Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Waiting in His Love

I wanted to share today two songs that have become anthems for me right now.  The first is a song that became my song a few months ago.  David Crowder Band's "How He Loves Us".  And recently they put a video for it on You Tube.  Now if you are not familiar with David Crowder Band, please don't let their "look" fool you - these are a group of guys that love the Lord dearly and worship Him with abandon.

Here is their video for "How He Loves Us" on YouTube.

The second video is one that I saw for the first in October when we did our 30 Days Mind of Christ Experiment at SUM.  Dineen had posted the video.  I remember the song really touching me then.  It is from the movie Fireproof.  Recently a good friend of mine sent me this song thinking it was bring me some encouragment and hope.  I had completely forgotten about it.  So thank you Gina! 

I feel the Lord impressing this song upon me as well - "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller. 






Also, as I mentioned before, the Lord gave me Nehamiah 8:10 this year - The Joy of the Lord is my Strength!

So there you have it - my theme for 2010 - I will worship and serve the Lord while I'm waiting because He loves me dearly and His Joy is my Strength.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

God's Ways (not Mine!)

God's timing is amazing - the way He will give you a word in so many different ways.  Isaiah has been popping up alot for me lately, so I've decided to start reading through.  In the past when I've tried to read this book it has honestly almost put me to sleep.  I just could not make head or tails of it.  But this time the Lord is speaking to me.

The other day Isaiah 55:8-11 popped up in a email from someone.  Then later that same day a good friend of mine gave me a late Christmas present.  A wonderful little devotional book called "Jesus Calling".  It is written in the first person, as if Jesus Himself is speaking to you each day.  As I read that day's devotion I KNEW the Lord was speaking to me through it.  The first words were "Approach this day with awareness of who is Boss!"  That is exactly what we were focusing on back in October when we did a series at SUM about putting God on the throne of our lives. 

It went on to say that if my plans for the day seem to be all falling apart, to look out for Him.  It just might be that He has something better planned for me and that I need to stay in close communication with Him.  Wow!  What a different way to think of a day that seems to just be going all wrong.

At the end two verses were given.  Jeremiah 29:11 and Isaiah 55:9-11.  I could go on and on, but I'll just let these verses speak for themselves.

Isaiah 55:8-11
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your  ways my ways," declares the Lord.  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Saturday, January 16, 2010

After God's Own Heart Book Discussion

I am so excited and just have to share.  Just before the summer started I felt the Lord impressing upon me the desire to study David, specifically his heart and why God Himself called David a man after His own heart.

At one point I mentioned this to my house church and we decided as a group to pursue this.  We've spent the summer and fall reading through 1 Samuel and are starting 2 Samuel now.

Then I stumbled across a book by Mike Bickle called "After God's Own Heart".  After just the first few pages I knew this book was going to be used by God to change my entire perspective about God's Love for me and how to have a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him.

I've shared what I've been learning and some of the ideas from this book with friends at work.  Three of us decided to read this book together and discuss it as we go along.  We decided to open it up and throw out the idea to the entire building.  I pulled together a synopsis of the book, my reasons for doing the discussion and a couple reviews and sent an email.  Now we have ordered our books and should have them next week (I was reading a copy that belonged to a friend, but kept wanting to take notes in it so I figured I need my own copy anyway.)  We have 11 people who have committed to reading this book and meeting 2x a month to talk about what the Lord is revealing to us!  WOW!!!!  God is amazing and I think He is up to some pretty cool stuff this year.  I can't wait to find out what it all is!

Here is one of my favorite reviews of this book, which I found on the Forerunner Store website  -

WARNING: This book will warp your mind. Do not read it if you plan to live a normal life. It is dangerous. I use to be a normal Christian. But now I am ruined for anything else.  ~ Daniel Erwin

Sunday, January 03, 2010

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

Nehemiah 8:10 tells us the Joy of the Lord is our Strength.  I've heard this a hundred times and Chris Tomlin sings a song that I love that says this.  But until yesterday I never really stopped to think about what this means.  The JOY of the Lord is my strength.

The book I'm reading right now brought this to my attention last night as well as giving me an new perspective on the prodigal son story.

But first, let me ask you a question.  If you were told that tonight the Lord was going to meet you face to face and pronounce His Judgment on you, what would be your first reaction?  What feeling first pops to the surface for you?  Joy?  Or is it dread?

We are told He will search the deepest parts of our hearts.  When you think about Jesus staring into your eyes and seeing the depths of your heart and soul, do you squirm?  Do squirm out of excitement or fear?

I know my heart did a dive into the pit of my stomach when I first thought about this question.  But that is slowly changing.  Why?  Because I'm coming to realize I've always seen my God as being sad or mad in the past.  I know He is a loving and kind Father who forgives us, but that image of a scowling or disappointed God had not really left my thoughts.  So when I thought of facing Him in His throne room I immediately thought of Him examing all the things in my heart that are dark and bad.  I thought of Him going over all my failures.

But as I'm reading scripture I'm starting to realize God doesn't sit up there looking down on me with scorn, disappointment or even indifference.  He looks down on me with unconditional love and enjoyment!  I'm really starting to get this in my heart.  When He searches my heart he find at the deepest part of me that little "Yes" that is determined to follow Him and know Him no matter what it costs me.  No matter how many times I may fail on the way.  And that little teeny itsy bitsy "yes" makes him smile!  (And I'm smiling just writing this and thinking about it!)

I've always thought of the tale of the prodigal son as relating to unbelievers.  Those who don't know the Lord or you have walked away from the Lord.  And this is true.  But last night I started to see this story a bit different.  It is also a reflection of us who follow Him and fail along the way (and in case you're not up to speed yet - that is ALL of us!).  We react the same way as the prodigal.  When we get to the point where we finally admit we have failed and can't go it on our own in our own power and strength anymore, we come to Him on our knees and beg for any small position in His Kingdom.  We can't imagine doing anything other than laying out all our failures and begging Him to take us back.  But you know what He does?  He reaches down, wipes away our tears and engulfs us in the biggest bear hug ever!  He leaps and shouts for joy because we are there with him.  Even when we are at our lowest and weakest, covered in slop from living with the pigs - He looks on us with enjoyment and love.  He desires to gaze on us even when we are covered in filth!  Wow!

And what should I expect.  If I do believe the prodigal story is of someone coming to know Christ for the first time and God shouts for joy and calls for a celebration at that point, wouldn't He do even more so for someone who is sincerely trying to follow Him - even with all our stumbling?  Do I really think His love for me cools and dimishes over time? 

So last night as I heard the Lord speaking to me again saying "My Joy is your Strength" it took on new meaning for me.  I really started to consider what that meant.  What is God's Joy!?  When I am weak I can know that the Lord is looking down on me with love, desire and joy and that is what will hold me up and carry me through. 

Words can't even begin to express the Joy and happiness that fills me with those thoughts.  We truly do serve and AMAZING God!

As I've prayed over this upcoming year the Lord has impressed two words upon me.  Last year was a year of REVELATION - it was a time when the Lord began to reveal this great love He has for me.  He began to open my heart and mind to what this love really looks like and the true nature of it.  His true nature!  That will continue into 2010. 

However, He also impressed upon me the word SUBMISSION.  It is time for me to submit to the love the Lord has for me.  To finally accept it and realize His word is true.  He says He loves me unconditionally and I need to stop trying to put conditions on His love for me.  I need to realize there is nothing I need or even can DO to earn His love.  He gazes upon me with love and enjoyment in my weakness.  I need to understand this and accept it once and for all.  I need to gaze upon Him and His beauty instead of on me and how I can be worthy of His love because the bottom line is I'm NOT worthy of His love.  But that does not matter to Him one bit.  I'm His cherished daughter, the bride of His Son - Period!  End of Story!