Tag: knowledge

Unconditionally, Love like that…

Unconditionally, Love like that…

Life at times can seem a bit unfair. The struggle of family, work, friendships, living, can and often times does become cumbersome. Balance, which one tries to keep is quickly lost in the ebbs and flows of life; finding it again is the challenge and the struggle is real.

No one is immune to the struggle, some are better at being proactive in recovering from being unbalanced but it takes a real effort. The verses and quotes from last week are for me the starting point of my journey back to balance and perspective. First, before i dive into this journey a little let me express to you that Jesus is fundamental in any recovery effort. You might be saying, of course, you are using scripture…yet for some using Scripture and leaning into Jesus, sadly, are not always the same thing.

Here are the verses again in case you forgot them or are reading this and you didn’t read last weeks devotional with the added insight following each verse…i will then summarize things at the end.

1. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.”

***i want to highlight this incredible challenge, “…live a life worthy of His calling.” Talk about balance and perspective. This little part of this passage tells us this is the goal. But we need His Spirit in our lives to do it…Paul, writes, “…asking our God to enable you…” that’s the key, May He give you the power to… Why do we try and manage this on our own when clearly the challenge requires the Holy Spirit? Balance and Perspective, step one, Jesus and His Spirit.

2. Psalm 139:1-3 “O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when i sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when i’m far away. You see me when i travel and when i rest at home. You know everything i do.”

***When we are out of balance, we often attempt to hide this from God and those who God has placed in our lives to help us, “…live a life worthy of His calling.” Yet it is pretty clear in scripture that nothing is hidden from God, NOTHING. This Psalm is a gentle reminder that God knows everything about us. To regain balance and perspective…step one, Jesus and His Spirit, Step two, stop trying to hide what God already knows.

3. 1 Timothy 1:5 “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.”

**** “…be filled with LOVE that comes from a “pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.” God is Love, i know that you have heard that before…it also says in Scripture, “Love the Lord your God with everything you have and to love people, all people”. No motive, just love, love because God loved you…love from a pure heart, not perfect, pure meaning unconditional, without the motive of getting something in return. Love from a clear conscience, not guiltless, clear…confess your sins one to another and love. Genuine Faith, be authentic, be real, be honest, love like that. Balance and Perspective, step one, Jesus and His Spirit, Step two, stop trying to hide what God already knows. Step Three, love, simply love.

4. Ephesians 5:25 “…husbands…love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.” For you married ladies, “…wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.”

This applies to the marrieds that are reading this…if we do not honor our marriages do not expect your life to reflect or honor God. Our marriages are a reflection of our heart for God…granted this is a two-way street you are responsible for your side, which is to love your spouse as directed, to honor them, respect them, cherish them. If you are not married, you should reflect on this verse as you date, as you think about marriage…do not be unequally yoked with non-believers. Balance and Perspective, step one, Jesus and His Spirit, Step two, stop trying to hide what God already knows. Step Three, love, simply love. Step Four, to love and to cherish.

5. 1 John 4:8 “But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

***If you do not love, you do NOT know God. Ouch. Jesus said if you hate anyone you have committed murder in your heart. Balance and Perspective, step one, Jesus and His Spirit, Step two, stop trying to hide what God already knows. Step Three, love, simply love. Step Four, to love and to cherish. Step Five, don’t just say, “i love you,” show “i love you.”

We have come full circle, We start with Jesus and we end with Jesus. We start with love and we end with love. If you truly want balance and perspective in your life you need to follow these five steps.

Balance and Perspective:
Step one, Jesus and His Spirit.
Step two, stop trying to hide what God already knows.
Step Three, love, simply love.
Step Four, to love and to cherish.
Step Five, don’t just say, “i love you,” show “i love you.”

you are LOVED,
cj

Love and Live

Love and Live

i love where i am with Jesus right now. Basking in deep waters, the gentle flow of the stream of life giving water ripples across my soul with sweet refreshing. Here are some of the verses that have been watering my soul:

1. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.”

2. Psalm 139:1-3 “O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when i sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when i’m far away. You see me when i travel and when i rest at home. You know everything i do.”

3. 1 Timothy 1:5 “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.”

4. Ephesians 5:25 “…husbands…love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.” For you married ladies, “…wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.”

5. 1 John 4:8 “But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

These verses along with these quotes from Thomas Merton.

1. “If I love my brothers according to the truth, my love for them will be true not only to them but to myself.”

2. “I cannot discover God in myself and myself in Him unless I have the courage to face myself exactly as I am, with all my limitations, and to accept others as they are, with all their limitations.”

3. “Without true, deep contemplative aspirations, without a total love for God and an uncompromising thirst for His truth, religion tends in the end to become an opiate.”

Try sitting and reading through these passages. Pray through them that these would become a part of you. Each of these brings a significant challenge to put us face to face with ourselves in relation to Jesus and our relationship with Him. In my next post, i will dig into all of this and my journey more but so that we all can have some investment in these verses i want you to pray through what is here.

You are LOVED,
cj

Life Altering…

Life Altering…

There are moments in everyone’s life in which we are faced with life altering decisions. Sometimes, it’s several in one day, other times it is just one here and there…regardless of the frequency, everyone has them. Most of the time these decisions have a larger effect than just our life, they will directly affect others near and far. That is why it is absolutely critical that we make these decisions with great counsel, wisdom, discernment, and Jesus.

Proverbs 11:14
Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.

Proverbs 16:2
Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good.

Proverbs 2:6
For the Lord grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

You are LOVED,
cj

You’re doing it wrong…

You’re doing it wrong…

When it seems as if God isn’t talking, we can begin to lose sight of the bigger picture and live only for ourselves in the past. By the past i really mean the past; We rely on old stories of days gone by. i don’t mean reminiscing or sharing exciting memories but what i do mean is we aren’t trying to or living to make any more new ones. Some may not even have any stories of their own but simply rely on the stories of others.

Fact, Jesus want’s to talk to you right now. Fact, it will require you to put things aside and spend time with Him. Fact, He want’s to use you in adventurous ways. Fact, it will demand that you trust in him completely. Fact, none of these things are easy. Talking to Jesus can be scary because He might say things you don’t want to hear, but need to hear. Putting things aside, clearing your schedule, is difficult; With adventure comes challenges, and challenges test our trust and requires simple faith…and by simple, i mean Herculean faith.

A few things to consider. You have to believe that Jesus wants to talk to you. One of my favorite verses is Psalms 5:3 “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” (NLT) We can wait expectantly because we know that His Holy Spirit is at work, John 14:26 says; “The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you.” (MSG) When you pray, pause and give time to hear what Jesus would say to you. Solomon once prayed that God would give him a hearing heart, a heart that hears and understands. (1 Kings 3:9)

Go on great new grand adventures with Jesus! The Christian life is not boring…if you think it is, you’re doing it wrong!

you are LOVED,
cj

A Place for Prayer

A Place for Prayer

A few nights ago i had a dream that i was sitting at a beautiful rolling desk in an early 19th Century library type room. It was so real that i even had the smell of books in my nostrils. Although the chamber was very 19th Century, i was on my Mac Book, which sadly because of the cracks and dents looks like it might have come from the 19th Century, but most definitely did not. For me, there is just something about old books and furniture in an older musty book smelling room with a fireplace that i find great pleasure.

It’s in these moments of blissful dreaming that i seem to hear and generate ideas with Jesus. It’s almost as if together we are sitting and discussing what is going on in my life and the life of the ministry. It’s my dream prayer closet. To one day have a study straight from the late 18th early 19th Century, full of old musty books, a beautiful wood desk, old English furniture with brick fireplace, would be my happy place, my prayer retreat, my battery charging station.

Scripture mentions a prayer closet. In Mattew 6:5-6 Jesus gives this instruction:

“And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place, so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace.” (MSG)

Perhaps, even my dream is a bit too extravagant, but it is for me a peaceful moment where in my only focus is Jesus and His will.

 you are loved,
cj

Strolling Along

Strolling Along

There was this old white-haired lady at the gym the other day. She rode a stationary bike like she was on a leisurely stroll through the park while simultaneously, talking to her friend about Jesus and reading a book. She not only read the book but she laughed out loud at several passages. Why do i tell you this particular story?

Well, two reasons. First, there are people who can multi-task and do it well. Second, a bit more intentional here, life is a mission field and regardless of what you find yourself doing there is always opportunity to tell your friends about Jesus. You must be intentional with your relationships and never be ashamed to speak truth.

Isaiah 41:10
“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

You are LOVED,
cj

I am so mad I could spit

I am so mad I could spit

i had a friend growing up named Spencer, he was both a friend and an enemy, as we fought as much as we got along. He had a funny expression when he would get upset, “I am so mad I could spit!” He never did spit, his mom was pretty strict, okay very strict. I remember one time we were swimming in the apartment pool and he yelled out, “DARN IT!” after missing a pass as we tossed a football back and forth. His momma came out of the house faster than a jackrabbit being chased by a coyote. “Spencer Allen, you get in this house right now!” Fear gripped his eyes and bewilderment my mind, “what did you do?” i asked. “I cussed,” he said, as he walked the walk of shame up to his apartment.

A few years later i got in trouble for saying, “damn it” and as i was being punished i thought about how strict my parents were; then i remembered…pour Spencer Allen. Nowadays young people are just a bunch of sailors, as the stereotype goes, cussing up a storm.  i read a Facebook post about a parent volunteering at school and witnessing this along with all the disrespect towards teachers just this morning. As a youth pastor, i interact with teens on a regular basis, and this sort of behavior is on the rise and seems to be accelerating at a high rate of speed. It reminded me of a passage in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 it says:

“Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.”

i read this in two ways, one as a warning to watch our character. To be vigilant in our pursuit of that which is holy; body, mind, and soul. The other part is to be watchful of those we would associate with on a regular basis. Your core group of friends should be like minded as you in Christ. You are going to interact with folks found in the passage above as well you should. You may even call some your friend, again this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It becomes bad when those are your core friendships. It is easier to pull down than to lift up. Here is one more passage to end for today found in Ephesians 4:

29 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

30 Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

You are LOVED,
cj

Heard for Ourselves

Heard for Ourselves

“We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” John 4:42

We, that have given our hearts to Jesus in faith, because we believe, once did so because someone told us about Him. Hopefully, however, as you have grown and matured in your relationship with Jesus, you no longer believe just because of someone else…but because you have a personal relationship with Him.

i was 8ish years old. It was a Sunday morning and Pastor Scott preached a salvation message. He concluded with a call to respond, and so i did. i did so because i heard the words of Pastor Scott. His message somehow resonated with me and stirred my heart to respond. i believed because of Pastor Scott. It was several years and many trials later that i would rekindle that relationship with Jesus and go from believing based on someone else to believing because i knew HIM.

When our relationship is built on someone else’s faith, someone else’s belief, our own understanding is weak. As we grow and mature in Christ on our own through study, prayer, conversation and research our faith becomes our own! My prayer for you is that you grow in your personal relationship with Jesus and that your faith is based on; “…’I’ no longer believe just because of what you said; now ‘I’ have heard for ‘myself’, and ‘i’ know that this man ‘Jesus’ really is the Savior of the world.”

“Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it, you may grow in respect to salvation” 1 Peter 2:2

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16

 you are LOVED,
cj

Emulate what you know to be true…

Emulate what you know to be true…

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV

The main message in this passage is the same as that of Colossians 3:1. You should be able to recite it from memory by now…but i will write it out for you. “So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, ACT LIKE IT. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.” MSG

Paul writing to two different Churches has the same message in mind. Follow Jesus, do what you see Him doing, learn from Him, emulate what you know to be true. A good place to start learning from Jesus is Matthew 5:1-7:27.

you are LOVED,
cj

Decisions….

Decisions….

i like traveling on a one-way road. One that is relatively straight, clear, smooth, wide, with plenty of comfortable stops along the way. Unfortunately, that isn’t how life works. Life is full of bumps, sharp turns, narrow paths, thorns, and intersections. i can handle bumps, sharp turns, narrow paths…after all the Word says, “narrow is the way” right? …i can even handle thorns, it is the intersections that get me. Intersections are the worst. Decisions, decisions, you know what i like, not making decisions. i always wonder, “what if”! What if this or what if that or what if what if???

i remember watching a movie once where the main character lived out all the possibilities of his life, all the what if’s were answered, good or bad. i don’t know if i would like that either. And that is the problem. We would never be satisfied and because there are so many decisions made every day the possibilities are endless. What is the answer to decisions? Simply put faith. After a decision is made you can always second guess, and Monday morning quarterback your choices that turned out…well, less than desirable. However, our goal ultimately should be learning from them and trusting or having faith that in the moment you made the best decision given the information that you had.

Reflect on this verse Proverbs 3:5-

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!”

you are LOVED,
cj