Category: Jesus

(((Jesus)))

December 3, 2009
GospelJesus
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My heart longs to be with Jesus. That’s where this journey I’ve been on these past few weeks has brought me. The more I understand God’s grace towards me, the more my heart thirsts for His presence. The more I am challenged to love God unconditionally, the more my heart yearns to be with Him. Though I have never seen Jesus, my heart knows Him well.

  • My heart knows His kindness

 ~ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).

 ~ Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way” (Matthew 15:32).

  • My heart knows His gentle touch

~ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him (Matthew 20:34).

~ Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” (Mark 1:41).

  • My heart knows His gracious words

~ “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

~ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

  • My heart knows His patient presence

~ “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me” (Mark 9:19).

~ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37).

  • My heart knows His faithful love

~ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

~ It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love (John 13:1).

~ Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23:46).

  • My heart knows His joyful devotion

~ Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35).

~ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure” (Luke 10:21).

~ “Father…I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).

  • My heart knows His peaceful Spirit

~ “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:26, 27).

  • My heart knows His loving justice

~ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18, 19).

~ “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory” (Matthew 12:18-20).

  • My heart knows His firm guidance

~ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31).

~ Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it” (Luke 9:23, 24).

~ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

  • My heart knows His steadfast will

~ “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).

~ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

~ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19, 20).

  • My heart knows His goodness

~ “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

~ When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

~ “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28).

  • My heart knows His servanthood

~ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people (Matthew 4:23).

~ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him (John 13:3-5).

  • My heart knows His steady gaze

~ Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying… (Matthew 5:1).

~ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick (Matthew 14:14).

~ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things (Mark 6:34).

~ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (John 6:5).

  • My heart knows His passion

~ Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, ” ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers'” (Matthew 21:12, 13).

~ Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:35, 36). 

Does your heart know Jesus in these way?

If not, meditate on these passages. Take the time to look up each passage in the Bible and read the whole narrative that each passage sits in. I promise, you will not regret it. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:1, 2). Open your heart to Jesus and know Him.

This is my prayer: that our Father in Heaven would reach through the pages of the Bible and grab your heart, that Jesus would come alive to you in a new and fresh way and that the Holy Spirit would anoint your life with more love and power. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sabbath renewed

November 27, 2009
GraceJesus
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So, I’ve been steadily keeping a Sabbath on Mondays for roughly a year now. I call it my “draw near to God” day. But, things have shifted in this past month and my “draw near to God” day has begun to decline and my Sabbath has been derailed from it’s steady course. I recently went to a conference where Heidi Baker was speaking, ever since then the integrity of my spiritual life has been challenged. What Mama Heidi spoke about was ministering in the strength of God and how “fruitfulness comes from intimacy with God.” I thought I had all of that and then some. But, as God has been challenging me on understanding His grace and my unconditional love for Him, this has revealed the deeper motives of my heart and the works righteousness that resides within. Let me expand on this.

What God has been revealing to me these past few weeks is that though I do walk in much of His grace, He has so much more for me that I refuse to accept because I want to show Him that I can do it. But, that’s my pride talking. I feel like I’ve been acting like that little child, who is constantly saying, “Me do! Me do!” Where God is saying to me, “Let me show you, let’s do it together.” Needless to say, these past few weeks have been really tough because I’ve come face to face with my arrogance which is really disheartening. Here I thought that I was being obedient, but maybe dutiful is a better word to describe my actions. So, on deeper inspection, this has sparked me to reflect on: What does it mean to draw near to God?

James 4: 6-10 says, “…6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (NIV). As I have been meditating and studying this passage, I’ve come to the conclusion that this passage is about repentance. So, in my wrestling, I’ve asked myself this question: What does living a repentant lifestyle look like?

I believe that the “Come near to God” that James is talking about here is about humbling ourselves before God and receiving His grace by submitting to His will and resisting the devil’s temptations. This means coming near to God by repenting for our sinful leanings (“washing your hands, you sinners” which alludes to external actions, and “purifying your hearts, you double-minded” which alludes to internal motivations) and in this way God comes near to us. For clarification, this is not in terms of our salvation (which comes through Jesus alone), but in terms of our relational fellowship with God. The more consistently we live repentantly before God, the louder and clearer we will hear His Voice in our lives. But, this also means embracing more and more of His grace. So, whatever it takes. James is insistent about the seriousness of sin and we should be too. Sin brings disaster and devastation to our relationship with God. When’s the last time you grieved, mourned or wailed sin?  

Douglas Moo (2000) insightful explains, “Christian joy can never be ours if we ignore or tolerate sin; it comes only when we have squarely faced the reality of our sin, brought it before the Lord in repentance and humility, and experienced the cleansing work of the Spirit” (James, p. 196). One of the joys of my new life in Jesus has been the many opportunities He gives me to pray for and with people. You could say this is part of my repentant lifestyle. For me, there is nothing more satisfying and fulfilling. Not only do I get to touch the Father’s heart through prayer, but the whole reason I pray for others is so that they can experience a greater sense of God’s unconditional love and be brought ever deeper into the Father’s heart.

So this is my prayer for you and me: “May we truly walk in the fullness of God’s grace for our lives and experience the immeasurableness of His unconditional love where we walk empowered to live a repentant lifestyle by actively greiving, mourning and wailing sin, so that we can feel, all the more, the sweetness of God’s grace towards us in Jesus as we humbly wait for Him to lift us up. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.”  

…along the way…

November 21, 2009
GospelGraceJesusLove
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I am feeling pretty weak and worn out these days. Whenever I have some free time all I want to do is put on some worship music and rest in the Lord. Sometimes that means crawling into bed and sleeping. Other times that means lying on the floor and allowing the longing in my heart to be near Jesus overwhelm me. This has been hard because God has been testing my heart these past few weeks in my understanding of His grace. What this has revealed is that though I understand theologically and intellectually that I have been saved by grace that: 1) Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for sin has fully satisfied God wrath; that 2) because I have be crucified and raised with Jesus – I have been reconciled back to God; and that 3) I now live in God’s grace and forgiveness, always, as His beloved child in the family of God.

But, the way that I practically live this out tells a differing story. Case and point, I am reconciled back to God because of Jesus and not because of what I may do in my day to day (sinful or not). But, there are times where I will put more weight on my sinful behavior, instead of Jesus’ atoning and reconciling work. Now, I know that sin separates us from God, but if I truly believe that Jesus’ death on the cross paid my debt for sin now and forever – because I am in Christ that means I live in God’s grace and forgiveness, always. Let me say that again, because I am in Christ that means I live in God’s grace and forgiveness, always. So, if and when I sin today, tomorrow, next week or year, the blood of Jesus covers my sins for all eternity. Now, I  understand that this doesn’t give a believer a license to sin. As Paul says: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ” (Romans 6:1, 2). And I get this, the grace of God is not to be abused and Jesus’ sacrifice cheapened. Trust me, I hate it when I sin and I do confess sin to God and others because when I confess sin: I acknowledge my need for more of God’s grace and love in my life. But I need to understand that because I am in Christ I have been forgiven – once for all.

Now, while God has been testing my heart in understanding His grace, He has also been challenging me on my unconditional love for Him. The more that I walk in His grace, the greater freedom I have to do whatever I want. Now if I truly get forgiveness in Christ, this means that my actions do not effect my standing before God. Jesus’ sacrifice took care of that. So, when I sin this does not bring God closer to me or further away because I am reconciled to God through Jesus. But, this doesn’t take away the consequences of my sinful behavior which may hinder my ability to hear and recognize God’s Voice in my life. Sin runs interference in our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s leading. We can either do things that help tune us into our Shepherd’s voice or we can fill our lives up with things that dampen His Voice. That’s where I’m at right now, but God has amplified the intensity of this struggle to show me His great desire for my unconditional love.

In the freedom of God’s grace, I can choose to either please God or please myself. This struggle has revealed the level of my unconditional love for God. On a deeper lever, this struggle has stirred me to ask myself: “Do I please God out of fear, profit or love?” Struggle is good because it inspires to both create and strengthen faith. I must always remember that God will never ask anything of me that does not include His grace. He will also not ask anything of me without His love and support: He will never ask me to do anything alone. I believe that God put me on this path, not to discourage me, but to encourage me and show me just how far He has taken me from the days of being hopelessly and lustfully addicted to drugs to where He has me today – longing to rest in His Presence. I am so grateful that God is not done with me yet, but that He will carry me into completion. And when I finally get to see Jesus face to face – I will be like Him (1 John 3:2). I can’t wait.

grace and love

November 19, 2009
GraceJesusWorship
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I ran across this poem by Kathleen Wheeler called “A New Leaf” which really ministered and spoke to my heart about the Father’s love and grace towards his children.

He came to my desk with quivering lip –
The lesson was done.
“Dear Teacher, I want a new leaf,” he said,
“I have spoiled this one.”
I took the old leaf, stained and blotted,
And gave him a new one all unspotted,
And into his sad eyes smiled,
Do better, now, my child.”

I went to the throne with a quivering soul –
The old year was done.
“Dear Father, hast Thou a new leaf for me?
I have spoiled this one.”
He took the old leaf, stained and blotted,
And gave me a new one all unspotted
And into my sad heart smiled,
“Do better, now, my child.”

I needed this reminder: that no matter what I’ve done I can go to our Father in Heaven and ask for a fresh start, a new beginning. Every day if need be and He will redeem the time. I know it sounds so unbelievable, but that’s grace – undeserved favor. Whenever I encounter God’s love and grace it always moves me to worship because I am floored that the God of the universe desires to be with me. Even now as I sit and write this, I am so grateful for such a loving and merciful God and a Savior who died so that all of this could happen. Thank you Jesus.

 jesus-draw-me-nearer-lyrics

Do you need a new leaf? Get a fresh start in life from God by inviting Jesus into your heart and surrendering the control of your life to God. If you already know Jesus than ask the Father to redeem the time.

for you…

September 21, 2009
GospelJesusLove
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a Message to you from Jesus by Mother Teresa:

“I know you through and through – I know everything about you. The very hairs of your head I have numbered. Nothing in your life is unimportant to Me. I have followed you through the years, and I have always loved you – even in your wanderings.

I know every one of your problems. I know your need and your worries. And yes, I know all your sins. But I tell you again that I love you – not for what you have or haven’t done – I love you for you, for the beauty and dignity My Father gave you by creating you in His own image.

It is a dignity you have often forgotten, a beauty you have tarnished by sin. But I love you as you are, and I have shed my blood to win you back. If you only ask Me with faith, My grace will touch all that needs changing in your life. I will give you the strength to free yourself from sin and all its destructive power.

I know what is in your heart – I know your loneliness and all your hurts – the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations. I carred it all before you. And I carried it all for you, so you might share my strength and victory. I know especially your need for love – how you are thirsting to be loved and cherished. But how often have you thirsted in vain, seeking that love selfishly, striving to fill the emptiness inside you with passing pleasures – and ending with even more pain. Do you thirst for love? ‘Come to Me all you who are thirsty’ (John 7:37). I will satisfy you and fill you. Do you thirst to be cherished? I cherish you more than you can imagine to the point of dying on a cross for you.

I thirst for you. Yes, that is the only way to even begin to describe my love for you: I thrist for you. I thirst to love and to be loved by you – that is how precious you are to Me. I thirst for you. Come to Me, and I will fill your heart and heal your wounds.

If you feel unimportant in the eyes of the world, that matters not at all. For Me, there is no one any more important in the entire world than you. I thirst for you. Open to Me, come to Me, thirst for Me, give Me your life – and I will prove to you how important you are to My heart.

No matter how far you may wander, no matter how often you forget Me, no matter how many crosses you may bear in this life, there is one thing that will never change: I thirst for you – just as you are. You don’t need to change to believe in My love, for it will be your belief in My love that will change you. You forget Me, and yet I am seeking you every moment of the day – standing at the door of your heart, and knocking.

Do you find this hard to believe? Then look at the cross; look at My heart that was pierced for you. Have you not understood My cross? Then listen again to the words I spoke there – for they tell you clearly why I endured all this for you: “I thirst” (John 19:28). Yes, I thirst for you – as the rest of the Psalm verse, which I was praying says of Me: “I looked for love, and I found none” (Psalm 69:20).

All your life I have been looking for your love – I have never stopped seeking to love and be loved by you. You have tried many other things in your search for happiness; why not try opening your heart to Me, right now, more than you ever have before.

Whenever you do open the door of your heart, whenever you come close enough, you will hear Me say to you again and again, not in mere human words but in spirit: “No matter what you have done, I love you for your own sake.” Come to Me with your misery and your sins, with your troubles and needs, and with all your longings to be loved. I stand at the door of your heart and knock…Open to Me for I thirst for you.”

From: Margaret Hebblethwaite, ed., “Wednesday of Holy Week,” The Living Spirit: Prayers and Readings for the Christian Year, A Table Anthology (Lanham, MD: Sheed & Ward, a division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2000), 169.

Spark the Flame

August 14, 2009
GospelJesusTruth
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Right now, a good friend of mine is riding 1400 miles on his bicycle (from Chicago, IL to Bozeman, MT), in order to raise money for the Firehouse Community Arts Center in the westside neighborhood of Lawndale in Chicago. While on this massive trek he has been blogging along the way and while in Blunt, SD he was inspired to blog about marijuana which I have copied portions of here. Enjoy!

Smoking marijuana may be good medicine for physically sick people, but let’s let the doctors make that determination. The majority of today’s youth are not smoking marijuana because they are physically sick. They are smoking it to get high. They are not using and developing the gifts God has given them; they are wasting their talents and time getting high.

Should marijuana be legalized? That’s a bigger debate with several matters to consider on both sides. But legal ot not, even if it is permissible, it isn’t good (1 Cor 6:12). Is it better than alcohol and the alcohol-related crimes that are committed? Probably. Better than smoking cigarettes? Maybe. Is stabbing somebody in the arm better than shooting them in the face? Sure it is. Still doesn’t make it right or good.

A talented young man has expressed to me recently that the marijuana-smoking community is a peace-loving group. It may be true that the marijuana-smoking community is a peaceful group in some ways, and if so, I believe their desire for peace is good. But real peace is not smoked. Getting high is a fleeting pleasure that creates a false experience of relaxation. It is not real peace. The peace that we desire is peace and rest in our soul which only comes through the work of God in our heart. That is real peace.

If you want that kind of peace, you best go to the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6). “My peace I give to you,” said Jesus (John 14:27). “In me you may have peace,” said Jesus (John 16:33). “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” said Paul (Rom. 5:1). “To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom.8:6). “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” Gal. 5:22). “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Got peace? Get Jesus

Also, God has never promised this life would be a constant state of peace and ease. There is a purpose to our trials and suffering (Rom. 5:3; James 1:2; Col. 1:24; Jer 1-29). There are lessons we need to learn when our poor decisions disrupt peace (Heb. 12:10-11). There is a refinement of our character that is lost when we manufacture a life of sensual ease and false peace.

All I have to say is: “Well said friend.” The world needs more people like my friend Cliff who’s not afraid to say what’s on his heart. People who have a genuine passion to see people set free from drug addiction and living out their lives to the maximum of their God given potential. His words are saturated with grace and love, but they are also faithful and true to the gospel that seeks to magnify and exalt God. His words are God-centered, rather than a me-centered anything goes prosperity gospel.

Undivided Focus

July 28, 2009
GraceJesussurrender
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Over the last few weeks as I have been journeying deeper into the Father’s heart. I’ve come to realize that I really enjoy the freedom to pursue God whenever and wherever I choose. I’ve been able to give this pursuit to experience the depths of the Father’s love my undivided focus. Now, if I had a wife and kids I probably wouldn’t have been able to devote so much time to this quest because as Paul discerningly explains: my family and the responsibility of leading and caring for them would take up a good portion of my time (1 Corinthians 7:32ff). Spending time with other people’s families has reminded me of this reality. So, long story short, I am learning to embrace the blessing of singleness. Does this mean that God has blessed me with singleness? Maybe.

To be honest, I’ve been avoiding this question for at least the last three years because I was afraid of the answer. On the one hand, I’ve burned with passion and on the other hand, I’ve feared being alone. But as my relationship with God has deepened and matured many of my youthful passions have exhausted themselves and I’ve become more comfortable with being alone because I’ve become more confident in my identity in Christ. Sure, there is still a loneliness in my heart, but over the years the Lord has become more and more my portion which has quelled this loneliness. I have come to cherish and even be satisfied with our time together by allowing His love to be enough for me.  

On deeper reflection, I really do spend most of my day being actively in love with Jesus. Rarely, is there a moment in the day that I don’t feel the Holy Spirit’s presence. From the time I wake up, He is on my heart. In the shower, He is in my thoughts. Whenever I eat, I am thankful for His faithful provisions in my life. When I exercise, He is there cheering and pushing me forward. Anytime I am outside, I stand amazed at the intricacies of creation and again He is in my thoughts. Work plays a big part in my worship to God because He builds Christlike character in me through it while giving me the opportunity to be salt and light to people. And, it is when I am around people that His presence is so very near to me because I feel His deep love for those with whom I am in relationship with. Then, at the end of the day, He is there again helping me take off the day’s burdens so that I may rest in Him.

Jesus has slowly become my all and all. My whole life now revolves around Him and to be honest: I’m not sure I want that to change. Does this mean that God has blessed me with singleness? I’m afraid to say yes, but the more I reflect on this the more I see that He has. So, maybe it’s time I accepted and pressed into this, instead of running from it. Even as I type this, I get this sense that I am surrendering into gain and not loss (though it feels like loss right now). If you’re reading this pray for me: pray that I would grieve well and that I would embrace the joy of surrender in the coming weeks. Peace to you and yours.

embraced by Love

July 11, 2009
JesusLove
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I’ve just spent the last couple days reading “Here and Now: Living in the Spirit” by Henri J.M. Nouwen. I literally could not put the book down. It kept me captivated page after page because the author’s words were so saturated with the love and grace of God. My heart drank deeply of his gentle words which allowed me to soak in the love tub of Jesus. What I encountered continually while reading was the sweet conviction of the Holy Spirit, His kind hand of love pulling ever so gently at my heart. Something that I hadn’t felt for some time now.  The combination of seminary + ministry has gotten me moving at breakneck speeds which was in an of itself an amazing journey (I wouldn’t change any of it). But, to be able to slow down and take a deep long drink of living water without worrying about a deadline or a meeting has been so refreshing. It was like Jesus breathing life into me all over again. Thank You, Sweet Savior.

Page after page I encountered a humility that made me all the more aware of my own hardness of heart and the realization that I have much to learn about love. My pride has led me down the path of exalting myself in the way I exercised my gifts and talents. What I’ve learned because of this is that when this happens love disappears. Sure truth still got proclaimed. But the truth was given with an insensitive heavy hand, instead of with a patient understanding that wraps the truth in love in order to heal and not accuse or condemn. I am thankful for Henri’s words that have helped to refocus and ground me: “It is not proving ourselves to be better than others but confessing to be just like others that is the way to healing and reconciliation” (99). There is strength in these words because they speak of unity. They seek to embrace the prayer of Jesus for our oneness (John 17:20-23).

I’ve come to realize that to love is a journey that demands patience, endurance, hard work, hope and trust. I’ve also realized that it is a lifelong journey. I do have a lot to learn about love, but, I am in good company. “To pray is to listen to that voice of love….the One who is with us wants only one thing: to give us love” (20). Henri’s book has brought me back to my Christian mystic roots where prayer is about communing with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. His words have reminded me that prayer is a time where our heavenly Father actively loves on His children.

the tender touch of Love

July 3, 2009
Body of ChristJesusWorship
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This song touched my heart in exactly the way that I needed. I love when the Holy Spirit leads me serendipitously to a person, a book, a website, in this case a song (at a website) because He knows just what I need to draw me into the presence of God and what needs to happen in order to tenderize my heart towards Jesus. The lyrics of this song released the words that were trapped in my heart – they helped give wings to the longing in my heart to be near my Lord and King. Listening and singing these words (repeatedly) have brought sweet conviction to me by reminding me that to not share and lavish people with God’s amazingly perfect love is truly tragic. I wept when this revelation washed over me, breaking my heart all over again for Jesus. He is so good to me. I can feel the smoldering embers beginning to stir within my heart, igniting within me a renewed passion to love and chase after my Savior and to love people with wild abandon.

  pure-lyrics

I am so grateful for all the members of the Body of Christ that use their gifts and talents to edify the People of God while in worship to King Jesus.

Child of God

July 1, 2009
GospelGraceJesusLove
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I am going to take a slight detour from the current direction of this blog (I will revisit it at a later date) because I feel like I need to set aside the systematic approach to Scripture and spend the next season just enjoying being a child of God. To spend time basking in the the unconditional love of the Father. It’s funny, I’ve always identified myself with the wayward younger son who runs away in the parable of the “Prodigal Son” (Luke 15). But, after finishing seminary and being involved in ministry these past years, I’ve now in many ways assumed the role of the dutiful older son. I am sadden to have to confess this, but I’ve slowly begun to make God’s love conditional. To put it plainly, I’ve begun to love people for what they do and not for who they are. In my heart I’ve begun to love people only when they are obedient to God. Forgive me Lord.

Maybe it’s because I’ve spent the last four years rigorously studying the Word of God. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent the last four years laboring tirelessly for the Church. It’s probably a combination of both, but regardless, this hardness of heart that wants to tame and restrain the wild, unrelenting, overgenerous, foolishly extravangant, unconditional love that God lavishes on sinners and saints alike is unacceptable and sinful. I trust God is definitely not done with me and I have faith that this is part of my sanctification. So, I am going to spend the next couple months soaking in God’s unconditional love as His beloved child. I’m not going to get overly technical in my blogging and I’m going to scale down on my service to the Body of Christ (the work will get done with or without me). I am grateful that God has mercifully intervened when He has and that His grace is always extended to me, even when I am unawares. A Scripture passage that comforts me is Isaiah 49:15: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

  captivated-lyrics

Thank you Lord. This song is my prayer. Captivate me Lord Jesus. Captivate me.