The greatest Love

Greater love has no one than this, that they laid down their life for their friend. 

These where the words bringing me into this valentines day.

The truth of love, the greatest love you can have, the only real reason love exists in this world, the picture of a man who gave up everything so that we wouldn’t have to suffer the total loss and separation from the father who loved us more then anything.

I’ve never been much of a fan of this consumer holiday. I don’t get how this world can celebrate a love they don’t even seem to understand. It all appears to be a form of buying someone’s love.

It’s a little painful to watch the world go wild with the pink and fluff of this holiday celebrating “Love”. I mean what does true love even look like?!

Let me give you a picture…

In the beginning was God. God is love.

When sin entered the world there was a wall that went up. A perfect God cannot be contaminated by sin.

This made God sad. He created us for the every purpose of love and relationship, not just with each other, but with himself.

God said that the punishment for sin was death and eternal separation from Him.

So he sent his only son. A son that was very much him down to this world to live a life much like we do only without the sin part.

He sent this child to the world with a mission. A mission to obliterate and destroy that wall of separation.

When the son was about 33 years old he gave himself up for this cause. This mission. To die the death that would bring down the wall and bring back a unity and love between God and his people.

But death could not keep Him. After 3 days dead this man came back to life. The wall had been ripped apart and still this mans story would not end in death.

Every sin in our lives was forgiven, the ones in the past and the ones in the future.

There is nothing we can do that will separate us from the love that God has for us. That love pursues us.

Day after day some of us try to build up that wall again. We try to ignore or discredit the thought that we are a forgiven people and we try to count the ways we shouldn’t be loved and why we will never make it.

When someone else does the work for you and all you have to do is step in a take the reward and the gift of accomplishment it is a hard thing to comprehend.

I think the hardest part of this is to choose to believe that anyone would ever die for us.

Part of the reason this is so hard is that there is two forces at work here. The God who already won, and the devil who is seeking any foothold or thought that he can attach himself too and drag us away from perfect love. Away from perfect forgiveness.

It’s time to stomp on the devils head and say no more, it’s time to say I want the truth. I’m taking it. It’s a gift to me, and I choose to receive it.

I CHOOSE LOVE.

Greater love has no one than this, that they lay down their life for a friend. John 15:13

That’s love. That’s real love.

Be still and wait patiently.

Life is unpredictable.

It changes with the seasons,

Even you coldest winter,

Happens for the best of reasons,

And though it feels eternal,

Like all you ever do is freeze,

I promise spring is coming,

And with it,

Brand new leaves.

-e.h.

Jodi’s thoughts from Psalm 37…

Take DELIGHT in the LORD,

And HE will give you the desires of your heart…

COMMIT your way to the LORD,

TRUST in HIM and HE will do this:

He will make your righteousness SHINE like the noonday sun.

BE STILL before the LORD,

And WAIT PATIENTLY for HIM.

Those who HOPE in the LORD will inherit the land.

The LORD makes FIRM the STEPS of the one who DELIGHTS in HIM;

Though HE may stumble, HE will NOT fall,

For the LORD upholds him with his hand.

My questions… (because I’ve been told it’s good for the mind to ask questions…)

-How do I delight in the Lord? What does that look like?

-What does shining righteousness look like?

-Be STILL? Wait Patiently? Who? ME?

-How does one inherit “the land”?

While I was focusing on BE STILL and WAIT PATIENTLY for the LORD.  I realized part of this is to “Let go” or release to God everything.

Everything that does not delight the way of the Lord.

Everything that does not fit with the promises that God has given me.

Everything and everyone that is standing in the way of my relationship with God.

I don’t think that this so much means STOP MOVING…there might be a time and a place for that, but the way I have started to read this section of scripture from God to me is something like this…

Let go of everything that is hindering your relationship with the me, Let go of your personal agenda and desires.

Wait patiently for whatever I has planned for you. Let Me bring to you My desires and My plan for you.

This doesn’t mean stop being you, or stop loving like I love. No, in fact, love more! As I release to you my Love for people, love them with all of my love.

This doesn’t mean stop moving and stop living. This means, in your daily walk let me lead you forward. Let me bring you into my presence and move only when I move. Be united in life with me. I have your best interest in mind and I will be the one to deliver you the deepest desires of your heart, cause I know best what’s in that heart of yours.

…Just some random Jodi thoughts for the day! Hope you enjoy!

The Sword and the Fruit...

On the day we join forces with Jesus, we are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. Eph. 1:13-14

We step into battle.

We are handed the SWARD of the spirit…Which is the word of God.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph. 6:17

The same sword the Holy Spirit uses in battle against the enemy. We are given this weapon as a gift, and told to make it our own.  To do this we must learn how to use it, practice and gain knowledge of the power we hold in our hands.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

As we use learn to use the sword of the spirit and wage war within our own lives, killing off our selfishness, anger, bitterness, etc.  we are slowly released from living under the authority of the law and start to operate in the fruit that comes from the Holy Spirit.

For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.

But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. Romans 7:5-6

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit of our lives as warriors of God using the powerful weapons of war He has given us should produce some amazing results!

What is the result of our actions today?

Where do we need to re-examine and re-focus the use of our spiritual armor?

The Paralyzing fear of Faith

 

By faith. How do you live your life by faith? What does that really mean?  We say we believe, then God asks us to put that faith into action and… oh, geez….(scared face!)

Why do we let the paralyzing fear control us over the power of God and our faith in Him?

When I think about faith, I think about Abraham and how he took his son to the top of a mountain to sacrifice him to God, because he believed in the promises of God for his future. When God said I will make your descendants like the stars in the sky everyone was assuming that He would start with this child.  Abraham believe that no matter what, God would not forsake him, and that He would bring the boy back to life or give him another son.  Abraham didn’t know what the result would be, but he believed in a God bigger then himself.  He believed in the God of life and death.  (read the whole story for yourself Genises 22)

I think what God was really asking for here was obedience. The act of obedience out of faith. It’s something I’m learning doesn’t always make sense in my little human mind; sometimes God gives us a job that is bigger than we are.  He gives us things that we are incapable of outside His power. 

Stepping into the act of obedience without the full knowledge of the outcome is something that has to be done by faith.  Jumping in like this can very often can be deemed as stupid to the world.

This week God asked me to step out in an act of obedience and faith.  My journey has nothing to do with sacrificing anyone on an alter!!! It is simply Him asking me to believe in the best for myself.  The best that He has for me. Not to settle in any area of my life, but to surrender it all to Him knowing that he wants so much more for me then I do for myself.  He has asked me to surrender in every area of my life, not just the things I feel comfortable giving him control of, but the things that I want power over myself. 

To say the least, I’m scared.  Why?  Maybe I’m afraid that He will ask me to do something that I don’t want to do.  Maybe I don’t have the faith I know I should have. Maybe I just like control.

No matter the amount of fear I feel and the seconds of freaking out uncontrollably, I still have that sense of peace.  The peace that is bigger than this world; A peace that can only come from the beautiful power and love of the grace of my God. In spite of the fear, I know my God is in control. I know that I live in His kingdom and I am so excited to experience the depth of His love. 

Even if I never see the end result of my act of faith and obedience on this earth, I can walk in the peace and love of my Father God, and there is no other place I would rather be. God doesn’t promise us a life of ease or even a clear result of the lives we’ve lived, but He does promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. (Deut. 31:8)

I Bless your spirit today to step into a place of authority over your mind, body and emotions. I bless your spirit to connect with Holy Spirit and claim the promises He has for you today.  I bless you know that you are a creative, beautiful reflection of God. I bless you to enjoy each moment of today and surrender each fear, pain and disappointment to the author of life, claiming the life full of grace, peace and joy that is being poured out on you right now.

The Love kind of Change.

Instead of joining the war of what’s right and wrong right now, I just want to encourage my fellow Christians to do something more powerful then join in the argument.  I want to encourage you to love. It’s that simple.  You’re not going to change people with your stupid opinions.  They have enough of their own and are not going to be swayed by yours. The one thing that will sway the popular opinion is to love.

If you love a person with all the love of Jesus, that love will change them from the inside out.  I mean, isn’t that what it did for you?

The love of Jesus changed you!

Jesus loved you so much that He created you. He gave you life. Why? He allowed you the freedom to sin. Why? He died to take the punishment for your sin. Why?  He still loves you even though you failed again. Why? Because, He loves you, and He want’s to have a relationship with you.

Every time you let Jesus love you, you change a little more.  You open up and let the pain and anger and hatred and everything ugly out and love pours in. The changes might be little and hard to see, but take a look at your life five years ago. Your different.  The difference you are seeing right now is either good or bad...It’s either the process of love, or the poison of pain, anger, etc.

Don’t be the pain and anger that stops the change in people’s lives.  Be the love that leads to a faithful relationship with Papa!

Don’t forget that God’s not done working on you yet! Take this opportunity to grow a little yourself. Let this be a season to open up and let some of your own wounds be healed. 

“the battle was exhilarating, but I’m tired and, it’s ok."

 Sunday morning, I was ready for Church. There was a part of me that wanted to go. I didn’t. I sat down on the floor in the corner of my room and I wrote this.

Why? Why was I struggling like this right now? Why was I in this place that I couldn’t even really describe? What was this discouragement that I felt and this weight of responsibility weighing down on me?

I knew there where people that looked at me and saw something different. I couldn’t be failing them.  I was different. I was full of the love and joy and hope of Jesus. I was born to show this to the world and to express the love of God.  

Then where was the Joy? Why couldn’t I feel any of it right now? Why couldn’t I feel anything? Anything but tired. So tired all the time. A deep, deep tired that seemed to seep through my body soul and spirit and land with a resounding thud in the depths of my core. I didn’t want to fake something so amazing as the love and joy of God, but I wasn’t feeling it right now. Not in a way that this world would understand anyway.

This depression had been apart of me for as long as I could remember. This tiredness was something that I had been working my way through for years. Trying always to keep the Joy that God’s love was suppose to give me. I couldn’t today.  I was barely making it through my short work shifts before going home and collapsing to sleep for two to three hours.  Eat, sleep and work. That’s what I was doing. Surviving.  Barely. 

I don’t survive well. I never have.  I have never been able to live a life just to survive.  I am a thriver. A person that needs to be working toward a cause. I need a project and a goal.  Something greater then myself.  I needed God’s direction.

So, what’s happening here? Where is this deep tired coming from?

I sure don’t have all the answers, but I believe for me it started with expectation.

Expectation from myself of where I thought I should be in this world by this time in life. You know, the life with a carrier, married, with a family.  That’s what most people my age where doing.

Expectations of what I believe others think I should be doing. Yeah, Pretty much the same thing. Married, family, good job. At least settled in one place with a plan and a goal as to what would be happening in the next few years. Haha.

Expectation of what I think God believes I should be doing. Even just writing that makes me cringe.  What am I thinking…I know that God loves me and created me for a relationship with him.  He knows exactly what I’m going through and how much I’m struggling with life right now and He doesn’t love me any less.

What a load of crap, All of it! 

Here’s what I know for fact…

You’re career position doesn’t define you. Duh!

Money won’t bring you happiness or joy, Only God can do that.

Being married or in a relationship doesn’t “complete” you. That’s apart of God’s job as well.

Emotion is healthy.  The lows don’t define the highs. Usually low’s follow the highs. 

Rest doesn’t mean your being lazy. Rest was created as a way to keep your body healthy and strong. 

I did a self-evaluation this week, and by my own standards, I failed miserably. I found myself as Elijah did in 1 Kings 19 exhausted and just wanting to be done with it all.  

I needed rest. Rest is a gift from God. A treasure that few of us understand or realize how badly we need and desire it.  We push ourselves to be, to accomplish, to grow, to become, to live. When what we really need to do is STOP. Stop trying. Stop moving and just sit and rest. 

When we do this, God will meet us there, It the quiet moment.  That is where His Joy becomes full again.  In 1 Kings 19 it talks about how Elijah was going up the mountain to find God.  He went through an earthquake, a hurricane, and a fire and still hadn’t found God.  After all of this was over, there was a small whisper, a gentle and quiet voice.  The voice of God coming to Elijah with encouragement and strength.

If your like me, and you have been searching through the hurricane and the fire and earth quake for God, let’s stop.  Let’s sit and rest and let the still small voice of the Holy Spirit wash over us. Let’s just rest and be in the center of His love. 

Let’s let go of the “responsibilities and expectations” that have been placed on us, or that we have put on ourselves, and lets rest in the quiet.

Let’s be ok with the low after the high. Let’s be ok with not doing some of this stuff that we have deemed essential and spiritually acceptable and let’s start letting God renew us in His quiet gentle way. 

And above all, lets be real. Real with our issues, real with our pain. Real with the fact that following Christ isn’t always cherries on top. Let’s be as real with the low’s as we are with the highs.  

We still know where our strength comes from. We aren’t failing anything. It’s in times like these that God is working for us.  The times when we have no strength left and we end up fighting ourselves, God is stepping in and saying to us. I’m right here leading you beside a quiet river, “making” you sit down and rest.  I will give you future direction, but only when you’re ready, only when you rest and are healthy enough to stand up and move forward.

It’s all apart of the journey. 

Be ok with the quiet, rest.