Jesus loves me.
Simple fact.
Jesus loves me.
He does not want me to be miserable.
He does not have devious plans to ruin my life.
He does not hate my stuff.
He does not want me to be a dull, boring person cooped up in a bare house my whole life.
He doesn't want me to never have fun.
He loves me.
And He knows. He knows the plans He has for me. He doesn't have a vague inkling. He doesn't randomly switch His ideas about my future on every odd-numbered Tuesday. He knows.
Goodness knows I don't... I'm glad Someone does!
When I feel like I don't fit in... When I wonder to myself, "What in the world am I doing here?"... When I want to turn and run the other way, a gentle whisper embraces my heart and says, "I love you, and I know."
I still don't
But He does. And He loves me.
And when I hang back, he turns His head to look at me. He smiles, holds out His hand, and without a word, His eyes say, "Will you follow?"
When I say, "I can't," He says, "I can."
When I say, "It's too hard," He says, "My burden is light."
When I say, "It's too dangerous," He says, "You will walk through fire and not be burned."
Through fire!...and not be burned!
Jesus loves me.
Jesus loves you.
The least I can do is love Him back.
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
The Living Christ
"He is risen!"
"He is risen, indeed!"
Why, you might ask, is this very Easter-ish dialogue being posted in July? I will tell you why.
Because Jesus is still alive.
"Christ Jesus, who died -- more than that, who was raised to life -- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." ~Romans 8:34
He's not only alive, He's alive with a job: To intercede for us. To stand in the gap between us and the Father. To be able to do that, He has to know what's going on in our lives. He has to know the thoughts we think and the prayers we pray. He's alive, and is not distant, He is here.
Too often, I think we believe in the God who rose from the dead -- not the God who has risen. We believe Christ conquered death and can save us from hell, but do we believe any more than that? Do we believe that He is right here in this room, waiting to speak to us? Do we believe that He can still heal the sick and raise the dead? Or does our faith cease at salvation and fail to believe Him for the full power of God in shaping and living the Christ-life? He is capable of so much more, and how He longs for us to open up our hearts and our minds so that He can show us!
How many of us go through life never experiencing the full power of the risen Christ? Sometimes I think we are so focused on worshiping the Jesus who died for us that we forget the Jesus who lives for us. His death, while so powerful, so important, so poignant, was only made victorious through His resurrection.
And not only did He return to life -- He remains in life. We do not serve a dead God! We serve a God whose power keeps the earth in motion. We serve a God who is present in our everyday lives -- and is literally right beside us at every moment. His heart beats, His eyes see, His smile lights up the faces of His children. He is alive.
Oh Lord, may we come to live in the light of that glorious reality.
"He is risen, indeed!"
Why, you might ask, is this very Easter-ish dialogue being posted in July? I will tell you why.
Because Jesus is still alive.
"Christ Jesus, who died -- more than that, who was raised to life -- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." ~Romans 8:34
He's not only alive, He's alive with a job: To intercede for us. To stand in the gap between us and the Father. To be able to do that, He has to know what's going on in our lives. He has to know the thoughts we think and the prayers we pray. He's alive, and is not distant, He is here.
Too often, I think we believe in the God who rose from the dead -- not the God who has risen. We believe Christ conquered death and can save us from hell, but do we believe any more than that? Do we believe that He is right here in this room, waiting to speak to us? Do we believe that He can still heal the sick and raise the dead? Or does our faith cease at salvation and fail to believe Him for the full power of God in shaping and living the Christ-life? He is capable of so much more, and how He longs for us to open up our hearts and our minds so that He can show us!
How many of us go through life never experiencing the full power of the risen Christ? Sometimes I think we are so focused on worshiping the Jesus who died for us that we forget the Jesus who lives for us. His death, while so powerful, so important, so poignant, was only made victorious through His resurrection.
And not only did He return to life -- He remains in life. We do not serve a dead God! We serve a God whose power keeps the earth in motion. We serve a God who is present in our everyday lives -- and is literally right beside us at every moment. His heart beats, His eyes see, His smile lights up the faces of His children. He is alive.
Oh Lord, may we come to live in the light of that glorious reality.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Exercise and Extreme Missions
I love reading pretty much the entire content of mission websites. It really opens my eyes and my heart to the nations and their needs. A few days ago, I was reading about a mission to the Peruvian Amazon. At the bottom of the short descriptive paragraph were the two words "Extreme Mission."
Ha! said I. Horrid advertising. Who would agree to go on something called an "extreme mission"?
There was silence for a moment, and then the answer came: Well, Kendall... You said you would.
Hrrrmm.
"Anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
When I gave my life to Christ, I declared that nothing was too extreme. Nothing was impossible. I agreed to believe that He would be my Provider, my Defender, my Everything. I promised that I would lay down my life day after day.
And I want to say to Him, "No, God. That's too extreme"? He gave up everything for me, and I would refuse to please Him because I like my own comfort and safety too much?
The words "Extreme Mission" should, in most cases, be superfluous to us. We should be delighted to do something the world considers extreme. We should count the cost, but count it at the foot of the cross, and there find that nothing is too much to ask of us who owe our lives to Jesus Christ.
The little dialogue with the Holy Spirit continued. The Peruvian Amazon can wait. I have something a little more attainable that you can be doing right now.
Thrilled to be let off the hook for a while at least, I was eager to find out what this might be.
Suppose I did call you to Peru. Suppose I called you to go on this "extreme mission" one day -- to travel three days by boat to reach the unreached, to have little more than the clothes on your back, to trust Me for your next meal, to walk for miles on end without stopping. Could you do it?
Apparently reformed by my previous hesitation, I answered triumphantly, "With all my heart!"
Your heart, yes -- but what about your body?
Long, awkward pause. "Now that's just mean."
No. No, I could not do it. Not because God can't take care of me, but because up until now, I have not taken care of what He gave to me. It would not take long for my body to give out on me. And so He began to impress it on my heart: My life is not my own. My heart is not my own. My mind is not my own.
My body is not my own.
And so, Peruvian Amazon in my future or no, I have entered what I like to call "Extreme Mission Training." For me, that consists of, well, working out. Becoming a good steward of what God has given me. "Extreme Mission Training" wouldn't usually be as pathetic as thirty minutes on a treadmill every day...but hey, I'm also learning some things about humility.
"If there be any reserve in my giving to Him who so loved that He gave His dearest for me; if there be a secret 'but' in my prayer, 'anything but that, Lord,' then I know nothing of Calvary love." ~Amy Carmichael
God has asked me for several things in my life that are incredibly dear. After much arguing, He wins them from my grasp, and I promise, "Everything, God. Everything for You."
Except the things I don't think He could possibly use. It's amazing the things I think God couldn't care less about; the things that I think are small enough that I'm entitled to keep them for myself.
Are you willing to go to all lengths for your Savior? Maybe He is calling you to reach the unreached; or maybe He's preparing you for that call by asking for something else that seems much smaller. But for the God who could use five loaves and two fishes to feed thousands, nothing is too small to give Him. There is nothing He cannot use.
And there is nothing He is not infinitely worthy of.
Ha! said I. Horrid advertising. Who would agree to go on something called an "extreme mission"?
There was silence for a moment, and then the answer came: Well, Kendall... You said you would.
Hrrrmm.
"Anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
When I gave my life to Christ, I declared that nothing was too extreme. Nothing was impossible. I agreed to believe that He would be my Provider, my Defender, my Everything. I promised that I would lay down my life day after day.
And I want to say to Him, "No, God. That's too extreme"? He gave up everything for me, and I would refuse to please Him because I like my own comfort and safety too much?
The words "Extreme Mission" should, in most cases, be superfluous to us. We should be delighted to do something the world considers extreme. We should count the cost, but count it at the foot of the cross, and there find that nothing is too much to ask of us who owe our lives to Jesus Christ.
The little dialogue with the Holy Spirit continued. The Peruvian Amazon can wait. I have something a little more attainable that you can be doing right now.
Thrilled to be let off the hook for a while at least, I was eager to find out what this might be.
Suppose I did call you to Peru. Suppose I called you to go on this "extreme mission" one day -- to travel three days by boat to reach the unreached, to have little more than the clothes on your back, to trust Me for your next meal, to walk for miles on end without stopping. Could you do it?
Apparently reformed by my previous hesitation, I answered triumphantly, "With all my heart!"
Your heart, yes -- but what about your body?
Long, awkward pause. "Now that's just mean."
No. No, I could not do it. Not because God can't take care of me, but because up until now, I have not taken care of what He gave to me. It would not take long for my body to give out on me. And so He began to impress it on my heart: My life is not my own. My heart is not my own. My mind is not my own.
My body is not my own.
And so, Peruvian Amazon in my future or no, I have entered what I like to call "Extreme Mission Training." For me, that consists of, well, working out. Becoming a good steward of what God has given me. "Extreme Mission Training" wouldn't usually be as pathetic as thirty minutes on a treadmill every day...but hey, I'm also learning some things about humility.
"If there be any reserve in my giving to Him who so loved that He gave His dearest for me; if there be a secret 'but' in my prayer, 'anything but that, Lord,' then I know nothing of Calvary love." ~Amy Carmichael
God has asked me for several things in my life that are incredibly dear. After much arguing, He wins them from my grasp, and I promise, "Everything, God. Everything for You."
Except the things I don't think He could possibly use. It's amazing the things I think God couldn't care less about; the things that I think are small enough that I'm entitled to keep them for myself.
Are you willing to go to all lengths for your Savior? Maybe He is calling you to reach the unreached; or maybe He's preparing you for that call by asking for something else that seems much smaller. But for the God who could use five loaves and two fishes to feed thousands, nothing is too small to give Him. There is nothing He cannot use.
And there is nothing He is not infinitely worthy of.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Unlikely Mission Field
It's inspiring. It's heartbreaking. It tells stories of hearts broken and lives remade. It's time-consuming. It can make some smile. It makes others weep. It can be uplifting or oppressive. It can be en enormous waste of time, or it can be a way of radiantly reflecting Christ and reaching out to serve others.
It's Facebook.
When Facebook first became popular, I was hugely confused about what was so great about it. I updated my status around once a month. I was a boring Facebook user.
As I got older and began to lose contact with more of my friends, I began to see the utility of Facebook in staying connected to people I would otherwise probably never hear from. Many of my friendships have stayed alive because of Facebook. Now, it has become one of my greatest areas for ministry.
The following is my "Facebook philosophy" -- the "policies" I have adopted so that rather than being a distraction and poor use of my time, time on Facebook can become a way of reaching out to others and encouraging them.
Facebook can be an incredible opportunity for ministry. After all, how else do you have contact to so many people in a single day? So long as we use it wisely and selflessly, I am convinced that God can easily work through Facebook to bring people to Him. I challenge you to consider how you can use a social network for His glory. You may end up blessing people without ever knowing it!
It's Facebook.
When Facebook first became popular, I was hugely confused about what was so great about it. I updated my status around once a month. I was a boring Facebook user.
As I got older and began to lose contact with more of my friends, I began to see the utility of Facebook in staying connected to people I would otherwise probably never hear from. Many of my friendships have stayed alive because of Facebook. Now, it has become one of my greatest areas for ministry.
The following is my "Facebook philosophy" -- the "policies" I have adopted so that rather than being a distraction and poor use of my time, time on Facebook can become a way of reaching out to others and encouraging them.
- Discover Spirit-led prayer. Most of us spend much more time on Facebook than we need to, simply because we have "nothing better to do." It should take no more than five or ten minutes to get all of your "Most Recent" posts read. Then, instead of spending time playing games or creepily stalking peoples' profiles, ask God to open your eyes to the people who need prayer. I used to pray for every single person who appeared on my news feed by name whenever I would read their posts. While I no longer do that, as it actually increased my time spent online, this habit was a wonderful time of learning to discern God's voice. Many times, something specific would come to mind for certain individuals. God still uses status updates to draw my attention to someone who needs prayer -- even if their status is as simple as, "Chocolate ice cream is delicious."
- Take advantage of messaging. I don't mean chat; I turn my chat off. But you have the opportunity to reach and encourage people with the click of a button. Send encouraging messages. Let somebody know you're praying for them. You never know how God is working; I've often gotten messages back saying that was exactly what that person had needed at the time. [Note: This does not mean you should send messages willy-nilly. Ask God if there is someone who needs an encouraging word, and if He brings no one to mind, send nothing.]
- Don't post negative statuses. Two hundred and nineteen of your "friends" do not need to know your most intimate struggles. They don't need to know how much you hate your parents. Your post-break-up depression does not need to be posted for every person you know (or don't know) to read about. Thoughts of self-harm are intended to be shared with parents or another trusted adult, not with that one guy you met at that camp that one time. If you would not tell every single one of your Facebook friends in person, don't post it on Facebook. It comes off as a poor, selfish cry for attention; and far too often, it gets the desired reaction in the form of comments from well-meaning friends.
- Don't be too open. You are a complex individual with unique circumstances, emotions, and reactions. The moment you declare every single thing you feel on Facebook, you lose your intrinsic mystery and become a much less fascinating person. Even if it is a positive experience, don't share every detail of your personal life with all these people. I rarely share my emotions on Facebook unless they are generic feelings of praise, gratitude, love, etc. Even when I am privately discussing the way God is working in my life, I do not give specific examples. Try to keep some of that old-fashioned distance and reserve in the way you write your status messages. I seriously doubt you would truly want hundreds of people knowing the inner workings of your heart; and yet, many of us unwittingly post them daily (and in great detail).
- Be encouraging. If you can't post something nice, don't post it at all! Whenever I've found myself wanting to post something less-than-positive, I come to realize that it is simply because I want the attention. I want people to feel sorry for me. But here are more than 200 people who do not need any more negativity in their life, especially from someone who claims to have the joy of the Lord as her strength. If anything, they need a word of encouragement from Jesus Christ. So more often than not, I end up posting things that weren't written by me at all. They are quotes from people far wiser than I; and they end up crazily blessing people when I least expect it.
Facebook can be an incredible opportunity for ministry. After all, how else do you have contact to so many people in a single day? So long as we use it wisely and selflessly, I am convinced that God can easily work through Facebook to bring people to Him. I challenge you to consider how you can use a social network for His glory. You may end up blessing people without ever knowing it!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Behind His Back
For my tenth birthday, my mom redecorated my room. She bought me a beautiful canopy, a new lamp, and an adorable fairy bedspread and sheets. Unfortunately, when she went to put on the new sheets and comforter, they didn't fit. The label that stated "Full/Queen" only fit a full-sized bed. So she returned my fairy bed fixings and went on a hunt for more.
She spent hours looking for the perfect bedspread and sheets. She never found little girl ones that would fit. She told me that she cried at the cashier, saying all she wanted to do was make my birthday special.
Well, eventually my mommy and I went out shopping together for my bed. We picked out a quilt that was far from little-girl, like she and I had both wanted. But it's still on my bed today. I love that quilt.
But every once in a while, I would feel horrible. I would think, "If it hadn't been for me, my mommy wouldn't have cried that day." I felt awful that she had gone to so much trouble for me. I would trace my finger over the embroidered flowers on my quilt and match tear-for-tear the tears my sweet mommy had cried.
About two months ago, I reminded her of her hunt for my perfect bedspread and confessed that I felt dreadful about it. She blinked. "What in the world are you talking about?"
I stared at her. "You mean you don't remember that?"
"I remember that we got you that new quilt, but I haven't thought about that in years. You mean you've been feeling bad about that all this time?"
Well.
How often do we do that with God? We sit around feeling horrible about a sin that we know He's already forgiven, and we feel so bad that we made Him sad. We agonize over our decisions. We drag up things we've already given to God.
I think when we do that, He just blinks. "You mean you've been feeling bad about that all this time? I haven't thought about that in years. Why in the world are you bringing it up now?"
Do we really believe that He's removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west? I like to claim that I do. But if I really believe that, why do I drudge up the past so often?
Isaiah 38:17 says, "In Your love You kept me from the pit of destruction; You have put all my sins behind Your back." Does God "forget" our sins, as people commonly say? I don't think so. That's crazy to come to an omniscient God and say, "So, do You remember that horrible thing that I did on April 12, 2010?" and expect Him to scratch His head and reply, "April 12? Gosh, I think that day might be erased from My infinite memory... This is perplexing." No. I don't think He forgets in the way that we forget things. But He forgives. And He puts our sins behind His back, never to think about them again.
But we like to run behind His back, pick them up, and stick them in His face again. "See? Isn't that horrible what I did? Oh, You must hate me now..."
"Um, didn't I already deal with this one?"
"Well, yeah, but I thought You might have forgotten something the first time You forgave me. Or maybe You weren't paying attention and didn't really mean that You still love me. I mean, look at this! Obviously You missed this part right here. This is truly unforgivable. This part is too big for even You to forgive. I mean, seriously, there has to be a limit to what Jesus' sacrifice can cover, and if there is, this is it! I'm the unforgivable one! You found me! Oh, woe is me!"
Why in the world do we try to convince God not to forgive us?
Hand it over to God. Leave it there. And trust that He has covered your sins. We yank our sins back from God's hands and feel guilty about them all over again because of a lack of faith in the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. Think about it: Who are you to think that you're the one special person in the universe whose sins God can't put behind His back?
She spent hours looking for the perfect bedspread and sheets. She never found little girl ones that would fit. She told me that she cried at the cashier, saying all she wanted to do was make my birthday special.
Well, eventually my mommy and I went out shopping together for my bed. We picked out a quilt that was far from little-girl, like she and I had both wanted. But it's still on my bed today. I love that quilt.
But every once in a while, I would feel horrible. I would think, "If it hadn't been for me, my mommy wouldn't have cried that day." I felt awful that she had gone to so much trouble for me. I would trace my finger over the embroidered flowers on my quilt and match tear-for-tear the tears my sweet mommy had cried.
About two months ago, I reminded her of her hunt for my perfect bedspread and confessed that I felt dreadful about it. She blinked. "What in the world are you talking about?"
I stared at her. "You mean you don't remember that?"
"I remember that we got you that new quilt, but I haven't thought about that in years. You mean you've been feeling bad about that all this time?"
Well.
How often do we do that with God? We sit around feeling horrible about a sin that we know He's already forgiven, and we feel so bad that we made Him sad. We agonize over our decisions. We drag up things we've already given to God.
I think when we do that, He just blinks. "You mean you've been feeling bad about that all this time? I haven't thought about that in years. Why in the world are you bringing it up now?"
Do we really believe that He's removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west? I like to claim that I do. But if I really believe that, why do I drudge up the past so often?
Isaiah 38:17 says, "In Your love You kept me from the pit of destruction; You have put all my sins behind Your back." Does God "forget" our sins, as people commonly say? I don't think so. That's crazy to come to an omniscient God and say, "So, do You remember that horrible thing that I did on April 12, 2010?" and expect Him to scratch His head and reply, "April 12? Gosh, I think that day might be erased from My infinite memory... This is perplexing." No. I don't think He forgets in the way that we forget things. But He forgives. And He puts our sins behind His back, never to think about them again.
But we like to run behind His back, pick them up, and stick them in His face again. "See? Isn't that horrible what I did? Oh, You must hate me now..."
"Um, didn't I already deal with this one?"
"Well, yeah, but I thought You might have forgotten something the first time You forgave me. Or maybe You weren't paying attention and didn't really mean that You still love me. I mean, look at this! Obviously You missed this part right here. This is truly unforgivable. This part is too big for even You to forgive. I mean, seriously, there has to be a limit to what Jesus' sacrifice can cover, and if there is, this is it! I'm the unforgivable one! You found me! Oh, woe is me!"
Why in the world do we try to convince God not to forgive us?
Hand it over to God. Leave it there. And trust that He has covered your sins. We yank our sins back from God's hands and feel guilty about them all over again because of a lack of faith in the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. Think about it: Who are you to think that you're the one special person in the universe whose sins God can't put behind His back?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)