Fall on Your Knees

This song always brings tears to my eyes. It reminds me of how Holy God is. I love love love the part about falling on our knees. Take a listen. (I know you know this song...but listen again!) Read the lyrics and listen to the song. Don't forget in the busyness of the season why we are celebrating. Cliché, I know. But the reality is that there are many parties and things to do...but STOP for a minute and praise our Lord. Fall on your knees and give proper respect to our Lord. He deserves it. Merry Christmas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtS_YJ7VuC4

O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees

O hear the angel voices
O night divine!
O night when Christ was born
O night divine!
O night, O night divine!

[Choir:]
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains He shall break, for the slave is our brother.

And in His name, all oppression shall cease

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name
Christ is the Lord!
Their name forever praise we

Noel, Noel
O night, O night divine
Noel, Noel
O night, O night divine
Noel, Noel
O night, O holy night

Idols

I've been thinking about idols lately because of a sermon series I have been listening to. Back in Bible times, an idol was anything man-made that people worshiped. The idea sounds absurd to me because the Israelite's encountered the living God so many times and then would forget and make some idol and worship it. It sounds ridiculous.

It sounds like us. 

Maybe we don't have God parting the sea for us. Maybe we didn't wander through the desert and see God in cloud and fire form. But maybe just maybe we've encountered him too. Maybe the Israelite's seem more stupid because they encountered God in more 'miraculous' ways than we have. BUT we have the Holy Spirit with us at all times - so maybe we're more stupid. Either way - we're all stupid. Because we've all encountered God and we still worship idols. 

In this day and age, followers of God, the God of the Bible, likely don't make idols and worship them. At least not on purpose. But how many people are addicted to their phones? Or computers? Or TV shows? All man made. We don't purposely worship them. But we do.

I was thinking about my idols yesterday (TV shows, computer, pride, etc.) and how some of those things I could just stop doing. I could stop watching TV. I could limit myself on the computer. It won't be as easy to let go of pride but the other things I can stop. Then I thought about the Israelites. Many times in the Bible there are examples of people worshipping idols and even putting them in God's temple. Then they re-encounter God and are convicted of their idols. So what do they do? They go to the temple, get the idols and burn them. Just like that.

Could I burn my idols? 

Often I ask God to help me with my idols. But he has - by convicting me. Now it's up to me to 'burn' them. I want him to rip away the desire I have for them, but then where does my work and sacrifice come in? It doesn't. If God just took away my desires for these things, it'd be easier. But how does that build my character. How does that show my sacrifices for God? 

So God does the convicting and it is up to us to get rid of our idols. The Israelite's just go to the temple and get rid of them. No questions asked. So why am I always left standing there not wanting to give up my idols? Why don't I run to the temple and readily give up my idols?

Where your....

So many Christians struggle with discipline. We struggle to spend time in prayer (longer then 5 minutes), we struggle to read our Bible, church can sometimes be boring and we'd rather watch TV, go on the internet or read a book then spend time with God. Why do we struggle so much? Because....

Matthew 6:21 - 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I've never made the connection with discipline and where my heart is at. BUT discipline is easy when your heart’s there.

If you want something bad enough, you'll go after it at whatever cost. You want that new TV you can't afford? You either work hard and save your money or you buy it on credit. You'll do whatever it takes if you want that TV. If you love somebody and are dating them long distance, you'll travel to see them as often as possible, no matter how long the plane/train/car ride, because you love them. If you want a baby but are infertile you'll go through the grueling process of infertility (if possible), to try for a baby. 

It makes sense that if you love something or someone enough, you'll do whatever it takes AND it's not a major sacrifice but a joy. 

What a conviction this is to me today. I know that most times I'd rather be on the internet then spend quality time with God. Why? Because obviously I love the internet more than God. Maybe you disagree but it's the truth. Sometimes I'd rather clean than spend time with God...which is sad because I don't really like cleaning that much.

It's time I ask the Holy Spirit to help me put my heart in the right place! Where is your treasure? 

This GIANT light of mine....

Mark 4: 21-25

He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

AHHH! I was reading these verses yesterday and was so confused by the second half. The first half makes sense. From reading the Bible, I know Jesus is light and therefore I am meant to 'show him off' to the world. Got it. I also understand that we can't hide our sins and God will bring to the light all of our darkness. Understand that. But what is this business about...

 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

Well maybe it is obvious to some people, but I didn't get it. So I asked Nathan and I read some commentaries online. This is what I get from it.

If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” “Consider carefully what you hear,”

Well obviously we all have ears. Most of us aren't deaf. But Jesus is talking about Spiritual ears. If you want to know truth - LISTEN UP! God will tell you. But if you're not interested, you won't hear. Plain and simple. Consider carefully what you hear.....I suppose this means that we can listen to the world or Jesus. If Jesus is the light then we should be listening to him and not the darkness. This is what I take from this verse. We need to consider what we hear from Jesus and decide whether we believe Him or not. 

“With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

This is where I was really getting stuck. What does Jesus mean? I read on a commentary this:

 Added knowledge brings added responsibility. Instead of being proud about what we know, we need to be humbled by the responsibility that this knowledge has brought us. God's truth was meant to be practiced and proclaimed. Not only must we proclaim what God has given to us, but we must put it to work in our own lives. (http://www.bereanbiblechurch.org/transcripts/mark/4_21-25.htm) 

The author goes on to say that as Christians we have responsibility. We MUST walk out what Jesus says OR what we do have will be taken away from us. It's true!!! Read Mark 4:21-26 again!! Here is what I gather quickly from the verses:

1. Jesus is light and you should put him on display for all
2. Because God is light, everything hidden (sins) will eventually be brought to light
3. If you have spiritual ears and want to hear - listen up!
4. Listen to what you are hearing. Is it from God or others??
5. If you listen to God and act it out, he'll give you more. If you listen but don't walk it out - what you have will be taken away.

I don't know about you but I know for myself that what I DO have in God I don't want taken from me. If I want more, I need to pursue more. If I don't care, then he'll take it away anyway. 

This is what I gather from these verses. Maybe I am reading into it wrong, but this is what I have for now!

Worth It?

There comes a time when all of us, especially those who call ourselves Christians, need to decide if it is worth it to follow Jesus. And if you're a Christian you're thinking "I think it's worth it, I do follow Jesus."

Do you REALLY?

Do I REALLY?

I stumbled upon a book online yesterday called Radical by David Platt. I'm only just barely into it but also listened to a sermon by him this morning by the same title. 

He goes through Luke 9 and how 3 people say they will follow Jesus, he tells them the cost to follow him and they turn away.

As a Christian who struggles to tell people about God, I'd be OVERJOYED to have somebody just walk up to me and say they want to follow Jesus. GREAT! Here's what you do: say a prayer to God, ask for forgiveness, repent of your sins, confess Jesus as Lord and.....YOU'RE IN! But Jesus essentially turns these people away. Because he knows...you're in or you're out. There is no halvsies here. 

David Platt brings up a good point. We are essentially molding Jesus into who we want him to be as opposed to who he actually is. Do you disagree? Because Jesus talks about selling everything we have and giving it to the poor. We rationalize it and say that "he was only talking to that specific man". Or that "we're not ACTUALLY rich and we need to take care of ourselves and our families. Besides, that guy coveted his money, and since I donate money to others and don't splurge very often, I'm fine." 

Living in North America demands a certain lifestyle. I totally get that we need to work, pay bills and take care of our families. This is what God calls us to do. But how much do we have that others need. For example, retirement savings. According to the world, it is very smart to save up for retirement. You'd be an idiot if you didn't save and could of. I realize some people scraped by and were not able to save - that's a different story. HOWEVER, take a look at this passage: 

Luke 12:13-21

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Where in this passage does God say save up money for the future? Save for a rainy day? Ya it's wise to save money so if your car breaks or your heater than you have money to fix it. Ya it's wise to save money for retirement so you're not left wondering how you'll pay for things. But who says you'll even live to retirement? Who says you'll even live long enough for your car to break? What about that person who is hungry TODAY? Save for a rainy day?? Well it's a rainy day for somebody right now. 

And giving to the poor and how we use our money is only one way that shows we do or don't follow Jesus' instructions.

What about our time? Watch TV? Me too. I like watching Survivor and The Amazing Race. It's estimated that 1/3 of the world is Christian. This is a generous amount too. Because some people claim to be Christian because their parents are or for political reasons. So EVEN if 1/3 of the population is Christian....that means approximately 4 billion people don't know Jesus. Do you REALLY have time to watch TV? Do I REALLY have time to watch TV? 

I know I'm sounding harsh - and that is SO not my goal. I just want us to think for a minute. Because most of us, (including me!!) follow the Jesus WE make up in our minds, not the Jesus of the Bible.

If we TRULY follow Jesus then we might be homeless, we might have no retirement savings, we might not get the luxury of watching TV or wasting time on the internet. 

Count the costs.

When Jesus walked the earth, he was reasonably popular. Sometimes he had crowds of 5000 plus listening to him preach. He had THOUSANDS of followers. Then came the true test. His death and being associated with him. When Jesus died - he had 120 followers. Read it in Acts. Out of thousands, 120 remained. If Jesus demanded more of us today (which he DOES and we ignore), then how many people would be left following him? Out of the billions...how many?

Will you be one of them? Will I? 

Follow?

I am currently in the middle of doing my homework. As I was writing out an answer, a revelation came to me. We need to follow Jesus as Christians. Okay - obviously we know this. But what does it mean to follow? Because let's be honest, most of us, including me, say we follow Jesus but then struggle to do so.

I can't tell you how much I like to put other things before God. I am in the place where I am deciding whether I should watch TV anymore. In and of itself, TV isn't wrong. But really, what a waste of time. Even if the show is clean, let's say it is 60 minutes long. That's 60 minutes of turning your brain off of the real world and engaging in nothingness. That's 60 minutes I could of been seeking after God. I get jealous (wrong I know), of people who are so in love with God. All they want to do is spend time with God. When Jace naps, I have the option of going on the internet or spending time with God. Typically I choose the internet. What a waste of time. I realize I'm coming off as strongly opinionated. That's fine. I'm not trying to make anybody feel bad. I'm just ranting that the majority of us who say we're Christian are not following Jesus.

If we're supposed to follow Jesus, where did he go?

Well for starters, he came to earth to serve others.

He went to the cross when he didn't need to.

He preached the kingdom and didn't care what people thought of him

He commanded illness to leave people and saw them healed

He cast out demons.

He got up early to pray and spend time with the Father.

He performed miracles.

He fasted.

His WHOLE LIFE was devoted to doing the will of God.

As the church, we need to RISE UP. When I have free time, I should be on my face before the King. He deserves our everything. Please consider, you say you follow Jesus, but do you? Because following Jesus means you go where he goes and where he went was very difficult. It means dying to yourself daily. It means considering others better than yourself. It means giving up desires like TV in order to follow God more. Just consider. I've been convicted today and I know things need to change.

It's Not About YOU!

I just listened to a sermon by Todd White called 'It's Not About YOU'! It was amazing.

Here is the gist of it...

If you have declared yourself a Christian and are choosing to follow Christ...this life is no longer about you. It doesn't matter what you've gone through in life, nothing compares to what Christ did for you.

If you're saying 'yes I am a Christian' then you are saying 'I die to myself'. Well what does dying to self look like?

-You see somebody on the street with a cane...you go up to them and pray for them to be healed. Why? Because Jesus commands us to heal people.

-You want to watch a TV show that promotes nothing good.....you don't watch it. Why? Because it does not bring you closer to Christ.

-You have an opportunity to tell somebody about Jesus at work but you could lose your job....you tell them anyway. Why? Because Jesus commands that we tell people about His kingdom.

You're having money problems and you know specifically that God is asking you to give money away to the poor. You choose to give it. Why? Because you do what God asks AND you choose to trust Him with everything.

You love people even when they are mean to you. Why? Because we are called to love EVERYBODY, no matter what.

There are a million more examples...you should be giving away a lot to the poor and serving them. You shouldn't be judging people. You shouldn't care what people think of you. You should be giving all of your day to God and not just some of it....etc etc etc.

Now I realize all of this is a list of 'things to do'. It's not a matter of trying harder. Why? Because by your own strength, you will fail and the devil will destroy you. BUT we have an AMAZING Holy Spirit who can help us to die to ourselves. EVERYDAY we need to be BEGGING the Holy Spirit to transform us to be more like Christ. It's not about trying harder, it's about being transformed. The more the Holy Spirit transforms us, the more we will do as Christ asks.

We should be totally free of ourselves. If you're free of yourself, you won't care what people think of you and when people do think negatively about you, you won't care. Why? Because only Christ matters. WE don't matter anymore.

So ask yourself the tough question...do you REALLY want to follow Christ? Not half-heartily....FULLY. Because if you read the Bible, following Jesus means a LOT of sacrifice. Sacrifices are burned. Are you prepared to be burned? Are you prepared to die to yourself? Will you give up EVERYTHING for Jesus? Because if you don't give up everything, you can't be his disciple.

You decide.

DENIED!

As I sit here, a struggle is waging on my heart. There is a TV show that I absolutely love but I know I shouldn't watch it. It is called Pretty Little Liars. The reason I shouldn't watch it is because it does not bring me closer to Christ but only draws me away. The show stands for so many things I don't agree with in real life (betrayal, lying, murder, abuse, gossip, etc.). Often I think I can watch a show, disagree with the message of it, but still enjoy it. Wrong. I thought I could watch and not allow it to affect me negatively. Wrong. Most of the time I would watch and not agree with the message, but still be left with feeling bad about myself because I don't look like the girls on the show. Also, even though I didn't agree with the message of the show, just by watching it, I am inadvertently supporting it. 

A few weeks ago, I decided I would no longer watch this show. At the time the decision seemed easy because the show wasn't on air yet. (The 4th season began last night). Then last night hit and I was reminded that the show was starting up again and I thought 'I could watch and not being negatively affected'. But the verse Luke 14:33 kept coming to mind - In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

I tried to justify that verse by looking up other versions which talk about 'everything' being possessions  'EXCELLENT' I thought. If it talks about possessions then I can watch! But then this came to mind:

Matthew 16:24 -  Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

Well, what is denying myself? It's giving up things I WANT in order to serve Jesus. Sometimes things are easy to give up for Jesus and other times it is more difficult. When I choose to give up things of this world that I want in order to serve Jesus, I am denying myself. If giving up everything was easy, it wouldn't be hard to deny myself. 

It amazes me when I meet people who have freely given up the things of this world. I really struggle with this! Sometimes I want to buy more stuff and not give to the poor. Sometimes I want to watch a TV show or movie that has a message that goes against Jesus' message. Sometimes I want to be lazy and not work hard. Sometimes I want to judge people and think of myself as better than them. Thankfully, despite my downfalls, I am forgiven, and the Holy Spirit helps me to deny myself. It is a process that will always be in motion, but I want to get to a point when I can deny myself more each day!

Please consider Jesus' words above. They are strong words. You can't be half-hearted. You're in or you're out.

Two Way Journaling - Lead me to the Cross

Julie: I want to be open to you Lord. Please speak, your servant is listening.

Jesus: Open up your eyes to me. Watch what I will do. The heavens will declare my goodness but so will the earth. Take heed and notice for I am all around. I am doing great deeds and wonders and you need to notice. The victory is mine. So fight for me. Get on your knees daily and offer your life as a living sacrifice. Don't worry what others are doing. Just focus on me. I will refine you like hold and sculpt you so beautifully.

Julie: God I'm sorry that I'm so lukewarm. Change me. Help me to be passionate. Fall on me.What must I do to be passionate Lord? I'm asking in faith.

Jesus: Julie you need to come to me daily. Really come to me. Give me your all. I told you if you give me all of you that I'd give you all of me. Don't hold back. What are you afraid of? Life in me is so much more pleasurable than a life not in me. Trust me. Test it out. You won't be disappointed.

Julie: God what does all of me look like?

Jesus: Come to me for everything. Your daily needs, your wants & desires, big decisions, little decisions, everything.

Julie: God make me passionate. Fall on me. I'm getting desperate for more.

Then I had a vision.

I was with the Father and he gave me a hug and smiled at me and sent me off with Jesus (kind of like the first day of school...he seemed proud) Then Jesus took me by the hand and walked me over to the Spirit. Then he lowered me and baptized me into the Spirit.

Holy Spirit inspired song of the day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_24IdbJ0Tw

I Just Went to Heaven!

Well it all started this afternoon. I decided to spend some quiet time with God journaling. I don't just sit there and write out my prayers to God. No, I do two-way journaling that I was taught recently at a conference by Mark Virkler. Here is how it works.

1) You go to a quiet place and still yourself before the Lord (no distractions)
2) You look for the vision and see yourself with Jesus (I roam around the earth and see where my vision stops....Jesus and I are always hanging out somewhere outside)
3) Ask Jesus a question and wait for the spontaneous flow of thoughts to come as he answers
4) Write down what He says

It is really an amazing experience.

Anyway, so today I went to journal for the first time in days. I tried and tried and couldn't see Jesus very well or where we were. Finally I sort of saw him and I sitting on a dock near a beautiful mountain and beautiful lake. My vision of us was not nearly as clear as normal. It was upsetting. But I got through the journaling experience and still left hearing God's voice. 

Later I read a chapter in the book "4 Key's to Hearing God's Voice" by Mark Virkler. The chapter was about vision and seeing God. As I read through the chapter I confessed to God that I've not allowed him to work through dreams and visions in my life and have relied heavily on rational thought instead. I asked him to open the eyes and ears of my heart once again. After reading the chapter, I lay in bed and tried to see the vision again from this morning. This time it was was pretty clear.

I saw Jesus and I sitting on the dock. He jumped in the water and was swimming. He was so happy and wanted me to come in. So I jumped in. I don't know how the water felt. All I know is that I had the same swimming abilities I do now (not very strong)....but I swam after Jesus. Then suddenly we were walking on water a bit and then out of the water rose a huge staircase. Jesus ran up and was so happy and wanted me to follow. So I ran after him and saw that the staircase went into the sky and in the sky was a large opening to Heaven. 

I entered Heaven and noticed beautiful grass. So green and lush. It felt wonderful on my feet. I also noticed a small river and a small tree. I drank from the river but I don't know how it tasted. The tree didn't seem out of the ordinary except that it was perfectly groomed. But it wasn't large and it didn't seem like the tree described in Revelation. Jesus kept going on ahead and wanted me to follow. But I didn't want to miss anything, so I looked around. All I could really focus on was the grass. So green, so soft. I had a difficult time focusing on the tree and river. I knew they were there and I saw them...but not very clearly. At one point we were running beside the river and Jesus hopped over it and I followed and then I 'woke up'. And to be honest I don't know if in real life I was sleeping or awake. I know the vision started with me being awake...but I don't know if it carried on when I fell asleep (if I fell asleep). But when I looked at the clock 15 minutes had passed rather quickly.

Two things that really struck me in the vision

1) Jesus was so joyful. He was smiling and very playful and just wanted to spend time with me and show me Heaven.

2) When I was in the vision and focused on Jesus (and Heaven), I wasn't focused on other people in my mind. I wasn't judging others. It was just me and Jesus. The more I focused on him, the less I thought about others and also any worries in life. 

The song 'Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus' was not lying. It says:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,In the light of His glory and grace.

Very cool experience. Thanks Jesus! I hope you allow me to come back in vision form :) 

L-O-V-E

Although today is Valentines Day....I have wanted to write this post for awhile. I feel the need to write about love because I am learning about it right now in my life. (Note: This post is NOT just about romantic love. It is about love in general)

In September, Nathan began to teach the Sr. high students at our church about the book of 1 John in the Bible, which is mainly about love. Then not long after, our pastors began to preach about love to the church. We have been learning about love since then almost every Sunday. 

I've read 1 Corinthians 13 a zillion times which explains what love is. Sometimes when I hear a verse so many times, it loses its meaning. But God has brought 1 Corinthians 13 back to my attention lately. Here are the verses again:

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

I began to examine my own life. Am I these things to the people around me? When Jace was a newborn, I was exhausted. I like my sleep and getting up every 2 hours to feed him in the night was very tiring. When I am tired I am much more irritable. Needless to say, there were times I was very angry or very impatient. (Things have improved but I still get impatient sometimes). I realized that although emotionally I love my son, I was not acting it out. Love is NOT an emotion. Love is action. 

For example: 

I love cake. I like the taste and I could eat it daily if I wanted to. But am I patient toward cake? Do I get angry with cake? No of course not. You can't really show love as an action toward objects. Therefore it does not make sense to say "I love cake". Saying "I like cake" makes more sense. 

I love my husband. Emotionally yes I feel a bond with him that I do not feel with others. But I also have to work harder to be patient with him, to not get angry, to keep no record of wrongs, etc. Why? Because I live with him and because I choose to. I have chosen to be one with him, which means I have a love for him that I have for nobody else. 

If love is an emotion then it is always self-seeking. You would love somebody until they began to treat you terribly. Then the emotions go out the door because  you are no longer receiving what you want. This doesn't even have to be about romantic love. This could work in a friendship too. We choose to be with people as long as they treat us the way we want to be treated and our emotions follow. If love is an emotion, then when somebody better comes along, we could easily drop the first person because they no longer give us what we want.

But love isn't an emotion. It's an action AND a choice. I have to daily choose to love the people around me. If Jace doesn't sleep and keeps me up all night, I have to choose to be patient....choose to not get angry. Choose to love him. If Nathan speaks to me rudely or insults me, I still choose how I react. Even when people are not loving me, I still need to choose to love them.

Some people just annoy me. Our personalities clash. Is this loving of me? No of course not. I need to daily submit that to God until I love that person. 

One of my favourite things about love is that....GOD IS LOVE! (1 John 4:8)

This means that GOD is patient, GOD is kind. HE does not envy, HE does not boast,  HE is not proud.   HE does not dishonor others, HE is not self-seeking, HE is not easily angered, HE keeps no record of wrongs. HE does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  HE always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  GOD never fails.

This is a view that most of the world would disagree with. Many people (including some Christians) think God is always angry and ready to strike when the time is right (fire and brimstone anyone?). But he loves (as an action) more than we know. Jesus did after all give up his throne to become a human only to die that we MIGHT choose Him. He didn't die knowing we'd all turn to Him. He chose to love us even though emotionally he might not be satisfied because of us. His love is an action, not an emotion. He loved when we might not love back. How beautiful. 

What a fantastic example Christ is for what love is. 

Happy Valentines Day.

Mediocre?

There is an overarching theme that I see in my previous blogs. I always feel compelled to write about apathy in North American Christians. I'm telling you that I can name 10 MAYBE 15 people who I've met in my life who are passionately in love with God. That's pretty sad considering I've met hundreds of Christians. I've grown up in church and have attended a few different churches. I've been to Christian camp. I went to a Christian high school. I have attended three Bible schools. I've met Christians through other Christians. Hundreds of Christians have I met. How many of us are passionate about God. Probably 15. Myself NOT included. Do I love God, yes. But does my life revolve around God all the time? No.

I continually keep thinking that I just need to work harder, when this is not the case. Ultimately I just need to encounter God and how could I not be changed?

One of my favourite songs is 'Holy' by Jesus culture. The first three lines are so true:

Just one look on Your face
Just one glance of your eyes
My whole world is changed

When I have REALLY encountered God....I am a different person than normal. I'm joyful all the time. I'm willing to die for God. I submit my dreams and plans to God. I am willing to do whatever the case. I constantly pray for people and yearn for them to know God. I want to praise God and sing and dance and be in His presence. But this is not the case every day.

 My typical day is battling between spending time with God (which ends up being mediocre at best) or watching TV or going on the internet (assuming Jace is napping).

“A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all—and more amusing.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

I don't want the spirit of religion. I want the Holy Spirit. I don't want to 'spend time with God' if it is mediocre. Because then it can't be actually spending time with God....because nothing can be mediocre with God. If you meet with God and experience Him and have relationship with Him...NOTHING is mediocre about that.

The rest of 'Holy' by Jesus Culture is my prayer today:

Oh I seek only to see Your face
I don’t wanna go anywhere without You God
Without Your presence
Oh let me see Your face
The beauty of Your holiness God
Take me into the holy place

And only one word comes to mind
There’s only one word to describe

Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty

There is no one like You
You are Holy
Holy