is written and inspired by God, so every time we read it, He talks directly to us. We don’t always have to wait for God to give us a “feeling,” or what someone else tells us God said (That’s not to say God can’t speak those ways, too, but I think we overrate them).
Further, memorizing Scripture enables us to fight our doubts and temptations as they happen. Sometimes our thoughts can try to defeat us before we even have time to open our Bibles. When His Word is already in our memory, it becomes that powerful, active sword that that helps us fight temptations as they’re thrown at us.
I also love Scripture because it helps us, well—“do the right thing.” There’s so much discussion about how difficult living for Christ can be. Of course it's a constant, daily battle, but having direction from His Word certainly helps! In Psalm 119: 9-11 the psalmist asks that very question: "9 How can a young man keep his way pure?"
The answer includes Scripture memory: “10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
I still memorize Scripture (although not as much as I’d like). However, now I focus much more on learning passages that challenge and encourage me where I am. One I've worked on--on and off--is Psalm 91. It’s about the benefits of "dwelling"--trusting--in God.
Romans 15:4 sums up what Scripture has been to me—a spring of encouragement (especially lately): “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
As it’s been said: The Revelation (for life) is The Word.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
A Little On Love...
At church we've been doing a series on love based on "Song of Songs" in the Bible, a book often called "The Ultimate Love Story." We're hitting topics such as attraction, dating, courtship, marriage and marital commitment. It’s got me pondering the “contours and depths” of love, if you will, and it’s sure to produce some new blog material—at some point. For now, it’s only prompted me to revisit what I’ve already said about it, which isn’t that much compared to other topics. I’ve reposted some stuff that I’ll probably build on. Plus, judging how skinny I’ve been on entries lately, it’s a chance to post something new:)…
What Makes A Good Love Story?
My Parents' 30th
Matchless Love, Part 1
What Makes A Good Love Story?
My Parents' 30th
Matchless Love, Part 1
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Water Me
Next week I’m hitting a milestone of sorts…the one-year mark since law school graduation.
It doesn’t seem that much time has passed—I guess because it’s only been about six months since the strings that come with graduating have been cut completely:); praise God!
Trite as it may sound, this last year has gotten me thinking about life’s seasons. The famous Ecclesiastes passage on the stages of life, chapter 3:1-8, begins: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” The passage lists many seasons, among them birth and death; tearing down and building.
I don’t really want to characterize this phase of my life based on that passage, but I will say that I’m in a different season than I was last year. I’m around different places and people, and I have some different desires—and that’s just a few of the differences.
What I’m learning through these changes is to be happy where God has placed me yet to push for growth. A few months ago I finished this amazing, timely study called “Experiencing God.” The concepts in it were simple and somewhat familiar—yet profound.
One of the most striking lessons for me was that God always puts me exactly where I need to be at that moment—even if I may not understand why I’m there. It may be to prepare me for a big, God-sized task that can only be accomplished as I commit to obedience, which brings the growth necessary for God to accomplish His full purpose in my life. An example was God’s work in the life of His disciple Peter. While on earth, Jesus revealed He would use Peter to build the early Church (which came true in Acts, after Jesus’ ascension). But Jesus also knew that Peter was not yet ready for the task; first, He had to grow Peter.
One day Peter declared to Jesus that he was ready to follow Him anywhere. Jesus said Peter wasn't, and that he would deny Jesus three times. And, as you probably know, shortly before Jesus was crucified, Peter did deny knowing Him three times when asked. After that, the Bible says Peter wept bitterly.
But, of course, Jesus didn’t leave him there. Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus “reinstated” Peter, giving Him a command to “feed His sheep”—teach others about Christ, as he had been taught. In Acts and the New Testament books following we see evidence of the ways God used Peter to share The Gospel with people from many different nations, transforming the world—and Peter—in the process (for example, Acts 10). As Peter obeyed God, he experienced a plan for his life that has been documented in The Guide He's given us. That’s divine.
I want to be ready for what God has for me in the future, so I’m “living in the moment.” I’m learning to stay closer to Him constantly, give my desires to Him and do what He tells me to—even the things that don’t make sense at the time.
I’m seeing this season is a chance for God to water—refine— me. And through His faithfulness, I’m experiencing the life He has for me.
It doesn’t seem that much time has passed—I guess because it’s only been about six months since the strings that come with graduating have been cut completely:); praise God!
Trite as it may sound, this last year has gotten me thinking about life’s seasons. The famous Ecclesiastes passage on the stages of life, chapter 3:1-8, begins: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” The passage lists many seasons, among them birth and death; tearing down and building.
I don’t really want to characterize this phase of my life based on that passage, but I will say that I’m in a different season than I was last year. I’m around different places and people, and I have some different desires—and that’s just a few of the differences.
What I’m learning through these changes is to be happy where God has placed me yet to push for growth. A few months ago I finished this amazing, timely study called “Experiencing God.” The concepts in it were simple and somewhat familiar—yet profound.
One of the most striking lessons for me was that God always puts me exactly where I need to be at that moment—even if I may not understand why I’m there. It may be to prepare me for a big, God-sized task that can only be accomplished as I commit to obedience, which brings the growth necessary for God to accomplish His full purpose in my life. An example was God’s work in the life of His disciple Peter. While on earth, Jesus revealed He would use Peter to build the early Church (which came true in Acts, after Jesus’ ascension). But Jesus also knew that Peter was not yet ready for the task; first, He had to grow Peter.
One day Peter declared to Jesus that he was ready to follow Him anywhere. Jesus said Peter wasn't, and that he would deny Jesus three times. And, as you probably know, shortly before Jesus was crucified, Peter did deny knowing Him three times when asked. After that, the Bible says Peter wept bitterly.
But, of course, Jesus didn’t leave him there. Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus “reinstated” Peter, giving Him a command to “feed His sheep”—teach others about Christ, as he had been taught. In Acts and the New Testament books following we see evidence of the ways God used Peter to share The Gospel with people from many different nations, transforming the world—and Peter—in the process (for example, Acts 10). As Peter obeyed God, he experienced a plan for his life that has been documented in The Guide He's given us. That’s divine.
I want to be ready for what God has for me in the future, so I’m “living in the moment.” I’m learning to stay closer to Him constantly, give my desires to Him and do what He tells me to—even the things that don’t make sense at the time.
I’m seeing this season is a chance for God to water—refine— me. And through His faithfulness, I’m experiencing the life He has for me.
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