abiding in love

I know when I have been spending time with God. And I have to admit, so do the people around me. I am more loving. 

We are in the middle of a sermon series on God's amazing love and in a couple weeks we will be looking at the Scripture on "God is love". It seems so simple, doesn't it?

God is love. Spend time in God's presence and we will know how to love. 

However, the world has a way of getting in between us and God...love. 

And before we know it, love is not something on our heart or mind. 

It can be a big thing, it can be a little thing, it can be a little thing that we make a big thing. 

I don't know what it is for you. I don't know what it will be for me tomorrow or the day after. 

Yet, I know God says, spend time with me and you will love because I love you. 

It doesn't say, we will love because everything is going right.

It doesn't say, we will love because everyone is nice.

It doesn't say, we will love because we have gotten all the sleep and fruit and vegetables we need. 

It doesn't say, we will love because everyone we are frustrated with "gets a brain and figures out what an idiot they have been".

You get my point. 

We love because God first loved us. We love when we abide in God.

So how we love has little to do with our state of mind or heart or the world's state. It has everything to do with our state of spending time with the Lord. 

So, on my list of things to do this week. I have added, spend time with God. 

I hope you notice.

Sheets, tulips and Easter

I have just spent the last half an hour attempting to cover my plants and flowers for the upcoming 20 degree weather. I have pulled all the sheets I have out of my linen closet and sprawled across flowerbeds to cover flowers that I could replace for a couple dollars in a few weeks. Yet still my fingertips are a little numb from wandering around in the cold weather securing the Harry Potter fleece. 

Do you think the tulips thanked me? No, actually the rose bush pricked my fingertips.

However, if I was to be completely honest, I have to admit I would probably rig a heater out to the front yard to save my bleeding heart. Relax, I am not going to do it...fire hazard. 

These are my flowers. I dug around in the dirt and planted those bulbs last Fall. I replanted that bleeding heart from a friend's house. I have watched that rosebush survive three seasons of those stupid Japanese beetles and way too many of these weird April cold fronts. I would do about anything to save them...

Save them...

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable then they. Matthew 6:26

Sunday is Easter. Not a day to celebrate Cadbury chocolate eggs (though that is a blessing from God). It is more about this week, Holy week. The week that we consider the journey Christ took to the cross. What Jesus did to save us. 

The betrayal, the beatings, the blood. 

All to save humanity from ourselves, really. 

You and me, sinful fools. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

Isaiah 40:28-31

I really appreciate a Scripture that talks about soaring. 

However, I don't know how much soaring I have been doing lately. 

Some days I feel more like the only eagles I have seen...the ones in cages and their wings are clipped.

I sure have been doing my share of waiting on the Lord. 

And that is okay. I can sometimes be an little impatient, so this is a great lesson for me to be learning. 

I heard a Bible Study teacher recently pointing out this Scripture is not about waiting on an "event", but waiting on the Lord. Waiting to be renewed by God. Not waiting for that event, moment or action to take place in our lives. Waiting on the Lord. 

Not an easy task. 

Sometimes I can wait for something to happen to be renewed. Depending on this or that to take place before I feel like soaring. 

But the truth is...we soar when we hope, wait, depend on the Lord. 

So, I have been praying this Scripture a lot lately. 

Thought you might need to be reminded yourself that God desires for us all to "not get weary". Be renewed...wait on the Lord. 

Saving oneself

I am not a swimmer. My parents signed me up for swim lessons often as a child. We had a swimming pool in our backyard for years...I just never really learned how to swim. 

I am not a fan of large bodies of water. If I am on a boat - yea,  I am good with water. If I am on a wave runner (back when I had time to go to the lake, that is what they were called) - yea, I like water. I try to drink my 8 full 8 ounces of water a day. I guess you could say I like water. 

I just don't like the idea of going down with water around. I have never had a bad experience with water. It may just be too many movies with a similar idea as the motif. 

I have been thinking a lot about lifeguards saving people lately. I have not really ever seen a lifeguard save anyone. All the lifeguards I have seen consist of those at Whitewater who hang out up high in their chairs and look cool. 

However, a particular visual has come to mind and I have not been able to shake it (possibly similar to Molly on Jason's mind...Bachelor reference).

Years ago, I heard a preacher talk about having to save someone who was drowning. The person fought so much to try to save themselves, they made it really difficult for the lifeguard to save them. Almost making it impossible.

The visual has paired up with some Scripture I  have been reading lately and the connection has not left my heart. 

How much do we try to keep ourselves afloat that we fight anyone who is trying to help us. 

Have you been there? Do you know someone who almost took your eye out when you offered assistance because they were too busy flapping their arms to stay afloat? I have to admit, I have probably been that person more times than I can admit.

The prophet Isaiah said something about those that wait on the Lord...will mount up like eagles. Hmmmm.

If my choice is between going down or mounting up...I think I will soar with the eagles.

What is necessary for that to take place? Waiting on the Lord.

Except I am not any better at waiting than swimming....ugh.

Just something to think about this Lent. 

Acceptance

Revisiting a recent thought from Women's Retreat 09

I am a little addicted to The Bachelor, season 13. In who will Jason, the single dad from Seattle find love? That is the question that keeps me turning on the television at 7:00 p.m. every Monday night. However, recently my mind has been considering a lesson to be learned from the show. It hit me as I listened to Nicki on her "limo rejection ride" after not receiving the rose a couple weeks ago.  She admitted that she was just not pretty, smart or good enough and it broke my heart. 

How many of us have sought after something only to come up realizing we just were not good enough? Maybe it was love lost or maybe it was that part in a play (which I heard someone confess just this morning). Maybe it was a job opportunity or the acceptance from another (parent, sibling, child, pet...). 

On The Bachelor, the women all desire to receive the rose from Jason. The rose represents his acceptance, a chance at love or even the opportunity to spend one more week on TV. 

Jason offers the woman he chooses the rose with the question "Will you accept this rose?"

This question and rose represents Jason's acceptance and the women who are recipients glow with joy.

What in your life represents the rose? Who is it that you seek acceptance from? Don't we all have that person or situation that we are desiring a particular response?

I don't think it is just a "women thing". I just happen to know that women have a thing about acceptance and wanting it from those around them. 

God wants us (male or female) to know we are not only accepted, but loved passionately by God. Loved so much that "God gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Jesus came to earth, taught, healed and did miracles, died on a cross carrying our sins and three days later...rose.

Will we accept this rose? 

You are Loved.

                                                              

"God understands our thoughts long before they are clothed with words". 

Do I need to tell you who wrote that sentence originally? John Wesley, of course. 

However, I would like to move away from my obsession with John for a moment. Did I just hear a loud sigh of relief? Okay, maybe he has been at the center of my thoughts recently. Soon and very soon, Wesley will take a back seat to my Spring classes. For now, on to more important points and yes, I have one. 

The idea that God understands (not just "knows", but understands) my thoughts - that is assuring to me. It could be scary, but God loves me - so I don't feel judged. How many relationships do I have in my life where if that person knew all my thoughts it would be okay?

I think I can honestly say, a couple relationships where I do not feel judged or condemned for something stupid, petty, mean or dramatic entering my mind. 

Most people will never know the million thoughts that fly through my brain. However, if you know me, you know that about a 1/2 million things that fly through my brain do get "clothed with words". Yes, many will know about 1/2 of my thoughts if they are around me much. 

Yet, there are those that know my heart. Where I can just call and say, "I need to get this off my chest. I know you could think less of me as I tell you this thought, but I trust that you will hear me and still accept me". Those people that God has placed in my life to get a glimpse of how God desires to be in relationship with me. The judgement is absent, the acceptance is abundant, now we just need to find the realization. The realization that God loves me.

This "realization" made me also "realize" that one reason there can be fear in knowing God understands our thoughts before we put words to them is that we don't have that kind of understanding of God. 

We fear because we don't understand God's love. God's incredible, unmatchable, exceeds our imagination, passionate and unconditional love. 

"For God so loved the world..." read the book of John. (Do you expect me to do everything for you, come on...I got some more John Wesley to read).

blessings,

Still in love

Yes, he is short in stature, but incredibly tall in ethics. He may even have a tendency towards being considered a mama's boy. However, Susanna only meant to guide her son and you really can't blame her for that. If he received even a small piece of the passion he has from his mom, then thank you Susy (can I call her that?)

My heart still skips a beat when I read his writings. "A heart deep-dyed with generous honesty" - how can you not smile? My admiration has grown to the point that his picture now rests on my desk. And yes, I know he has made some mistakes. However, his desire to grow and be transformed only makes my heart draw closer. Can you really knock someone from leaving Georgia quickly? If it wasn't for Paula Dean's restaurant, I would not have stayed long myself.

Relax, I only have a couple more weeks of being consumed with John Wesley. My summaries will be written, I will take the final and then have to move on to the Hebrew language. But for now, my love for John Wesley will continue. If nothing else, possibly my heart will be reminded it is "stamped with the image of Christ" (another beautiful Wesley phrase).

If you are looking to fall in love, move away from eHarmony and borrow my 16 volume set of John Wesley's Works instead.