Stepping Off The Cliff

I frequently hear people say “God is never going to give you more than you can handle” when I have faced an overwhelming circumstance. All I can say is “hogwash!” More often than not, God has allowed things to enter my life that I could not remotely handle. I also have plenty of friends who would say the same thing with the circumstances they have faced in their lives. I’m sure each one of us can relate, at least to one degree or another. We all have had occasions in our lives that we have felt like we were drowning. I truly believe that God allows our worlds to “fall apart” just so that we come to the end of ourselves and to the beginning of Him.

I was thinking the other day about how God has asked my family to step off the cliff (spiritually speaking). In the natural, selling everything we owned, leaving a steady job, being forced to rely on the generous giving of others each month for our survival, and uprooting our entire family to one of the poorest countries in the world was God’s way of saying “step off the cliff.” It’s as if the Lord’s voice echoed “I dare you to leave everything sensible in this world and take a leap of faith that will cause you to be completely out of control. Yes, it will absolutely be more than you can handle, but watch what I can do with the things you can’t do.” 

When God called us to Liberia, there was no promise that my kids would not get sick and die, there was no promise that money would keep coming to sustain us, there was no promise that things were going to be okay. In other words, when God called our family to step off the cliff, He did not give us a parachute or a harness and rappelling ropes for us to bail ourselves out. There were no safety nets under us or helicopters standing in the waiting for our rescue. When God called us to step off the cliff, there was no turning back. The Lord dared our family to step out knowing that we had no chance of stepping back onto the safety and security of our comfort zones, aka, the cliff in which we we had left behind.

Two years after stepping off this cliff, our family would absolutely say that there have been many times we felt like we were free falling out of control. But, even in the midst of the falling, we are continually reminded that our lives are not falling apart, but rather falling into place. Stepping out when the ground beneath is unable to be seen is a scary place. But we have learned that when the Lord calls us to step off the cliff, it absolutely will be more than we can handle, but it will never be more than God can handle. And that my friend, is all the safety net we will ever need!

Call to Action

What is God calling you to step into and leave behind? I encourage you today to seek the Lord and find out what step of faith He is calling you into next. May the Lord birth in your heart the desire to step off the cliff of faith and never look back.

Heavenly Father I thank you for calling us into places of unknown, places that require us to take leaps of faith, to step off the cliff and give surrender some things in our lives. Show us the cliff you have for each of us to step off of in your kingdom. Fill us with the faith that draws us to the end of ourselves and into the beginning of you. We pray against the temptation to stay in our comfort zones, but to step out and free fall into your perfect will for our lives. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.

The Still Small Voice of God

“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” 1 Kings 9:11-13

Several things came to Elijah while standing on Mt. Horeb. The first was a “great and powerful wind that tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks,” but the Lord was not in the wind. Next came an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. A fire came last, but the Lord was not in the fire either. The sound of the Lord’s voice came as a gentle whisper. If Elijah would have not had his ears ready he would have missed the Lord’s voice entirely. This story got my mind wondering how many times I am looking for God to speak in this thunderous, earth shattering, electrifying voice, that I completely miss the subtle whisper of his sweet beckoning. Is it me, or does anyone else expect God to speak with a flashing neon sign that says “this is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21)? I think sometimes our expectation of God’s voice is so far from reality we completely miss the still small whisper that He so desperately desires for our ears to be attuned to. 

“Then the Lord called Samuel. 
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:4-10

Samuel was a young boy of about 11 when he heard God calling to him in the midnight hour. During this time it was rare to hear the voice of the Lord (1 Samuel 3:1). This was largely due to the fact that the prophets had stopped listening. They had rebelled, allowing sin to be their lifestyle rather than the ways of the Lord. Sin blocked God’s voice from entering their ear. This didn’t mean that God had stopped speaking, it simply meant that they had stopped listening by allowing sin to dam up the channel for God’s voice to travel freely. Oh, how this resonates with me! How many times have I dug my heels into the ground of “being right” and in the meantime missing the sound of my Father’s gentle calling. Oh, how sin can easily dam up my ears from that sweet voice. Is anyone else like that, or am I the only one in this boat?

Since Samuel was young and still largely uninfluenced by the rebellious nature of the prophets of his day, he was able to hear the voice of the Lord for himself. However, having no experience in hearing the sound of God’s voice he assumed that it was Eli calling for him. Once Eli realized that it was the Lord, he instructed Samuel to attune his listening ear to what God had to say to him. “Speak, for your servant is listen.” 

How many times do we miss the Lord’s still small voice all because we do not recognize that it is the Lord speaking? I know I am guilty of missing the gentle proddings of God's tender words. Sometimes, I just wish the Lord would scream, shout or yell to get my attention. But I heard it said somewhere that the Lord is a gentleman. His character is not one that will back us into a corner. We will always have the choice to listen for the whisper. But like so many other things in kingdom living, attuning our ears to the sound of God’s voice takes practice, patience, and a willingness to wait. God doesn’t usually speak on our time table. We need to foster an attitude of waiting for His timing.

“ Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…” Psalm 37:7

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27”14

I truly believe that God is speaking to us all of the time, but somewhere between the distractions of life that cause us to take our eyes of Christ and the sin that so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1) blockages are happening. We get so busy with the cares of life, we forget to just be still and wait patiently.

Call to Action
Keeping an attitude of repentance and learning to be still before the Lord will go a long way in helping us to free up any blockages that may occur in our hearing. By allowing the Lord to work in our heart to show us any areas that need adjusting and then making those changes will free up our ears to hear His still small voice. However, this is a practice that we need to continually return to each and every day. This takes time, but God's voice will become clear and frequent when we are diligent in these areas. I want to encourage each one of us, myself included, to humble ourselves before the Lord and work on keeping an attitude of repentance today. Let's also set aside at least 10 minutes of uninterrupted time today to quiet our hearts before the Lord and just listen, not pray with a list of requests, but with no words, be still, quiet and wait. I'm not saying God will speak in those 10 minutes, but if we get ourselves in the habit of doing these things each day, the Lord will meet us!

Heavenly Father, I pray for ears so finely tuned to your voice that when you whisper we will hear it clearly. Help us to keep our hearts humble and in a place of repentance so sin is not blocking your voice from reaching our ears. In all our distractions, may we take the time to be still and quiet our hearts and minds before you. We pray for a greater attentiveness to your still small voice. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. 

Who Am I Lord?

“But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”  Exodus 3:11

Who am I that I should go?

 The Lord does not make mistakes in His calling of anyone and Moses was no exception despite his feelings of inadequacy. In fact, it is in the very moments of inadequacy, fear, doubt, and insecurities that God can truly use us the most. At one point in time, Moses had all the qualifications of a confident leader. He had power (being adapted by the Pharaoh’s daughter). He had acquired an understanding of the Egyptian culture and the inner workings of their court. Moses had been raised in the Egyptian customs for 40 years. It was all he had ever known. He could have weaseled the Israelites right out from under the hand of Pharaoh. However, God doesn’t work that way. He will consistently use the weak to bring down the strong, the foolish things to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27) and meek to inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). God moves no differently in the life of Moses. He could have easily used Moses when he was in a predominant place of influence and power, but he chose to wait until Moses found himself in a place of humble position. By the time God calls Moses to deliver His people, Moses had spent 40 years in the desert laboring as a shepherd and raising a family. 

I can only imagine what was going through Moses’ mind...

“But Lord, I am a man who was forced out of my country in Egypt into exile in a foreign land for 40 years. I am a poor shepherd of which the Egyptians find detestable (Genesis 46:34). Yes, there was a time when I was known to Pharaoh, dwelt in his court, and had great influence and authority in that place, seeing that I was adopted as a son to the king's daughter, but now I am completely unknown in Egypt. Besides, the current Pharaoh has tremendous power, possesses an immense army, and will surely prevent me from walking the unarmed, defenseless Israelites out of his country. What the heck am I supposed to do with that Lord?!?”

“So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Exodus 3:12

I love God’s response… “I will certainly be with you.”  If God had said nothing more to Moses, that would have been more than enough assurance for Moses to move forward on God’s commission. However, Moses continues…

“Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Exodus 4:1

Moses still doesn’t believe that “I will certainly be with you” is enough. I heard it said one time that when we say “what if” it’s like saying I FEAR. (The IF stands for I Fear) In other words, Moses is saying "What I fear is that they will not believe me or listen to me. I fear they will tell me the Lord did not appear to you.” 

Isn’t that just like us? Instead of trusting God when He says “I will certainly be with you” and taking him at His word we reply back with “Who am I Lord” or “I fear…” 

God continues to show patience with Moses by showing him the weapon He has placed in his hands. God points out to Moses that his staff will be used to show Pharaoh and all of Egypt God’s supernatural power. (Exodus 4:2-9)

Again, Moses still full of fear and insecurities replies… 

“Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” Exodus 4:10

Moses replies this way as if to say again “Who am I Lord?”

Finally equip with his brother Aaron, his staff and most importantly the Lord who had promised “I will certainly be with you”, Moses went to Egypt.

Talk about a man full of fear, doubt and insecurities! But as I have read this story of Moses, I have only found myself penciled out in the pages of scripture. A woman full of fear, doubt and insecurities. "Who am I Lord? What if… I have never been eloquent in speech, Lord." Yes, those phrases seem to repetitively echo in my ears. Those phrases have kept me awake at night. How ironic it is for a woman like myself to be sent to “Egypt” (aka Liberia) to free God’s people from their bondage. How ironic it is for a woman full of fear, doubt and insecurities to find herself smack dab in the middle of Egypt. I have to chuckle sometimes at God’s sense of humor. How funny it is to use the insignificant in very strategic ways. When God uses people who ask the question “Who am I Lord?” we can rest assured that it is God’s hand doing the work and not our own. Praise God for that! So, just like Moses, we can stand back and watch the Lord do the supernatural through an unqualified people.

For more reading connected with this topic read: Believe and Not Doubt, Who Am I?

Dear Heavenly Father, how humbling it is to know that in the face of all our weaknesses and shortcomings, you can still use each and every one of us. Thank you for showing yourself faithful. I pray that each one who reads this will see that you desire to use them in a mighty way to showcase your glory in and through their brokenness. Thank you for using our weaknesses to bring down strongholds, our foolishness to confound the wisdom of man, and our meekness to inherit this earth and grow you kingdom. We pray that you use each one of us to make your name famous. In your precious name we pray. 

Who Do You Say I Am?

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-17

“Who do you say I am?”

What if Jesus asked us this question? Would we give as clear and concise answer as Simon Peter? Or would we stumble around like the other disciples listing off the thoughts of everyone else? I would like to think that my ears would be so in tune with my Heavenly Father that I would hear the still small whisper divinely answered in my ear. However, I might just be like the other disciples listing off all the voices of the flesh that had been screaming aloud from the media, the television evangelists, or the local radio preacher. I sometimes wonder how influenced I have become simply by existing in this world around me without even realizing it. Would I even recognize the revealing of the Heavenly Father?

Living in the third world has caused us to ask some of these questions. We have observed the church here become so riddled with the “flesh and blood,” as Jesus refers to it, that they don’t know the difference between who Jesus was (and still is) and who John the Baptist was. In other words, here in Liberia, Jesus has no more power than the next guy. In fact, by their actions at times, Jesus has less power then the sources they seek out. John the Baptist was not given any divine power to heal the sick, cause the lame to walk, or set the captives free. He was not Christ. He was not the Son of God. He was not God in the flesh. But, somewhere along the way, Jesus, the Almighty One, lost His power in the eyes of the Liberians and it was given to another. This is no different than what the Isrealite children did in the desert, or what they did again and again when they arrived in the promised land. They would set up idols, Asherah poles, high places and in essence gave the power to another “god.”

So, back to my original question, “Who do you say I am?” Either Jesus has the power, or we have given it to another. Do we truly believe that Christ is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God?, or are we, of little faith, looking to other sources for our help in our times of trouble? In the western world we rely on our 401ks and our healthcare systems when we get into trouble. What would we do if none of those existed? Would we run to some other source to fix our troubles, or would we run to our ever present help in times of trouble?

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm  46:1

If we really say that Christ is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, than our hearts need to run to Him when we are in need of help, comfort, and strength. 

Heavenly Father, forgive me for not running to you first when I face challenges. Help me to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. Father, I pray that not my will but yours be done in my life and the lives of those who read this post. We pray that you become greater in us as we become less. Father, it’s not about us, it never was and never will be, but it is all about you, for your honor, and for your glory. We lay our lives at your feet. Do as your heart desires in our lives. Let us speak all that you reveal to us through your word and through your still small voice. We pray that you seal these things upon our hearts this day. In your precious name.  

Do you love me?

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
John 21: 15-17

I find it interesting in this passage of scripture that Jesus would ask Peter three times in a row if he loved Him. As you study out the original Greek and Hebrew of this word love you realize why. In the English language we just have one word for love, but many definitions, or expressions of the word love. However, in the Greek, there are six different words for love with six very distinct meanings and expressions. In the Hebrew, they have three different words for love, each conveying a very different weight and connotation to it. I feel like the original language does a better job of helping us to see into the heart of Peter in this passage better than our current English translation can. 

The original Greek
I wanted to take some time and examine the Greek words used in this passage. When Jesus asks Peter the first time if he loves Him (vs 15). That word love in the Greek is agape. This word carries a unique weight to it because it is the word used in scripture time and time again to describe the way God loves. Agape love is an all-consuming passion for the well being of the one being loved. It is a love that esteems, elevates, prizes, and delights in others expecting nothing in return. It keeps loving when the love is not reciprocated when the one being loved is unkind, unlovable, unworthy and rejecting the love being given. It is an unconditional love that only desires the best for the one being loved and nothing less. Doesn’t that just sound like our Heavenly Father? Agape love is God. That is the very definition of who He is. Agape love is how He loves us! 

Now that we understand the weight associated with this word agape, let’s return to Peter. When Jesus asks “do you agape me?” I can just picture Peter squirming a bit and somewhat getting defensive as he answers… “you know I love you.” But here is where it gets interesting. Peter does not respond with the word agape. He responds with a completely different word for love and he says... “you know I “philos” you Lord.” 

This word philos has an entirely different meaning and carries a much lighter weight than the word agape. It is a word that means brotherly love, a friendship kind of love. It is a fondness or a liking for another person. I read one definition that actually went as far as to say that this type of love can collapse in times of crisis. When I read this it made me stop and wonder if Peter was unknowingly foreshadowing his coming denial of knowing Jesus (Luke 22:54-71) when he said... of course I philos you, Lord. 

If we keep reading Jesus asks Peter a second time “do you truly agape me?” Again, I can picture Peter still squirming and feeling a bit perturbed with Jesus’ questioning… “Yes, Lord, you know that I philo you.” Now, for a second time in a row, Peter did not answer with the same word. I wonder if that word agape had such weight in the original Greek that it was too much for Peter to even speak? 

Finally, Jesus asked Peter a third time if he loved Him, but this time instead of agape He used philo, love of the friendship variety, a brotherly kind of love. Peter again replied with… “you know that I philo you.” Finally, Peter’s answer was lining up with Jesus’ question!

I don’t believe Jesus was trying to exasperate Peter here by repeating the same question over and over again, but I do believe Jesus was trying to make a point. We serve a God that loves us with an all-consuming kind of love, a love that cannot be broken, weakened or taken away. What Christ was showing here is His desire for us to love Him with that level of passion. As I studied this out I found myself asking...Do I really agape the Lord? Do I really love Christ in the manner He desires for me to love Him? God desires an all in composing, all-consuming kind of agape love. Do I even remotely give that type of love to Him or is it more of the friendship variety?
Just like Peter, I can honestly say that I absolutely philo the Lord, but agape Him is a whole new dimension, one that I wonder if I have remotely come close to.  

Call to action
How about you? Do you love the Lord with the weight of an agape kind of love, or does it lean more towards the philo or friendship type? I know there are some of us out there who can honestly answer that we love the Lord in an all-encompassing, all-consuming agape type of love. But for those of us whose love for the Lord leans more towards the philos variety, we have some work to do.  I wish I could say I have answers for moving from one level of love to another, but I do not. I will be seeking the Lord to reveal to my heart how to make that transition. I am just thankful that the Lord brought me to a place where I noticed there was a difference. 

To read more on the topic of love visit the series on love.

Father, thank you for showing me the difference between the agape love that you shower upon me and the philos love that I end up returning. My heart’s prayer is that you bring me to a place where I can love you and others with an agape love, one that does not have expectations involved. I pray for anyone reading this post that may need to make a change in their level of love for you, that you deal with their hearts compassionately and gently. Lead them to a greater understanding of agape love. Show us, Lord, how to love like you! Show us how to agape others!

Provision In Obedience

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” Matthew 4:18-22 (emphasis mine)

This portion of scripture clearly shows an unadulterated faith and obedience in Jesus Christ. These men recognized instantly the power and authority that was upon Him and did not hesitate to lay aside the things of this life to follow. Jesus had just begun His ministry and I am sure these men had heard from John the Baptist, but it is quite possible that this is the very first time that they had actually laid eyes on Him. Can you imagine leaving everything you have ever known to go with someone you have just met? I’m sure they had great anticipation of His coming since John the Baptist had relentlessly paved the way for His coming. I can only assume that they did not feel that they were meeting a stranger but a long-awaited friend and in the moment when their eyes locked they did not question His words. Jesus said come and they left the security of their jobs and families and without hesitation and followed.

As I have shared with you all a previous post our family has undergone a similar experience. We have left a secure job, our home, and everything we knew to be our “security” and followed. But can I just say this, when He calls and you go, your needs will always be taken care of. There will always be provision when we move in obedience! We have spent the last 3 months on the road raising funds for Liberia, West Africa and we are gearing up for another 3 months before we can leave for Liberia. We continue to pray that the funds come in to not only get us on the ground but to keep us there so we can do the things God has laid in our hearts to do. We are learning that our God is not limited in the slightest. He is also very creative in his ways of provision. When a family of five lives on the road for three months you can better believe that this is not cheap! But We watched the Lord use people in amazing ways to meet needs that we were not even expecting or asking for! Just as it says in Ephesians “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20. There were so many times we did not even ask or think about God providing in the ways that He did, but to this day He continues to astound us in His creative abilities the ways He provides for His children.

Examples

When traveling on the road we often found ourselves eating fast food. And let me tell you, this gets old quick! One of our go-to places to alleviate the greased down feeling that most fast food joints leave you feeling with is Subway. It is a much healthier option when you're in need of something quick. Like usual, we were standing in line conversing with the other customers. We often get asked why our kids are “out of school.” Well, since they are homeschooled this is an easy segway into what we are doing as a family. We get through the line and ready to pay and the cashier tells me that my bill has been taken care of. I almost cried! Here we were a family of five minding our own business and someone was willing to bless us with a meal. I looked around and caught eyes with the lady standing behind me in line and realized she had taken care of our meal. With tears in my eyes, I thanked her. My children quickly followed suit. We were completely blown away by God’s hand in it all.

While we are on the road we live out of a travel trailer. It is a tight squeeze, but it’s home and that thought seems to alleviate some of the discomforts of the close quarters. When you live in a travel trailer full time it is bound to have both the normal wear and tear of the road plus the general maintenance that any travel trailer is going to need. So when our initial three months was done we took it to an RV shop and told them everything we needed to be done. We had mentioned that we were paying about $50 a month to store it in a storage unit and he told us that we could store it at his shop for $30 a month. He stores a number of other trailers and RVs and that it would not be a problem. This was great news! Any way we could cut costs is always helpful! We also had the opportunity to share what we are doing as a family and upon hearing his, the owner of the RV shop got so excited. He had just started going to church about a year ago. So, it was very evident he was still a very new and eager Christian, such a refreshing thing to see! He talked about his wife and how faithful she had been over the years with church and now he had finally decided to join her and does not regret it one bit. He was so moved by our story he actually called up his wife while we were standing there. He shared with her that he offered to store our trailer for us, but he said: “we can’t charge them for that can we?” To which his wife quickly replied, “No we can’t.” So, now we have a safe place to store our trailer free of charge! Praise the Lord! After getting off the phone with his wife he told us he would take a look at our trailer, let us know if there was anything else that needed to be taken care of and give us a total cost before he did any work. We didn’t want to end up with a huge bill and wonder how we were going to juggle paying for it when it came.

About a week went by and we hadn’t heard from the RV shop and we were getting a little worried. When the phone call did come the RV shop owner ran down through the extensive list of work he had done to the trailer. This made my husband extremely anxious because we had specifically asked to have an estimate before the work was done. As the owner finished out the laundry list of items he concluded with this… “And your total comes to a whopping ZERO!” My husband was speechless. The RV shop owner had taken care of all of the things we needed to be fixed on the trailer plus did some things that we hadn’t expected all because he wanted us to be safe on the road! Wow! If that is not the hand of God, I don’t know what is. The total was over $800.00 but the bill said paid in full! It still makes me cry as I share this story with you all. Our God is so awesome! “...He will never let the righteous fall.” Psalm 55:22 (NLT)

When we were on the road time and time again we had people who give directly to our family rather than through the organization we are with so that they could help with food and gas. It truly was amazing to watch God’s hand of provision rise up. There was never a need that did not go unmet. We never lacked for a single thing. This is when you can be certain that you have heard the voice of the Lord correctly because “my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you meet all of our needs according to your riches in glory. I thank you that when you ask us to follow you that you will always provide for us, you are never going to let the righteous fall or your seed begging for bread. Thank you for taking care of us in the calling. Your hand is never too short! Our needs are always taken care of, even those needs we did not see coming or were not asking for, you have already provided a way for. Thank you! Help us to hear your voice when you call and not to question, but to follow without hesitation just like Simon, Andrew, James, and John. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus.

Love (Part 8)

Looking back on the last 7 weeks of posts and trying to wrap my mind around the vastness of our Father’s love is just so indescribable to me. But if I could sum it up it would come to this, God’s love is a lavished love without conditions and limits. It comes freely with no strings attached and no expectations. His love never grows tired, weary, or discontent with us. His love is patient, kind and respectful. It honors and elevates, hopes in and protects our hearts. His love is never boastful, proud, rude or arrogant. Our Father’s love is serving and selfless. It is slow to anger and abounding in adoration for us. It keeps no records of our mistakes and it carries our sins upon its shoulders. The precious love of God is rich in grace and mercy and drenched with compassion. His love rejoices over us with wholehearted zeal. His love yearns to be with us so much so that it causes Him to passionately pursue a relationship with us. This just scratches the surface of God’s love, but it has been enough to prove to my insecure self that I have a daddy who loves me more than words can even express and in my moments of doubt I find myself needing to rehearse these very words you have just read about His love. I know that this journey of discovering God’s love is not over, but I have just been simply undone by the immensity of it all! My prayer is that you have been able to discover some beautiful truths about our Heavenly Father’s love for you and that it profoundly affects your heart for eternity.

We have spent five weeks discussing 1 Corinthians 13:5-7, but what is important to note is the verses that precede this section of scripture.

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Love trumps all the giftings and talents we might have. There is nothing in our talents, abilities or God-given giftings that can withstand the test of time. When we operated without God’s love it is only a matter of time before someone recognizes that we are in it for the love of self. When we get right down to it, if we don’t have a love for God, we have a love of self, and that is precisely the kind of love the world recognizes as flakey, fakey and a bunch of bologna. Everything about us must be married and interwoven with God’s love flowing in us and through us or we truly are worth nothing to this world. Let’s face it, this world has enough talented people who do not love with the love of Christ, we certainly don’t need to add to that list of individuals. We don’t want to be the resounding gong in the ears of this unbelieving world, but rather the tender whisper of the precious love of Christ. That tender whisper will draw those around us to our Heavenly Father.  

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

There are so many hidden truths yet to be revealed to my heart, but one thing I know for sure God’s love is the most important truth my heart needs to grab hold of and never let go. As we close out this series on love, I pray that your heart is drawn ever closer to the steadfast love of our Heavenly Father. He loves you to the cross and back.

Our precious Lord, there are no words to express the gratitude in our hearts for your unfailing love you have for us. Thank you for flooding us with a kind of love that chases after us in a very passionate way. Help us to grasp how wide, how long, how high and how deep your love is for us so that we can be a vessel used to pour out your love into a lost and dying world. Lord, we do not want to be a clanging gong in the ears of others, but rather a sweet and tender whisper that draws many to your feet. Let your love in us be evident to everyone we meet. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.  

To read the other posts from this series on God’s love please go to the Love series page.

Love (Part 7)

What an honor it is to be loved by a faithful Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally right where we are, but He is also the ultimate example of what love is all about. There is no better way to learn about love than from the very author of love Himself. I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful to be on this journey towards a deeper understanding of God’s love. This journey has truly been a refreshing to my spirit in more ways then I can even express in words. We still have four more concepts about love to cover from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and they are, love always protects, always trusts always hopes and always perseveres. Let’s jump right in shall we?

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love always protects.

The Latin origin of the word “protect” literally means to cover over or to walk in front of. When we think of protection our minds often go towards our own desire to keep hurt, pain and suffering from those we love. This can not always be the case. Love may not take the pain away, but like a bandage, it covers over and protects the wounds that have already been inflicted. Love comes alongside and holds our hands when the road of life gets rockier than we anticipated. God’s love works in an even greater measure than this simple bandage analogy. God’s love not only covers our wounds, but His love actually brings the healing oil that allows those wounds to begin the healing process. When we love with the love of Christ, we bring not only the covering of God’s love to others (the bandage) but also the healing oil that can change a heart for eternity.

Love always trusts.

I had a hard time wrapping my mind around this one because putting it plainly, our humanness is not always trustworthy. I don’t know about you, but I have dropped the ball a time or two and have needed to regain trust in different areas of my life. When I read this verse my mind immediately reverted in that direction. How is it even possible for love to always trust when we in our humanness are not always trustworthy? This is why I love studying out scripture because the Lord has a way of changing my views on things, especially when I am careful to keep a teachable spirit about me. This word “trusts” comes from the Greek word “pistis” which means: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness. So, in other words, love believes in others. Love has faith that God is going to work in the heart even in those moments when the wrong path might be chosen. Love has confidence in God that He is going to bring the heart to a place where it will call upon the name of the Lord and seek His face. The takeaway here is this, when we put our focus on the sin that people are entangled in, we will become discouraged, but when we put our trust, faith, and confidence in our Heavenly Father’s love for that person, it is then that our love for them has the ability to always trust. Not that we are trusting in their ability to choose righteousness, but that we trust in the ability of our Heavenly Father to give them a desire to choose righteousness for themselves. Love always trusts God’s ability to do His part in the situation.  

God’s love always trusts in us. His love always has full faith in our potential. Our Heavenly Father is our biggest cheerleader. He desires for us to succeed in His kingdom. He believes in each and every one of us! What a precious thought to know that the Lord is our greatest supporter no matter what we are facing. We might be choosing the valley of the shadow of death, but God believes in the potential that He has created us for. His love trusts in us!

Love always hopes.

This word “hopes” means to expect or anticipate. When love always hopes, it is expecting and anticipating great things. Just like we talked about our trust needing to be in our Heavenly Father to see change brought about in the hearts and lives of those around us, our hope needs to lie in those same hands. When we hope in people we will be disappointed time and time again, but when our hope is in the Lord and His perfect timing for those around us we will never be disappointed. God’s love never fails. We don’t always see things turn out the way we wanted, but that does not mean that love should stop hoping. God’s love expects beauty to come from our ashes, strength to spring forth from our fears, gladness to take the place of our morning and peace to replace our despair. These things are all possible because we have a God who loves hopes for us.

Love always perseveres.

I think there is a reason why “love always perseveres” is the last on the list in this section of scripture. The Lord truly has saved the best characteristic of love for last! GOD’S LOVE WILL NOT QUIT ON US!!!!! His love will never fail, never give up or run out on us. It will never fade, grow tired, or become weary. His love will never weaken, never waver or soften one us in the slightest. It is unshakeable, unstoppable, unrelenting and unyielding. God’s love is immovable, constant, persistent and endless. His love does not slow down, take a break or relax. God’s love for you and I is intense, unquenchable and relentless. His love seeks and saves! God’s love never stops, it always perseveres. Wow! It’s no wonder we have a difficult time loving with the love of Christ. How many people do we truly love with that much intensity? I know I have a long way to go in this department. I pray that God teaches me how to love with the intensity of Christ.  

Heavenly Father, there are not enough words to begin to express the gratitude in our hearts for the immense love you shower on us each and every second of every single day. Thank you that your love always protects, always trusts always hopes and always perseveres. Help us to love others in such a way that we put our trust and hope in you in their hearts and not become discouraged when they don’t choose righteousness. Thank you for this intense love that does not waver in the slightest over us. Thank you for loving us recklessly. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.

To read any other posts from this series on God’s love please visit the Love series page.

Love (Part 6)

As we steadily work through 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, I pray that we are beginning to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ truly is (Ephesians 3:18).

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

I believe this not only encompasses the actual wrongs that have been done to us, but maybe even more importantly than that, the wrongs that we perceive to have been done to us as well. If we are truly being honest here, we don’t see situations as they always are. Sometimes we get offended and get a chip on our shoulder all because we “think” we know what is going on, even if we “think” we know both sides of the story. Love holds the trump card against our freedom to get offended and dangle it over someone’s head. If we truly love, then we need to be willing to rise above the little black book of memories that we can have a tendency to cling onto until our knuckles turn white. Instead, we should be thankful for the precious moments that are set before us to make things right.

I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father does not keep a little black book of offended memories dangling over my head. If there was such a book it would not be so little because I know I am a sinner of the most tiresome kind. Not only does He not keep a little black book, but according to Hebrews 8:12, the Lord forgives our sins and remembers them no more. Our sins are wiped clean out of His memory when we place them at the feet of Christ. What an amazing kind of love that is! Sometimes I only wish I was that forgetful when someone has wronged me. It truly takes work to keep my offended self from wanting to throw up an entire black book of complaints!

Love does not delight in evil.

Love does not rejoice when others are hurting. Scripture tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15). However, sometimes in our capitalistic society, we can have a tendency to rejoice when things don’t go as well for others, especially when their loss is our gain. This is not love!

We serve a God who does not take delight in evil, nor does He get any satisfaction from our pain. Christ loves us so much that He willingly took on our pain, not for His gain, but for our benefit, so we might have eternal life. Our God rejoices when we rejoice and mourns when we mourn. He hurts when we are in the throngs of a painful situation and His heart celebrates with us when we are rejoicing. What a beautiful picture of love!

Love rejoices in the truth.

Love turns it’s back on evil, but runs with arms wide open to truth. This is exactly what we must be willing to do. We must be willing to reject the evil and safeguard truth in our lives. Love flourishes in truth but is suffocated by evil. I am so grateful to serve a God whose very nature is truth.

Heavenly Father, I thank you that your love keeps no records of wrongs. I am thankful that your love does not delight in evil, but it rejoices in the truth. Help us to be filled with the kind of love that does not carry around a memory book of offenses towards others of when they have wronged us. Help us not to delight in evil, or secretly be happy when someone’s loss is our worldly gain. Help us to remember just how much pain you took on for our benefit. Lord, your love is truly amazing and we are forever grateful! We pray all this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.  

To read any other posts from this series on God’s love please visit the Love series page.

Love (Part 5)

This week we continue in our study of God’s love by looking at “love does not dishonor, it is not self-seeking and it is not easily angered” from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love does not dishonor others.

The 1989 NIV version says “...It is not rude…” Love is never going to treat others with disrespect, dishonor, or be rude. Now that we know what love does not look like, let’s take a look at antonyms of this list of words in order to better understand what love should look like. The opposite character trait of disrespect is respect. The word respect means to esteem highly or to identify a sense of the worth or excellence within a person. When we are loving someone with respect we are willing to search out the good in them and formulate an opinion of them based on those good qualities. Wow! This truly is a skill that takes practice and persistence in order to carry out, especially when we come across those who seem to be unlovable. Our Heavenly Father’s love is one of respect. He always has the best in mind for His children.  

The opposite character trait of dishonor is honor. We should hold others in such high regard that they walk away from us feeling like they have just spent time with the Father Himself. When we interact with others we should always view them through Christ’s eyes. Every person on this entire earth, no matter how much sin they might find themselves entangled in, is created in the image of God. We should have no difficulty treating others with honor when we keep that thought in the forefront of our minds.

The opposite of rude is kind. We discussed in part 3 that love is kind. When someone is kind they actively search out the strengths of others. People who are kind elevate the good in others. We all enjoy when others treat us with kindness. We should be willing to love others in kindness.

Love is not self-seeking.

I have always said that babies are the most selfish living being on the face of the planet, and for good reason. If they were not wired with the “me first mentality” then they would far too often get overlooked and their basic needs would not be met. Think about it, when a baby cries they are usually trying to communicate some type of need. They are hungry, tired, need changed, or they are sick. If they never cried how often would we as parents miss their feeding times, napping times, changing times, or not recognize when they are sick? In the case of a baby selfishness is a matter of survival. As we grow up we should slowly grow out of this need for constant attention. However, some of us find ourselves in the battle against selfishness each and every day. We much rather be served then serve. The love of Christ does not desire for us to come bearing gifts every time we enter His presence. Christ came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). This concept of selflessness can be a tough one in our American culture today. We live in a generation that is obsessed with the “selfie.” We  want so badly to appear as if we have arrived, we have it all together and that we have life figured out. If you think I’m off track on this just a little, take a look at Facebook or Instagram. When was the last time we or any of our friends posted the challenges we are facing in our life? All we post is things that make us look “good.” The reality is never what is posted on social media. Social media is a incubator for shelf. I’m not bashing those platforms by any means. I utilize them myself, but when all we post are things that elevate self then we better reevaluate whether or not self-centeredness has replaced a love for others.

I am so thankful that Christ’s love is not selfish. If it was, He would have gotten as far as the Garden of Gethsemane and decided that He didn’t want to suffer for the sake of others, that the pain of the cross was not worth it to Him. Self could have sat on the throne of His life. If this were the case, the blood would never have been shed and my sins, your sins or for the sins of every person who ever lived and who ever will live. This certainly would have been an eternal sentence for every last one of us to hell. I praise God for an unselfish love because it means freedom from sin and the gift of life eternal!

Love is not easily angered.

Someone who is easily angered is quick to lose their patience with others. Anger in and of itself is not sinful, it’s when we act upon that anger and allow our temper to get the better of us. We can be angry and not sin. Ephesians 4:26 tells us “In your anger do not sin Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” Instead of having a short fuse in the anger department scripture tells us we are to be slow to anger. “... Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” James 1:19 Again, not that we can’t get angry at times, but we should be slow in getting there. We are to have patience with others. In part 3 we discussed that love is patient.

If God’s love was full of anger, His fuse would be short, He would be impatient and I would probably have already been burned up by His wrath. But instead, God’s love is not easily angered and patient with me. I am incredibly grateful for this! How about you?

Heavenly Father, I thank you that your love does not dishonor, it is not self-seeking and it is not easily angered. I pray that you help us in each of these areas so that we can love others with honor, respect, and kindness. Help us to keep our eyes off of ourselves and on others so we can love unselfishly. Father may your love flow through us in such a way that we are extremely slow to anger and frustration and quick to be patient with those around us. Lord, we still have a long way to go in some of these areas. I pray that your holy spirit comes in and takes over our hearts so that it’s not us trying to love like Christ in our human capabilities because we know that this is limited. May you work in us so that your love flows directly through us straight to the hearts of others. Thank you for your beautiful example of love. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray.  

To read the other posts in this series please visit the Love series page.