Crazy Thought

Crazy thought.^

We were created as wholly intimate with God. In perfect harmony and shalom, we walked with Him. Then one day man turned away, and sin caused us to die.

It's well known that conflict, when occurred and resolved properly, can bring the conflicters closer than they were before the conflict. We see this not only in healthy marriages, but also in Song of Solomon. Solomon goes to his wife's chambers but she denies him. He leaves, she repents, is punished, and goes to find him.

What's incredible is that after we resolve conflict, which in the case of Christ and man is sin and forgiveness, we are drawn a little closer to Him, but not as close as we were originally. And if our fellowship with Him is this great while living in our flesh, how much more glorious will it be when we are once again in His likeness? When we no longer see through a mirror dimly, but see Him as He is, and are His perfect and spotless bride.

Maybe though, you haven't begun to walk in the Spirit here on earth. Even though it isn't perfect fullness, it is communion. In that communion there is comfort, peace, and forgiveness. There is also suffering, but power and purity. We have the promise that we will be rewarded both here on earth and in heaven, and that the rewards far outway the costs.

How do we enter into this communion? We learn of Him, who He is and what he's done by reading His Scriptures, and we believe and accept Him. He is faithful to not only be present but moving.

All That Matters

All that Matters

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

I think we typically read this and think "love is important." I know I've read it multiple times as simply a way to boost the ideal that is love, and naturally we think of brotherly love and romantic love first. However, I thought of it in a very different and more simplistic way today.

A lot of times in Western Christianity we have a tendency to focus on knowledge, insights, and some of us miracles. And yes, I'm talking about Christians here, not the world. I know for me, I love philosophy and theology, and I have a really deep yearning to see miracles and visions. However, while these are wonderful and Godly things, they aren't the main point.

Paul isn't just saying that if you have all things but love you are nothing, but I believe He's also saying the opposite. If you have love but nothing else, you have everything. The difference between a good Christian and a "bad" Christian is not that one reads the bible more or prays more, writes more or sees more miracles. The difference is that one loves with the love they've been shown, and the other doesn't.

As we go about the mundane and routine, remember what matters. Love is shown only when we have the courage to show it. There is no such thing as unintentional love. Do things you've never done before. Be things you've never been for some one before. Love in new ways and new strengths you've never loved before. Thats all that matters.

The Place Where He Is

"Take me to the place where you are. I love you. Lord, I love you"

"Just to be with you I would do anything. There's no price I would not pay.
Just to be with you Ive done everything. There's no price I did not pay" -Third Day, Love Song

Where has God been? Jesus was in the quiet. he was comforted by His disciples and the Spirit. He taught the disciples. He healed the sick. He made the blind to see. He had dinner with the prostitutes and tax collectors. He was betrayed in a much bigger way than any of us have been. He prayed until He sweat blood. But most of all, He suffered a painful, brutal, and gruesome death on the cross.

These are all these places He's been. He has been all things to all people. He experienced everything that includes suffering and comfort, mourning and joy, sadness and peace. He was a man of great sorrows. Ask yourself "am I willing to go to all of those places? For even Christ?"

He paid every price there was to pay to be with you, and bring you with Him. He asks the same of us. He demands the same of us. The only thing that could come between you and Him was sin, and He took care of that problem. His work to conquer sin is finished. There is forgiveness and healing for all who will choose to be chosen.

If your answer is "No, I'm not willing to do that," be honest. For most Christians it's not. Don't lie to yourself, and certainly don't try and lie to God. But, as you go about your life, don't expect anything more from Him than youre willing to give.

Daddy's Strong Arms

Daddy's Strong Arms

I'm on my way to Kansas City. My daddy is driving and I'm in the passenger seat. It's raining heavily outside, and my knees are on the seat, tucked into my chest. During normal weather conditions my daddy drives comfortably with just one hand on the wheel- but not right now. I look over to see that he has both arms firmly extended, both hands gripping the wheel, and both eyes constantly observing what's ahead.

In that moment it occurs to me that he is protecting me. Every decision he is making is in effort to protect me. Whether or not to turn the lights on and how bright, to slow down or resume normal speed, which lane to be in, all decisions he is making for my benefit-for my protection. He knows exactly where we're going and how to get there, and he didn't need my help to figure it out. He is my guardian until we arrive to safety.

My heavenly Father is the same but more so. He knows how to protect me and guide me. He knows how to be in control and the wisest decision to make. He doesn't require my knowledge or my guidance, just to be obedient and trust Him-to trust that He, Creator God, Yahweh, Father, the Glorious and Perfect One, has my best interest at heart. He may choose to slow me down, or speed me up. He may keep me in a season of winter where things are dormant, or to move into the growth and life of spring. He may remove others that I love from my life, and add those that test me to my life. But no matter what He does, it is out of a loe that's deeper than I can understand.

To the believer this is a great comfort. We are safe to know that His love is driving Him to be closer to us, to speak to us, but not to love us more. He could not love us more, and will not ever love us less. To the unbeliever this is a great conviction and invitation. It is an invitation to join the family of Christ, of Jesus who came in the flesh as a man and died to kill your sin, and was resurrected to save you. To be His son and have rights to see Him, hear from Him, and speak to Him.

The Wonder

Wonder: A feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.

He is the sign. He is the wonder.

These lyrics point to something inexplainably amazing about God. He is the wonder. Notice it says "the" not "a" because He is the beauty above all beauties, and the perfection of all that we see and do not see. The more we know Him, the more we find this to be true. A boring God is no God at all.

His wisdom is infinite. His compassion is overwhelming. A greater love we could not find, for infinitude is above all things. The nature of our spirit is to desire His spirit, and we were indefinitely created to love and be loved. That is what it's all about; loving God due to the love He has shown us, then out of that love we desire to bring others to Him.

My end point is this. If God is boring to you, you must be worshipping the wrong God (or have the wrong definition of the right God). His very nature is to astound us and conform us to it. To motivate us to new revelations while still satisfying. This is an absolute truth.

The more I seek Him, the more I find Him
The more I find Him, the more I love Him.

Intimacy

It's the fuel of Christ. All that we are to do is supposed to be motivated by intimacy. Consider this. The more intimate you are with a person, the more you talk about them-they naturally come up in conversation with anyone at anytime. Just talk to any newly weds. You cant talk to a new bride for very long without some story or characteristic of her husband coming into the conversation. 

Also, we can hear that persons voice. Not only can we recognize it among all the other voices, but we can hear it anytime at all.  I've even gotten to the point of being able to imagine how someone would say something. Furthermore, if it's a healthy relationship, their voice is comforting. We love to just hear the persons voice, and often it doesn't hardly matter what they say. 

Sometimes He doesn't have to say anything at all.

This is intimacy. We can't love God until we know Him, and we can't know Him until we seek to know Him. We'll never want to know Him until we know how badly He is seeking to know us. That my friends is the gospel-that a perfect, loving, perfectly loving, strong, willing, and powerful God wants to know us intimately, and to help us radically.

The difference between those who walk in the Spirit and those who don't is not knowledge, not even scriptural. It isn't understanding. Shocker I know but most people who perform and see miracles have no way to describe what actually happened. The things of God are far beyond comprehension. His foolishness is our highest wisdom. The difference between those who are walking in holiness and those who aren't is those who are simply know him. How do they know him? They spend time with Him. The more they seek Him, the more they find Him. The more they find him, the more they love Him.

You truly cannot know him intimately without wanting to share Him, to talk about Him, to simply dwell in His presence, and to hear his voice. Seeking and discovering His love for you will naturally cause you to walk with Him, cast out demons, raise the dead, and lay hands on people for edification and healing. If you haven't before, start today.

The Desires of Your Heart

In "The Seven Longings of the Human Heart" by Mike Bickle, he talks about how we are to delight ourselves in the lord, and he will give us the desires of our heart. Most people think this means "if im a good Christian, God will give me what I want. If I live a good moral life, give to charities and attend church once a week God will give me a new car and nice house and white pocket fence." I agree with him that most people think this is what it means.

At best, you'll find a few people who think it means "as I get closer to  God, He will change my desires to be his desires. Before I wanted to get married, but once I'm closer, I'll want to be single. Before I wanted to be rich, but God will make me content with just enough." while I think this is closer than the first option, it's still not quite right. This concept seems like God is undermining us or manipulating us, making his love conditional, as if he's saying "if you loved me, you'd want this instead"

The reality is this. No dream is a bad one. Sex is a beautiful thing when inside the context of marriage. Marriage is a beautiful thing when the first love is Christ, and the second love remains as the spouse. You should not try to kill your dream, and many times you really don't even need to change it- you just need to pursue it in a righteous way. God would not give you a dream just to kill it.

The reality is that if your dream is to be a great mom, God probably wants you to be a great mom. If your dream is to own a big business, God probably wants you to own a big business. No dream is bad, and our God is a good God. However, the first and most important mission of our hearts should be to know Him, to grow in intimacy and passion for our Savior and Friend. Secondly, you are to let His love shine through you in such a way that others want what you have, so that as many as possible may be saved. So cling to your dream of that business, but remember that it is not simply an end, but a means for you to show the world how people of God run honest businesses. Cling to that dream of being a great mom, but remember that its another way to glorify him. Show all the other moms what it means to love their children with the love of Christ by loving your own children with His love.

All things were created by and for him, for his good pleasure. Thus, no dream is a bad dream, it just may be being pursued in a bad way. Pursue it by, through, and because of Him, through the power of the Spirit that works in you.