There is no "I" in Love

There is no "I" in love!  

God has given us the example of love, 

Jesus!  He is self-sacrificing - no "I" there!

So to love others, I must not concentrate on myself, on my abilities, on my hurts and resentments, on my own interest.  For when we receive God's love we find that, in His love for us, none of those things we consider, are of any consequence.  God  loves us, period!

So if I'm to be like Him, I must love, period!  The Bible says to “Put others first.”

"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."  Romans 12:10 ESV

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Philippians 2:3–5, NKJV.

God calls every one of us His dearly loved children.  Hey!  He even loves the rich.  God has a special place in His heart for each one of us - 

• His original chosen creation -  "humankind," 
• His chosen family - "the descendants of Abraham." 
• His chosen people - "the poor, the widows and orphans, the sick, all of us - the sinners."  

We are, every one of us, chosen and loved!

God loves us by giving.  He gives life, beauty, goodness, and what we really need the most -- forgiveness.

Father, we need and plead for your forgiveness.

We've missed our aim to be like you.

Self-righteously we claim the place of honor,

In conceit we think that it's our due.

At times we're proud of our position

and yet, we don't see us as you do.

We need your forgiveness because so much of the time we see our lives not through your eyes, but through our "I's."

Father please help us, your people, to escape the sin of pride.  Help us to overcome the life of "I."

Why?

 

God, Father, Creator, do you know Him?  It's easy for me to believe - to absolutely be assured that there is a God who is mighty and powerful.  It is easy for me to know, really know that this God made the earth, the universe, and that He can do whatever He desires.  

It has always been a little less easy for me to believe that Jesus is God.  I do believe He is God, and I know with my mind, but I sometimes ask myself - why?  Why did Jesus, this second person of the trinity, who I absolutely, assuredly believe in, come to earth as a man?  Why was there not another way? 

This morning my husband and I discussed an old story about a farmer who loved all of God's creatures. 

The winter wind was blowing, snow was beating the wings of the birds.  He knew that the birds needed to get out of the way of this furious snowstorm, so he opened the windows and doors of the barn to give them a safe place to come in out of danger.  

You’d think they would see this as safety, but they didn't.  They didn't understand that on the other side of those openings they would be protected. The man called to them, made "birdlike" noises for them, and even stayed out of sight so they would feel safe coming in.  But they didn't.

The man wished he could become a bird and lead them in, but he could not.

Is that the "Why"?  Did God become man to lead us to safety because we would not understand when He called us?

He became man - to come into our world, to die and rise again and pay the price for our sins and give us life everlasting.  Would we have understood if He had chosen another way?  

Morning Coffee

I love my morning coffee! 

It isn’t really the caffeine that’s important, although I believe it does help me to rev up this old engine.  My morning cup of coffee is a gift from God.  To me, it’s a soft way of waking up.  

Our Father God knows us, each of us, and He fills the cups of our lives.  Some people want to ease into the day, and others wake up ready to move – we all have different lives, needs and styles, haven’t we?  By the way, I’ve been known to substitute some hot water in the cup, for the coffee – not quite the same, but still a soft way of waking up.

 There are many references to cups in the Bible.  Some of them refer to cups of sorrow, or wrath, or punishment.  But many of them also refer to cups of blessing.  I’d like to talk about those today.

There’s a song that Ron and I heard some time ago – it talks of a cup that is overflowing with God’s blessing.  One of the lines is “I'm drinking from my saucer ‘cause my cup has overflowed.”  

Do you see your cup overflowing?  Jesus promised living water, and He said that this living water would flow - welling up to eternal life.  He said that if we ask Him, if we drink from the water He gives us, we’ll never be thirsty again.  We find that in John 4.

The things that this world holds are not always satisfying.  But things don’t last, do they?  In this world, there are never enough things to fill the cups in our lives – but there’s always enough of God.  He doesn’t hold back His love, His presence, or His promises. 

The earth is filled with God’s love, and He wants to teach us about Himself.  The writer of this Psalm says:

The earth is filled with your love, Lord, teach me your decrees. Psalm 119:64 (NIV)

If we love God and keep close to Him, we will have blessings – overflowing.  Our prayers will yield more joy than our lives - our cups, can hold.

I expect there are days when you wonder where that joy went.  There are days when we don’t feel happy on the surface, but we can have peace knowing that God is in control of whatever is bothering us.  God fills our hearts.  He fills our cups with joy – we just need to decide to drink of God’s love.  

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NIV) 

So as you begin your day, have a cup of coffee (figuratively, if you must) and picture the living water – that is Jesus.  Picture Him filling you with His presence, with His joy and with His love.  You won’t need the things of the world that don’t last, you’ll have Him!

In the presence of the King.

Can you imagine yourself in the palace of a king – not just any king, but someone who is the “Chief Monarch of the entire universe?” This King is mightier than we can humanly imagine.  He is the designer and builder of that universe. He is the one who manages the way everything works, and He holds it all together. 

This King is the one who has established our world and calls it His own.
As you read this description, notice that God grows bigger in our eyes and we seem to grow smaller – less significant, less valuable, - just a small cog in this grand creation.

But remember
The King, Monarch, Designer, Builder, and Controller 
doesn’t see us that way at all.

He sees us as so much more!

 More than just something He created out of dust. (Although, He did.)  He sees us as dearly loved children, made in His own image, and rescued by His Son.

But the funny thing – the sad thing - is that, although God’s might and power and creativity don’t make us less in His eyes, we humans seem to want to make the Mighty God into less than He is.  We attribute to Him some of our own propensities.  We accuse God of inattention, of not caring about our pain.  We even accuse Him of partiality.  Sometimes we expect God to be our buddy, or maybe Santa Clause, or a winning lottery ticket.  Sometimes we even feel we should be able to control the actions of the Almighty against His sovereign will.

So, I question, why do we believe that we are entitled to demand - insist – that God grant all of our desires?  Do we sometimes forget that He is God, and we are not?  He has called us His dearly loved children.  Doesn’t that also mean that He is our Father? The Bible doesn’t just say He is our Father, it calls Him a good Father.  The Bible shows us that, as the good Father, He knows what we need better than we do.  He understands us completely, and never tires of blessing us with His beauty.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, 
the Creator of the ends of the earth. 
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.  
Isaiah 40:28 (ESV)

I was considering this one morning.

God, the good and never changing,

His, a heart infused with care.

God the King of all creation,

Monarch of the earth and air.

Gold stirred sunbeams on my window 

Our Father’s touch,
His Glory there.

God’s sweet, perfumed breeze sweeps by me. 

Bird-song beauty greets the dawning. 

Rest my heart.  My Father’s near.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, 
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
 who does not change like shifting shadows.  
James 1:17 (NIV)

Have a beautiful morning in the presence of the King.

What is my purpose?

 Our earthbound world is noisy and confusing,
and at times we look to find a quiet resting place.
And sometimes in our daily pain or sorrow
we reach to touch our heavenly Father’s face.

In the stillness of the night I need His calming.
In the softness of the morn I need the same.
On this rock-filled road,
 my heart will keep on searching
for a way that I can glorify His name.

When I come into the lonely place of meeting
and in His words, God’s love and grace I see.
When I say, “please make your will be done in my life,”
deep comfort floats from God’s great heart to me.

He’s there in the noisy place.
He’s there in our solitary place.
He’s there 
when we seek our Heavenly Father’s face.

Do you ever think of the chaos that permeates our world today, and wish for peace and quiet?  I do.  I’ve been thinking of how we can possibly live in this world of chaos while negotiating the road to the peace that God promises.  The Bible refers to a peace that passes understanding.  Phillipians 4:7 KJV.

Every step leads to something.  We’re born, we move, we walk, we talk, we grow, and we grow old.  But there really is more to life than that. There are some things along the way that will bring us peace and ultimately at the end of the journey there will be

peace beyond compare.

With every responsibility, with every task, with every journey we take, we must have two things.  We need a reason to do that task and a path to follow.  

The Scripture says about that task - we are created “To show God’s Glory.”  The Bible is clear when it tells us our reason for being here is to glorify God.

Do you ever wonder just how that plays out?  I have and I still do.  But it seems an awesome responsibility to have thrust upon mankind, doesn’t it?  This awesome responsibility is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit, who is our guide and helper.  This responsibility given to us by the only God, the giver of life, the creator of the universe, the beginning, and the end.  

As for the path we are to take, we don’t always need a map. But there always must be some sort of direction, if only for the moment.  The path of each person’s life changes, twists, and turns, but it’s only fulfilling when we follow the direction laid down by the creator of life.

And where does that directed path lead? 

To everything! 

To peace!  

To fulfillment! 

To eternity!  

As we travel that path it will be sure to show us the opportunities to fulfill the reason for our lives – to Glorify the Almighty.

To glorify God is to be a mirror of His image.

Let's look at a few scriptures about our purpose.

The purpose of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.  “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV 

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:11 NIV

“And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 NIV

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-7 NIV  

So there is THE BIG REASON for our lives.  There are many ways this plays out, but the main thing must always remain the main thing.  
We are made in His image
to glorify Him.

I pray that I will do just that today and tomorrow and each minute as I walk on this world. 

 

Nothing is too hard for God

 

Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.

Nothing is too hard for you. 

Jeremiah 32:17

 

Do you believe this, “Nothing is too hard for God?”  As a Christ follower I believe those  words of the prophet Jeremiah.   And since I can see this beautiful world created by God’s power, I can also believe that nothing is too hard for Him.  When I consider the vast universe and the intricate flower, the mighty mountains and the surging oceans, I do believe. 

However, I’m afraid that sometimes, although I believe that “nothing is too hard for God,” I don’t always go to Him when things are really hard for me.  I tend to think that He wouldn’t be interested in my problems.  I sometimes forget to remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 11. 

“Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, 

and you will find rest for your souls. “   

Maybe I have an exaggerated idea of what I’m capable of handling on my own. 

Or could it be that I don’t ask for His help because I think that if God were to answer, it wouldn’t be the answer that I want?  Could it be that I don’t want to depend too heavily on anyone outside myself?  Or could it be that, in the past, I’ve felt that He didn’t hear my prayer or even care? 

But sometimes, I just forget to ask.  Sometimes the “everydays” get my attention, rather than my relationship with the ONE who is truly all I need.  Whatever the reasons, not taking my problems to God doesn’t make them go away or even help me to get through the trials I face. 

So today I hope you’ll join me in taking your needs to the God that Jeremiah knew, the
Sovereign Lord, who has made the heavens and the earth by His great power and outstretched arm. 

And I hope we can all say and believe those words.

Sovereign Lord

“Nothing is too hard for you.”

Jeremiah 32:17

The Lamb Slain and Victorious

We’re walking now that path from Calvary,

following with hearts and eyes cast down.

We see the body of our Savior.

We see them lay Him in the ground.

But

in this picture of the Lamb slain

amidst the holy bloodstain,

and God-forsaken breaking-heart pain,

we still believe 

He’ll live forever, victorious

over evil, sin and Satan’s reign.

---

We’re waiting now to hear the story,

We watch and mourn the spotless Lamb slain.

There's no body resting in the chamber.

Is it true that Jesus is alive again?

Because

in the picture of the Lamb slain

amidst the purest bloodstain,

God-forsaken breaking-heart pain,

we still believe

He’ll live forever, victorious,

defeating evil, sin and Satan’s reign.

---

We're walking now that path from Calvary

following the pure white Lamb.

In hindsight, we now know the story –

the conquest by the great I AM.

But we can’t forget

the picture of the Lamb slain

amidst the purest holy bloodstain,

the God-forsaken breaking-heart pain,

although we know He’ll live forever,

victorious over evil, sin and Satan’s reign