God's Love

There are times when you find yourself deep in thoughts about things...

I have found myself as of late thinking about God's love. He loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son to die for our sins. I know this concept at times can be hard to wrap your mind around. How can the all-loving God, sacrifice someone who has done nothing, for people who have done a lot and who keep doing things without any regard to how they hurt people.

I believe he did that to give us what the perfect example of love is.

In English we have one word for love - Love... Whereas in many other languages there is more than one way to describe love.. Greek has a few words for it but four come to mind: Agape, Eros, Philia, and Storge. Maybe this is why we cannot wrap our minds around it.... We use the word love for everything. There is no distinction between us loving our siblings, our dogs, and our cars. When using the same word for various types, it loses its meaning and its impact... Maybe this is also why we take love for granted...

God, in his infinite wisdom knew that there would be times when we would need to know and feel what love means. He knew that as the world went on, we would become desensitized to the use of the word.... He knew that when we said love, that there would be times when we meant it in an physical manner (eros), or that there would be times when we mean that I love you like a brother, that the love is out of a sense of loyalty because of our shared history and affiliations (philia).  He knew that we would go through life over using the word and that we would need an example of what it meant to love someone not expecting anything in return. He knew that we would need an example of what it meant to sacrifice for whom we love... This is Agape love. This is how we should love: Without expecting anything in return, without wondering if the person loves us. We should just love to love....

I believe that no matter how hard God tried, and still tries to tell us he loves us, he had to give an example of the depth of his love. He knew that we would not be able to wrap our minds around this concept so he gave us the example.....

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16.

Discipline

I got into a conversation with two Muslim Brothers over their faith...

In the midst of the conversation, they explained Islam - what they believe, why they believe it, and why they do what they do. The thing that blew my mind was that all over the world no matter what time it is, there is a Muslim praying....

Thinking back on the conversation, the men were disciplined. They had a solid foundation in their faith and could explain it.

It got me thinking - why aren't Christians as a whole more disciplined. What does that say about us? What does it say when our example is perfect beyond measure yet we don't have the same or more discipline than the people who follow the example of a man?

We don't pray most times until we are in trouble. When we aren't in trouble, we are praying for what we want as opposed to praying to spend time with God.. When was the last time you actually spent time with God? Human nature is to actively pursue that in which you are interested in, why don't we pursue God with that same fervor? Do we pursue God the way we pursue a lover? We are willing to sacrifice most anything for the one we love, yet we balk when God asks us to sacrifice for him?

At the end of the day, it all comes down to what are we willing to do for our faith. What are we willing to do to show others that our faith is the center of our lives..... Are we willing to be as Disciplined as our Muslim brothers and sisters?.... Are we willing to let God be the center of our lives and fall in love with him?

What are you willing to do to become more disciplined?

To Worship in Truth is to be Free....

A few weeks ago we talked about Worship and how it's hard for some to lose themselves in Worship. We talked about David being able to Worship so hard that he danced out of his clothes. When he was asked about it, he says that I praise him the way I do because of what he has done for me. (2 Samuel 6:20-21)

This begs the question, how do we get to a point where we can Worship as freely as David did.... David did it without consideration for who was around. To him it wasn't important what others thought when he was in Worship....

We get to this point by being Free. Worship in itself is a freedom. To be able to worship the way that David did we have to let go of everything. We have to let go of everything because we need to be able to Worship both in Spirit and in Truth. Jesus tells this to the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus talks about water being in a well on the inside of us, springing up into everlasting life. This is apart of us Worshiping in Spirit. When we do something in Spirit, that means that it is so entrenched in us that we do it subconsciously. We Worship without thinking about it, we just do it.

Worshiping in Spirit is only part of it though. The Jewish people, worshiped in Spirit. They worshiped because it was something they wanted to do but also had to do as apart of the Law. They did not Worship in truth. We see this as the conversation progresses between Jesus and the Woman. Jesus calls her out about her home life.He talks about her lack of a husband, even though the man she is with she calls him her husband. He lets her know that while she is keeping the traditions of the faith, she is not living in truth. Truth being that while she was following the tradition, she still had things going on in her life that did not allow her to be freely who she was supposed to be.

Many of us are like that. Many of us go to church where for a few hours, minutes even, we get our fix. We get enough to hold us over for a few days, but when it wears off we are still in bondage. We are still wrestling with something that leaves us in chains - but we refuse to admit it and correct it. Admitting it and correcting it is how we Worship in Truth. We cannot deny ourselves in Worship if we are tied down. That was the message Jesus was giving to the woman at the well. He says to her that one day people will worship in Spirit and in Truth. One day we will Worship in such a manner that we are free - both Spiritually and  Physically.

Why should we wait for that one day to come? Why should we wait to start Worshiping in Spirit as well as Truth? Why not loose the chains now and gain our freedom?

Do we place God in a box?

There have been many posts on changing our way of thinking. I know I seem to keep coming back to that topic in some shape form or fashion, but it is important as for what a man thinketh in his heart so is he
(Proverbs 23:7). The mind plays a very important part in our faith walk. It is the thing that essentially can make or break us. What proof do we have of this? Paul talked constantly about wanting to do what was right but having his flesh draw him in a different direction....  

Why do I bring up the mind again? Why was there a need to reiterate the importance of the mind?

I brought up the mind again because I came across this thought today as I have a few times before.... Do we not only put people in a box, but do we put God in a box?

If you are anything like I am, you have probably thought about someone at sometime.. "You've changed". Now the only way a person can "change" at least from our perspective is if we have made it up in our minds that, that is who the person is and who they will stay. But is that really the case or is it that we don't allow for people to change? Do we find ourselves placing people in a box, placing labels on people and not allowing them to be able to get out of the box or have those labels removed? If we do it with our fellow man, how much more likely do we do it with God? Do we limit what God can do because we have never been able to let go of the God we encountered when we were younger? Do we limit what God can do because we have seen him move one way and just expect for him to always move that way? Do we?

My challenge to you, for some it will truly be a challenge, is for you to pull off all labels and open all boxes. We have to start allowing for people to grow and evolve as we change/grow and evolve. The same goes with God. As we walk and get deeper in our faith, we have to give God room to be God. We have to give God the freedom in our lives to BE Alpha and Omega. We can no longer just say the words. We have to be open to allowing the Infinite Being to BE the Infinite Being. We have to open our minds. So will you join me this year in allowing God to be.... GOD?

New Year's Resolutions

People make New Year resolutions as a way of verbalizing the changes that they want to make for the new year. Many people say they want to lose weight or spend more time with their families. They say so many things that many keep but a vast majority do not keep ...

I was thinking of this the other day. I was thinking that for many New Year's Resolutions is sort of like their walk with Christ. They start off saying that they want a change.. They want things to be different, yet many do the same things with their walk that they do with their Resolutions... They try to change the thing without making it a lifestyle change. They try to cut corners. This is why for many they cannot keep their Resolution past the first week in January. This is why for many they get frustrated in their walk with Christ and give up...

In order to keep up our walk with Christ, we have to make it apart of our life. We have to incorporate it in everything that we do. We cannot just say I want to change... and not change how we do things.

The scripture that comes to  mind initially is Ephesians 4:23: And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. There are many other places that talk about renewing your mind - changing your way of doing things. The entire Bible itself is based on changing the way we do things. It is a clear example of what to do when one way is not working. It was no longer working for the people not to have a Messiah. The people, however, would never be able to accept a Messiah if they could not change how they thought the Messiah should be and how the Messiah should come. Many did miss out because they couldn't let go of how things had been done, but for those who were able to let go.. They got to experience a peace that had not been experienced before. This allowed for them to be able to continue their walk with the same enthusiasm in which they started out their walk with. This is the thing that allows us to continue in our walk with Christ.

Many of us make New Year's Resolutions without incorporating it into our everyday life. Many of us cannot keep our Resolutions past the first week in January. My challenge to you is to whatever you decide to make as your New Year's Resolution that you make it apart of your life. I challenge you not to cut corners,  but to have it be an active part of your life. I challenge you to do the same thing in your walk with Christ. I challenge you to make Matthew 6:33 not just words you repeat, but that you actually Seek ye first the kingdom of God.... When you seek him first, you change how you do things........

Have a Happy New Year, and let's work to make 2014 a year in which we do not cut corners. Let's make it a year in which we work on changing our minds...

What is my Motivation?

During the Christmas season, we walk around being nice to people who any other time we may ignore. Why do we do it? What is our motivation?

It makes me wonder at times because it questions our motive. Are we doing it because of the season or because it is genuinely in our hearts.

I bring this up because it ties into why we choose to be Christians - is it for the fame, wealth and/or riches that we think we are going to get or is it out of genuine love and curiosity that we choose to be Christians?

The story of Abraham comes to mind. He is told by God to pack up, leave everything behind, and move to a new land. The covenant that God makes with Abraham is that if he does this, he will be the Father of many nations. This does make you think that his motivation for following God was to have a son and that was his only motivation. After Abraham gets his son, God then tells him to kill him. Abraham, while it pained him, was willing to kill his son - the son that God had promised to him...

I believe that God did this to see where Abraham's heart was. Abraham showed that his heart was with God, not just because he had promised him a son, but because he genuinely loved God... He showed this by being willing to "kill" that which he had been praying and praising God for.

Is that us? Do we follow God because we love him? Or is our motivation less than pure?

My challenge to you during this holiday season is to examine why you are a Christian. Take a look at why you have chosen to follow God. Take stock of what your motivation is...

Ask yourself:  What my Motivation?

Image is everything... or is it?

One of my favorite scriptures is 2 Samuel 6:20-21:

20: Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

21: And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord.

This came to mind the other day sitting in Church. It was during praise and worship and the praise team was trying to get people to actively participate in praise and worship. At my church, this is not usually a problem, however, while people participate, you can still see that people hold back.... 

Why is that? Why is it so hard to completely lose ourselves in praise and worship? Why do we look around the Church to see what others are doing and/or wearing?   Why is it so hard to just spend that time with God, especially when that is what we are supposed to be doing anyway... For most of us, the hardest thing is to lose ourselves and to lose control... Maybe that's it. Maybe we are not loosing ourselves in praise and worship because we cannot give up control. Is it that to us image is everything? Is it that we put on this persona that we don't want people to deviate from when they think of us?  Maybe it IS the idea that people might think we are foolish as to why we cannot lose ourselves in praise and worship?  

I believe that we should take a page out of David's book. Yes, he praised so hard that he did dance himself out of his clothes. While I am not saying that you dance yourself out of your clothes, I am saying that you when questioned and ridiculed about why you praise and worship with the intensity that you do, that you do what David did he told his wife flat out that because of all of the things God has done for me, I will praise him. This is where we should be. We should get to a point where it does not matter who sees us, but what matters is what God has done for us. Praise and Worship is not for us, it is for God. It is our way of showing God that we recognize where our strength comes from. We should be willing to let go of ourselves and praise God with everything... I mean, when he moves for us, he uses everything in his disposal so why can't we praise him with the same abandonment as David... Or is image everything?