IfYouGiveAMindensenABlog

A popular question with a variety of answers. There are also many different forms of love.

This past weekend I was counseling for a Middle School Purity and Holiness retreat. The purpose of the retreat is to educate/equip/prepare Middle-schoolers how and why to make the choice (and future choices) to stay pure and live a life that is holy and pleasing to God. One challenge from the weekend was to ask a person to 'define love' when they tell you "I LOVE YOU!" It made me think about how I would answer. So, I would say that when you love someone, you put them entirely before you; their needs, health, dreams,happiness, etc... However, that can be VERY unhealthy, UNLESS there is someone who loves you that much, and is taking care of your needs. Meaning, in order to really LOVE we need to have an example of real love in our lives to be able to duplicate it. Unfortunately, this world isn't perfect, but we do have a God who is perfect.

Recently God has been trying to teach me about Agape love.

God loves mankind unconditionally, but He is able to do so because of the Trinity. The Trinity is a PERFECT example of love. Each part is constantly placing the priorities of the other two parts above their own. God exists in a perpetual state of perfect loves, hence 1 John 4's "God is LOVE". Therefore, God will ALWAYS be able to love others perfectly because He has a perfect love relationship to duplicate from. Now, as a human, I can be selfish and therefore, unable to love perfectly, thus being unable to be in a perfect relationship. However, my relationship with God, because of God's perfection, gives me the closest chance at having one. God's part will always be perfect and so it is simply a matter of strengthening my end of it (through HIS help of course). That way, as I grow more and more in love with God, I'll have an increasingly better example of love to duplicate towards others, despite the fact that both me and the other person are imperfect.

God calls us to 'love one another' (1John4:7&8), but we are only able to love 'because HE first loved us' (1John4:19)

God is GOOD!

THERE IS AN ENEMY...
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1Peter5:8)
...and it isn't another person.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph.6:12)
THERE IS A SAVIOR
"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is the devil-and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Heb.2:14-15)

Whenever I'm tempted to stay angry at a person, it helps to remember that 'We all sin', and Christ died for all of us. I need to pray for that person to find freedom and healing through Jesus instead of judging them and/or trying to 'fix' them myself.

God is GOOD!♥

I received a copy of this a few years ago, and it still challenges me as much (if not more) as it did than. I just thought I should share it with you all...

A Zimbabwe Pastors Prayer (a martyr)
I'm part of the fellow of the unashamed.
I have the Holy Spirit power.
The die has been cast.
I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made-I'm a disciple of His.

I won't look back, letup, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure.
I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees,
colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talk, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity.
I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.
I now live by faith, lean in His presence, walk by patience,
am uplifted by prayer, and I labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my roads narrow,
my way rough, my companions are few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away,
turned back, deluded, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up,
prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus.

I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me.
And, when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.
My banner will be clear!
***

"If we confess with our mouths that 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead we will be saved" (Rom.10:9), and we are given the right to become children of God (John 1:12). However, with that, we need to recognize the responsibility of being one of God's children. We have two choices, we can A, choose to live a life that is 'under the radar, not rocking the boat or making waves,still a child of God but with 'colorless dreams' and 'dwarfed goals'. Or B, we can let our 'light shine before men, that they may see (our) good deeds and praise (our) Father in heaven" (Matt.5:16).


How often have I been guilty of having 'colorless dreams' or 'dwarfed dreams'? We worship a God who can do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph.3:20), "nothing is impossible with Him"(Luke1:37). We are HIS "workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works"(Eph.2:10). He has a plan for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us a hope and future(Jer.29:11). Do we live in that truth? Do we proudly stand with Him, as HIS child, proclaiming the VICTORY we have in Jesus?

Let's break out of our comfort zones, and step out of the boxes we've placed ourselves (and God) into, putting our life in HIS hands...I want my banner to be clear, do you?

God is GOOD!♥

...Random interjection: I just killed my FIRST, TWO (10*) mosquitoes of the year, and have my SECOND (3rd&4th*) mosquito bites :( ...I LOVE Spring, but I HATE mosquitoes, unfortunately they LOVE ME :'( *(Actual numbers by the time I finished writing this blog)....
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Anywho...I wish I had a SWEET basketball analogy to go with my title, but I don't...sorry. I do not know enough about basketball to make an accurate correlation, though I am learning b/c you can NOT help but get into the sport of basketball when you live at camp...just about EVERYONE at least watches it. (WARNING: Basketball is contagious!)
So, I'm sure you can guess that I've watched a few college basketball games over the last few weeks, along with watching the ending games of camp's Mens' Church Basketball league games. Both have been quite enjoyable...but now for the real 'Madness' part of my blog...
If you've read my last two blogs, I'm sure you can kind of sense some of the INTENSE 'conversations' I've been having with God lately. I'm not really sure how to express it all. A friend of mine's life verse is John 3:30, and it's the first verse that comes to mind when thinking about my last few weeks..."HE must become greater; I must become less". It's NOT ABOUT ME!
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you have died, and you life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory". (Colossians 3:1-4)
And really, we aren't really losing anything at all. When we give our lives to God, he is able to use us in ways we could NEVER even IMAGINE. Never forget how much God loves us, and wants what's best for us. I don't remember where I heard it, but one of my favorite quotes is "God is too loving to ever do anything unkind, and too wise to ever make a mistake".

God is GOOD! ♥