Ok, so when I see the word gentleness, the first image that pops into my head is a like a field with flowers and a little lamb. My name means lamb in Hebrew, so I should have this one down right?! Or no. I think gentleness is just how you deal with people. Not exactly handling life like its fragile and delicate, or like an innocent lamb in a meadow though.
Gentleness: the quality or state of being gentle; mildness of manner and disposition
Gentle: having or showing a kind and quiet nature, not harsh or violent
The first thing I thought after reading the definition of gentle was what the Bible says about women and how women are supposed to act.
Here are some verses I found to accompany this trait:
Ephesians 4:23
How are you dealing with people?
Proverbs 15:1
Watch yo tongue young lady.
Ephesians 4:15
Do everything with love.
Titus 3:2
To be a disciple, gots to show that gentleness and humility with the peoples of the world.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Love=gentle.
Matthew 11:29
Jesus was gentle. We’re are striving after Christlikeness. You do the math.
Nehemiah 9:17
God was slow to anger and showed gentleness. Therefore, so should we.
God has been gentle and merciful with us, explicitly showing a kind and quiet nature, not being harsh or violent. God is God. He could literally speak us out of existence and would have a good reason to also, but does he? No. Jesus showed us what it meant to live a life of gentleness. Even on the cross, thinking of us before Him. Its all how you deal with people folks. In life there will be those “sand paper people” that just rub you the wrong way, but how many time have we rubbed God the wrong way? How are you speaking to others? How are you acting? What happens when you lose you’re cool? As a woman especially, we should be striving for this fruit. This is one of those God traits that has particularly been called out to woman to be seeking after. Gentleness is not an action or choice like self control, it should be a character trait about you, something you automatically do. I said in the last post that Jesus bore our cross. The Bible says take up your cross daily though and die to yourself to make room for Him. What harshness about you needs to be dug up, nailed to the cross and put to death so you can do life with more gentleness and get closer to the Savior of the world?
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only son. -John 1:14
Once upon a time in a far away land called Bethlehem, a little boy was born, a little boy named Jesus. This little baby would one day save the world, as his name denotes (Jesus means “the Lord saves”).
This is a story heard every year in December all over the world in nearly every tongue. But, have you ever really stopped and thought about the importance and seriousness of this little E! News Backstory?
In a previous posting, I focused on one of my Biblical heroes, Mary, and how she was pretty much a rock star. Really all the characters in this story are. What strikes me the most is that not once did any of them ask why or question or refuse to do what God had commanded them to do. We explicitly see Mary and Joseph being obedient. The shepherds and the wise men give us an excellent example of how we should come to Christ (don’t worry, we’ll touch on this in a little bit), and they fully comply as well. Finally, the main man of this shindig-Jesus-although, yes He is a baby, He is the epitome of a perfect child, who not an utterance of a cry or complaint.
Mary and Joseph had the esteemed responsibility to bring Jesus into the world. Because of a census being taken at the time, Joseph took the still with child Mary to his family’s homeland of Nazareth (Bethlehem to be exact). When they arrived, they found no room for them to stay anywhere in town, so an innkeeper allowed them to stay in his stables behind the inn. There, Mary gave birth to Christ in a manger where she wrapped him in bits of cloth. Nearby, shepherds were watching over the flocks of sheep when an angel appeared to them, reassuring them that they should not be afraid, and informed them of this noteworthy event that had just taken place. The shepherds were amazed and intrigued and swiftly went to go find the baby, following a star in the sky that they angels had told them of. Afterwards, they went and told everyone what they had seen. Later, the reigning king-King Herod-caught wind of this newborn “king of the Jews” and was not too happy. Feeling deeply disturbed with the news, King Herod sent wise men to go scope things out. These wise men were filled with joy when they found the star and followed it to Jesus. They came in and saw the baby, worshipped him, and gave him gifts.
(Summary taken from Matthew 2 and Luke 2)
Although they appear like small yet integral parts to the story, I feel like the shepherds and wise men paint a pretty great picture for us as to how we should be as Christians. For starters-the shepherds. Picture this: you are tending to your sheep when all of a sudden this angel appears telling you the Messiah has been born and basically gives you a Google Maps print out of where he is, plus gives you a star to follow and says, “Dudes, go check it out!”. You then proceed to do it…I don’t know about yall, but I would be asking more questions. I mean this whole scenario is covered in about 8 verses. Not these ole country boys though, they just believed and went. After seeing the little miracle, in Luke 2:17 it says that went and told everyone what they had seen. I think this illustrates what we are supposed to do. We’ve all experienced Jesus in someway-we didn’t see him lying in a manger like they did, but we have seen him shown up in our lives in someway and now we need to go and tell others. We are to carry out the Great Commission laid out in Matthew, and this is part of it. Be like the shepherds and go and tell!
Next up-the wise men. These guys are quite mysterious. Nobody really knows how many there were, where they were all from, etc. But nonetheless, those details are not prevalent to their importance, and actually the lack of information is helpful as you momentarily will see. The wise men disobeyed King Herod by not spying and reporting back on Jesus. Instead, as it states in Matthew 2:10-11, they came in and were overjoyed when they saw Christ! They entered the house that he was in, bowed to him and worshipped, and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Let’s put this in perspective and let you get a mental image of this. They are in a tiny, more than likely, one room, dirt home. They are coming and a bowing and worshipping a child, giving him lavish and extravagant gifts. To an outside eye who didn’t know what was going on, this would look a bit ridiculous. I’m sure the commentary might have sounded something like this: “Why are they worshipping a child and giving him gifts?? Look! They’re bowing to him!?”. Yet, the wise men had faith and knew who this child was and how he would someday save them from their sins as prophesized. I think we need to be like the wise men when we come to Jesus. Maybe that’s why there’s the lack of detail when it comes to them; we’re wise men. We need to come to him, worship him, and give him our lives and the best of what we have just like they did. Now maybe its not gold, frankincense, and myrrh (I’ve never even the last two and know where I could get it), but maybe all you have to give is your life, or a measly bit of what you’ve earned from work, or maybe it’s your children-whatever it may be, come, worship and give to Jesus like the wise men!
And now the reason for the season: Jesus Christ himself ladies and gents.
He came into the very world he created but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and they even rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn-not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:10-14
Christ came into a world rejecting him. There was literally no room for him in the inns-a metaphor for our hearts. People made no room for him. His own people did not recognize him-they had to put a star in the sky for people to follow because they needed that yellow brick road, because even if they saw him, they would not recognize that this baby was the man that would someday save them. The Word and Old Testament stories came to life full of unfailing love, faithfulness, grace and truth so that someday we might be called children of God. This is absolutely amazing to me. This little baby born of two humble people would save us. The weight of the world literally on one man. One man who came into the world rejected. Nobody had room for him and his whole life he would be followed by few and rejected by many, yet still choose to love us enough to take the weight of our sins and allow us to come close to God through his sacrifice to be made on he cross.
I wonder if even as a baby Jesus knew what he would do someday? I wonder if His whole life He knew that He would die a criminals death to save us? I wonder is He knew that He was literally changing the world?
I have to think yes, he did. Which makes this story all the more amazingly, gob smackingly, beautiful. This person, being treated with prejudice and malice, knowing one day He would save us, knowing He was the king of kings and more powerful than anyone, knowing what He could do-still chose to love us. It is truly awesome in the full sense of the word!
This new kid in town changed the world by simply being born. Through his birth we have salvation. Through his birth, we are taught what true faith, obedience and love looks like. Through his birth we are taught how to live-by coming and worshipping and giving, and going and telling others of what God has done. That’s a lot carried in a little manger.
Population: 245, 786
Life Expectancy: 69.9 years
Dominant People Group: Ni-Vanuata-91.9%
Income/person: $2,442 (5% of USA)
Percentage of Christians: 94.08%
Dominant Religion: Protestant Christian
*There is religious freedom.*
Vanuatu is the third poorest nation in the Pacific. They are heavily dependent on agriculture and tourism, but both of these industries are vulnerable to the climate changes. Politically, they are stable with a Parliamentary system and prime minister. There is a relatively low literacy rate amongst the peoples here.
Answers to Prayer:
1. Thousands have turned to Christ. The number of religious cults is depleting and many are turning to Christ.
2. The rededication of Vanuatu to the Lord occurred May 14, 2006 at the 400th anniversary of naming the South Pacific Islands the “Great Southlands of the Holy Spirit.”
How to Pray:
1. Vanuatu’s motto is “In God We Stand”. Pray that leaders of this complex little nation may be examples in doing so.
2. The Protestant Church is numerically strong. Revival is occurring in some of the islands, but many are still stagnant. Pray for church planting missions and for training future leaders in the Bible colleges/schools in Vanuatu.
3. The spiritual challenges for Christians:
a-Small pockets of traditional ethnic religion remain on several islands. Cargo cults are persistent.
b-Culture and the gospel. Pray that Vanuatu believers would be guided rightly in what parts of the customs of the people can be redeemed and what parts must be set aside.
c-The increasing influx of other faiths. Pray that truth be made manifest and for ni-Vanuatu to hold fast to the life they found in Christ.
d-Pray for the deeper grasp of the Christian faith .
4. Christian media:
a-Bible translation is needed.
b-Audio Scriptures are essential in a country with low literacy rates.
c-The Jesus film is widely shown.
d-Vanuatu Christian Radio broadcasts 24 hours a day.
*All information from Jason Mandryk’s Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation*
This morning I decided to go to the park and enjoy the absolutely beautiful day that God provided to have my Jesus date (you know because in Texas it’s in the 70s in December). In my readings I read Galatians 2 as part of my reading plan with my college ministry, and asked God to show me something else after and happened to flip to Ezekiel 36. God thing-the two related and two and half pages of journaling later, I had a God epiphany.
Galatians 2 discusses how we are justified by faith, not by law. It touches on how God does not show favoritism and uses Paul as an example. Later in the chapter, Paul defends the faith over the law-this is where it gets to the nitty gritty.
Context of this passage: Paul is stating how the Jews believed in the law and that they had to be disciplined in following the law. Paul points out that we are made right through Christ and faith in Him, not because we have obeyed the law (v. 15-16). In verse 19, Paul states, “For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law-I stopped trying to meet all its requirements-so that I might live for God.” In the Old Testament under the old covenant, there were a set of strict laws that you had to abide by, but when God sent Christ to die on the cross, the new covenant was instilled, where Jesus served as our ultimate sacrifice. Now, because of this act of love, we can stop trying to achieve perfection based on the law, and work at being Christ-like and can now die to the law and old ways and live solely for God. Galatians 2:20, probably the most known verse in the passage, paints this picture on dying to old ways for us.
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
We die to our old ways and old way of thinking and living. We no longer live for ourselves, but Christ lives in us and we live to make His name great, because as it states, he loves us and gave himself for us.
Ezekiel 36 takes this to a whole ‘notha level. This chapter is about the restoration of Israel. Context of this chapter: Ezekiel was written by none other than Ezekiel. It is based on examining the holiness of God. This book serves as his message to Jerusalem.
The beginning of the chapter is depicting that their enemies have overtaken them and plowed through, but reminds them that God has made a solemn oath with them, cares and is paying attention (v. 7, 9). It repeats the promise that God has made, that God will rebuild them and not let other nations walk over them once again. The middle of the chapter through the end was what really hit home for me.
In verse 22 it states, “I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame”, then in 23, “I will show how holy my great name is-the name on which you brought shame”. Now keep with me, don’t click off the page just yet-my point will be made!
I don’t know about yall, but after reading verses 22-23, its kind of like well…bummer. Like what have we done to God’s name? Don’t we claim him and go around flaunting our “Christianity” but trip up and shame His name on regular basis, uh yep! But we see our redemption and His love in the following verses:
For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. Ezekiel 36:24-27
And can I get Amen?! Hallelujah, thank ya Jesus!
So here’s the deal, we are going to screw up, its inevitable, BUT God will gather us up and bring us home. He’ll pick us up, clean us off and make us into a new person with a new softened heart. Then He will put His little light in us to keep us on track. We screw up and are messy to the core as it states in verse 17 with a hardened and stubborn heart (v. 26), yet God chooses to love us enough to pick us back up and brush us off. He does this not because we deserve, because if we are being honest, we do not deserve it. What have we done to deserve it? What could we even possibly do to deserve it? He does this to make his name great as verses 22-24 reveal. I find it awesome that we get to be a part of making His name great. We get to be a part of making God’s name great and show off His holiness to the world. We’re walking, talking models of the power of God and what was achieved through Christ’s sacrifice.
Reflecting on both of these passages, I got to thinking. We forget sometimes where we started and how far we’ve come in our walk with God. We look at the little strides we’ve made and the temporary mountains we’ve overcome, but we don’t look at the big picture of where we used to be and where God has brought us. As both these passages say, God has literally changed us into a new person. We shouldn’t dwell in the past and feel bad for who we used to be and what sins we may have committed. We should be thankful for who we are now and validate God for his craftsmanship. We were people with dirtied up lives who brought shame to God’s name with how we lived our lives, but now we are new and alive through Christ with a “tender, responsive heart”. We’ve been filled with the Spirit (Ez. 36:27), and we are God’s people (Ez. 36:28).
Before I died to myself and let God change my heart I was a multitude of messes. I worried and over stressed. I took things into my own hands and pushed God to the back seat. I took my stress and frustration out on my siblings. My dreams and life goals were geared toward me, and just took others into consideration. I thought and did things I knew I shouldn’t. I had a tendency to be prideful about being a “good Christian” and a “good girl” and the fact that I didn’t party or drink or anything. I was ashamed to talk openly about the Gospel in certain social settings for fear of what others might think. I cared too much about what society said and what peers might say. I was at times judgmental. I was envious of others. I was not always content with who God had made me to be. How’s that for being a Christian, huh??
Now God has given me a heart for people. He breaks my heart and makes me concerned with others and gives me compassion for people around me. My dreams, goals and days are geared toward finding God’s plan for my life and following what He wants to me do. Now, I just want to love on people and tell them about Jesus, not live the American dream. Where I used to want to make my name known, I’m concerned with making His name known. I know I am a sinner and no longer boast about being a so called “good Christian”, because I am so not. I don’t even know what the means anymore. I screw up, often, like daily. I trip up and fall into old sins every now and then and have found some new ways to be human along the way, but now I see that and know that I want to be different. I am no longer ashamed to claim Christ and am happy to say I am a growing disciple and disciple maker. God has done a number on me and stuck by my side even when I paid Him no attention. God has changed my heart and my old self has been crucified with Christ. I’m not who I was.
How has God made your heart new? Have put your old self to death and now live for God?
In response to my last post, I’m discovering the beauty of what I’m deeming “the waiting game”. I’m discovering how to wait for God’s timing, and not rush things. What’s the hurry anyway, right?
I’ve found I’m so quick to try and react to things and be proactive or make things happen because I’m afraid I’ll miss an opportunity. NEWS FLASH: If it’s in God’s plan for your life, you won’t miss anything. If you’re slowing down because you’re deciding to focus more on something else, God will lead you back to where you need to be or if you’re running towards him, causing something to be delayed, he will put a door stop in that open door to keep it open for when you get there.
In my discipleship this week, my memory verse was Ecclesiastes 3:11-Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heard, but even so, we cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. God has made everything beautiful and complete in its own timing-aka His timing. We cannot see beyond what God allows us to see, the verse directly says we will not be able to, so why do we try?? Because we are impatient and crazy humans, that’s why. I’ve learned something about myself-I can either know nothing or know everything, I can’t know just a piece of something. It drives me bonkers. Life for real, yo. So basically, I just need to come to the realization that I know nothing. I know what God’s showing me right now and that’s it. I need to quit searching for answers to the future.
Now back to the issue at hand-learning to wait. God’s shown me that while waiting, we should be chasing after God, keeping our eyes set on Him (Hebrews 12:1-2). We need to be content with where we are, who we are in Christ, and be living out our faith where we are right now. Also in my discipleship we read through James 2. In that chapter in verses 14-26 it hones in on how faith without deeds is dead. Our faith is a faith of love. Love is an action. We need to be doing these good deeds, because like verse 14 says, what good is it to have faith but not show it-that saves nobody. Or as it discusses in verse 26, just as our bodies are dead without breath, out faith is dead without works. Here’s how we can be proactive: we can be proactive on what God’s telling us and when we see a need, we can try and meet it. We can be a do-er not just a reader of the word.
The definition of wait (according to Merriam-Webster) is: to stay in place until an unexpected event happens, until someone arrives, until it is your turn to do something. Ok…seriously… slap to da face. Let’s break this down:
-To stay in place until an unexpected event happens: stay put (what has God been convicting me of-uhhhh THIS). Stay in place and keep on keepin on until an unexpected event happens. As much as sometimes I wish there were, there is no God Magic 8 Ball that you can ask a question, shake and it give you the answer, God don’t roll like that. There’s no calendar or app you can get that will tell you when God’s going to move. Back to the unexpected event: God works in mysterious ways and uses unique circumstances to make His presence known. We won’t know when or what, He’ll just do it, Nike style.
-Until someone arrives: This could be taken as wait until God arrives, wait until Prince Charming (or Mrs. Right for the male readers) arrives, or wait until the person who God will use to give you His answer to arrive. Sometimes we have to wait for God to arrive, but never fails, He will arrive. Like a boss, He does what He wants when He wants. This could be applied to waiting for Mr. Right to show up or for you to know that the guy you’re currently with is in fact Mr. Right. Finally, God uses people, whether it be a friend saying something you needed to hear, a preacher that God speaks to you through their sermon, or someone who has a been through a similar experience that can guide you and disciple you through it. We all need that Yoda, Jiminy Cricket figure to help guide us along sometimes.
-Until it is your turn to do something: Again, slap in the face. Just because everyone else is doing things right now does not mean it is your time. For example, entering into a relationship, going abroad on missions, discovering exactly what you want to do in life, etc. College is rough in this aspect. At age 20, you’re expected to be “getting serious” with dating and looking for a hubby (no pressure there on us ladies or the poor dudes for that matter); as a leader in a ministry, you’re expected to use your vacation times to go abroad on missions, and finally, you’re expected to be figuring you’re life out and know what you want to do and where you want to end up. This is would be a d).none of the above for me right now. It’s not that I haven’t tried all of these things and haven’t made an effort (in fact, I have been trying that’s probably the problem, it just simply hasn’t been in God’s timing for me yet. I have to wait for my turn to do something. It’s like kindergarten all over again.
This waiting game may not be the funnest, but it is how God builds your endurance and deepens your faith. Through all of this, He is teaching me about Him, how He works, about myself and growing my love for Him. My dad always says before we go on a trip (typically because we always forget something), that the longer it takes you to get somewhere, the more fun you’ll have once you’re there. I think that’s pretty applicable to life actually. The longer you have to wait for something, the more you’ll appreciate and enjoy it once you’ve achieved it. Today’s society is all about instant gratification (I blame microwaves and On Demand movies). God doesn’t work like that. He’s not a God of instant gratification. He’s the marathon runner, not the sprinter-here to go the distance. To quote Hercules-can you go the distance? I choose to meet this challenge head on and accept the terms and conditions to playing this waiting game. I’ll keep you posted!
Thanks for the read! Hope yall have a great week! Let me know how I can be praying for ya!
Selfies. One of many trending hot fads today. Instgram and Twitter hash tags, precursored by Facebook, and before that MySpace (#throwbackthursday #omg). I digress haha. We take so many pictures of ourselves and friends, preserving memories and our outfit of the day, but do you ever really take a look at in the mirror or image on your camera. What’s inside those brown eyes you hash tag? What’s underneath, in the heart beneath that new top you just bought on sale? When was the last time you looked at your reflection and saw YOU?
Now if you’re like me, you may have “Reflection” from Mulan stuck in your head (I mean, you’re welcome). But there is some truth to those Disney magic words. “When will my reflection show who I am inside?”
I believe it does. As believers and followers of Christ, Christ’s light shines through us. Like the children’s song, “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine”. What’s on the inside comes out in your face, your eyes, your actions and your words. This has been a slap to the face for me these past few weeks. Literally, as I’m typing this , more and more ways are being revealed to me.
In my small group last week, we discussed our language. How what we say and how we say it is portrayal of what’s in our hearts. James 3:5-6 states “In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.” Matthew 12:33-34 says, “For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” The tongue is a powerful weapon that can be used for good or evil. As Spiderman says, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Same goes for yo tongue. Also, take a good hard look at WHAT you are saying as well as HOW you are saying it. Sarcasm. Big downfall for your girl here. My friends and I always joke that if people that didn’t know us heard our conversations, they’d think we were really mean. Its just us being sarcastic, but are you sure that’s how it’s coming across? Do people know you’re being sarcastic?
Get out the ice pack and get ready for slap in the face number 2. Retaliation. BOOM. Patience. POW. James 5:7-9-“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage for the coming of the Lord is near. Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look-the Judge is standing at the door. ” The Word explicitly says to be patient-three times just in these few verses. Also, don’t grumble. We are to not act on making things just on our own. We ain’t the Avengers. Nick Fury ain’t callin you up to send you on a mission. It’s not our place to avenge those who’ve “done us wrong” and make things right. And as much as I love her, we can’t just go Miranda Lambert “Gunpowder and Lead” on anyone who hurts us or a friend of ours. Think of Christ like your Professor X and the things he’s equipped us with to use to combat these feeling like your X-Men. We are to be patient in trouble and keep on praying (Romans 12:13). We are to love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other (Romans 12:9). We are to bless those who persecute us and pray that God will bless them (Romans 12:14)-how’s that crow gonna taste?? Like vinegar, that’s how. We need to keep on focus on God, not achieving justice. It’s easy to get tangled up in the things of the world, like revenge, when you’re sights aren’t set higher that the world. Use these times to let God work on your character and change your heart.
Assemble for God!! (haha see what I did there)
Personally, I’ve had the opportunity to have this inflicted on me this past week. Areas where I would have normally wanted to throw out some attitude and was even encouraged to remain skeptical and seek revenge, God really convicted me to not do so. (Hence, this blog post.) It’s so easy to want to pop some ‘tude and put people in their place. We are so quick to want to prove a point and give people a taste of their own medicine. Imagine if God did that to us. Imagine if every time we turned our backs on God and did something to hurt him if he retaliated against us? Like seriously, we would all be dead or dealing with swarms of locusts or the Earth flooding over again. Look at Peter and Judas in the Bible-Peter denied Jesus three times and Judas turned Him in. They were some of his best friends. What if your best friends did that to you? Could you be that gracious and continue loving them?? I don’t know about you, but I for one am quite extremely thankful that God loves us so much that he doesn’t retaliate against us, because I can’t say with complete confidence that I could. God will handle everything in our lives, we just need to keep our eyes on Him and obey and we’re good to go.
God has put a big ole mirror in front of me this week and forced me to take a good hard look at myself, and honestly I wasn’t happy with what I saw. He’s really convicted me of these areas and what I need to work on. This week has been liberating I guess you could say. I hope you take a look in the mirror and pray that God shows you what needs to change in your life for you to get closer to Him. I leave you with these last and final words of wisdom: Check yo self before you wreck yo self.
Have a fabulous week everyone!! 🙂
Sooooo…there’s this guy. He’s kind of great. He’s actively pursuing me and loves me unconditionally. He knows the good, the bad and the ugly about me and still loves me. He wants the best for me. He wants to have a growing and strong relationship with me. His name is Jesus.
Bet you thought this was going to take a whole different direction….gotcha!! But, I’m serious. I had a date with Jesus tonight and let me tell, it was quite lovely. He showed me the beauty in the world around me. A gorgeous sunset (one of my favorite things in the whole wide world). A nice breeze. Purple and pink clouds. The sound of the birds and bugs around me (yes bugs, I’m from Texas and its August, what do you expect haha). Great big trees. A little stream. Ducks walking around. An older couple holding hands talking an evening walk. Simple day to day things that we take for granted and have a tendency to just pass by.
I’ve recently started to call my daily quiet times my dates with Jesus. Now hear me out before you click away from this page and think “this chicks a weirdo”. The Bible calls us the bride and Christ our bridegroom. He is pursuing us as a man pursues a woman. Even knowing every detail about us and what our innermost thoughts, hearts desires and motives are, still loves us unconditionally. He wants to talk to us daily. He wants to rescue us and be that knight in shining armor that every little girl dreams about. He died to save us. He is our hero time and time again. He wants to spend quality time with us and romance us and have us fall in love with him. He want us to enjoy and experience the life that he has given us. I got to thinking, that daily time we spend with him is like a date. Our Jesus date.
I’m in the process of reading “Captivating” by. Stasi and John Eldredge (ladies, if you haven’t read it, do yourself a favor and go get it…like right now!). And it talks about how Christ romances us. I didn’t fully understand this concept, but I’m beginning to grasp it more. Jesus wants to get to know us more. He wants us to have a relationship with him. He wants us to fall in love with him. All we have to do is let him into our lives! He’s waiting for the ok and the invitation (’cause he’s a gentleman like that).
I’m 20 years old and a college junior. Society, friends and family are telling me to go out on dates and be husband hunting before college is over and I’m in the real world where it’s harder to meet people. Between you and me, that thought scares the crud out of me. Not to say that I wouldn’t welcome a relationship right now, I’m just so not ready to get married today. I kind of have the mentality that if it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen in God’s timing. Nonetheless though, boys are still something that’s on my mind (what can I say, I’m a girl, sorry bout ya). I’m learning to balance waiting for God’s timing and actually acting on my feelings and not just sitting there.
As much as I would love for some dude to just come up and be like “hey, Rachel, I really like you and I think you’re really cool and you love Jesus too, do you want to hang out?”, I realize this is an unrealistic dream and that I may actually have to come out of my shell and ya know flirt or something, because much to my demise boys can’t read my mind and know that I like them back (although it would make my life a whole lot easier if they did). I am quite possibly the most oblivious girl I know when it comes to boys and am totally out of my element when it comes to the boy-girl, back and forth, flirting games and tactics. I’m learning (thanks to God, friends and “Captivating”) that I do need to come out of my shell a little more and not be afraid to show my emotions, not just when it comes to boys, but in all areas of my life.
So until a boy decides he’d like to step up to the plate and try and handle this hot mess of a life, I will very gladly spend my Saturday nights with the man who loves me the most in the whole world, because you know he thinks we’re to die for (lil Christian humor for ya there).
When was the last time you had a Jesus date? When was the last time you went and sat by yourself with a Bible and notebook and expected to hear from God? When was the last time you just went for a walk alone and prayed?
I challenge you do so!
Spend some time with your Creator. He loves you and wants to spend some quality time with you besides Sunday mornings or when you’ve hit rock bottom. He’ll show up and reveal something about himself or about you, I can promise you that!
Thanks for the read! Tell me something God has shown you recently! 🙂
“Don’t be a casual Christian, be a dangerous disciple.” -Jon Randles
Dangerous (according to ole Mr. Webster): exposing to or involving danger.
-Danger: exposure or liability to injury, pain, or harm, or loss
Disciple: one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another, i.e. God
What comes to mind when I say dangerous?
Quick sand? The edge of a cliff? Being held at gunpoint?
What about disciple?
Twelve dudes who followed a guy in sandles with long hair around?
Something was brought to my attention last night during our college ministry’s worship service…Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we are instructed to become “Christians”. Acts 11:26 tells us that is was there at Antioch that believers were first called Christians. We are told…no, explicitly instructed to be disciples. We are to spread the word of God and the good news of Jesus Christ, our main man and Savior. Matthew 28:19-20 tells us to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and that we are to teach these new disciples to obey the commands that God has given us. Notice the verbs in that verse-GO, MAKE DISCIPLES, TEACH. Our “duty” so to speak as Christians is to spread Christ’s name and love and to further his Kingdom.
How many of us can honestly say that we tell people about Jesus regularly? I’m talking outside of church, not a “Jesus” environment. Openly, out in public, at work, in class, or at the grocery store, told someone you may or may not have known that someone loves them, died for them and because of that you too love them and want them to experience what you have experienced through this man. I can’t. I’m working on it, but I know I need to step up my game. We are too casual in our Christianity and our discipleship. It’s not the cultural or social norm. It’s weird. It’s different. It oversteps boundaries.
Well guess what, we should be dangerous disciples! Over step those boundaries. Live life on the edge. We are instructed not to be afraid of getting out of our comfort zone. Go talk to that person. Tell someone you’re praying for them. Let them think you’re different. The room should be different when you walk in.
Every week at my college ministry’s worship service, Paradigm, we have the privilege of hearing a man named Jon Randles come speak to us and every time it is a slap in the face, hardcore. Last night he talked about his coined phrase of being a “dangerous disciple” not a “casual Christian”. An example he gave was of Tebow. Tim Tebow just got picked up by the New England Patriots. Know why? Because of his character and who he is. As much as I love Tebow and he is my numba one man crush Monday fo sho, he’s a good football player, but not great. Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots picked him up because of the influence he has as a disciple of Christ. Personally, I am constantly wondering what other’s see in me. The thought haunts me. When people see me, do they see Christ? Does the room change when I walk in because a little sister of Jesus Christ just walked in?
In all honesty, that should be our focus in life. Being a disciple of Christ, learning, living and loving His Word, and in turn be a disciple maker, teaching others to do the same. Acts 2:42 states, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” Devoted. They devoted their lives to telling others about Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:20 states that we are ambassadors for Christ. Mark 8:34-38 describes how you will have to deny yourself and take your cross daily, but reminds us that that is no good to gain the world yet forfeit your soul. This basic message is again repeated in Matthew, Luke and 2 Corinthians. John 8:31-32 tells us that if we hold to Christ’s teaching then we are truly a disciple of Christ and that this truth and knowledge will set us free. Later in John chapter 13 verses 34-35, we are instructed to be God’s disciples by loving others.
Back to the idea of being dangerous. Quick sand? More like staying afloat through Christ’s strength and not getting pulled down in the quick sand of life and society. The edge of a cliff? Stand of the edge, dangle your toes over in His name! Let God’s power be seen in you. If God wants you to jump, well then jump and smile the whole way down because whatever He’s got waiting for you at the bottom must be pretty spectacular for Him to have you going through what you’re going through. Being held at gunpoint? Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but people will “hold you at gunpoint”, trying to put you in your place and try and make you question your own beliefs, but guess what, you have a pretty legit story and personal testimony to share with the world, so go with ya bad self and tell it loud proud.
Philippians 4:13-I can to all things through Christ who gives me strength. That means you! You can do this through the Holy Spirit and what Christ did on cross. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. Let Christ’s love shining through you light up the room wherever you go. You could be that one spark to enter the room that someone needed to see to change their life. We are not casual Christians, we are dangerous disciples-let the sparks fly!
Hey fellow Jesus lovers!! Stumbled across this verse today and it was just a great reminder.
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to posses that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sister, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
-Philippians 3:12-14 (NLV)
Don’t forget why you are living this life and why you’ve chosen to follow Christ! We have been blessed with an amazing life through God and we’re pressing on to achieve eternity in heaven. Like seriously dude, that’s pretty legit. School’s about to start, summer’s almost over and things are about to get crazy. When you get bogged down in life, don’t forget this and don’t forget why you are doing what you’re doing. Keep listening for God! Keep reaching out to people! Keep spreadin’ that love! Keep on keepin on yall!
Thanks for the read! Love yall and praying for you! :]
These past few weeks, I have dug into what it means to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Through this I’ve not only learned what they mean, but had a slap in the face at areas I need to improve in. I think now the next step is putting everything I’ve learned into practice and have the courage to go forth in the direction God is giving me.
God has given us the strength to do all of these things and we should have courage in the knowledge of this fact. Joshua 1:9 says, “This is my command-be strong and courageous! So not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Isaiah 41:10 says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Both of these verses state that we should not be discouraged and that God is with us wherever we may go. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says that we should stand firm in the faith, be strong and courageous and do everything in love. Psalm 24:14 and 31:24 both state that we should be brave and courageous. John 16:33 instructs us to take heart for God has overcome the world. We have been given the strength and capability of living this life through Christ. Probably one of the most known verses (thank ya Mr. Tim Tebow) is Philippians 4:13-I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. After reading over that verse, really look at it and think about it. We can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength. The Son of God gives us strength?! How completely awesome is that!! 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self discipline. This shows us we can do this. Through God, we got this yall! 1 Chronicles 16:11 shows us how-“Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.” Psalm 18:32-34 shows us that God’s given us the skills to live this life.
We were made to be courageous. We were made to be strong in Christ, seek what is right, live and love in the name of his mercy, and walk humbly with God, submitting our lives to him. A verses that has really convicted me and that I simply love is 2 Timothy 4:5 (if you haven’t read 2 Timothy, go give it shot, like right now)-But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. We shouldn’t be afraid of living this Bible based, Jesus lovin, Christian life. Each of us has been given a unique ministry-our lives. We each know a different group of people in a way different than anyone else. We each go different places at different times of the day. Every day we should live life waking up and asking, “Ok God, what do you want me to do today?” I am so guilty of not doing. It’s not easy, that’s for sure, but where does it say that it would be easy? Will it always be the popular thing to do? Actually, it’s probably more the unpopular thing to do. But should we care? Nope. Galatians 1:10 says “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” As a people pleaser and someone who hates disappointing people, this is a tough pill to swallow, but what is more important, making everyone happy and not standing out, or sticking out and pleasing God? We need to have the courage to do so, and God has given us this strength and our bravery and faith is drawn from that. We have a God who loves us and has given us the strength and ability to do anything-celebrate that!! Show the world by seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. Let your life be a living, breathing, walking testimony to how awesome God is!
Flip Flops, Jesus and Dr. Pepper 
