Commandments

The old commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. 

The new commandment to love as I have love you. (Jesus)

This is so opposite of what the world says.  The world says that we should look out for ourselves. That I have my rights to do or say or be what I want; that “I” always comes first.  Even in loving our neighbors there is a certain amount of “self” involved.  Treating others the way we would like to be treated. 

But Jesus takes it to a whole new level of surrendering by giving up His life for ours.  He then gave us His Spirit so that we could live and love as He did.

It’s a process – this dying to our “selves” and living for others.  It’s day to day, moment to moment. But in the end, we shall behold Him - face to face and our joy will be complete.

Some thoughts on Thomas Goodwin's story

Thomas Goodwin, a seventeenth-century Puritan pastor, wrote that once he saw a father and son walking along the street. Suddenly the father swept the son up into his arms and hugged him and kissed him and told the boy he loved him – and then after a minute he put the boy back down. Was the little boy more a son in the father’s arms than he was down on the street? Objectively and legally there was no difference, but subjectively and experiential, there was all the difference in the world. In his father’s arms, the boy was experiencing his sonship.

When the Holy Spirit comes down on you in fullness, you can sense your Father’s arms beneath you. It is an assurance of who you are.  (Keller)

Father, I love this story and how it explains experiencing Your love and our position as Your children. And I pray for more and more of those moments of being held in Your arms; of squeezing You and feeling Your compassion flow out; of just resting against Your breast and feeling the warmth of Your embrace and having my heart beat in rhythm with Your own.

Last night Brant was reading the obituary of a woman whose life was a picture of “worldly” success, she was loved and spent her life in giving to others.  It mentioned how her and her wife’s faith had carried them through her struggle with cancer – But nowhere did it mention You.  And I can’t help but think she had no idea of Who You are.  What did she have faith in? and where is she now?

We humans can do all the right things but for all the wrong reasons, because our hearts are empty until they are filled by You.

There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death. (Pro. 14:12: 16:25)

The choice is do we believe You and Your word revealed or not.

A morning thought

I was listening this morning to a teaching by Alistair Begg on the prodigal son – a favorite story by a favorite story teller.  In talking about the prodigal’s return and the father's warm welcoming home he describes the father’s embrace and said “when you squeeze Him compassion comes out because He is full of compassion”.  I just love that image of pressing into the Father and being enveloped by His compassion.  No “I told you so” or “you should have”s just the Father’s  embrace.  What amazing love and what amazing joy to be His child. 

Dinner guests

Reading this morning a commentary on Luke 14:7-11 about pride and humility, the author said "True generosity springs from a heart full of mercy and compassion." and ended with a simple prayer -"And purify my love for others . . . "

This got me thinking about my own heart which lead to thinking about Jesus washing the disciples feet - so this is my prayer.

Yes, Lord, purify my heart.  Thank You that You have washed it clean but as with feet, it needs a daily rinsing off.  Show me how to guard it in a way that allows it to be broken by those things that breaks Yours but is strong and steady in the face of whatever may come my way; that responds to the needs of others with love and compassion but is not fooled by the deceitfulness of sin – in myself or in others.  Thank You that You have given me a new heart and that it beats with the rhythm of Your own and that it is safe and secure within Your hands.

All from a parable about dinner guests :)

A morning muse

Father, when I read about prayer, as I did this morning, I always feel myself to be lacking in that area and I find myself wondering why I seem to struggle so.  I want to be a woman of prayer, who continually and persistently “inquires” of You, and yet how much of my day is just given over to “auto-pilot” or worse trying to figure it all out on my own.

The other night, in the parking lot of Wal-mart, I looked up and was overwhelmed by the beauty of the sun setting, the colors were just spectacular and I just had to stop for a moment to take it all in – a moment of such awe and wonder and worship.  But I was also struck by how people were just going about their business and didn’t seem to notice or appreciate the gift of the glory of that moment.

I think, at times, prayer is like that for me.  Here is this incredible gift of being able to enter into communion with You, at any moment, and instead I get lost in the day to day routines of life.  Father, forgive me for my not being more persistent in prayer.  Awaken in me the desire to pray and to remember just who I am and my need for Your guidance and direction in my life.  I remember once hearing it said, it’s not Your assistance I need but Your existence in my life.  You lead, and I'll follow.

Yes, I do set aside time to “be with You” but I want more of You – not moments but constantly and continually in Your presence.  Yes, Lord, let’s work on that – and thank You for the desire.

A wall and the Door

Reading this morning about the narrow door; that Jesus is the only door that will lead to salvation.

And then listening to a teaching on “the wall”, the dark night of the soul, those times when God seems absent.  When all of our efforts to draw close to Him don’t seem to be working.  At these times we tend to make a judgment call about God based on feelings - - - on our experience - or lack of experience – with God

These are, in fact, opportunities and times for God’s kindness to bring us deeper into His love, beyond what our flesh can manufacture.

Every Christian will go through this, probably multiple times—you’re not doing something wrong.

 “God now sees that they have grown a little, and are becoming strong enough to lay aside their swaddling clothes…so He takes them down from His arms and teaches them to walk on their own feet; which they feel to be very strange, for everything seems to be going wrong with them. “  (John of the Cross 1619)

The good news is that we do not struggle alone.  God is with us and his grace is sufficient!

Jesus is the door that will take us through the wall.

                

Is it a wing or a weight?

Heb 12:1  . . . let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.

This verse always reminds me of the following bit of wisdom I heard many years ago:

"I once heard someone say, “If it’s not a wing, it’s a weight.” That’s good, but how can we tell the difference between a “wing” and a “weight”? In general terms, a “wing” is something that facilitates our walk of faith, while a “weight” is a hindrance to it. A wing facilitates a life of faith. A weight is anything that hinders us from carrying out our calling, something non-essential to our mission which consumes time and energy that could be better used in advancing God’s kingdom. A weight may be one thing for one believer and something else for another. A parachute would be unnecessary baggage for a mountain climber, but it is essential for a sky diver. A Christian may take up golf because it provides an opportunity to associate with non-believers and thus affords an opportunity to share the gospel with them as they play. For another, Christian golf may only be an unprofitable waste of time and money that could have been better used in other activities."

There are things in our life that aren't really sinful but are merely hindrances that can keep us from running effectively the race God has for us. (1 Cor 10:23)

Our choices are not always between right and wrong, but between something that may hinder us and something else that may not. Is there a weight in your life you must lay aside?