Find the real God who loves you.

We are so influenced in the West by Greek culture. We live with reason. We have to understand how everything works before we accept it. Even in religion, our historic concept of God is based on the Greco/Roman idea that God is just like us, only vengeful in His power. We have no other grid for understanding God except our own hearts and minds, so He must be as petty and hateful as the rest of us.

That’s why Jesus is so hard to understand. God is love? He loves so powerfully that He broke His own heart to provide a way of salvation for a people who ignored Him? He’s a God who blesses lavishly and forgives easily?

This God does not fit into the mold we built for Him. How could He? He is God and we are human. Our capacity to understand Him is so limited. And yet, it is our delight to discover more and more about Him from now on through eternity.

Go to Him with fresh eyes. Allow yourself to meet the real God, not the one you’ve dismissed all these years. You’ll be amazed and surprised by how kind and generous He is. He’s been waiting to sit with you for a long time. Enjoy it. It’s going to change your life.

Be the arms of love to those who need it.

Jesus walked as we walk. His life was our model. When He read Isaiah 61 in the synagogue, He read our ministry mandate.

The Spirit of God is on me because I am anointed to preach the gospel. He sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to declare liberty to those who are bound captive, and open prison doors; to comfort those who mourn, to give them beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy for morning; to give them the garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness, that they will be called  trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, so He will be glorified.

This is what we are called to. Preach the gospel so others will know of the salvation that is theirs. Break off bondage from those who suffer from depression, anxiety, fear, and anger. Comfort people when they hurt. Love them so they feel loved. Let them understand the blessing of God so clearly that they will throw off their heaviness and receive joy. Walk with them so they grow strong in the Spirit, with deep roots of faith. Do that, and God will be glorified.

What do you mean you can’t do that? God has put His Spirit in you, and it’s the same Spirit that was in Jesus, so yes, you can. And you will love it. There is great joy in walking out the mandate of God because He loves to answer prayer. Now go. Go out and bless someone.

Paul describes the gifts of the Spirit as (1Cor 12:8-9):

• word of wisdom
• word of knowledge
• faith
• healing
• miracles
• tongues
• interpretation of tongues

I tend to list the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) — love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control — as gifts as well, because they are free for us to receive.

God blesses us in our entire life. Everything that we give to Him, He blesses. That’s the goodness of living in His kingdom.

But we can’t let all these wonderful blessings distract us from the One Gift that is greatest of all. Jesus is everything. He is Savior, Lord, Friend, Emmanuel. He is God with Us. His heart of love is so great that allowed Himself to be tortured for us — the Sinless One.

I always ask for a greater revelation of Jesus. I want to know Him more and more. No matter how we live our Christian life, the eternal question will always be, what did you do with the sacrifice that Jesus made for you? How did you honor the Son of God?

Jesus must be central to our faith, to our life, and to our hope. It is His blood that saves us and it will be His arms that embrace us in eternity.

If you love Him, you will obey Him.

Jesus proved His love for us by dying on the cross. How do we prove our love for Him? Jesus makes it very clear: If you love Me, keep My commandments. (Jhn 14:15) The first time that really hit me, I was guilted by all the things I knew I wasn’t doing. But over time, that has changed.

The reason I felt guilty when I read that before was because I had pretty flimsy love. You know, the kind of love that works for me, not Him. The kind of love that will let me do some things He wants, but not others. It was a love of convenience. Actually, it wasn’t all that loving.

Now when I consider what He says, I think, but of course I will obey You. I want to obey the One my heart turns to the most. I want to please Him. I trust Him, so I know what ever He’s got going on will be for me, not against me. I’m not saying it’s always easy, but think about it. If you love someone , truly love them, you will do anything for them, no matter how inconvenient.

Take stock of how much you really love God and ask Him to help you increase that. The more you love Him, the more amazing He becomes to you.

We are called to walk as Jesus walked.

Jesus is our awesome role model. I used to think that He’s life was exceptional because He is the Son of God. No wonder He could do the things He did. But then I realized that He came as the Son of Man. He laid down His Godly powers and lived as we live, to show us how. He lived an exceptional life because He looked to God in all things.

That kind of exceptional life can be ours if we do the same thing. He said, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (Jhn 14:12)

Jesus walked in great power because He was obedient to what God wanted Him to do. Every time we agree with God and do what He is leading in, power follows. Blind eyes open. Deaf ears hear. Cancer is eradicated. Lives are changed.

All we have to do is look where God is looking and follow His lead. You have to be sensitive in your spirit to follow Him. You have to be filled with His Spirit to release His power. This is not impossible, it’s easy. When you are faced with a situation, do what Jesus did. He looked to God and did what He was led to do. Boom. Power to heal. It works. Trust me.

But Jesus also walked in love. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. (Mat 9:36) Jesus was not on a power trip. In fact, He usually told people not to mention Him after He healed them.

He came with a heart full of God’s great plan — to release a kingdom where we are fully sanctified and free to live with God. He did not berate those who wanted more of God. He called them closer. He had compassion on them. He loved them dearly, as we should.

1Corinthians 13 is all about the amazing aspects of what love really is. Love is patient and kind. If you stop right there and walk in that, you will change lives. Add to that meekness and humility, holiness, truth, and faith, and you can change the world.

Start first with love. Allow God to change you and shift out everything that prevents you from loving. Then release the power of His presence and you will do greater works than these.

Make the decision to find your rest in Jesus.

Jobs, and kids, and traffic, and life can get pretty busy. Even if things aren’t falling apart, it can still be draining. All your energy can get poured out doing everything that needs to be done. In the middle of all the bustle, just remember who you are.  More importantly, remember who God is.

At some point, you have stop and find your peace. You have to center your heart on Jesus. It’s the only way to stay secure in His care. Once you stop remembering to keep your peace in Him, then stress creeps in and you’ve got trouble.

Peace in Jesus should be your magnetic north. He should be the One your heart turns to when you begin to daydream. There’s where your rest is. There’s where you are refreshed and filled. You may not feel like taking the time that you need with Him when you get busy, but that’s when you need Him the most.

Faith takes intention. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. (Psa 42:5) Talk to yourself if you need to. Make the effort to turn to God when you need help. You will keep your peace and be refreshed.

Do you hear that? Someone’s at the  door. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (Rev 3:20) You probably think that talks about salvation. It does. And then some.

Jesus is knocking. Let Him in!

The truth is, we never give God our whole heart. We may try, but there’s always some part of us that we keep for ourselves. We may do it intentionally because we’re not ready to repent. Or we may do it unknowingly because sin has blinded us from seeing our own truth.

But God knows and He wants in. He wants to occupy as much territory in your heart as you’ll give Him, because He loves you so much. The more that you give Him, the safer you will be. He wants to protect you and bless you, but He can’t until you let Him.

You may be an old-time believer, but Jesus is still knocking on the door to that part of your heart that you never opened. That knocking feels like conviction. Yep, it’s that little tug that says to repent, ask for forgiveness, and open up to Jesus. The more you open up to Him, the more filled you are with His presence, and you can never get enough of that.

Never stop getting closer to God.

When I first started going to church as a child, I had no faith. My attendance was required by my mother and strictly academic. That’s when I learned Bible stories and Bible verses and had cookies and punch. I was learning about God. I never met Him.

Later on, I visited another church with a friend and I met Jesus. It was startling to know that I could have an actual relationship with Him after all those years of learning Bible stories. But still, my knowledge of Him was somewhat distant. Like seeing a friend you recognize and across the park and waiving to him.

For most of my adult life, God was someone I recognized across the park. I never got close enough to shake hands and sit and talk. Oddly, I acted like I knew Him well, like people who pretend to be friends with celebrities. Only, I didn’t realize that I didn’t know Him well. I thought I did.

And when my life ran into pain and trouble, I wasn’t close enough to God to let Him help. I still thought that waiving from across the park was fine, but my life was in a panic. God could not help me because I wasn’t close enough to hear Him talking.

Transition happened and I found myself in a church where I learned how far from God I had really been living. I made the decision to get close to Him, but it felt a little awkward. I realized that I didn’t know Him as well as I thought I did. I had to start over.

But it was good for me. I learned to hear His voice. I learned to recognize  when He was near. I could have conversations with Him and get feedback. I had crossed the park and could sit comfortably with Him on a bench.

But recently, I have come to realize that I’m still not as close as I thought I was. Jesus is constantly calling me closer. At first I thought, but I am aren’t I? And He keeps calling. Then it dawned on me. Just like waiving from across the park, I don’t realize now how much distance is still between us.

Even if I were standing nose to nose with the Lord, He would still call me closer. You can literally step into Him and dive into His presence. And when you dive in, you can still go deeper and deeper.

There is never a stopping point in your relationship with God. If you do stop, you miss out on so much. Everyday, there is more. He’s calling you closer all the time.

Jesus is the name above all names

There is no other name as wonderful as Jesus. Our life and hope come from Him. All authority and power comes from Him. In the name of Jesus, every knee must bow. No one at any time has ever had preeminence over Him. The name of Jesus should be precious to us.

In this world of religious tolerance, we are pressured into believing that all beliefs are equal. Though we should not disparage other religions, neither should we accept them as truth. Only Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Every other path is a counterfeit. They may proclaim peace and morality, but only Jesus can lead to the one true God.

Don’t feel pressured into accepting other faiths as true to please the status quo. You are responsible for your own faith. Find the truth.  If it’s not in Jesus, then you haven’t found it yet. Jesus made a way to Father through His sacrifice. There is no other way. Any path without Jesus leads to death. It’s terrible to think about, but true.

The name of Jesus is the name above all names because of who He is and what He did for us. In His name was have life and the power to dispel the works of the enemy. Jesus is the name we all need.

Another post on Jesus: Who Is Jesus, Part 3

When things fall apart, let Jesus help.

Do your best plans seem to be falling apart? Does everything you touch collapse before your eyes, despite careful planning? Do you feel discouraged when that happens? Stop for a second and remember that discouragement does not come from God. Anything that makes you feel bad is from the enemy.

If you can rise above the bad feelings when things fall apart, you may see that the enemy is terrified of what you are about to do. He will throw a wrench into the works any time he sees God about to move or bless.

Laugh in the enemy’s face, because you have God on your side. Give it all over to Jesus. He said He would carry the load for you. He said to trust in Him first and He’ll work out all the rest.  God can fix anything, even when we screw it up ourselves.

That’s the great wonder of living in the kingdom. We have God with us to bless us and help us through everyday. Stop worrying about tomorrow and give God today to bless. Put your trust in Him and He will work it out. He’s the best.

Another post on having a day of grace. Today Is Awesome. Bless The Lord!