With one week left to live on this earth, and one day behind Him, Jesus steps into DAY TWO!

“The next morning…”                                       Mark 11:12

Friends, HE GOT UP!

If you and I were facing the last week of our lives, would we “Get Up?”

I have faced days where, like my Vlog from last week, the sun was shining the day before, and today the rain has come!  It feels cold, dark, damp and wet! I feel sad and alone. I had taken my first step, just as Jesus had, and I “JUST DID IT!” And today I am faced with weakness and discouragement.

On these days, more than any other, I must lean into Jesus harder than ever, and pull from His super-natural strength!  I must set my face to follow His example and “GET UP!”

Jesus faced the next day with RESOLUTE commitment and walked in it with INTEGRITY!

God knows our hearts. God knows our lives. He understands that some days are bright and sunny and easy to face, and some days are dark and rainy and difficult to face. He has walked in our shoes. He knows what it is like to “DO THE HARD THING” when we would rather stay in bed, and pull the covers over our head.

During those times, when we face those darker days, we must look to Jesus and follow His example and face the next morning with INTEGRITY!

“The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.”
Mark 11:12

Friends, Jesus, like us, felt hunger pains. Would He not have felt the pain and struggle to get up and face the day? Especially when He only had 6 more days left to live! Of course He would have, but instead of giving in to His feelings, He set His face resolute to accomplishing His Father’s Will!

Jesus walked in INTEGRITY!

He purposed Himself to face His last week here on earth accomplishing His Father’s Will. With solid INTEGRITY He taught God’s Truth, He set God’s example, and He demonstrated God’s compassion.

Jesus went to the Temple.
Jesus went to church!
If it was our last week to live, would we go to church?
We find it difficult to get to church when the sun is out and we have a tickle in our throat.
We find it hard to get to church if someone there has offended us, hurt our feelings!
We find it hard to get to church if an activity conflicts with the schedule.
Etc…Etc…Etc…You fill in the blank.

Jesus was faced with one week left to live and He went to church!

He first, set them straight!

“When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out the people who were buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers,and the chairs of those selling doves.”  Mark 11:15

These were the people taking advantage of God’s people. The people who were making money off of those committed to God and the sacrifices He had asked them to make to Him. Jesus was calling them into accountability.

Now, we are not Jesus, but we can walk upright in His INTEGRITY and model Christ-like behavior for others to follow. While I do not recommend turning over tables at church, I do suggest going to church! We set the best example for others when we attend church regularly.

Just like Jesus, we can demonstrate to others where our heart lies. We can go to church when we feel like it and when we don’t. We can go to church when others are nice to us and when they are not. We can go to church first when we have another commitment and when we do not. We walk with the upmost of INTEGRITY when we go to church because we love God, and for no other reason!

“People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.”
Proverbs 10:9 NLT

Friends, I will be the first to admit to you that NO CHURCH IS PERFECT! I have dedicated the majority of my life here on earth to working in God’s church. But, I will also be the first to admit to you that God chooses to work through His church!

While the church is not perfect, GOD IS! If we are to walk like Jesus did, with INTEGRITY, then we must follow His example and go to church!

TRUTH BOMB

When we walk in Christ-like INTEGRITY, we walk securely.

“Whoever walks in INTEGRITY walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.”                             Proverbs 10:9

The most secure path I have ever followed is to church! If I had only one week to live, I hope I would follow in the steps of Jesus and walk with INTEGRITY. I would go to church just like He did! I would use my God-given gifts, just like He did!

There is no perfect church! I have been in big churches and I have been in small churches. I have been in churches every size in-between. I have been in churches in America and I have been in churches around the world. No one church does it the same way and no one inside of those churches is ever perfect! But that’s not why we should go!

Do we go because they offer the sermons we prefer? Do we go because they play the kind of music we like? Do we go because their programs fit our needs? If these are the reasons we go to church, then we have missed the reason Jesus went to church!

He went to worship His God, His perfect God! He went to bless others and to use His God-given gifts to worship His God and to love others. And I believe Jesus went to church His last week of life here on earth, because that’s where He felt encouragement and support from God to complete His God-given task at hand.

Jesus went to church His last week of life here on earth to be in fellowship with God and others!

Some of the people loved Him and some of the people hated Him. The service may or may not have been to His liking. The instruments played may or may not have hit a sweet, harmonious chord that day. But He went to commune with His God and others.

Jesus got up, walked with integrity and went to church!

So, if I have only one week left to live on this earth, or if I have many, I’m going to church! I hope you do too!

Speak Truth Love

 

New, everything around us is beginning to look new!

The rains have come and have left behind fresh, new, green grass. Blossoms of every tint, shade and hue are popping up wherever we look. The sun itself is popping through the clouds more frequently and leaving us with a glow as it soaks us with warmth. Maybe you too feel a “spring in your step,” or at least in your heart as your eyes rest on the new sights of the coming Spring. After all, we are all about to “SPRING FORWARD” with Daylight Savings Time this weekend!

It’s in the air, the season of NEW is coming! But imagine this year, that you are facing this season of newness with a unique awareness that you have only one week to live! What would you do?

I invite you to pause a moment…

…and ponder this question with me. Before reading on, think about it! What would you do? What would I do?

Like I shared in the Vlog, I’ve been pondering this for several weeks now.

I have written down too many items to count! I have thought of every person I would reach out to! I have thought of trips I have not taken. I have been reminded of goals I have not completed or even attempted! But more than anything, I have thought about the mark I would leave when I was gone. What would others say about me? What difference would I have made? Most importantly, what would my God say to me when I finally would see Him face to face?

Would I hear those words I long to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant?”

Like I said, I’ve had more time to ponder this thought. Like you, I’m sure, my first thoughts ran wildly to who would I see, what would I say, what have I not done, I, I, I!
Then as I had more time to think about it, the truth that I would soon be with my Savior, and I only had one week left to live, hit me hard. Would I have the character to set my face RESOLUTE, firm in my conviction to live a life that points others to God, even with the truth that I had only one more week to live on this earth?

My honest answer must be, only with the strength and filling of God’s Spirit!

So as I see all things becoming “NEW” again in God’s creation, I focus my mind and heart toward the most significant event in history, as we celebrate Easter.

I must look to the example of Jesus as He faced the reaity, knowig He had only one more week to live on this earth.
What did Jesus do with those precious last 7 days?

I hope you’ll stay with me as we take a close up, microscopic look at the final week of Jesus’ life here on earth.

Jesus had a seven day week, just like we do. On the first day of the week, Sunday, He prepared and then He went.

“Jesus sent two of them on ahead…Go into that village over there and as soon as you enter it you will see a young donkey tied…untie it and bring it to me.”

Mark 11:2

Jesus prepared Himself first. He knew what it would take for Him to not only fulfill the scriptures, but to take that first, difficult step. He knew that He must set His face, resolutely toward Jerusalem, and that He must enter as the “Suffering Servant, not the Conquering King,”       Isaiah 53.
The Jews expected Him to ride in on a white stallion and take His kingdom by force, but that was not God’s plan. Jesus determined to fulfill God’s call on His life and He prepared Himself to do so.

Then, I believe He took the most difficult step of all. The step that most of us never take! The step that freezes us in fear and causes us to do NOTHING AT ALL!

Jesus entered Jerusalem. He took the first step toward the last week of His life on earth!

“Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and He sat on it.”
Mark 11:7

I have not heard a lot of sermons on this phrase, “and He sat on it,” if any, but God has spoken volumes to me through it!

In order for us to be found faithful, to accomplish His plans and will for our lives here on earth, we must not only think about it, pray on it, ask others for advice about it, contemplate the advantages and disadvantages, or think through the long term benefits.
WE NEED TO JUST DO IT!

Am I saying we don’t need to pray? NO, Jesus prayed hard and often, we need to do the same!
Am I saying we do not need to read God’s Word for understanding of His call? NO, Jesus knew the scriptures and quoted them consistently!
Am I saying that we do not need the wise council of trusted faith filled followers of Jesus who will help guide, direct and affirm our call? NO, godly wisdom and council is important!
BUT, what I am saying, is that after you have done these things, like Jesus Himself did, THEN JUST DO THE THING!

We spend so much time in our world, ACCESSING! What are the benefits long term and short term. What will the yield be? What outcomes will be produced, positive and negative? SERIOUSLY?
God’s economy is upside down compared to ours! He can do what no man, counselor, economist, business expert or loved one can do! HE IS GOD!

TRUST HIM, HE WILL NEVER FAIL YOU!

What Jesus was facing, His last week here on earth, looked like failure from every other point of view, EXCEPT GOD’S!

TRUTH BOMB

GOD’S POINT OF VIEW IS THE ONLY ONE THAT MATTERS!

God’s point of view is the only one that matters, so when you are faced with difficult decisions, and nothing seems crystal clear or obvious, except the fact that God has called you, JUST DO IT! Put yourself on that colt, and ride!

Jesus knew God had called Him to get on the colt and ride into Jerusalem. Unlike us, Jesus knew what lay ahead for Him. But, just like Jesus, we know we have a God who will never fail us and never let us go!

Jesus was praised on that first day of the week.

“Praise God!
Blessings on the One who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Mark 11:9

You may be praised, you may not be praised. Others may understand your call and purpose, and yet others may not.

Jesus could have commanded the respect He was due. He could have called them all into accountability for the wrongs they had done. He could have called down legions of angels from heaven and taken the kingdom by force. But, faced with one week left on earth to live, He instead, demonstrated supreme HUMILITY, and kept His strength under control.

Would I be able to do that with one week left to live? Would you? Left to our own strength, the answer is surely, NO! But like Jesus, if we were to HUMBLE ourselves before God, ask for His strength and not our own, take Him at His Word and push aside all the noise around us, I believe we too, can prepare our colts, lay down our garments, take our seat, AND RIDE!

Oh Friend, we may not know what path God will take us down, but we do know HE WILL TAKE US, LEAD US, GUIDE US, AND IT WILL BE THE RIDE OF OUR LIVES!

One week left to live! Would you and I demonstrate the humility needed to live it well for Jesus?

I hope so!

See you back here next week as we look at the next day in Jesus’ last week on earth.

I love you Friend. We are in this quest together. May we live it well and to the glory of God!

Have a blessed week!

Speak Truth Love

Today we conclude our theme on ‘LOVE!’

The Bible clearly speaks about Four Distinct Loves, Phileos,(brotherly love,) Storge, (family love), Eros (romantic love), and finally AGAPE, GOD’S LOVE.

We studied the first three in the first three weeks of February, and we now conclude with our fourth and final, AGAPE.

 

AGAPE LOVE is a DIVINE LOVE! It is a LOVE so pure, and so perfect that mere human words do not define it. The only words fitting a definition of this AMAZING LOVE is found within the pages of God’s Love Letter to us, the Bible.

I John 4:10
“Dear Friends, let us continue to LOVE one another, for LOVE comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, FOR GOD IS LOVE.
God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into this world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real LOVE – not that we loved God, but the He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

GOD IS LOVE! It is who He is, not in part, but in whole! Real LOVE can only be found in the Divine nature of God Himself.

We feel God’s great LOVE for us when we accept the gift of His Son and the sacrifice He made on our behalf.

“For God so LOVED the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.” John 3:16

When God lives in us through the gift of His Holy Spirit, we then are able to demonstrate His great LOVE to others.

“Dear Friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His Love is brought to full expression in us.”                    I John 4: 11-12

So as we conclude our study on ‘THE FOUR LOVES,’ I pose the same question C.S. Lewis posed…

How does LOVE work in our daily lives?

Are we able to love our friends, acquaintences, and even those we do not know?

Are we successful at honoring, respecting and demonstrating love to our family?

Are we equipped to put another first, before our own needs and maintain romantic love when we feel like it and when we don’t?

The answer is NO, not without The Love of God, Agape love, that is Divine and Supernatural.

TRUTH BOMB

DIVINE LOVE GIVES, SERVES, SACRIFICES.

As Lewis so eloquently puts it;

“The human loves can be glorious images of Divine Love, No less than that, but also No more.”

As our love for God grows, we grow closer to others, and as our love for others grows, we grow closer to God!

It is DIVINE, it is a MYSTERY, it is TRUTH, it is GOD’S LOVE!

Speak Truth Love

 

 

Yes, this is the week, the week you have either been looking forward to, or dreading!

ROMANTIC LOVE brings up all sorts of mixed feelings and emotions! Some of us cannot wait to talk about it, while others of us would rather suck on a sour lemon!

You may have been blessed to be raised in a home where this kind of love was demonstrated between a loving and committed mother and father.

You may have been raised in a home where quite the opposite was demonstrated. Where love was conditional and even demanded. Where love was performance based and given out only when expectations were met.

This type of LOVE is the LOVE we all think about first when we hear the word,

L-O-V-E!

But regardless of your upbringing, views or opinions on the subject, God clearly speaks about EROS LOVE in His Word.

And even though the greek word EROS, lends us to lean into “erotic love”, to do so would be “putting the cart before the horse,” so to speak! The picture depicted in God’s Word, is one of committed, exclusive love that chooses the other, protects the other and puts the others needs above their own!

Song of Solomon 3:2: “I will search for the one I love.”

True love is exclusive…”for the ONE I love.” Not the many, not the one right now, but THE ONE!

True Love is also choosen! The One, “I will search for…” This love is a love that is sought after and chosen!

In this beautiful song from one lover to another, the young woman here says,

Song of Solomon 2:16: “My lover is mine and I am his…”

She is confident and sure of her lover’s love for her. Why, because he wrote a sonnet, bought an expensive gift, or demonstrated his love for her physically? No, because he has given her the greatest gift in knowing that she is CHOSEN by him, BELONGS to him, and is SOUGHT AFTER by him. There is no greater sense of felling loved than that!

True Love is an exclusive love that puts the other first!

TRUTH BOMB

TRUE LOVE IS EXCLUSIVE LOVE THAT PUTS THE OTHER FIRST.

Philippians 2:4: “Each of you should look not only to his own
interests, but also to the interests of others.”

When this type of love is accomplished, then and only then, is romantic love completed in sexual love.

Sexual desire is created by God, but it is not to be confused with LUST!

The dictionary definition of LUST is: “The intense sexual desire or appetite. A passionate or overmastering desire or craving.”

This definition itself causes us to yield, and take note of our motives and desires.

Are we in this for ourself? Is our desire to please and feed the hungry appetite of our sexual desire?

C.S. Lewis, in his chapter on EROS LOVE, in his book ‘The Four Loves’, gives this warning:

“What is feared is pre-occupation, the need of constantly ‘pleasing’ – that is, considering – one’s partner…”

OH, DO NOT MISS LEWIS’ NEXT STATEMENT!

“It is marriage itself, not the marriage bed, that will be likely to hinder us from waiting uninterruptedly on God.”

I know that’s a mouth full! But basically, Lewis is telling us here that if we desire the true EROS love that God desires for us in a marriage relationship then we must look to Philippians 2:4, and put the needs of the one we love, before our own needs! And yes, I believe that God is clearly telling us here that TRUE LOVE, EROS LOVE is only found in marriage.

“My lover is mine and I am his.”

Song of Songs 2:16
This is an exclusive LOVE! This is a committed LOVE! This is a love that seeks the best interest of the other, AKA, THE BELOVED!

Lewis puts it like this,

“EROS LOVE reduces the nagging and addictive character of mere sexual appetite.”

He also adds,

“It lends, no doubt, to a pre-occupation with the beloved.”

This is God’s desire for His children. To love like this and to be loved like this.

But it is not God’s plan for everyone! There are examples in The Word of God that point this out. The apostle Paul is the most obvious. He dedicated his life to serving God and not finding this kind of Love.

If you have this love, guard protect and celebrate it. Work hard to keep it in the confines of God’s desire for it!

If you do not have this kind of love, then know that you are loved exclusively, chosen and desired by your Father God, and He will supply all your needs.

 

 

This is a tough one to share about! It produces warm and fuzzy feeling in some, and confusion and frustration in others. But we would be negligent not to speak about it. Why, because God speaks about it! We as His children have the obligation to speak about it in Love. To clearly share the guidelines He has drawn, and to not allow the world to describe it for us!

Remember, ultimately , perfect love is found in no one else, ONLY JESUS!

None of us can love properly, or be loved properly, without God’s Love!

I love you all and look forward to seeing you back here next week and we tackle the most powerful of all the LOVES!

Speak Truth Love

“The human loves can be glorious images of Divine love. No less than that: but also no more.”
‘The Four Loves’ by C. S. Lewis

Last week I shared the first of the four loves talked about in the Word of God, PHILEOS, friendship love. This week we are tackling the second type of love, The Word of God refers to in the Greek as STORGE. In the Greek Lexicon, STORGE is defined as “AFFECTION, especially as parents to offspring; but also offspring to parents.”

In the book, ‘The Four Loves’, by C. S. Lewis, Lewis states, “I shall here call it simply AFFECTION.”

While I am not attempting to do a book review in any way shape or form. Nor am I a book promoter, I am simply sharing with you two of, if not THE TWO, favorite authors of mine and their insights on the subject of LOVE.

C. S. Lewis, like I said last week, is a brilliant author and writes an exquisite description of each of the four loves spoken about in the Bible.

Francine Rivers is also a brilliant author who in her latest novel, ‘The Masterpiece’, depicts an unexpected and redemptive love story.

Both reads are well worth your time. Francine will leave you wanting her to write another, and Lewis will strain your brain, while enlarging you heart.

As our focus is on STORGE Love this week, the definition of our Love of Family comes clearly into view with Lewis’s description of AFFECTION.

He defines STORGE love as both a “Need Love”, and a “Gift Love,” as a mother to nursing baby. The importance of this image, Lewis says, it that it represents both the “NEED LOVE,” and the “GIFT LOVE.”

“It is a “NEED LOVE” but what it needs is to give. It is a “GIFT LOVE” but it needs to be needed.” C. S. Lewis

As this definition sinks deep down into my mind and heart, it causes me to reflect on the love of my family of origin. While not perfect, my family loved me. My mother and father were divorced after twenty years of marriage, and both were remarried. While this brought in obvious challenges and changes that my sisters and I would not have elected to have in our lives, we were loved.

It took me years to see this truth in it’s fullness, but nevertheless, it was there.

It also gave me a gift I never recognized until many years later. It gave me a strong desire to pray for and find a mate who would partner alongside me to raise a godly heritage. One who would see and reflect God’s love in their lives and in their life choices.

My marriage was and is, far from perfect! My children are not perfect either (You’ll notice I omitted the “far from”, when referring to my children. In my eyes they are close to perfect)! But in all honesty, I know they are not perfect and I can point out their flaws as easily as they can point out mine. Why? Because we are a FAMILY!

Your family of origin may be very different from mine or it may be similar. Your immediate family may be very different from mine or similar. But the bottom line is NO TWO FAMILIES ARE EXACTLY ALIKE!
They are not intended to be! God has created each of us individually and uniquely! We have a set of fingerprints that NO ONE ELSE HAS! We have a DNA that NO ONE ELSE HAS! God never intended us to follow any set of rules except those outlined in His Love Letter, THE BIBLE!

Your family is unique! Your family is yours, and God intends for you to love the family He gave you!

We have the freedom to choose our other types of loves, but God chooses our family for us!
Therefore, as difficult and sometimes painful as it is to love our family of origin, God calls us to do so!

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other, just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
(AKA my followers.)
John 13:34-35

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN WE LOVE OUR FAMILY WE DEMONSTRATE GOD’S LOVE TO THE WORLD.

Like any of the four loves, it is not always easy. We may have a loving and supportive family and they are easier to love. However, it still calls for sacrifice and selflessness-putting others first above our own wants and desires. We may have a difficult or near impossible family to love, but we are still called to love them with the love of God. This is a supernatural love that does not put us in harms way, but allows us to love and honor our family even from a distance.

It is a natural God-given love between family that propels us to both gift our love to them, as we receive the love we need in return.

As C. S. Lewis terms it, it is the affection love that both “needs love,” and gifts love.”

If we are to LOVE the way God loves us, then we love at all times, and love affectionally those in our family because WHEN WE LOVE OUR FAMILY WE DEMONSTRATE GOD’S LOVE TO THE WORLD!

God loved us, even when we did not deserve it! He gave us His son so that we could know FOREVER LOVE with Him. God chose our family, we did not, and He calls us to love them so that the world will see His love, not our love!

Did you catch that? When we allow the world to define LOVE for us, any kind of LOVE, it comes up wanting! Wanting love in return. Wanting love to take care of us. Wanting love to satisfy. Wanting love to serve. Wanting love perfected.
The only perfect love is JESUS!
Our family will fall short from providing that kind of love for us, just like we fall short in providing that kind of love for them. But when we allow God’s Love to perfect our imperfect love, and love our family anyway, because God loves us, the world sees the Love of God! And, because we are demonstrating “Gift Love”, and giving, we will receive the “Need Love” we desperately desire!

So, as Valentine’s Day approaches, let’s reach out and LOVE those God has given us as FAMILY!
I give God the glory and a heart full of thanks for the family he has given me!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
I LOVE YOU!

Speak Truth Love

It’s February, and Love is in the air!

This month our culture sets aside time in February to celebrate LOVE!

Now, before you write this Valentine holiday off as complete commercialism, first consider the opportunity we have to demonstrate what REAL LOVE IS!

First, and foremost, GOD IS LOVE! It is not a character trait that He posses, it is not an attribute that He maintains, it is not merely a piece or a part of Him, IT IS HIS VERY NATURE!

“But anyone who does not Love does not know God, FOR GOD IS LOVE.” 1 John 4:8

GOD IS LOVE, so if we know God, then we have that LOVE in us!

Instead of being haters, let’s lean into that LOVE. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity of a month set aside for LOVE, to LOVE others the way God intended us to!

God speaks about four different kinds of LOVE in His ‘LOVE LETTER” to us, The Bible.

The brilliant author C.S. Lewis wrote an exquisite description of each one of these four loves in his book by the same title, ‘The Four Loves.’ It’s a great read and I HIGHLY recommend it. If you want to go into depth about these four loves we are going to talk about this month, then this is the book for you!

In a smaller version, a condensed version if you will, we are going to take the month of February and examine these Four Loves.

The first is PHILEOS. Philileos Love, comes from the Greek word ‘phileo’, and means “brotherly love.” In the Greek, phileo is most commonly translated as “friendship or affection.” Phileo speaks of affection, fondness and liking the other. This LOVE is companionable and relational. It’s brotherly LOVE and friendship LOVE. Yes, it is where the name for the city in Pennsylvania derives it’s meaning. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is know as the “city of brotherly LOVE.”

How cool is it that the ‘PHILADELPHIA EAGLES’ just won the Super Bowl?
Now I digress! We are not going down that road! Just saying though, how cool is it that a team named “brotherly LOVE’, just won the Super Bowl! PRETTY COOL I THINK!

The Bible sets the bar high for brotherly or friendship LOVE! It says,

“A FRIEND LOVES AT ALL TIMES.” Proverbs 17:17

Sweet, short, simple and to the point. If a friend is truly a friend, that friend loves at ALL TIMES!

Friends come in all shapes, sizes, varieties, ages and stages. Some even come to us as a SURPRISE! Listen and find out how that recently happened to me!

TRUTH BOMB

A TRUE FRIEND LOVES AT ALL TIMES!

How do we know if we have a true friend? How do we know if we are a true friend?
We love at ALL times! When it is easy and when it is hard. When it is convenient and when it is NOT! When we are being loved back and when we are not!

A true friend, demonstrating the PHILEO LOVE that Jesus talks about, LOVES AT ALL TIMES!
Let’s take this opportunity of a month of LOVE, to demonstrate true brotherly LOVE to the world around us!

God put us in this world. Let’s show the world HIs LOVE!
So go ahead, and have those ‘GALentine’ celebrations! Send those Valentines with your friends and invite your BFF’S for a coffee date, and don’t spare the chocolate! Let all your friends know they are LOVED! PHILEO THEM TO DEATH!

Happy February everyone!
I LOVE YOU!

Speak Truth Love

 

 

 

 

 

“So NEVER be ashamed to tell others about our LORD. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.” II Timothy 1:8

 

Today is TRUTH BOMB TUESDAY, and I came very close to not writing today’s Blog!
I actually, came very close to quitting my Blog altogether! However, God woke me up early on this Truth Bomb Tuesday, and told me to “JUST DO IT!”

Now I know that is a NIKE theme, that the company has made millions off of it. And, I am a NIKE fan! I run in their shoes, I ski in their warm but flexible outerwear. But the feeling of shame and doubt that came over me the last two days, could not have been overcome by any excellent product NIKE has put out.

As hard as it is for me to share this truth with you, it is the truth. I am typically an upbeat, positive, energetic person. I seriously believe that is just the way God made me. I don’t believe it’s the “right” way to be, or the “only” way to be. I would never teach anyone else to be that way or preach that anyone should be that way. It is simply just the way God made me.

My mom used to tell me that she would go into my crib in the morning to pick me up, and I would be standing there shaking the rail of the crib with a big smile on my face, ready to get out. I loved the fact that it was morning, and a new day. The love of my life, loves to say that “I am so positive that I am not realistic.” While I may not agree with his assessment, I do agree that I tend to walk on the “Bright Side of Life.” I’m fairly confident that if you asked my children what one word would they use to describe me, that one word would fall somewhere in the realm of positive. Much of the time to their great frustration at “tying to get the best of me!”

But yesterday something happened. It was no great act of discouragement, no one yelled at me or sent me a nasty note, alougth it would not have been the first time. No catastrophic accident took place, there was no financial crisis or family emergency, I just simply felt ashamed.
I can’t put my finger on it, but it overtook me. I read every scripture I could get my hands on. I listened to every devotional I could find on my phone. I even tuned in to a wonderful webinar and listened to encouraging women in Christian leadership. It didn’t matter, my sense of shame only grew stronger. I felt, in the words I wrote to my manager, (my daughter), “that I was not going to write my Blog anymore, that there is plenty of good quality stuff out there, and thousands of people listen to it.”

I had gone down the dark path of ‘COMPARISON’, and shame had begun to creep into my heart. It didn’t matter what encouraging words she wrote me. It didn’t matter what Truth from God’s Word my husband spoke over me, SHAME was winning the day! I gave up, I quit, and I went to bed!

Oh, I gave effort to combat the shame. I opened my Blog page and looked for comments on my last post, there were none. I prayed and ask God to take this feeling away and show me what He wanted me to do. I was too caught up in my shame and comparison game to hear Him. I sat on the couch alone and discouraged and opened up His Word. A word faced me, I thought the word was LOVE, but as I began to trace the word with my pen, I realized the word was LORD!

Now you probably are thinking, that did it, HE IS LORD, I am NOT, and that turned me around!
NO, it did not!

As embarrassing as it is to admit, that propelled my SHAME into self-pity. Oh, how I HATE self-pity! But I was deep in it! I left my Bible open to that word, and went to bed, feeling completely ASHAMED!

Then, early this morning God woke me up, and said “JUST DO IT!” And this incredible truth came to my mind…Self-discipline is knowing the right thing to do, and doing it! Self-discipline is also knowing the wrong thing to do, and not doing it! And, more importantly,
“…NEVER BE ASHAMED TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT OUR LORD…!”
It was right there in front of me before I went to bed, LORD, but my eyes were so clouded with self-shame, that I could not see it clearly.

The verse finishes with;
“and don’t be ASHAMED of me either, even if I am in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the GOOD NEWS.”

The GOOD NEWS is the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ. It is the Truth of His death, burial, and resurrection, it is the only TRUTH worth proclaiming! It is the only Truth that will stand the test of time! It is the only Truth that will heal the brokenhearted, rescue those in slavery, give strength to the weary and take away our shame!

SO, JUST DO IT! Use whatever personality, character and gifts He has given you, to proclaim His Truth through your life in whatever place He has put you in!

Like my VLOG reminds us, GOD IS IN CONTROL OF ALL THINGS, EVEN THE WEATHER!
The God who turned an entire mountain range from dirty brown, to glistening white, in less than twelve hours, can take away your shame, my shame, your doubts and fears, my doubts and fears, and take us out of the ‘Comparison Game’, and put us back in the ‘Good News Game.’

By whatever means God has given you, NEVER BE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL, it is the ONLY POWER TO SAVE!

I love you, respect you, thank God for you, and will see you back here next TUESDAY!

Speak Truth Love

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Last week we talked about a spirit of LOVE. That’s the “warm and fuzzy” attribute everyone LOVES (no pun intended), to talk about. In fact, we dedicate an entire month to the celebration of it! In fact, ‘Spoiler Alert’, it may be next months topic?
I’m a Disney loving, Hallmark fanatic, that LOVES a happy ending every time. But the problem is, without this next attribute, real love, God’s love, would not be a central part of our lives.

Self-discipline is knowing the right thing to do and doing it, as well as knowing the wrong thing to do and not doing it!
Self-discipline is the CAUTION sign in our lives that warns us to slow down, pause, pray and think about our next move.

TRUTH BOMB

Self-discipline is the CAUTION sign in our lives that warns us to pause and think about our next move.

The winds of life may blow hard on us at times, rocking us back and forth. But as long as we heed our caution sign of self-discipline, pause, and make the right move, we will not be blown off the mountain.

Please bear with me as I make my point. I may have encountered a “bit of wind” on the top of the mountain, actually I almost got taken out by it! But I hope you can hear me share my heart on self-discipline in my most favorite place!

External Signs are important, we see them all around us. They keep us from harm and warn us of things ahead. If I had not paid attention to the signs on the mountain while I was skiing, I may have not made it to the bottom safely.
God has given us Internal signs to warn us about danger we may fall into if we do not heed them. Self-discipline is one of those signs. When we practice self-discipline our spirit develops a warning that causes us to pause, pray and ask, “What is the right thing to do?”  We practice that self-discipline by first pausing and asking the question, and then acting on the correct answer.

Remember, God also gave us a spirit of power, His power, and with that we can also have self-discipline.

We will FLOURISH when we demonstrate self-discipline and do the right thing and do not do the wrong thing.
Trust God, He will show you the difference!

Speak Truth Love

I LOVE WINTER! I LOVE SNOW! I LOVE SNOWFLAKES! I LOVE SNOW SKIING! I LOVE CHRISTMAS COOKIES! I LOVE CUPCAKES, AND I LOVE COFFEE!

I have recently found a new LOVE! I’m excited to share it with you in my VLOG!

 

In order to love others the way God has called us to LOVE, we must pull from God’s strength within us! We also must face the task to LOVE those less lovely, with a spirit of confidence and boldness, not “fear and timidity!”

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” II Timothy 1:7

When we rely on God’s power and not our own, we are filled with supernatural power that diminishes our fear and timidity, and transforms us into people who love ALL people.

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN WE LOVE THE UNLOVELY, GOD’S LOVE IS DEMONSTRATED THROUGH US!

Let’s lean into God this week and allow His power to give us LOVE for those who are not necessarily easy to LOVE.

All those around us will see God when we LOVE like He does!

My prayer is you all feel loved this week. I LOVE you and thank God for you!

Speak Truth Love

 

We are told in order to FLOURISH we must first, “fan into flame the gifts God has given us.”

Do you, like me, doubt the gifts God has given you? Or, maybe even not believe that God has given you gifts of any significance

It is a lie from the enemy to believe that you do not have special gifts from God that He desires you to use to bless others and encourage yourself! However, in order to activate those gifts, you must turn on the pilot light in your spirit, and cause a blaze to ignite!

Our verse today tells us to, put into action, or “fan into flame,” the spiritual gift God has given you!

“This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.”  2 Timothy 1:6

You may know what your gifts are or you may never have heard the term “spiritual gifts.” But the Word of God is clear to say that all who come to Jesus have been given spiritual gifts to be used.

You are gifted my friend. God wants you to use that gift and cause it to BLAZE for Him!

Listen to the VLOG to see how God used a broken flame in my house, to point me to burn for Him!

 

Truth Bomb

God wants our gifts to be ablaze for the world to see!

Speak Truth Love