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Showing posts from September, 2013

Love Others Without Even Trying

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I grew up feeling entitled to God’s love, I mean, he’s God - he loves everyone. It’s a requirement, so you know...no big whoop. Except it is a big whoop, it’s the biggest whoop ever. There is nothing bigger or more amazing or impressive than his love. I hate to admit I was disdainful when well-meaning people encouraged me by saying, “God loves you.” I may not have voiced it, but I was thinking, “Duh, of course he loves me, tell me something I don’t know.” I was self-righteous in God’s love for me and it showed in my ministry to others. I served out of a heart of duty, rather than a choice to love. It was exactly how I viewed God’s love – as a duty, not a choice. I was wrong. God is love ( 1 John 4:8 ). It’s impossible to [truly] know God without coming face to face with the realization of his love.   God doesn’t love me, or anyone else, because of duty but because he is love. I could park on this truth and never come to the fullness of it for all eternity; my mind

In Need of a Culture Change

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If you were a fly on the wall at my house (or more likely a wolf spider in the corner), you’d think one member of our family believes the world is going to hell in a hand basket and it will only get worse and the other one is naively idealistic and thinks nothing is impossible for God. Spoiler alert: I’m the naive idealistic. My Man, a new believer, echoes the culture around us. Sadly, he also echoes a majority of Christians as well. By and large, most of us are in survival mode. We put in the time here on earth doing what we can to hold on and not get swept away by the current of defeat, and seismic social injustices until the day when we are whisked away to a heavenly refuge, far away from the troubles and problems of this world. It’s been a process for me – to change my way of thinking from “Get me out of here” mentality to understanding God’s desire for reality on the earth [now] is supposed to model the heavenly reality. I’m not being naive to place my faith and my