Guest Post : "What is Spiritual Love Anyway?"

Note from Melanie: I've been planning on writing an article like this for a while but my sister got there first and did a way better job than I could have.  Since she has a private blog, viewable by invitation only, I got her permission to repost her article here.  

WHAT IS SPIRITUAL LOVE ANYWAY?
by Amanda A.

We as Christians know that love is to be the basis of everything we do. We know that we can have true love only as we are abiding in Christ and letting His love control our lives. But what does this love actually look like?

In the realm of conservative Christianity reigns a certain idea about love – that love is faithfully good to a person while the person is performing well, and once the person stops performing to the expectation, the loving thing to do is to cut that person off till they have repented and gone back to performing well. In the name of loving like Christ, we as Fundamentalists have hurt many people. In the name of the love of Christ, we have shunned our friends and cut them off. We have acted on the principle, “I will be your faithful friend as long as I see you as following the Lord.” If we had done it only once, and if we recognized our problem, the issue might not need to be addressed. But cutting off fellow Christians in the name of love has become so much a part of our lives that it can’t go unaddressed any longer. This mindset is dangerously unbiblical.

Look at what the love of God is. It is unconditional, not based on anything we do or don’t do. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Jesus loved us so much that He died to pay our sin debt when we were not following Him, in fact, when we hated Him and definitely didn’t deserve it. “God proved His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus came to the world not to condemn it, but to save it (John 3:17). He came to seek and to save the lost (Matthew 9:13). He remains faithful in His love to us even when we don’t (1 Timothy 2:17).

What God’s love does not do is put people on probation. Think of Peter denying Jesus, and Thomas refusing to believe unless he actually could touch the Lord. Did Jesus pull back from them when they sinned against Him like that? He had gentle words of reproof for them, but He never withheld His love and forgiveness, or even His miracles and companionship from them.

Something that we seem to think Jesus does is put people at arms’ length when they wander from Him, and we do this in our own interactions with people whom we perceive as being in sin. One of the verses we use for this is 1 Thess. 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” However, it would be more accurately translated, “Abstain from every form of evil” – not every appearance. If you think about it, Jesus did not abstain from every appearance of evil. He spent time with publicans and prostitutes. Seriously, if it is wrong to associate with sinners, Jesus was one of the most sinful people alive. In fact, association with sinners was one of the main problems the Pharisees had with Jesus. The Pharisees loved no one but themselves and were more concerned with keeping a good name and keeping ceremonially clean, and they ignored or altered the command to love one’s neighbor, and condemned those who did.

See a connection between that and our practice in Fundamental churches and our own thought processes? We change what it means to love one’s neighbor. What do we do when we see a girl who dresses borderline immodest and bleaches her hair get kicked out of her Christian college and then leave home? We say it is loving to cut her off, and we cut her off. And after we change what means to love one another, we condemn those few people who still show mercy to her who has been cut off by everyone else in the name of love. But what we don’t realize is that if we’re going to condemn those people who have compassion on her, we should condemn Jesus too. Jesus loves those who wander from Him and waits for them with open arms. After all, He didn’t come for the righteous, but for the sinners.

Mark 7 records in detail one of Jesus’ conversations with the Pharisees about this. The Pharisees altered the commands of God to give them more freedom to serve themselves. After all, who wants to honor their parents when they could alternatively give a gift to the church in the name of helping them and be free from any other responsibility? As Fundamentalists, we often apply this passage to Pharisees, to Catholics, and to other religious groups who place a lot of emphasis on works. But we forget to apply it to ourselves.

“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men. Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men” (vv. 6-8). We worship God with our mouths, but our hearts are far from Him, and that shows in the way we “love” each other. Jesus said, “By this will all men know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” We say we love God, yet we shun not only the lost He came to seek and to save, but also those who are His people. What’s even worse is that these believers we shun aren’t always as backslidden as we think they are, and that leaves us even less of an excuse to cut them off than we already had.

How do we act toward a family who comes to church only one service a week? We back away from them because they must be very unspiritual if they don’t come every time the doors are open, and maybe we can make them feel their need to come more if we ostracize them. But if we would choose to understand this family instead of pull away from them, we might find reasons behind their choice - maybe the father works hard all week and wants to spend Sundays with his family. That would be a very good reason to attend only one church service. Why do we forsake people for things like this? Think. Is it because these are utterly wicked people who will corrupt whoever spends time with them? Or is it a pride issue, thinking that we are better than they because we go to every church service and they don’t?

“You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition…thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that” (vv. 9. 12-13). Whether we realize it or not, we as fundamentalists have altered the command of God so we don’t have to love people the hard way. It’s easier to operate on the principle that love ignores people “for their own good” than love continues to reach out to them. We don’t want our children to be tainted by association with “the sinner”; we don’t want ourselves to be tainted by association; we don’t feel like getting our hands dirty in trying to understand the person’s reasons behind their actions. We would pull back and say it is none of our business rather than recognize and help a hurting heart. No person sins without reason. Every person has a heart, a soul, and a hurt and a reason buried deep inside. Jesus goes to the bottom of a person’s need – He isn’t afraid to dirty His hands to wash our hearts. If our Lord and Master can set aside the clutter of baggage, the pressure of popular opinion, and even the importance of His own reputation, what is to keep us from doing the same?

Think of the parable of the prodigal son. He wished his father dead, he took his father’s money when it wasn’t his yet, he spent it all on harlots, and he finally ended up taking the most unclean job a Jew could take – caring for pigs. According to Jewish law, he was unclean and a rebel. By the law, he should have been stoned upon entering the town. His father had every right to have him executed when he returned home. But did he exercise that right? No – in fact, he was waiting every minute for his son to return, because he knew what would happen if the village found him first. And when the son did return, his father was so happy that he didn’t even let him finish his apology. This parable isn’t about the need to repent and return to God, though it carries that concept. The real point is the love of God.

Without knowing it, we have fallen into the same trap the Pharisees were in. They may have honestly believed they were serving God by staying away from and condemning the wicked people in their world, but Jesus said to them, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” In our zeal to do the right thing, we skip over what is truly the right thing – to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

You know the story of the Good Samaritan – how the Pharisee and the Levite avoided the hurt man for reasons of their own, and it was only the outsider who had enough compassion to stop and help a complete stranger. We praise him for what he did, and repeat Jesus’ words, “Go and do thou likewise.” Yet how often do we pass by the hurt people in our lives?

Perhaps we choose not to help people and love people the way God loves them because we’re concerned about association. After all, if we let ourselves get involved with these people, then we will be guilty by association and will ruin our reputations. If we’re going to take a side, then we’re going to be silent and side with popular opinion because it’s easier for us. What idiots we are. Did Jesus care about what anybody thought? The only person whose opinion He cared about was His Father’s. He died to free us to follow His Father like He did. What a slap in the face it must then be to Him for our biggest concern to be keeping ceremonially clean.

Another trap we fall into is having a superior attitude towards those whom we feel to be in the wrong. We probably don’t even notice it, but it’s there in this attitude: “You’re wrong, but I’ll extend grace to you anyway.” That attitude shouldn’t even come across on anybody’s radar – your grace should just be there. Jesus was better than everyone else; He was God! But He didn’t go around with an attitude of superiority or condescension – His position was nothing to Him, because His people were what He cared about.

The root of the mindset that we need to “mark the unbeliever” and stay away is pride. In his book, James writes, “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges a brother speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; who are you to judge your neighbor?” God is the only one worthy to judge the law or to judge any person. It is not our place to decide if someone needs to be put out of our lives. Jesus said the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount – “Judge not, that you be not judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you again.” Judging a person’s spirituality is such a delicate business that only God Himself can handle that responsibility. It does not belong to us. What does belong to us is discernment, caution, and true love.

You might have an amazing spiritual gift. You might be powerful in your presentation of God’s Word. You might be the most generous person in the world. But if you don’t have Christ’s true love, it is worth nothing. The world can be amazing and powerful and generous – what do you have that they need? The love they need to see is a love like Christ’s. Love that is patient - Jesus was patient with the disciples (and is with us!) when they didn’t understand His words, no matter how many times He explained to them. Love that is kind – Jesus fed the multitudes, healed the sick, and provided wine for a feast. Love that isn’t arrogant or jealous, that behaves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, that actively seeks the good of other people. Love that continues to reach out and doesn’t let people get under its skin, love that doesn’t hold grudges or require penance of people. Love that isn’t afraid to speak the truth or rejoice when it is spoken, upheld, and lived. Love that works and waits for change – doesn’t push it, doesn’t neglect it, but does its work and waits. Love that acts on and believes in the power of God in people’s lives, and has a positive outlook, knowing that God is powerful enough to change hearts; love that hopes, and in hoping has the strength to keep on working to make a difference in people’s lives. No matter whether the people refuse help, or whether love feels like they don’t deserve help, love endures it all and never gives up, because God is love, and love never fails.

The answer is never, ever to leave someone to their own devices. That is God’s business, not ours. Jesus left us on earth to be Him to His people. How sad do you think He is when He sees us trying to usurp the Father’s place of judgment instead of doing what He told us to do? “This command I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you.”

We are the body of Christ. “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one spirit.” We are all equal in Christ, and all a part of Him. We are one, like all the parts of our body make up our body. By the same token, when we love each other as Christ wants us to, the body is made stronger. But when we cut off different members from ourselves, it’s the same thing as cutting off one of our hands or feet – the body is hurt, wounded, bleeding. This is more serious than just choosing not to be friends with so-and-so anymore “for their own good” – this is like ripping up the body of Christ with a knife that doesn’t even belong to us. It is harmful and it is wrong.

What I’m trying to say is that Jesus is the standard for our actions, including when people appear to be sinning against us and against the Lord. When people receive our treatment of them, what do they see about Jesus? A superior attitude, probation, shunning, attacking and cutting down, ignorance of pain? Or do they see help, friendly contact, unpretentious forgiveness, the second mile?

I’ve been writing mainly with the theme of our actions towards unbelievers and towards believers who have sinned against us. But if it is so wrong to treat in an unloving manner those who have sinned against us, how much more wrong is it to treat in an unloving manner those who have not sinned against us – those with whom we just don’t agree? It is presumptuous of us to assume that someone is unbiblical when their opinion on or application of something not specifically addressed in Scripture doesn’t agree with ours. God is the one who knows the hearts. We don’t, and to assume that we know exactly what God is doing in their hearts is to in effect say that we know God’s will for them better than God Himself does. It is bad enough that we put ourselves in God’s place of judgment towards those who have sinned against us, but it is even worse when we condemn someone for following God’s will in their own lives. God leads us all individually, and we each are responsible for our own lives and our own stands on issues. We answer to Him individually. When you assume that someone is wrong and then try to actually punish them or make them change, you have stepped out of that realm of personal responsibility before God by meddling in other people’s lives and trying to take responsibility for people other than yourself. This is dangerous.

If someone else is doing something differently than we are, or takes a different stand than we do, it doesn’t mean that he is wrong. We can ask them about it and try to get a feel for their reasoning behind their choices, but in the end, whether or not we agree, we need to let them follow God for themselves. True love will continue to accept them, not cut them off because of a disagreement of opinion.

I am not saying that we don’t love the Lord, or are terrible Christians, or aren’t trying to honor God; after all, God is the only one who knows the hearts. But living in this world, we have a huge range of influence. Every day, we see people, we interact with people. With so many lives in our reach, we need to have a clear understanding of the love of Christ. We must seek for the truth about this, forgetting what we have been taught and going to God’s Word as though we’ve never seen it before. We will find the truth if we look for it, and the truth will set us free to love like we never knew we could.

Green Leaf in Drought

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose trust is the Lord.

He is like a tree planted by water,

that sends out its roots by the stream,

and does not fear when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green,

and it is not anxious in the year of drought,

for it does not cease to bear fruit."

(Jeremiah 17:7,8)

The heart that hides in the Lord cannot be destroyed by the fires of trial, no matter how hot they may be. Rather, when the trial comes-- by sudden fire, by howling wind, by relentless sun-- they only serve to drive the roots of that heart deeper into the soil of faith. There, deep in the soil, the heart draws nourishment from the living water and grows as it never would have before.

God has promised us that nothing in heaven or in earth can separate us from His love, not even the ever-feared tide of change. In fact, it is these trials that prove whether our hearts are truly grounded in our Lord or not. If they are, we know that we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us, and our leaves will remain green.

As a sweet and beloved chapter in my life closes this December and a new chapter begins, may my heart not fight against it, but rather may it reach deeper to the source of life and love and joy and peace, that fruit may increase and abound for my Lord.

Trust in the Lord

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths."

Once again God is giving me the opportunity for testing-- testing to see whether I will really obey this command to trust and whether I will really believe this promise. You see, it's not a one time lesson. God's child may have learned to trust during one particular circumstance, but later become so comfortable in the untroubled day-to-day and so settled in her own understanding that when God chooses to shake her world again, she finds she does not trust as well as she should. It's these "shaking" times-- of uncertainties, of change, of separations-- that cause us to run back to Him and realize we don't have it all together, but He does. He has it all under control. He knows how our future course will run, even though we don't, and He has promised to direct it and make it plain to us in His timing and way.

It doesn't mean the path will be difficult now and then, and it doesn't mean we'll always be able to see the next step until we're there. And sometimes we have to follow the way He is leading the authorities above us even when we think we know better than they do-- we must still trust that He knows what He is doing and He is good, and He will not bring us into anything that is not ultimately good for us. Indeed, it is in times like this-- when it is dark and uncertain and we can't see what's happening, or why it's happening, or how to make it through-- it is in times like this that He whispers to us, "Courage, dear heart," and we realize anew that joy and peace that are found in trusting Him, the unseen yet faithful God.

Our own understanding? It'll fail us. Admit it, self-- you don't have it all together, not by a long shot. But God is always, always trustworthy. And He will direct your path.

P.S. Thank you, Lord, that You do not let me go on in complacency but rather give me testings in life to jar me out of the ruts that are so easy to fall into, and to draw me closer to You. You are SO good!!

"You're Such a Dreamer... Get Over It"

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

(Jeremiah 29:11)

This verse is quoted frequently and often imprinted on Bibles, Bible cases, coffee mugs, pictures, pens, jewelry, and other gifts for high school and college graduates. It is used to encourage people that God has a plan for their lives, far greater than they can even imagine, for good and not for evil, and to encourage them to follow that plan.

However, in a practical sense, the same people who quote this verse, and others like it, and give gifts with this verse (and others like it) imprinted on them, also contradict it as they relate to the people in their lives. Everyone likes to be assured that God has a special plan for them, and that they can do something wonderful, but it is much harder, often, to accept His will and the dreams of others. I'd say this is probably a notable challenge for parents, as they watch their children grow and make decisions and form dreams, but I have struggled with it myself in regards to my family and friends, and I am not a parent.

Is this right? Is it a good thing to tell people God has a plan for them, and to encourage them to follow His will for their lives, but when we discover that this plan may involve something extraordinary or unusual or even dangerous, to suddenly discourage them and tell them they're just fanciful dreamers?

Many people who have done extraordinary and lasting things in the past faced this from others. Isobel Kuhn's mother, who was the president of the Women's Missionary society in the Canadian Presbyterian church, told Isobel, "If you go to China, it will be over my dead body. I will never consent." Eventually, the Lord used Isobel to bring thousands of the Lisu people of China to Him. William Carey, upon presenting the idea of going to India as a missionary and speaking of the command for Christians to evangelize, was told, "Young man, sit down: when God pleases to covert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine." Carey is now known as the Father of Modern Missions. Gladys Aylward was told by a missionary society that her education was too limited for her to go to China, and that the language was too hard for her to learn. However, she went to China on her own with almost no money and introduced many people to Jesus and saved the lives of many children during the world war. Our Lord Jesus faced rejection by family, friends, and the religious rulers of the day, because He did the will of God, and that will was not what they thought to be good. And He is our Saviour and perfect example.

These are just a few people who have sought to do God's will and been criticized and hindered by those who had a reputation as religious, God-fearing people. These people probably felt very justified in their opposing. "My daughter, go to China, where she could be killed for her faith? It is too dangerous, and as her parent, I must protect her." On the other hand, there are those whom God leads to do less "glamorous", but just as noble, things, such as being a homemaker, mother, and wife; and even though this is not a dangerous calling, they get the same amount of opposition. "Listen, you're an amazing pianist; you have so much talent! You can't just waste it like this! You need to go to college and put it to good use; what good will be it if you live your life changing diapers and making dinners? You're going to waste it all... You've got to go to college..." This is the prevailing mindset in this country, this mindset that screams of "I know better than God what is best for your life", regardless of how dangerous or how quiet God's plan may be.

A missionary speaking at our church yesterday spoke of this attitude many people have. Parents teach their children wonderful stories from the Bible; before the children even know their own names, they have heard the story of how God parted the Red Sea and delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians, how God used a young shepherd boy to kill a mighty giant and save his people, how Jesus walked on water and calmed a storm. They encourage their children to do God's will. Then their teenage daughter asks permission to join a short term mission team to New York City and the parents nearly lose it. "You? Go to New York City? No way. That place is dangerous. The culture is full of evil. You'd be surrounded by wicked people. You could get hurt. No way; you're not going to New York City." And by doing this, they basically say that God is a liar, and that all those stories are false-- God cannot part a sea so that people walk over on dry ground, God cannot use a young boy to save His people and kill a giant, God cannot calm a storm, God doesn't know what is best, God cannot change lives, God cannot protect a teenager seeking to spread His Gospel in New York City.

This is a serious problem. Is God pleased when we (I say "we" to include friends and siblings like myself) tell others that God is almighty and that they must follow His will and then, when He makes His will known to them, change our minds and say they are foolish? Could it be that when we do that, we do it, not because we don't believe it is God's will for that person, but because it is not our will for that person? Is it because we think they ought to do something else (as though we know better than God), or that God cannot take care of them as well as we can? Are we really concerned with God's will, or our own will?

Many articles have been written to encourage young people to follow God's will, no matter what. While I agree whole-heartedly and may write an article about that sometime, this article is for the family and friends of those young people. Are you really desiring God's will for the people closest to you? Are you stepping back to let God fully work in the life of your child, sister, brother, friend? Or is your attitude, "You're such a dreamer...Get over it!"?

"So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!"

(Acts 5:38-39)

Note: This article is not written directed towards any one person. This is something I've been convicted about myself recently and that we all need to be reminded of.

God's Care and Provision

"And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.  Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?   If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?   Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.   But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!   And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.   For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.   Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

(Luke 12:22-34)

~*~*~*~*~

Isn't it wonderful to know that God loves us and cares for us?  I think many conservative Christians brush over this fact because they see it as "prideful" or over-emphasized by "liberal" Christians, but nothing can change the truth of it, nor the joy we have for knowing it.   God told us so because He wanted us to know it.  It is a glorious truth!

This passage reminds us of God's special care for us.  Why should we worry that we won't have enough to eat, or clothes to wear, or a place to live, or that we will never marry or get a job or whatever the case may be?  God sees our needs and He always provides.  He did for our family in very special ways while my dad was off work.  Many times He has provided what we needed just when we needed it.   He knows, He cares, and He provides, just as He does for the flower of the field and for the little birds in winter.

Not only does He provide for physical needs, but He also provides for our emotional needs.  Many a time have I felt in the quiet of my heart that I had no more love to give, that I could not hope any longer, that joy was impossible, or I have felt lonely and longing, and He has reached down and met that need with Himself.  He gives us that love, joy, peace, hope, fulfillment.  For those of us who long for the right partner to make up the other half of our hearts, God provides us with Himself, and in His time, if it is His will, He will provide us with that special person.  He cares for that, and He will meet that need.  There is absolutely no reason to worry that He won't.

Instead, we have the joyous privilege of resting in Him and, in the waiting time, of seeking Him.  While He provides for our physical and emotional needs, we are to seek His kingdom and His righteousness, the things that will last forever.  We are to actively come before Him and learn of Him and take His yoke upon us; we are to daily deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him; we are to read His Word, sing praises to His Name, reflect on His character, and proclaim His Gospel to the world.  It is our duty to seek Him; it is His joy to provide.

I am so glad that He has revealed His loving and caring heart to us in His Word.  It would be a miserable life indeed if we did not know and accept the truth of His lovingkindness and goodness to His Creation.  But to know God is inexpressible joy.

Pictures by Bethany :-)

The Essence of Christianity

A topic that has been very much on my mind lately is the essence of Christianity.   Do we who calls ourselves Christians really know what we mean when we say we are Christians?  What is real Christianity?

So many people have so many different ideas of what Christianity is and means.  To some it is attending a church as opposed to a mosque or a synagogue, believing about God, and perhaps being baptized by one form or another.  To some it is merely doing nice or good things, and having good feelings about God.  To others it is yelling, "Beware of the judgment to come!", "God hates gays!" and "You're going to crack hell wide open!" at the top of their lungs, burning Korans, and slamming various individuals who don't think just the same way as they do; or it is to dress a certain way and refrain from certain holidays and practices in order to stand out from anyone else.  I am afraid that over half of the people who call themselves "Christians" don't even know what true Christianity is, much like the Pharisees of Jesus' day did not know what true religion is, and are very tragically deceived.

Christianity is not merely a "faith" or a name by which to call oneself.  It is not doing "nice" things or violently defending a cause, however good the cause may be.  In fact, these things done apart from Him disgust Him. Over and over throughout the Bible, particularly in the prophets, God expresses his abhorrence for religionist's ritualistic practices, fancy prayers, and smart words with no true passion for Him.  Repeatedly, He voices His displeasure in those who honor Him with their lips, but whose hearts are far from Him...who teach as doctrines the commandments of men". 

However, He does tell us very clearly, and very frequently, what true religion is.

"For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:16,17)

"But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:2b)

"For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:8-10)

"'With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?'  He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:6-8)

INTERRUPTION:  There you have it in three simple, straightforward phrases that cannot be debated:
Do justice.
Love kindness.
Walk humbly with your God.

In the new testament, Jesus words the same message in another way and sums up the essence of Christianity in not three phrases but in one word-- LOVE, which goes hand in hand with the humility spoken of in the previous verses (because neither love or humility can have any thought of self).

"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'" (Matthew 22:37-39)

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)

In the letter to the Philippians, Paul, inspired by God, confesses that everything-- his distinguished heritage, his flawless behavior, his zeal and works-- were nothing, absolutely nothing, they were all loss because of "the surpassing worth of KNOWING CHRIST." (Philippians 3:2-11)

There you have it.  These verses and hundreds more tell me that the essence of Christianity is, in the words of George MacDonald, to "know God and grow like Him".  And as we come to know God as He is, we will most certainly come to love Him, and as we grow like Him, we will think less of ourselves and come to have in us that same love for others with which He loved us.  For there cannot be true Christianity without the fruit of works pleasing to God, and there cannot be true Christianity in a heart that is marked by and full of hate or pride.  And there can be no Christianity without coming to know, for oneself, and to love with all that is in us, Jesus Christ of whom the Bible speaks, Jesus Christ who created, saves, and sustains us.

To know God and grow like Him.

This is the essence of Christianity.

Some Thoughts on Abiding in Christ

"Abide in me, and I in you."

What does this mean? What does the word abide mean anyway?

I don't know about you, but when I hear the word abide, the idea that comes to my mind first is "to have one's abode; dwell; reside." This definition is probably what confused me in my previous reading of John 15-- I had a hard time imagining and understanding what "having one's abode" in Christ would look like.

However, that is not the definition for this term in John 15. Instead, it means "to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry" (Strong's Concordance, G3306). One article breaks it down like this:

TO ABIDE
to wait for
to endure without yielding
to bear patiently
to accept without objection
to remain stable or fixed in a state
to continue in a place

It also holds in it the concept of putting oneself under someone's jurisdiction, protection, and provision.

How do we abide in Christ? How do we continue in Him, stay in Him? Jesus makes this clear to us that if we keep His commandments, we will abide in His love, just as He keeps His Father's commandments and abides in His love (John 15:10). We abide in Him by keeping His commandments, the most important of which is to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our strength. As we obey His Word, we will continue in Him and bear the fruit of being in Him-- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

My older sister and I have been staying at our friends the N's house this week during VBS at church, while our mom and younger sister are visiting relatives out of state, and I have been enjoying morning devotions after breakfast every day. Mr. N has been going through this passage about abiding in Christ, and it has been very enlightening and thought-provoking. I have been considering the question, "Am I abiding in Christ?" Do I keep my commandments? Is His love evident in my life? Is the fruit of the Spirit manifesting itself in my actions, attitudes, and words? And I am finding how often I fall short, and how much I need Christ to live this out through me.

It can be frustrating sometimes if we consider these things as a matter of works, however. We need to keep in mind-- I need to keep in mind-- that I cannot keep His commandments, love, or bear His fruit on my own. He says, "Whoever abides in me and I in Him, He it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." Nothing. Abiding in Christ is not something we do; it is a position we are in, in Christ, through Christ, because of Christ, and as we stay in Christ, connected to Him, being in Him, His fruit will grow in us. "In Christ" is the key phrase, and it is in Him that we are to abide.

We cannot expect to bear fruit if we are not abiding, staying, dwelling in Him. A verse from Hosea stood out to me yesterday as I read it, and convicted me. The Lord is speaking through the prophet Hosea and says, "What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away." Is our love like the morning cloud? Is our love like the dew that rests in droplets on the grass and the flowers until the sun comes out, and then evaporates into the air? I was convicted when I considered that I am often like that-- I read God's word in the morning, I agree with it, I say I love Him, and then I start my day and I forget. God does not want fair-weather friends, nor does He good-morning friends. He wants abiding friends, that keep His commandments. He wants our hearts to be so close-knit to Him, and with Him at all times, fellowshipping with Him and reflecting Him and pouring out His love to the world. He wants us to continue, to stay, to abide in Him.

These thoughts may seem jumbled up and not particularly organized or informed. Abiding in Christ is still something I am learning, and desiring both to understand better and to live out. I don't expect that this post gave you much, if any, new information, but I hope that it has helped to stir your mind regarding the great importance of being in Christ. If you are not abiding in Him, if your love is like the morning cloud or the dew, or if you find you have no love for Him at all, turn to Him and seek His face. Dig into His Word, quiet your heart before Him, walk as He walks. To those of you who are seeking to abide in Him continually, to abide in His love and do His commandments, let us encourage each other. Let this mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus, and let us stir up one another other to love and good works.

Graduation and Reflections

 Yesterday we celebrated my graduation from highschool with a graduation open house.  Being homeschooled and not part of an actual homeschool group, I did have a cap-and-gown ceremony, but the open house was a nice way to "officially" make the transition between being a schoolgirl to being GRADUATED! :-D :-D :-D

With graduating and reflecting on my years so far and being asked what's next, I have been thinking a lot about the supremacy of God in every aspect of my life-- including (or especially) in graduation.  Yesterday morning I read in Philippians about Paul's many great accomplishments-- "circumcised the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless"-- and yet all these things he counted as loss, they meant nothing to him, "because of--" (I love this!!) "-- the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." 

All I do-- all I accomplish, in sewing, in writing, in music, in church activities, in friendships, in preparing for my future-- all these things matter nothing if Christ is not in them.  I can do amazing things, but if Christ is not my all, then I have wasted everything.  As I graduate and step into the next chapter of my life, I want Christ to be my ALL.  My desire is to give Him that place of highest importance in my life, that He may reign preeminent over every aspect of my life.  Oh that He would reign in my writing, guiding my hand and heart to write the words that bring glory to His name.  Oh that He would receive glory in my sewing and music, that I would use them for His kingdom and to grow in character as I run into challenges.  Oh that He might have supreme place in my heart as I wait for the man who will be my husband and best friend-- that I would find fulfillment in Jesus and not be discontent with where I am now.  And oh that with each trial, each joy, each new experience God brings into my life, I might embrace those things and be molded more into the image of Christ Jesus-- that I would more and more reflect His patience, His love, His compassion, His humility.  That there would be less of me and all of Him. 

Graduating and stepping into adulthood is a little scary in some ways.  I am now having to make more decisions, and more significant decisions, and people are expecting me to make their idea of a good decision... and the more I realize this, the more I realize the great need I have to come before God and seek His face and ask for HIS wisdom and rely on His leading.  I am also seeing the need to "take every thought captive to obey Christ", to not allow myself to immerse myself in what is past (a.k.a. nostalgia, a.k.a. a form of depression ;-) ) but instead to "forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead.  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  In these new and exciting challenges of growing up, I am finding so many opportunities to step out of myself and to rely more fully on Christ and seek Him more diligently.  I praise God for that!

Please do pray for me as I graduate, not that I may be successful in any upcoming career, nor that I would have all the things my heart could ask for, but that I would be completely satisfied with and devoted to Christ-- that He would be my ALL.  Not just Number 1, but my ALL.

~*~*~*~*~

TONE CHANGE:

For those who want to ask what my plans are and who I can just answer all at once, here's my plans... liable to change, though, for God's plans are always better!

• Finish writing The Marquis' Daughter
• Send The Marquis' Daughter in to a publisher
• Keep up my Etsy shop and get more experience costuming/sewing
• (far-fetched, but not impossible) Take a trip to Colombia to study and experience for Airborne :-) +PLUS+ as a missions trip opportunity
• Learn guitar and improve my singing 
• Memorize 1 John
• Improve homemaking skills

Okay, see?  So a girl can stay very busy without having to go to college.  Thought I might throw that in here since we were talking about graduating. :-)  May God reign over all those activities.

Prayer and Victory

"And they cried to the Lord and...God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah." (2 Chronicles 13:14b, 15b)

"And Asa cried to the Lord his God...so the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah." (2 Chronicles 14:11a, 12a)

"Victory," said Eric Liddell, "over all the circumstances comes not by might, nor by power, but by a practical confidence in God and by allowing His Spirit to dwell in our hearts and control our actions and emotions."

The more I think of it, the more I realize I cannot have victory over satan and over the flesh apart from a whole-hearted calling upon God for help. You see, I'm no match for the devil in and of myself.  He is powerful (though not all-powerful), and I am very weak indeed.  But God is all-powerful, reigning over all things and controlling the events of life.  He alone brings victory in the battles of the spirit and the soul.  If I try to win these battles myself, I will fall miserably, and the enemy will laugh over me at my defeat.  However, the moment I turn to God and call on His Name and trust that He is the Victor, God will hear and act, and the enemy will flee.

I have been finding that, especially in my struggle to rise above this world in my spirit and to know God, prayer is the key to victory.  I cannot know God except by prayer, after and during which He reveals Himself to me in His Word and other ways.  Prayer is communing with God, and by this communion I draw near to the heart of God who made me for His glory, for that relationship.

Over the years, the Lord has given me several people that stand as "role models" and "heroes" to me-- from friends like Mrs. Maurer and Mrs. Vrotsos to Christians of the past like Amy Carmichael and Eric Liddell.  ♥  These people inspire me.  They are so close to God; their hearts are so closely knit to the Father; their very existence radiates the Holy Spirit who is dwelling in their hearts.  I want so much to be like them!  And as I consider these people and their lives, I see that they are the way they are, they are close to the Lord, by constant repairing unto the Lord, seeking His face, asking for His guidance and intervention in every aspect of life... they draw nigh to God day by day, moment by moment, and God draws near to them. It is as God promised-- "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."  "Come unto me...and I will give you rest."   "If you seek Him, He will be found by you."  These people who are role models to me have done just that, and God has fulfilled His promise.  That is why their lives are so beautiful.  And that is why mine can be too.


Do you want so much to be close to God?  Then pray, and seek His face.  Do you really want to see Him work?  Then pray, and seek His face.  Do you truly want victory in your spiritual life?  Then pray, and seek His face.  Prayer is our duty and our part.  God will take care of things from there.

Thy God Reigneth

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet
of him that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace;
that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation;
that saith unto Zion,
Thy God reigneth!"
(Isaiah 52:7)


These words of the Old Testament speak of the day of "the return of the Lord to Zion" (verse 8), and parallel with the message of Revelation. I have been reading the book of Revelation, and if there is one aspect of the book of Revelation that stands out to me more than others just now, it would be the fact that Jesus Christ is King and Conqueror.

"They shall make war with the Lamb,
and the Lamb shall overcome them:
for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings:
and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful."
(Revelation 17:14)

The fact that "thy God reigneth" covers the pages of this book. His eternality ("who is, and who was, and who is to come"), His power ("the Almighty"), His authority ("ruler of kings on earth"), His once-for-all sacrifice ("they have conquered [satan] by the blood of the Lamb"), and His glorious return in victory all remind me and give me assurance that...

...when times are rough,

THY GOD REIGNETH.

...when evil abounds,

THY GOD REIGNETH.

...when things seem to go out of control,

THY GOD REIGNETH.

...when it looks like the only direction things have left to go is down,

THY GOD REIGNETH.

...when you go through the fire,

THY GOD REIGNETH.

...though satan attacks with all his forces behind him,

THY GOD REIGNETH.

...though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea,

THY GOD REIGNETH.

...though the waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof,

THY GOD REIGNETH.

...when all is said and done,

THY GOD REIGNETH.

That gives me courage for a new day. The clouds of approaching trial do not look so deep and overwhelming when I remind the reign and victory of my King. Whatever happens, whatever happens, MY GOD REIGNS, and He will reign, and He will conquer. Nothing is out of control. GOD REIGNS.

Be still, and know that He is God.

Mild He Lays His Glory By

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die.

These words kept going through my head yesterday evening after having visited the Creation Museum and the absolutely INCREDIBLE Planetarium there! These words are accepted and true, but often become just commonplace "doctrine" in people's minds. But when we come to realize how very very SMALL we are, and how very very GREAT the glory that Jesus laid by to come and save us, the words become so amazing.... so.... breath-taking... so wonderful that there is no word to describe them!

For those of you who have not seen the "Created Cosmos" show at the Creation Museum, you are much to

be pitied! It is absolutely AMAZING!!! My awe grew as, in the video, we kept going farther and farther out into space... millions and billions and trillions of lightyears! Alpha Centauri seemed so far away...until we kept going farther... and farther... then to find out we had only just explored the Milky Way, one of MANY galaxies! And then we went farther... and farther... until the moment that took my breath away: we came out of the galaxies and saw... the universe (as far as it has been studied)! I was SO "wowed"!! Our universe is SO VAST!! And our God presides over all that; He created it; He knows each star by its name; He holds it all in His hand!

This is the glory Jesus laid by to come to the tiny, tiny speck called earth, to an even tinier speck... me. Tiny, so seemingly insignificant... you and me. Jesus holds all this vastness in His hand, and yet He knows me, He knows you, by name? That is truly, in the very real sense of the word, absolutely AWESOME!!

These thoughts correspond with the equal awe I had in and after watching The Last Adam! In Adam all men die; in Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb and the last Adam, all live. I wish I could express in writing the awe in my heart as I watched that film and considered the wonder of what Jesus did for us. Our God is... AMAZING! Ruler and Creator of all, He chose to humble Himself, take on the form of a servant, and be punished for OUR sins, that we might have a relationship with Him-- the one who holds the galaxies in His hand.

"O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens... When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained, what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that Thou visitest him?" (Psalm 8:1,3-4)

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt

Who am I, that the bright an morning star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart..."

-Who I Am, Casting Crowns

"You are God in Heaven, and here am I on earth; So I'll let my words be few:

Jesus I am so in love with you!"

Dwelling

Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure,whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report;
if there be any virtue,
and if there be any praise,
dwell on these things.
I once read a quote by Amy Carmichael where she said that if you go to sleep on a pleasant thought, or thinking on God, you will wake up doing so. I decided to "try" it that night and found it true! When you fill your mind with the Lord and go to bed meditating on Him in your heart, He does wake you up full of thoughts of and praises for Him! It is very exciting and refreshing.

And is a lot nicer than what I've been doing a couple nights this last week: going to bed with so many worries and stresses on my heart, and waking up with a terrible headache one morning, and just distracted thoughts on other mornings. I need to remember the words on a plack (plaque?) I saw at an antique store yesterday; it said "Stress Less, Pray More." You know, we really do have a choice in how miserable we are, or how happy we are. People in the most miserable circumstances have been some of the most cheerful and most life-impacting people! (Take Eric Liddell at Weihsein, so far from his dear family and living under very difficult conditions!)

How we feel is often how we choose to feel. We can choose anger, fear, worry, depression, even stress. On the other hand, we can choose love, rest, joy... we can choose to obey God's Words to "cast our burden upon the Lord." Depression and stress are sometimes a result of bodily challenges (illness, etc.), but many times we choose them when we choose to disobey God's commands to come to Him and rest, His commands to dwell on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, admirable, reputable.

What are you dwelling on? Your circumstances? Someone's wrong actions towards you? The uncertainty of the future? The things you don't have? Or are you dwelling on God's love? His great mercy to us, who are so unworthy? His blessings? The love of family and friends? The things we do have that many don't? The promises and commands of Scripture?

Choose to dwell/think on things that fit in to Philippians 4:8 today. You will find that there is blessing for those who incline their hearts unto God's testimonies (Psalm 119:36) and delight themselves in the Lord (Psalm 37:4).

These Three: Part 2: HOPE

I wrote most of this last month; I'm not sure how good it is (probably not very well-written) but I hope it may encourage some of you. :-)

~*~*~*~*~ 

Hope.

It's a word we say often, but don't always lay to heart.

Hope.

How easy it is to lose hope! In our humanness, it is easy to look at circumstances, to fail to see God's hand at work, and to think, "Nothing will ever change... why hope if nothing is going to happen?" I found myself considering this issue the other month. There was something that I have been praying about for a very long time, and I thought I saw God beginning to work in this situation, and my earthly self thought quickly, "Don't hope-- you have hoped something would happen before and your hopes were dashed. Don't make yourself vulnerable to let them be dashed again."

But then God, who is so much wiser than I, began to bring to my attention many verses that contradicted this fleshly thought. Some of these He pointed out to me as I read His Word. Others He reminded me of through the words of a very sweet friend.

The first I had posted up on my wall in my bedroom:

"Love bears all things,
believes all things,
HOPES all things,
endures all things."
(1 Corinthians 13:7)

True, Christlike love does not think, "I can't see so-and-so getting right with God, so why hope?" Instead, it trusts God and prepares itself to see Him work.

But what if hope disappoints me??

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed (or as I read elsewhere, "does not disappoint"); because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (Romans 5:3-5)

Hope is a little bit like faith. With both hope and faith, you can't see, but you must choose to believe. Webster's 1828 defines hope this way: "To cherish a desire of good, with some expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable." It is not an "I wish, I wish, I wish", but looking forward to something with a belief that God is able to, and will, do as He has promised.

When I was thinking over this topic of hope, I was reminded of the scene in our Pilgrim's Progress audio tapes, which I believe isn't in the book... After Christian discovers the Key of Promise when he and Hopeful are in the Dungeon of Despair, he takes a moment to see if anyone else in the dungeon will be free with him and Hopeful. "Will anyone choose to believe God's promise, and act upon it?" The one man they speak with, however, is so trapped in the changes of Despair, that he cannot reach out in hope and be freed. Thinking of that scene, I considered how we can see God work in wonderful ways when we hope and believe in Him, and how the opposite of Hope is Despair, which chains us in and prevents us from seeing God work and fulfill His promise.

We can hope and trust in God because Jesus has risen from the dead and given us life in Him.  We can hope and believe to see God work because He has promised to do so.  Let us not lose heart.  Let us hope in the Lord.

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." (Lamentations 3:25)

"For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." (Romans 8:24-25)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3)

Thrill

"God....God, please...please give me a glimpse of You. I need to see a glimpse of You-- I feel so far away."

This was my prayer last night as we were driving home from Bible class, listening to our new Getty CD with the windows down. In the West, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, and shades of pink peeked over the trees, rising into purple, and finally blending into a dark, nighttime blue. Around me I saw God's glory, in the music I heard His truth, and yet my heart was lonely. It had been several weeks, and though spring had come to the earth, I was still struggling through a very discouraging winter in my soul. Here and there I was noticing new things in God's Word, and I was reading His Word and praying and singing to Him, but for a couple weeks my heart had been feeling so empty, like I couldn't connect to God. I longed for that feeling of thrill, not in any circumstance, but just that thrill of knowing Him, really knowing Him. That thrill of realizing as I never had before some aspect of His character, and knowing His presence with me. To go without that even for a couple days, much more two weeks, is to be very, very discouraged.

We got home; I did my normal evening routine of getting dressed for bed, checking blogs and Facebook, and even chatted with a friend on Windows Live. After that, I turned off my overhead light, turned on my small "nighttime" lights, scooted my feet under my covers, and pulled out my Bible. My heart was still empty. "Lord, I want so much to be close to You," I prayed. "But I feel so far away, in a way You can't even im--" I was about to say "imagine", but I stopped myself. That was no way to talk to God; besides, the verse about Jesus being the merciful and faithful high priest who is able to identify with our sufferings and temptations echoed in the back of my head and silenced me in mid-sentence. In that moment, God answered my prayer.

For suddenly, my mind went back to that dark day, and saw Jesus hanging between earth and heaven, that moment the Father turned His face away... and Jesus cried in agony, "My God, my God,why hast Thou forsaken me?" In that one moment, Jesus called His Father "my God", instead of "my Father", for in that moment He bore the sins of all the world, and the Father could not look upon His Son.

It was just for a minute, and yet in that minute Jesus tasted what it was like to feel so far away from God the Father, and yet it was so much worse, because for all eternity, the Father had never turned His face away from His Son.

Tears welled in my eyes, and that thrill I had longed for filled my soul. Instantly, the feeling of loneliness and distance from God was dismissed and replaced with a very real sense of God's presence. For I realized that Jesus did know how I was feeling, and more, in such a way that I couldn't even imagine. In that one moment, Jesus tasted the bitterest extent of separation from the Father, so that I might enjoy close communion with my King for all eternity.

Words cannot express that joy that filled my heart as I realized anew the amazing love and grace my God showed to me. Yes, sometimes darkness obscures my view, and I cannot see God, but it is promised: through Jesus I have been brought indeed unto the Father's side, never to be separated from Him again. This the power of the Cross!! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

~~~~~~~~~~~

This song on our new CD really spoke to my heart as well, last evening. I am grateful that God works in others' lives to write and sing words that are such a blessing to us. May they be a blessing to you as well.

Every Promise

"Every Promise of Your Word"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

From the breaking of the dawn to the setting of the sun,
I will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Words of power, strong to save, that will never pass away,
I will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
For Your covenant is sure,
And on this I am secure—
I can stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

When I stumble and I sin, condemnation pressing in,
I will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
You are faithful to forgive that in freedom I might live,
So I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Guilt to innocence restored,
You remember sins no more—
So I'll stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

When I'm faced with anguished choice, I will listen for Your voice,
And I'll stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Through this dark and troubled land
You will guide me with Your hand
As I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
And You've promised to complete
Ev'ry work begun in me—
So I'll stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

Hope that lifts me from despair, love that casts out ev'ry fear,
As I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Not forsaken, not alone, for the Comforter has come,
And I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Grace sufficient, grace for me,
Grace for all who will believe—
We will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

May this "Good Friday" be one in which you see the grace of God in a fresh and new way that leaves you so in awe of and in love with Him!

These Three: Part 1: FAITH

A lesson that God continues to bring up to me is that of hope and faith in prayer. He's been teaching me so much about it, that I might make two or three posts about it instead of just this one. You know, I think I will. :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Men ought always to pray, and not to lose heart...

"And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, 'There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, "Avenge me of mine adversary."

" 'And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, "Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."

" 'And the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them (give them justice) speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" ' "

A deep look into my heart shows that I often lack faith and lose heart. I ask a couple times, receive no clear answer, and give up. Or, I wish something were so but I don't even bring it to God at all-- as though my prayers will be answered when I do not pray at all! This is not faith.

What is faith? "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." In modern words, it is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." It takes faith to believe that God will work when we do not see how He could possibly do so. It takes faith to come to God at all with our heart's requests and pleas. Faith also requires that we throw out all doubts and insecurities and press ahead with complete conviction.

Think of the Israelites in the book of Numbers. In chapters 13 and 14, they spied out the land of Canaan; their hearts were filled with doubt and fear; and they chose to disbelieve God, which wound them up wandering around in the wilderness for forty years. After that long time of wandering, in chapter 21, the Israelites face the unconquerable land of Canaan and its peoples again. Read the chapter-- it is thrilling to see that as they obeyed God with some measure of faith,they cut down those fearful nations left and right as though those nations were the grasshoppers instead of the Israelites!

The woman in the passage above also showed a great deal of faith. Day after day, she came before that unjust judge, bringing her plea before him in the belief that he would answer her. After time, the unjust judge answered her request to get her off his back. God is just; He is Justice and so far above that unjust judge, and so much more righteous in His dealings. That said, can we not believe that He will answer our prayers if an unjust judge on earth can do so? This is the God that loves us, that promises to be with us and hear our prayers! Surely we can take Him at His Word!

Doubt will never get a person anywhere. Doubt hinders God's work in our lives-- not that He isn't powerful, but we can't see Him at work when our eyes are clouded by our own disbelief. God does not want us to dwell on the "bigness" of the "giants" before us, nor on our great (and real) weakness and inability. However, He wants us to come to Him in prayer and believe that He will act according to His promise and His character. He wants us to take Him at His Word, believe Him fully, and go forth in the knowledge that He is God Almighty. In my daily life as I wish for God to work and do great things, I must do more than just wish. I must pray, and believe, and pray again. The Just Judge will hear, and He will act. Nothing will be impossible. Justice will prevail, giants will fall, and nations will crumble before the Lord of hosts.

Remember the song from The Prince of Egypt: "There can be miracles when you believe"? It was true for the people in the Bible! There can be miracles, and it can be true for you and me as well.