This morning I was thinking, I know surprise, but seriously...
This one is confusing and I think people miss it, because it is not really explained or at least I have not heard it explained. I know, Geoff get to the point... I want to be clear that I don't know the answers to this all, nor do I understand it all, I am just putting my thoughts down on paper.
Our heart is a complex structure, it both feels and drives us. It can control us, our heart generally is our driving factor, it is based on feelings. We do things because it warms our hearts, we want to get that warm feeling. We also don't do things, because we don't get that feeling anymore. Our heart is based on feelings. For example marriage, when hard times hit, our heart says run away, hide, protect yourself, don't give more, go find something that will not hurt. I believe our hearts are based on human emotions and desires. If you read about divorce these days, the reasons are because I stopped loving him or he stopped loving me. See that is the crux of the problem, they base their desires on the heart.
Love is a choice, serving God is a choice. When we first fall in love, we are basing it on feelings, when we first fall in love with God we base it on feelings. It feels good, we work at it, we strive to be the best, we listen and spend time with Him. But then life hits, we have ups and downs and those feelings dwindle, they fade and soon our relationship with others, with God has done the same. We are basing it on our feelings, no longer is it about all in, it is about making it through life. We don't get that warm feeling anymore, we stop and in stopping we have given into the devil. We are not leading our hearts, we have to make a choice to do what is hard, to work at things to lead. It will not come easy, but it is so worth it. No longer will we be driven by our hearts and feelings, but driven because we made a choice to follow God regardless of how we feel, we made a choice to love no matter if we are loved in return.
Isn't it time to rule our hearts, or in other words, allow God to rule our hearts. When we love Him, we make a choice that no matter how we may be feeling that we will love regardless, that no matter what the day brings we will give thanks to God regardless. It is then that we make a choice to put God first in our feelings, in the way we live. We allow Him to rule and in doing so, we make a choice to desire Him above all else. If we do not make that choice, the feelings will control us, they will pull us away and drive us to do what come easiest. Being a Christ follower isn't easy, it takes work, it takes being intentional about spending time with God, even when we don't feel like it. It takes reading the word, because we love God more than we love our feelings.
If you are driven by how you feel, are you putting God first or are you putting yourself before God? That is called selfishness and what does the bible call selfishness? 1 Samuel 15:23 "For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."" or 1 John 3:17 "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" There are so many more, today look to what your driving force is, is it your feelings or is it God's feelings? What do your actions say to God? That is the real question, that is the real issue, who are you putting first, yourself or God?
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
The Cycle
The Cycle, if we look across our great nation we see a cycle happening in, our walk with Christ, marriages, families, relationships and work, it is an epidemic. You may wonder what I am talking about, let me explain.
I will talk about what I know, what I have witnessed, what I have done.
First our walk with Jesus Christ, when you first get saved, you are on fire, you want to do things for Christ. Soon that fire is dimmed with something else that comes along, that offers to bring happiness, the same way you once thought about your relationship with Jesus Christ. You chose to put other things first, soon those other things extinguish the fire that you once had. It becomes a chore to even focus on our walk with Christ, because it takes work, it is hard to keep our focus solely on Him. It was once much easier, because that is all we wanted to think about. Soon our bible reading slows, our prayer life becomes weak and we give into the fading. It is a slow fade, but if we are not careful it takes over. Getting back to where we once were becomes work, it is hard to get to that point again. Maybe it doesn't have to be that hard, but the more we allow the enemy to separate us from God, the more difficult it becomes to get back to where God would have us.
This slow fade happens in relationships too. We start off completely devoted to making things work, to doing what it takes to show and demonstrate our love for the other. We buy them things, we send them cards, we write them e-mails and love notes, but soon that begins to fade. We allow the crutch of the world to get in the way, we allow other things to take priority over the very thing that God has given us and we circum to the fade. The fade happens slowly, it takes one thing to take our mind off of the other person, their needs, what they want and soon we replace our own feelings with forces such as work. We allow this fade to continue, it breaks marriage, it jeopardizes families, but all we see is the work it takes to get back to where we once were. We are focused on self, no longer is our focus on what makes the other person happy, but what makes me happy. It is easy to put other things that take less work to make us happy, instead of doing the work it takes to make the person we are in a relationship happy.
This problem continues to infect most everything we touch. We continue to want to do what is the easiest, to do what is the best for "me", instead of wanting to do what is right for God, for our spouse, for our kids. Isn't it time that we start allowing God to show us what we need to change in ourselves to serve Him better, to serve others better, to love His way, were it is not about "me" or "my way", but about Him?
I have seen it, experienced it and know it is true, people want to feel like they belong, that they are special, that they are loved. When we start putting ourselves before those people, we stop loving them as Christ loves them and we start putting ourselves first.
All of this takes work. A mountain will not climb itself and God wants us to climb, to do what it takes to have a personal relationship with Him, to have our marriages work, to have a families work. No longer can it be about what "I" want. If you don't know where to start, start by committing time to prayer, ask God what He wants and then commit time to listen, silent and still before Him. Nothing else. You marriages, guess what change starts with you, if you want change in your marriage, your relationship, start allowing God to change you. It isn't easy to change, but God wants our best, our spouse wants our best, start making them your priority. Stop serving yourself and start serving them.
Time to give this epidemic a kick in the pants, no longer does it have to control our lives, allow God to control us, to change us and revive us. Start doing what it takes, don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because who knows if tomorrow will ever come. Time for change!!!
Loving God More
The greatest commandment isn't do not kill, or any of those things, it is: Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Did you get that? I believe that we miss that, it is easy to think, well there is no one greater than God in my life, I love Him, He is the most important, but that we look at ourselves, we either love ourselves or we hate ourselves. And we think of ourselves higher than God either way, even in the hating, because we are saying we know better than God. It is easy to compare ourselves to others around us, but God designed each of us. It says in Psalm 139:13 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." If we feel we are a mistake, we are saying that God makes mistakes, but He doesn't. If we see ourselves as ugly, we are saying that God didn't do His job, instead of seeing that God created a masterpiece in us. We need to love ourselves, but that means saying God you made me the way I am, I have imperfections, but in those imperfections you made me this way, so I am the way you want me to be. We have to stop comparing ourselves to others, because it will only make us feel less than best, but God created me, He chose me, He made me and He makes no mistakes. I am His much loved child and so are you.
When we start putting ourselves above God, loving ourselves so much that we idolize who we are, instead of seeing that God made us, we are no greater then the least of those He made. We have to be humble and not think of ourselves as better than anyone. We are cut out of the same cloth and He made us all, no one is greater than the other and exterior beauty is only skin deep, for it too shall fade and even with plastic surgery it will not save face, for we too shall grow old. What is on the inside that really matters and God sees your heart.
I think the biggest thing is to thank God for how He made you, no matter what. I look at myself, I am different than a lot of people, but God made me this way. He knew I would not be able to have kids, it doesn't make me less or more special then others, He made me. I am thankful He made me this way, His purpose is much greater than mine and I will praise Him for it all.
The next time you look in the mirror, thank God for how He made you, ask Him that He may reveal the beauty that He has made in you, instead of comparing yourself to others. Comparison is a trap and when we are comparing ourselves to other people, we will be lost in a spiral that will pull us down and there is no winning, but when we start thanking God for making us, we start wanting to please God more than others, more than ourselves and in doing so, we base who we are, by who He is. Our job, people around us, our kids can't define us, because those are all temporary, God is the permanent factor of who we must love most.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Did you get that? I believe that we miss that, it is easy to think, well there is no one greater than God in my life, I love Him, He is the most important, but that we look at ourselves, we either love ourselves or we hate ourselves. And we think of ourselves higher than God either way, even in the hating, because we are saying we know better than God. It is easy to compare ourselves to others around us, but God designed each of us. It says in Psalm 139:13 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." If we feel we are a mistake, we are saying that God makes mistakes, but He doesn't. If we see ourselves as ugly, we are saying that God didn't do His job, instead of seeing that God created a masterpiece in us. We need to love ourselves, but that means saying God you made me the way I am, I have imperfections, but in those imperfections you made me this way, so I am the way you want me to be. We have to stop comparing ourselves to others, because it will only make us feel less than best, but God created me, He chose me, He made me and He makes no mistakes. I am His much loved child and so are you.
When we start putting ourselves above God, loving ourselves so much that we idolize who we are, instead of seeing that God made us, we are no greater then the least of those He made. We have to be humble and not think of ourselves as better than anyone. We are cut out of the same cloth and He made us all, no one is greater than the other and exterior beauty is only skin deep, for it too shall fade and even with plastic surgery it will not save face, for we too shall grow old. What is on the inside that really matters and God sees your heart.
I think the biggest thing is to thank God for how He made you, no matter what. I look at myself, I am different than a lot of people, but God made me this way. He knew I would not be able to have kids, it doesn't make me less or more special then others, He made me. I am thankful He made me this way, His purpose is much greater than mine and I will praise Him for it all.
The next time you look in the mirror, thank God for how He made you, ask Him that He may reveal the beauty that He has made in you, instead of comparing yourself to others. Comparison is a trap and when we are comparing ourselves to other people, we will be lost in a spiral that will pull us down and there is no winning, but when we start thanking God for making us, we start wanting to please God more than others, more than ourselves and in doing so, we base who we are, by who He is. Our job, people around us, our kids can't define us, because those are all temporary, God is the permanent factor of who we must love most.
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