God is a Romantic?
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)
The love of God is too overwhelming to ever inhale all at once. It is a love where God, Creator of everything, cannot be near sin- He is too perfect. But there arises a dilemma- he hates sin, but loves you. So much. So what to do? Stop loving you or stop hating sin?
His answer: neither. Instead, He reached into His arsenal and offered up His only son. Not His least favorite son; not the son who caused Him trouble. He offered up His only, perfect son to be an acceptable offering because he had to find a way to keep you and me.
True love finds a way.
People would have chosen one or the other, probably not choosing me. But He decided to pay for me- a dowry that is unlike anything anyone would ever do for me. He paid with His life. A reckless, undeserved, unearned love.
Prayer:
God, I will always fall short of your glory. I will try, daily, but my humanity constantly sabotages my desire to be like You. Know this: I WILL keep trying. I love You more than the comfortability of staying in sin. I am grateful for your love that makes me feel so many emotions. I am grateful for the privilege to go on a journey of discovering the freedom that comes with being loved in such a perfect way. Help me to truly believe that absolutely nothing is strong enough to separate me from this love. Thank you for Jesus. Amen
Close your eyes.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7, ASV)
On the show Fear Factor, oftentimes for the most fear-invoking challenges, the contestants are blindfolded. It is a pattern that the most daring and dangerous stunts require the most limited vision. I wonder if the rationale is that our eyes have a habit of contributing to our fear, and subsequent refusal to participate.
I also wonder if this is not only true on game shows but in our faith journeys as well. After all, Adam and Eve had no problem obeying God’s only restriction until Eve “saw” that the fruit was good (Genesis 3:6). The children of Israel were all set to take hold of the promised land until they saw that the land was occupied with people who appeared to be more powerful (Numbers 13:27-33). Peter was literally walking on water until he “saw the wind” (Matthew 14:30). Notice a pattern? This makes faith such an incredible feat because in order to walk by faith we have to deny what we see (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Our ability to see can often hinder our ability to be fully and immediately obedient to what God wills for us. I admit I love details! As a recovering control freak, I like to think that I thrive on details. However, I wonder now if I am limiting what God can do in my life when I refuse to move forward without seeing. I feel God saying “if I showed it all to you, you would be afraid.” What if the people of Israel had simply taken God’s word when He said the land would be theirs to possess? What if they had relied only on the hindsight of every previous victory God had given them? They would not have seen the giants until they were moving in! Instead, their desire to see, and the fear of their leaders, cost an entire generation a vacation in the wilderness.
Think about the areas of your life where God is calling you into something not yet illuminated with details. Is He calling you into purity with no sign of an approaching spouse? Is He calling you to birth a business or book without seeing where the customers or finances will come from? Is He calling you to forgive without any hope of the other person’s changed behavior? You may not be able to see all the pieces, but trust in God who has the best perspective in the world. Lord, give us the faith to obey without seeing!
Prayer:
Lord, I repent for delayed obedience and blatant disobedience. There are things you have told me to do and I allowed what I did or did not see to determine how much I trusted you. Thank you for not giving up on me. I don’t want to miss out on the fullness of what You have for me. I do not want to model a lack of faith for my future kids. Teach me how to trust you, even when I can’t see or understand. In all my ways, even the cloudy or scary ways, I acknowledge you. I know You make my path straight. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Too tired to pray.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” (Psalm 23:2-3)
Transparency moment: There are times when I come home from a full day of work, being a friend, and just learning how to be an adult and the last thing I want to do is open my bible or watch a sermon or worship. There are times when my brain equates time with God with being an obstacle to rest rather than the place where I can rest. I know I’m not alone in this. Do you ever feel like the demands and frustrations of life make it seem impossible to seek God?
First, know that being tired may not ever change. It is important to acknowledge that on the life-long journey of walking with God, there will be days when basking in His presence is all you want to do, and there will be other days when it will be a very active choice to seek Him. Think of a marriage. Sure, there is a big wedding day with friends and family; there’s the honeymoon filled with passion and romance. Then there is the actual marriage. The daily routines of work, meal-prep, children, etc. test the real strength of the relationship. Now I’m not married (yet!) but I hear that married couples don’t always FEEL like loving each other the way God commands. Something that I can relate to is friendship.
If I’m being honest, I don’t always feel like being a good friend. After a long day, sometimes I would rather not hear about what went wrong at my friend’s job or be supportive of a door that has opened for her as I continue to wait for my own. I hear God saying that the real relationship with Him begins when our reliance on “feeling like it” ends. When the puppy love and passion are no longer a pre-requisite for praise, worship, or devotional time, then you will be proven trustworthy and will see your spiritual maturity blossom. Throughout scripture, the body of Christ/the Church is compared to the bride and Christ is compared to a groom. Just as in an earthly marriage, our marriage with Christ will have days where we are propelled by love for Him; and there will be equally valid days where our desire to walk with Him must overpower our tendency to fall off.
God knows that you are tired. He sees the way that you are being pressed and stretched in this season. Could it be that if you could muster up a little more strength to press into His presence, He would indeed “lead me beside still waters…[and] restore [your] soul” (Psalm 23:2)? In your season of fatigue and exhaustion; in the midst of life’s pressures and challenges, I challenge you to MAKE time for the only One who can refresh your soul and grant you rest. True rest is in His presence. It sounds churchy and cliche, and I do not always practice what I preach, but I promise that whenever I slow myself down and take a moment to breathe…
...I breathe in His goodness. I remember that He keeps waking me up and covering me with the protection of His angels. I open His word and marvel at His consistency over time. My worries seem so small in comparison to the huge way He pours His love on me each day.
Prayer
God, I thank You for being a good shepherd. Thank you for always being willing to be my rest whenever I finally decide to stop running myself ragged. Thank you for the promises in Your word that remind me that You will fight the battles of life on my behalf; all I need to do is still myself and keep my eyes on You. Teach me how to be still- how to pause my racing mind, silence distractions, and remember who You are. I love You more than the temptation to go straight to bed. Amen.
Beware: LION
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8)
PSA: accepting Jesus and getting saved is step one of one million, not the only step. I know this might sound obvious, but please know that when your soul gets saved, your flesh will always be at war with the spirit (Galatians 5:17). Every day after you get saved is marked by moments of choosing to walk by the Spirit or by your flesh. As the apostle Peter warns, resist the urge to get so comfortable with the days when choosing Christ is easy that you forget to protect against the enemy. I doubt that Peter’s intent was to invoke fear, but rather caution. More than 2 years into intentionally walking with God and I have had to learn that it only takes one drink, one thought that lingers, one conversation with the wrong person to give the devil an opening.
It is early in the year. Many people start off with a desire to do better in a variety of areas in their lives. From working out to budgeting more, many resolutions are noble in theory, but fail to last because of a failure to be sober and vigilant. If my goal is to lose weight and to be healthier overall, being sober and vigilant looks like monitoring what foods I allow in the house. Maybe I won’t go out every weekend with friends who do not have the same goals as me. It looks like setting personal boundaries and sticking to them despite being alone.
As it is in the natural, so it is also in the spirit. Being sober isn’t confined to alcohol. While that obviously helps, being sober is to be clear-minded and free from distraction and mental impairment. This might include purging your mind and heart of complaining and self-pity. It might be guarding what you watch and listen to. There are so many who will say “it doesn’t take all of that!” The choice is yours. I will ask you this: what lengths would you go to if you saw a lion trying to get into your home? Would you leave a window open? Maybe a door? Would you take your time coming in and out of the safety of the house? If not, consider what precautions you might take to protect your heart, your mind, and your ability to complete purpose from the very real enemy who wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy.
Prayer:
God, I understand that walking with You isn’t always rainbows and blessings. I see that I have a role in resisting the enemy. I thank You that Your word says if I resist the enemy, he will flee! I thank you that ultimately I have the victory in Christ Jesus! Today, I love you more than what appeases my flesh. Thank you for not leaving me as I was! Please help me to stay on guard to protect myself from the attempts of the enemy. In Jesus’ name, amen.
When You carry us.
“The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still” Exodus 14:14
Some days my spirit feels heavy. Some days I know God is in control, but His control doesn’t mean life will be kind. Life is so confusing and fleeting. We’re all so connected that when one of us hurts, we feel it around the world.
On one such day, I went to the car wash so that I could sit back and not need to have control. The car wash was not new to me, but that day felt different. As the heavy rags hit my car, I felt surrounded and overwhelmed. As the water poured down, I felt afraid-what if I forgot to close my window...to prepare. I said “Dad, help.” And He said “I’m carrying you through it. Keep your car in neutral and watch as I keep moving you forward.”
I cried.
Yes, there are seasons and days when we can handle the responsibility of steering and navigating, of maneuvering through life. But some days, some days remind us how big life can be. That’s when we can find comfort in knowing our Heavenly Daddy will carry us and cocoon us in His love. Tomorrow you can put your car back in drive. Today, rest in the neutral consistency of His grace.
Prayer
Father, you are such a good Father. I thank You for holding me in the palm of your hands despite what I face every day. I thank you that you are my hiding place, my refuge! Help me to come to you when I feel overwhelmed. Today I rest in the fact that you actually love ME more! In Jesus’ name, amen.