Goodness + Love

I grew up attending a more traditional Methodist church.  Every Sunday we sang hymns - and to a middle schooler they appeared just a *tad* lame.  It felt like we were singing the same thing over and over again.  I honestly couldn't wait until we finished some of them.  My brothers and I even had our favorites and to no one's surprise they were usually the shorter ones (anyone ever sing Jesu?! lol)

Then we started attending more non denominational churches.  Their "hip, contemporary" music was much more interesting to me and I would consider it more my style.  However, the problem with this thinking was that I was making worship all about me: What I liked. My preferences.  It was not about worshipping God, I was essentially concerned about if the music was suiting my needs.  Only here in America can we have churches that offer three different services with different types of music to suite our needs. 

Well before I go on more of a rant about something that probably could be discussed in a whole other post, I wanted to tell you about my new excitement and fascination with hymns.  Over the past few years I have really listened to the words in some of our ancient hymns and holy moly.  These writers had one heck of a walk with God.  They said things like this:

{All found here}

This past week we sang the song "Blessed Assurance" and in it are the lyrics listed above "Filled with his goodness, lost in His love."  As those words scrolled across the screen I couldn't help but think how powerful they were.  Very rarely do I stop (even though I should more) and ask myself when I am singing a song, is this true of me?  Are these lyrics declaring real truth in my life or am I just reading the words? 

How differently would my life look like if I truly was filled with His goodness and lost in His love.  I decided to take some time and search for scriptures that talk about how God embodies these things:

Psalm 27: 13-14

"I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living. 
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord."

Psalm 23:6

"Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever."

Psalm 116: 12-13

"What shall I return to the Lord

for all his goodness to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the Lord."

Although in the hymn the writer is referring to a time when he will be heaven, the scriptures I found relate specifically to here on earth.  We can see God's goodness now.  We are filled with his love and goodness (fruits of the Spirit: Galatians 5) now.  If I was filled with God's goodness and lost in His love I would....

Trust Him more in every circumstance of my life. 

See the bigger picture and not get bogged down in the day to day stresses.

Praise Him for the smallest things.

Be more thankful.

Share the message of the gospel more.

There are so many ways my life would be changed by the truth from this hymn.  And while I would still call myself a K Love kind of a gal, these hymns and their powerful lyrics are definitely growing on me.





The Exhausting Life

This past weekend our pastor had a great message that I REALLY needed to hear.  I keep saying throughout this busy season in my life that I want to be more connected to Christ.  Whenever life kicks in to high gear I find myself focusing more and more on myself and less and less on God.  This has been a constant prayer request and desire of mine, yet I continue to find myself failing in this area.  

Well, Pastor James talked about the Exhausting Christian Life this past Sunday.  So many of us read the Bible and then pray that we would be more loving.  Then, we feel convicted about sharing our faith, so we start praying for that, and the list gets longer and longer and we keep trying and trying to be a "better Christian" and it's not working.  Quite frankly, I am pretty sure this is what non Christians see when they look at Christians- they see Christians trying to be a better person by following all of these rules - and that turns them off from God.  And I have to be honest, I'm sure I've portrayed this throughout a lot of my Christian life. 

The key is "Christ in me."  Pastor James said something that really stuck with me.  As Christians we're not trying to be a "better version of ourselves, but we are striving for a better expression of Christ in us."  God doesn't want to just save us from the penalty of sin, but the power of sin. 

So how does this happen?  We focus on Christ, confess the sin in our life, ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and believe that we are.  We are constantly listening to God's promptings in our life.  So, even when I'm busy, I'm still listening to God.  I desire to be so filled with God that I'm no longer controlled by my own actions but by God.

I'm very thankful and blessed by our church :) 

Priority for Today

Today I am meditating on this: 

"Look at the fruit in your own life and let it be a gauge for your own connectedness.  Do you listen to the Spirit as you stand in line at the grocery store?  Do I allow the Spirit to lead when creating a budget?  Where do I tend to do my own thing?"

I sadly have a feeling I could have a reeeallly long list for that last question.

(Forgotten God, Francis Chan)

Be imitators of God

So the other day I had on Kate plus 8. I know, I know- judge away. But, since they took away HGTV from our cable package, I have to resort to TLC in my spare time. Anyway, this contractor comes in her house and sets his stuff on the island in her kitchen, and she proceeds to have a panic attack and explains how the kitchen is "her space" and he needs to quickly move his things to the other room. In another scene the hose is leaking and she almost has a meltdown on camera because it is another thing she has to add to her list of things to do. I have to admit I felt bad for her, but mainly I was scared- scared because I see a lot of myself in her, and it doesn't look pretty.

In my new position at Trinity I get to use the gift God gave me for event planning. I love details, schedules, and planning so this is a perfect fit for me. The problem comes in when I view the rest of my life like this. Buying a gift for someone? (we have 7 gifts we have to purchase this month...so this is an example that is fresh on my mind!) While I could see this "task" as an opportunity to love and serve the people I'm buying the gifts for, in my mind I think "how can I find a cheap gift as quick as possible so I can check it off my list?" Ugly isn't it? This makes everything about me: how am I going to get this done? How is this affecting my schedule and the other things I have to do today? And guess what? It's stressful. I'm moving from one thing to the next, constantly evaluating what I need to do, and I'm only satisfied when it's done. I get so lost in the little things that I don't bother asking "God, how do YOU want to use me today? Even in the little things?"

So why the title of this post "Be imitators of God?" Well, in the book I'm going through, "Seeing with new eyes," Powlison has us evaluating our desires and passions (mine being the above paragraph) which led me to Ephesians 5 which says "Be imitators of God." Imitating God means displaying the fruits of the Spirit- peace, patience, love, kindness, joy, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Let's just say the fruit I am bearing when I am in my "go go go" mindset looks more like this: stressed, anxious, selfish, prideful, short tempered, and self dependent. Praise God that He transforms us and makes us new. He says "I understand that you can't do this on your own. I'm asking you to follow me in a radical way. That is why I have made you NEW, created after the likeness of me in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4)."

Today I am praising Him that I am a new creation, and that He gives me the power to overcome my selfishness and sin. So this afternoon when I head to Barnes and Noble to purchase my gifts, I will choose to have a new attitude, and rely on Him in the process. Is it sad that I can't even shop on my own without relying on God? Maybe. But it is moments like this that I realize how desperately I need a savior.

Inspiration

My dad showed me this short journal entry from a Max Lucado book in high school and it always inspires me to daily commit my life to Christ. I thought this was approriate via my last journal entry :)

It's Quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love...No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness, I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy...I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace...I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience...I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complaining that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness...I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness...I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness...Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that they father will not come home.

I choose gentleness...Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control...I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control.

I will drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.