The most phenomenal thing that ever happened to me in my life was being healed by the unconditional love of God. He loved me enough to die for me while I was His enemy. What kind of love is this?! How much must He love humanity!
When you have received this much mercy what else can you do but show mercy to everyone the Father loves--the whole World! We love because He first loved us (http://biblehub.com/1_john/4-19.htm). This is supposed to be the pattern of a child of God. Receive Love, Joy, Mercy, and Peace; give love, joy, mercy and peace.
This in-pouring of love healed so much of the wounds of my life. These wounds were mostly caused by feeling devalued by others. The Love of God poured truth onto my wounds like a healing salve. I will never be the same again!
Yet, this is only half of the equation for healing. Receiving Love is a wonderful thing! But, there is more healing to be had. If all that we do is receive unconditional love, but do not pour it out on the world around us it turns putrid in our souls.
Love is a dynamic force. It is meant to flow. If we choose not to let it flow into our lives we cannot be healed. In the same way it must flow out of us to the world around us. Like a swamp where water flows in but doesn't flow out at the same rate, our thinking begins to rot and stink.
I have received as much healing from my old wounds by letting unconditional love flow out of me as much as allowing it in. There is still a lot for me to learn about love, but I am committed to it. I have seen the results and there is no going back.
Loving others is hard. It isn't always as simple as doing what others want you to do. Often times that is the worst thing to do. Love is looking out for others best interest. Often times they can't see what is in their best interest. Sometimes the equation involves more than one variable. Things like how do I love one person and another person when the two things look like opposites. Love isn't just roses and chocolates. Sometimes it's downright muddy.
However, I have always found that making the effort has returns-on-investment that I never contemplated. I have received more healing letting love out than letting it in.
We all have those relationships with "difficult" people. Sometimes it is with the person we committed our lives to. I have seen so many marriages crumble around me lately--ones I would never have imagined. My heart aches for "Christians" to realize that love is not just something we are supposed to talk about or receive. It is to become who we are. God loves because He is love. It is the essence of His character therefore He cannot act otherwise. We are to be reflecting who He is to this World. We are to be transformed into the likeness of His image! Love because it is who you are, not because the world deserves you.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Rain
My five year old reminded me of something just now. (She's nine now when I found this draft of an unpublished post.)
It's pouring rain outside. Usually she is disappointed that she cannot go outside and play. Not today. She is jumping up and down excited, "Mom, Mom, it's raining. That means our garden is gonna grow!"
Rain takes on a whole different meaning when you are growing something with the intent of harvesting fruits of your labor. The goal of your days is no longer merely the enjoyment of a day in the sunshine. Those are nice, but a week without rain doesn't have the same appeal that it used to. It seems like drought in the making.
It hadn't rained since we put in our garden last week. We've been watering it by hand, making sure each plant has just the right amount. Now we are able to sit back and watch our plants grow.
Humans are a lot the same. We admire those who are strong and courageous but often overlook the work that it takes to get there. Some of that growth is caused by natural storms of life giving opportunity to mature. Yet, if all we do in between storms is enjoy the sunshine we will never harvest a crop of fruitfulness in our lives.
Our personal growth should never just be dependent to periods of storm and sunshine. Between storms we should take the effort to water our souls by hand. Once a week on Sunday's isn't enough to have a fruitful harvest. It takes watering every day.
By carefully tending the garden of our hearts on a daily basis we can reap the rewards of a strong, healthy inner man. With deep roots we will not be so easily blown about by every storm that rages. Strong plants are able to be more productive. We must pull the weeds that threaten to choke us and dig out the stones that have no place (Matt. 13). For a strong soul we need to tend our minds, our hearts, and our spirits.
I'm much more thankful for the storms in my life now that I've been through a devastating drought. Yet, I've also been through storms that threatened to take away everything. I've seen the amazing growth both from the hard work of rebuilding and from toiling to keep things watered through months of sunshine.
We often think of the storms of life as moments sent to bring us to our knees. But, the reality is we can grow both in good times and bad. Growth in the good times takes concentration on the goal of harvesting in order to inspire us to toil instead of only play. Growth in the bad times usually happens either by prepping for the storm to hit or after the storm in hind sight through repair and a lot of hard work.
During the sunny times of life remember to tend your garden by spending time with God in His Word, and through prayer and fasting. These are like fertilizer, clean air, and water to our souls. Allow the Spirit of God to nourish our hearts, minds and spirits so that our soul can be strong rain or shine.
It's pouring rain outside. Usually she is disappointed that she cannot go outside and play. Not today. She is jumping up and down excited, "Mom, Mom, it's raining. That means our garden is gonna grow!"
Rain takes on a whole different meaning when you are growing something with the intent of harvesting fruits of your labor. The goal of your days is no longer merely the enjoyment of a day in the sunshine. Those are nice, but a week without rain doesn't have the same appeal that it used to. It seems like drought in the making.
It hadn't rained since we put in our garden last week. We've been watering it by hand, making sure each plant has just the right amount. Now we are able to sit back and watch our plants grow.
Humans are a lot the same. We admire those who are strong and courageous but often overlook the work that it takes to get there. Some of that growth is caused by natural storms of life giving opportunity to mature. Yet, if all we do in between storms is enjoy the sunshine we will never harvest a crop of fruitfulness in our lives.
Our personal growth should never just be dependent to periods of storm and sunshine. Between storms we should take the effort to water our souls by hand. Once a week on Sunday's isn't enough to have a fruitful harvest. It takes watering every day.
By carefully tending the garden of our hearts on a daily basis we can reap the rewards of a strong, healthy inner man. With deep roots we will not be so easily blown about by every storm that rages. Strong plants are able to be more productive. We must pull the weeds that threaten to choke us and dig out the stones that have no place (Matt. 13). For a strong soul we need to tend our minds, our hearts, and our spirits.
I'm much more thankful for the storms in my life now that I've been through a devastating drought. Yet, I've also been through storms that threatened to take away everything. I've seen the amazing growth both from the hard work of rebuilding and from toiling to keep things watered through months of sunshine.
We often think of the storms of life as moments sent to bring us to our knees. But, the reality is we can grow both in good times and bad. Growth in the good times takes concentration on the goal of harvesting in order to inspire us to toil instead of only play. Growth in the bad times usually happens either by prepping for the storm to hit or after the storm in hind sight through repair and a lot of hard work.
During the sunny times of life remember to tend your garden by spending time with God in His Word, and through prayer and fasting. These are like fertilizer, clean air, and water to our souls. Allow the Spirit of God to nourish our hearts, minds and spirits so that our soul can be strong rain or shine.
Boredom
I found a 3 year old draft I had not publish, so I thought I'd go ahead and do that now.
Boredom.
There are so many "cures" for it these days. Every minute of every day seems to need filling up.
"Mom, I'm bored!" We all said it as kids. It's easy to point a finger at them and say, "If you can't find something to do, you can clean the bathroom." To which they answer, "Can I watch a movie?" or "Can I have a few extra minutes on my game?"
I do not hear "I'm bored," from my kids nearly as often as I said it as a child. There is always some form of amusement to be had, even around here.
I recently realized just how big a motivating factor boredom can be. I gave up playing a silly little time filler as a Christmas gift to my family. Yes, it was Candy Crush. I wasn't addicted or anything. I just played it while waiting for the toaster to ding, or for the water to boil, or for the laundry to get done, or between classes, or running here or there, or you know, those times when there was a few minutes, but not enough time to start a big project, or to think really hard about important matters. It sucked up those boring minutes of waiting.
When it was gone, I was shocked at just how much of a role boredom played in my life. I found myself bored enough to go looking for a chore to do. The dishes get loaded a lot more often. Creative projects got started. I read for those little minutes. My mind began to search for answers to questions, when it found them it began searching for more questions to find the answers to.
I thought, "My goodness, with all of the information available to us today, what would happen if the human race as a whole sat around and thought about things like they used to do around a fire or a harpsichord." My mind is exploding with possibilities.
I am so thankful that previous generations worked so hard to provide the leisure that we have today. Most of our business is self induced, not actual survival to find food or shelter, or protective clothing. We don't have a "do it or die" crisis lifestyle. How tragic that for the most part I waste it.
Right a book, paint a masterpiece, create culture, form a hypothesis, test it, build, grow, learn a new skill, master an old one... do something for society, do something
Boredom.
There are so many "cures" for it these days. Every minute of every day seems to need filling up.
"Mom, I'm bored!" We all said it as kids. It's easy to point a finger at them and say, "If you can't find something to do, you can clean the bathroom." To which they answer, "Can I watch a movie?" or "Can I have a few extra minutes on my game?"
I do not hear "I'm bored," from my kids nearly as often as I said it as a child. There is always some form of amusement to be had, even around here.
I recently realized just how big a motivating factor boredom can be. I gave up playing a silly little time filler as a Christmas gift to my family. Yes, it was Candy Crush. I wasn't addicted or anything. I just played it while waiting for the toaster to ding, or for the water to boil, or for the laundry to get done, or between classes, or running here or there, or you know, those times when there was a few minutes, but not enough time to start a big project, or to think really hard about important matters. It sucked up those boring minutes of waiting.
When it was gone, I was shocked at just how much of a role boredom played in my life. I found myself bored enough to go looking for a chore to do. The dishes get loaded a lot more often. Creative projects got started. I read for those little minutes. My mind began to search for answers to questions, when it found them it began searching for more questions to find the answers to.
I thought, "My goodness, with all of the information available to us today, what would happen if the human race as a whole sat around and thought about things like they used to do around a fire or a harpsichord." My mind is exploding with possibilities.
I am so thankful that previous generations worked so hard to provide the leisure that we have today. Most of our business is self induced, not actual survival to find food or shelter, or protective clothing. We don't have a "do it or die" crisis lifestyle. How tragic that for the most part I waste it.
Right a book, paint a masterpiece, create culture, form a hypothesis, test it, build, grow, learn a new skill, master an old one... do something for society, do something
Moving Blog Pages after Publishing
After publishing The Book of Job: Seeing God through the Ashes, I started a fresh blog page. You can find it here: freeingbehemoth.wordpress.com. You can find my book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXC6QTF. The book details what I have learned about the character of God through studying the "Book of Job." It goes through God's answer in fine detail to reveal God's love for all of creation--including the rebellious and under-achievers, as well as the obedient and excellent. If you find yourself failing in any area and wonder if God still loves you, or if you wonder how God can say he loves and provides yet watch us struggle (like me), then I hope the book will encourage you to trust him. He loves you, of that you can be sure. So do I. I am praying for you, dear one.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Who defines marriage anyway?
I've been debating for a while about whether or not to post
anything, for fear of being miss-heard. But since you asked (Hee hee) I'd like
to offer a slightly wider perspective. The reason I may be miss-heard is that
some may think I am making a comment on gay marriage, when it is only a comment
on marriage in general.
I believe the debate on gay marriage needs to go back
down the legal road a couple of steps, back to the debate on what marriage is in
the first place. How can we redefine something that is so off base that
redefining it is a lateral move?
Marriage is supposed to be an oath to God that we two
people promise and declare to the public that we will commit to be a family for
life. Hopefully there will be progeny
from this union, but that is less the point than we believe that together we can
serve the kingdom of God better than we could individually.
Marriage is a “church” thing. The second the “state” began issuing a
marriage license it became a legal construct.
It is a tax on a promise two people make to God. How does that even make sense? It has become about how we file our taxes,
and who can be listed on insurance, and who can visit whom in the hospital, and
who will care for the kids when we’re gone, NOT about a promise to advance the
kingdom of God. I believe this is why marriage is failing both inside the
church and out. Our attitude toward it
is a legal one, not an oath before a Holy God. When it becomes a matter of legalism, the immediate human reaction is to see how far we can push the boundaries before it brakes.
Here in lies the problem with “redefining” marriage. Marriage was NEVER meant to be two people
declaring each other “hot” then giving them the right to have sex in the eyes of society. It is not just a party celebrating the fact
that two people have feelings about each other. Nor is it even about a commitment to monogamy. (A commitment to monogamy should be the result of our oath to God, not the cause of it.)
It is not about defining what makes a legal household!
If two people want to join bank accounts, this is a legal
issue, NOT a marriage issue. Redefine
banking practices, not marriage. If two
people want to get group insurance, restructure insurance. If someone wants to visit someone else in ICU, rewrite hospital policy, not just for gay people but for everyone. Go down the list and change the stupid rules. For most of these issues there is a legal
solution already in place: wills, living directives, trusts, guardianship, etc. Many European couples can’t fathom why they
must get “married” when they arrive in America in order to take advantage of
these privileges. If two people want to
join financial forces and buy in bulk, what business is it of the state if the
relationship is a casual friendship or a long-term commitment?
We as an American church swallowed the “redefinition” of
marriage beginning in Massachusetts in 1639 with the first marriage license issued by the State (a state where the Puritans were in charge of the government. Don't even get me started on why their beliefs about God effected the tyranny they inflicted). Over the years, this legal document has been wielded as a control mechanism in many ways. In the past the argument was about “racial
purity” (whatever that means to Americans, the mutts of the world). There were Christians inflamed on both sides of
that debate too. The solution is that
state should get out of the marriage business all together; they have no place
in an oath between us and God. Marriage is not a secular issue at all!
If your definition of marriage ends with “between a man
and a woman,” then you have already redefined marriage. Marriage is an oath to God. Period.
If you are not ready for that, DON’T GET MARRIED.
If marriage were defined correctly in our society most folks fighting for the right to get married would be running from "marriage" faster than anyone else. They are not fighting for the right to become responsible to God for their commitments, they are fighting for legal privileges that are set up in an unconstitutional way. It is a legal matter, not a marital matter.
Why would any secular person want to enter into such a binding contract anyway? If you want an excuse to get dressed up, throw a big party. Divorce costs too much, why bother getting “married” if you are not in it for life for the good of society? Why become legally bound to each other, just for a recognition of your sexual relationship? Why do you want to force other people to declare whether they are for you or against you based on who you have sex with (hetero- or homosexual), when their love for you is not based on anything you have or have not done; rather it is based on the fact that God loved me enough while I was still His enemy that He died for me? How can I not love you too? (That doesn't mean that I will agree with you on everything or help you hurt yourself, just that you are valuable treasure regardless of what you do or don't do.)
If marriage were defined correctly in our society most folks fighting for the right to get married would be running from "marriage" faster than anyone else. They are not fighting for the right to become responsible to God for their commitments, they are fighting for legal privileges that are set up in an unconstitutional way. It is a legal matter, not a marital matter.
Why would any secular person want to enter into such a binding contract anyway? If you want an excuse to get dressed up, throw a big party. Divorce costs too much, why bother getting “married” if you are not in it for life for the good of society? Why become legally bound to each other, just for a recognition of your sexual relationship? Why do you want to force other people to declare whether they are for you or against you based on who you have sex with (hetero- or homosexual), when their love for you is not based on anything you have or have not done; rather it is based on the fact that God loved me enough while I was still His enemy that He died for me? How can I not love you too? (That doesn't mean that I will agree with you on everything or help you hurt yourself, just that you are valuable treasure regardless of what you do or don't do.)
Christians seem to jump up and down in a panic over which
two people have the right to receive a legal document from the government. We need to first get our noses back into our own
business. Define marriage rightly in house. Until we are willing to fix our own problem
with breaking an oath toward God, we need to worry less with what society is
doing.
Society’s real problem with marriage
starts inside the church and can only be fixed starting inside the church, inside individual people's relationship with God. The problem is our lack of understanding the concept of "take up your cross and follow me." Love at all costs. If two people are only in it for how-you-make-me-feel, they will fail. It must be TWO people committed to love the other regardless of the others imperfection from the very beginning, otherwise the whole thing breaks down pretty quickly. Even those who stay legally bound to each other lack the joy of relationship when both of them are not committed to the self-sacrifice of real love.
Unless we are willing to go to the extreme of making
divorce illegal (and I don’t see that happening any time soon), then we really
don’t mean what we say about standing by traditional marriage. If I say make divorce illegal, it sounds ludicrous! And it should! That is because marriage is NOT supposed to
be a legal construct. We cannot fix
marriage with legislation. I know that
this is true based on the divorce rate. If we could legislate true traditional marriage, no one would be getting divorced in the first place. They would be committed to loving God and loving others (especially each other) together as one stronger force. We as a church need to set our mind on “marriage is an oath to God in
the presence of these witnesses.” The
government needs to get out of the licensing business. Only when we stop looking at marriage as a
legal document, and start setting our hearts on healing broken people
can we then go about fixing marriage.
(This is the part where many Christians I've talked to start freaking
out because they have miss-heard what I am trying to say. They start foaming at the mouth over whether or
not I believe there should or shouldn’t be gay marriage and yell at me in angry
tones for contributing to the decline of society. If that’s what you are thinking after you
read this, you’ve missed it entirely.
The issue is about marriage, not gay, not straight, not black, not white,
not poor, not rich, not handicap, not man, woman [or other], nor about any
other sects’ right to a legal document.)
Sunday, May 25, 2014
A New Kind of Apology!
Let me start by saying I don't have everything figured out as a parent. I would love to learn how to get my kids not to fight in the first place. However, I did want to share something with you that has been working in my house to keep the whole day from being ruined by a fight.
It came about one day when my son came to me with fire in his eyes. Angry and looking for justice, he raved to me about how his sister had wronged him. Tears streamed from his eyes. His face turned red and blotchy.
I knew that feeling.
I hate that feeling.
I fail regularly because of that feeling.
Life wasn't going according to plan. He was angry because his sister hadn't met his expectations. Instead of loving him like she should, she loved herself. I have a hard time dealing with this as an adult. How could I help him work through his anger when I fail so often myself?
For once I thought to pray before opening my mouth to solve the issue in my own wisdom: "God what can I do to help him make it through this without developing an anger issue?"
Me: "J, why are you so mad?"
J: "Because she _____________."
Me: "And how did that make you feel?"
J: "Like GARBAGE!!!"
Me: "Sissy, why did you __________?"
Sissy: "Because I did."
Me: "You made your brother feel like garbage. Is he garbage?"
Sissy: "No."
Me: "What is he?"
Sissy: "Treasure."
Me: "Then you need to tell that to your brother."
Sissy: "I'm sorry J. You're not garbage; you're treasure."
The IMMEDIATE change in his demeanor, his face, his posture, his eyes was astonishing! He smiled, gave her a hug, and they went off to play trying to out nice each other! She was also given instruction on how to right the wrong she had done.
I was SHOCKED! I didn't have to make them pretend to like each other afterward.
The murder in his eyes was because his sister made him feel like garbage not so much that she had wronged him. Who knew? (Well, God obviously, or he wouldn't have prompted those particular questions to mind--I surely would not have thought of them on my own, I had no idea how to deal with anger issues.)
This is now how we apologize around our house. No more generic "Say your sorry and play nice." It is almost impossible to "play nice" when you feel like the other person deserves to feel just as bad as they made you feel.
I am continually amazed by the difference in how their attitudes and treatment of each other have improved. Not only is the short-term argument better, but they seem to be more aware of how their actions make the other person feel. This has had long-term positive outcome in our home.
One day after a particularly bad fight I made them apologize: "I'm sorry. You're not garbage; you're treasure," followed by righting the wrong. I didn't think it would help this time-- Feelings were hurt too deeply; the apology was forced; I even think there was an eye roll in there somewhere.
I went to check on them a few minutes later just to make sure they hadn't killed each other, and this is what I found:
Two kids snuggled up in the chair, watching cartoons, and holding hands. I cried. I'm not ashamed to say so. How did this miracle happen?
In my lifetime I have so often failed to realize the reason for the boiling emotions inside my gut are not due so much because of the injustice against me, but rather because the other person devalued me. The more aware I become of this, the easier it is to diffuse. I know better what wire to cut inside by ball of emotions. The more aware I am that my value was set by the price Christ paid for me on the cross, the less often my fuse is lit in the first place. It is more difficult for humans to make me feel devalued if my value isn't dependent on them in the first place.
It is like turning a barge. Our family is changing. "You are not garbage; you're treasure." We are starting to live that way BEFORE an apology is needed instead of afterward. We're not totally there. Yet, I feel like with continued prayer and focus it can be done.
I pray this helps you as much as it has helped us.
It came about one day when my son came to me with fire in his eyes. Angry and looking for justice, he raved to me about how his sister had wronged him. Tears streamed from his eyes. His face turned red and blotchy.
I knew that feeling.
I hate that feeling.
I fail regularly because of that feeling.
Life wasn't going according to plan. He was angry because his sister hadn't met his expectations. Instead of loving him like she should, she loved herself. I have a hard time dealing with this as an adult. How could I help him work through his anger when I fail so often myself?
For once I thought to pray before opening my mouth to solve the issue in my own wisdom: "God what can I do to help him make it through this without developing an anger issue?"
Me: "J, why are you so mad?"
J: "Because she _____________."
Me: "And how did that make you feel?"
J: "Like GARBAGE!!!"
Me: "Sissy, why did you __________?"
Sissy: "Because I did."
Me: "You made your brother feel like garbage. Is he garbage?"
Sissy: "No."
Me: "What is he?"
Sissy: "Treasure."
Me: "Then you need to tell that to your brother."
Sissy: "I'm sorry J. You're not garbage; you're treasure."
The IMMEDIATE change in his demeanor, his face, his posture, his eyes was astonishing! He smiled, gave her a hug, and they went off to play trying to out nice each other! She was also given instruction on how to right the wrong she had done.
I was SHOCKED! I didn't have to make them pretend to like each other afterward.
The murder in his eyes was because his sister made him feel like garbage not so much that she had wronged him. Who knew? (Well, God obviously, or he wouldn't have prompted those particular questions to mind--I surely would not have thought of them on my own, I had no idea how to deal with anger issues.)
This is now how we apologize around our house. No more generic "Say your sorry and play nice." It is almost impossible to "play nice" when you feel like the other person deserves to feel just as bad as they made you feel.
I am continually amazed by the difference in how their attitudes and treatment of each other have improved. Not only is the short-term argument better, but they seem to be more aware of how their actions make the other person feel. This has had long-term positive outcome in our home.
One day after a particularly bad fight I made them apologize: "I'm sorry. You're not garbage; you're treasure," followed by righting the wrong. I didn't think it would help this time-- Feelings were hurt too deeply; the apology was forced; I even think there was an eye roll in there somewhere.
I went to check on them a few minutes later just to make sure they hadn't killed each other, and this is what I found:
In my lifetime I have so often failed to realize the reason for the boiling emotions inside my gut are not due so much because of the injustice against me, but rather because the other person devalued me. The more aware I become of this, the easier it is to diffuse. I know better what wire to cut inside by ball of emotions. The more aware I am that my value was set by the price Christ paid for me on the cross, the less often my fuse is lit in the first place. It is more difficult for humans to make me feel devalued if my value isn't dependent on them in the first place.
It is like turning a barge. Our family is changing. "You are not garbage; you're treasure." We are starting to live that way BEFORE an apology is needed instead of afterward. We're not totally there. Yet, I feel like with continued prayer and focus it can be done.
I pray this helps you as much as it has helped us.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
"Guilt" is a lie meant to get you to quit before finding your true destiny.
Wrote this to a friend then thought more than just that person may want to read it:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...I wish I had someone to tell me the truth when I was your age. Maybe I wouldn't have wasted so much time or guilt on a lie.
So here goes:
If you are addicted to a behavior that you hate, it is impossible to change unless you analyze why you like it. What does your inner self use it for? Whether sexual, substance, food or any other addiction, it isn't just the chemical addiction that controls you. There are ways to help overcome the chemical aspect, but still we tend to return to the issue. Rather, even after the chemical link is broken, it is the feelings that behavior gives you which control your behavior. Doing them makes you feel, powerful, happy, secure, valuable or whatever...for a moment. The problem with satisfying these feelings outside of God is that the feeling is fleeting. You only feel happy or powerful WHILE you are doing them. Therefore, you begin needing to do them all the time. You get suck into doing the thing that you hate because it gives you a momentary satisfaction of a legitimate need.
You were created to live "Life Abundantly." Your natural state is happy, powerful and secure. These things are true; they are your destiny. They are not an illusion. However, they must be acquired in a manner that satisfies permanently in order to bring us into the balanced state in which we no longer need to strive for them. When we are whole, those feelings pour out of us. "They are" because "we are." They are no longer produced by a state of doing, but a state of being. The key to this state of being is your relation to "I AM." It is when you find this natural state of being in relationship with THE "Being" that you will feel whole.
You were created in the image of God to rule the world by Love. [Gen 1: 26, Rev 22: 4&5, Matt 20: 24-28] You can only truly rule the world when you are a reflection of love. You can only reflect Him exactly of you know the True Him. Not just what you've heard about Him, but what you have seen for yourself. Reflecting the Source is a matter of relationship. Relationship is not a matter of who serves whom; it is a matter of knowing and being known. You must get to know the Character of the One in whom you are supposed to trust. It cannot be just from listening to what other people say about Him. YOU must get to know Him for yourself. Your guilt feelings can be a catalyst to drive you to seek Him for who He is, or they can make you want to hide from Him. Your Adversary is the one screaming for you to hide. The Holy Spirit on the other hand is trying to help you admit the problem so you can work through the process of forgiveness.
It is true that all have fallen short of being an exact reflection of who He is. However, your value isn't based on what you do. It is based on the fact that you are. You are a human; therefore, you are priceless treasure. Your value was declared when God traded the life of His Own Son to buy you back from the consequences of the "Law." It is based on the fact that He paid for your ticket, not whether you have cashed it in. Each human's worth has been set at the exact same as EVERY other human without regard to color, creed, or capabilities. The whole world changes when we realize that EVERY human is worth the same as you, has been loved the same as you. He died for them just as much as He did for you. They act the way they do because they are trying to satisfy the same needs as you--needs like love, joy and peace. "They" are not worth more than you, nor are "they" worth less than you. It is easy to have mercy and compassion on them when we realize that we are all equal. You are not the sum of your actions and neither are they. We are all valuable because we "are."
The tool that helped me get to know the Character of God the best was "The Daily Bible" by F. LaGard Smith. It is arranged in chronological order so you could see the progression of God's actions and reactions toward people. If you want one I will buy it for you and send it to your house. It's only about $15 on CBD.com. My favorite version for this type of endeavor is the NIV because I can read it fast with comprehension. I can get the big picture in a short period of time. I still use the other versions for study. (The NIV version of "The Daily Bible" also has the best background info for each section. It gives historical context, etc. I liked it better than the NLT "Daily Bible" that I tried.)
The character trait that changed all of my understanding of God is Love. His macro image is Love and, His micro image is love. Like a fractle pattern, He is the same near as he is far. He loves unconditionally and completely. He loves His enemies as well as his friends. He loves without regard to status, merit, or need. He loves regardless of whether we reciprocate. Our value to Him is fixed. It's not dependent on our actions; it is based on our being. We are. Therefore, as His creation, we are loved. In a human way of thinking this is irrational. In a heavenly way of thinking this is reality.
What we see as "Justice" is based on the fact that He loves both victims and offenders. When victims do not have anyone to defend them, God will come to their defense. Some call this "wrath" aimed at offenders. Yet, defending the defenseless is what humans were supposed to do. That is His first choice and He will give us a chance to do it before He steps in [Is. 59:15-17]. What we see as "inaction" is love for offenders. He does not desire to crush anyone [Ez. 18:21]. He will give everyone the chance to quit being selfish and learn be Love [2 Pet. 3:9]. However, in the end, it is our choice to love ourselves or love others that determines our consequences. The Law of God has set a predetermined consequence. It is in our power to "chose this day...life or death." He has provided the means, the motive and the opportunity to choose life. Trust Him. Let go of Self. And Live.
So, if you feel that the only way to change the behavior you hate is to chain yourself up, remember that Jesus came to set the captive free. He came to empower you to live free by choice. He came to set you free from the power of sin and the imprisonment from the "Law." [See Galatians.] You are intended to be an Heir of the Kingdom of God, living powerfully and on purpose as a result of who you are in your heart. Nothing less will satisfy you long term. Love, True Love, is all that there is. He is all that you need. You living in the image of Love is you living for real. In order to get from where you are now to where you want to be, you must get to know Him personally. His Love will change you from the inside out. If you trust His character then you are predestined to transform into the image of Him. NOT the other way around. It is as easy to live the "Christian" life as it is to save yourself. Stop trying; "Be." You can only be as a result of relationship with "I AM."
This is an example of a fractle:
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...I wish I had someone to tell me the truth when I was your age. Maybe I wouldn't have wasted so much time or guilt on a lie.
So here goes:
If you are addicted to a behavior that you hate, it is impossible to change unless you analyze why you like it. What does your inner self use it for? Whether sexual, substance, food or any other addiction, it isn't just the chemical addiction that controls you. There are ways to help overcome the chemical aspect, but still we tend to return to the issue. Rather, even after the chemical link is broken, it is the feelings that behavior gives you which control your behavior. Doing them makes you feel, powerful, happy, secure, valuable or whatever...for a moment. The problem with satisfying these feelings outside of God is that the feeling is fleeting. You only feel happy or powerful WHILE you are doing them. Therefore, you begin needing to do them all the time. You get suck into doing the thing that you hate because it gives you a momentary satisfaction of a legitimate need.
You were created to live "Life Abundantly." Your natural state is happy, powerful and secure. These things are true; they are your destiny. They are not an illusion. However, they must be acquired in a manner that satisfies permanently in order to bring us into the balanced state in which we no longer need to strive for them. When we are whole, those feelings pour out of us. "They are" because "we are." They are no longer produced by a state of doing, but a state of being. The key to this state of being is your relation to "I AM." It is when you find this natural state of being in relationship with THE "Being" that you will feel whole.
You were created in the image of God to rule the world by Love. [Gen 1: 26, Rev 22: 4&5, Matt 20: 24-28] You can only truly rule the world when you are a reflection of love. You can only reflect Him exactly of you know the True Him. Not just what you've heard about Him, but what you have seen for yourself. Reflecting the Source is a matter of relationship. Relationship is not a matter of who serves whom; it is a matter of knowing and being known. You must get to know the Character of the One in whom you are supposed to trust. It cannot be just from listening to what other people say about Him. YOU must get to know Him for yourself. Your guilt feelings can be a catalyst to drive you to seek Him for who He is, or they can make you want to hide from Him. Your Adversary is the one screaming for you to hide. The Holy Spirit on the other hand is trying to help you admit the problem so you can work through the process of forgiveness.
It is true that all have fallen short of being an exact reflection of who He is. However, your value isn't based on what you do. It is based on the fact that you are. You are a human; therefore, you are priceless treasure. Your value was declared when God traded the life of His Own Son to buy you back from the consequences of the "Law." It is based on the fact that He paid for your ticket, not whether you have cashed it in. Each human's worth has been set at the exact same as EVERY other human without regard to color, creed, or capabilities. The whole world changes when we realize that EVERY human is worth the same as you, has been loved the same as you. He died for them just as much as He did for you. They act the way they do because they are trying to satisfy the same needs as you--needs like love, joy and peace. "They" are not worth more than you, nor are "they" worth less than you. It is easy to have mercy and compassion on them when we realize that we are all equal. You are not the sum of your actions and neither are they. We are all valuable because we "are."
The tool that helped me get to know the Character of God the best was "The Daily Bible" by F. LaGard Smith. It is arranged in chronological order so you could see the progression of God's actions and reactions toward people. If you want one I will buy it for you and send it to your house. It's only about $15 on CBD.com. My favorite version for this type of endeavor is the NIV because I can read it fast with comprehension. I can get the big picture in a short period of time. I still use the other versions for study. (The NIV version of "The Daily Bible" also has the best background info for each section. It gives historical context, etc. I liked it better than the NLT "Daily Bible" that I tried.)
The character trait that changed all of my understanding of God is Love. His macro image is Love and, His micro image is love. Like a fractle pattern, He is the same near as he is far. He loves unconditionally and completely. He loves His enemies as well as his friends. He loves without regard to status, merit, or need. He loves regardless of whether we reciprocate. Our value to Him is fixed. It's not dependent on our actions; it is based on our being. We are. Therefore, as His creation, we are loved. In a human way of thinking this is irrational. In a heavenly way of thinking this is reality.
What we see as "Justice" is based on the fact that He loves both victims and offenders. When victims do not have anyone to defend them, God will come to their defense. Some call this "wrath" aimed at offenders. Yet, defending the defenseless is what humans were supposed to do. That is His first choice and He will give us a chance to do it before He steps in [Is. 59:15-17]. What we see as "inaction" is love for offenders. He does not desire to crush anyone [Ez. 18:21]. He will give everyone the chance to quit being selfish and learn be Love [2 Pet. 3:9]. However, in the end, it is our choice to love ourselves or love others that determines our consequences. The Law of God has set a predetermined consequence. It is in our power to "chose this day...life or death." He has provided the means, the motive and the opportunity to choose life. Trust Him. Let go of Self. And Live.
So, if you feel that the only way to change the behavior you hate is to chain yourself up, remember that Jesus came to set the captive free. He came to empower you to live free by choice. He came to set you free from the power of sin and the imprisonment from the "Law." [See Galatians.] You are intended to be an Heir of the Kingdom of God, living powerfully and on purpose as a result of who you are in your heart. Nothing less will satisfy you long term. Love, True Love, is all that there is. He is all that you need. You living in the image of Love is you living for real. In order to get from where you are now to where you want to be, you must get to know Him personally. His Love will change you from the inside out. If you trust His character then you are predestined to transform into the image of Him. NOT the other way around. It is as easy to live the "Christian" life as it is to save yourself. Stop trying; "Be." You can only be as a result of relationship with "I AM."
This is an example of a fractle:
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