A Warning About Love...Because THAT's What It's All About

On April 2nd, I was reading through my latest memory verse, 1 Corinthians 12:31, trying to get it to "stick" so to speak, before going to sleep for the night. (I find that is the best time to get something to permanently stick in my head, it's like the sleep helps the "glue" to dry.)  The Lord has been gently leading me to memorize 1 Corinthians 13 for some time, and it was now time.  To help me remember that, I had written down through about verse 6 in my spiral.

While reading and re-reading the verse, my thoughts meandered to another Siesta's verse for April 1st.  It's from Philippians 1 and also speaks of love.  She had shared her verse in an email earlier in the day and the common thread of love popped out at me then too.  What is it about love?  This question came to mind, and I'm pretty sure it was directed to the Lord.

Flipping to the next card, I began to read 1 Corinthians 13:1.  A song popped into my mind.  The chorus says, "Let my life be the proof..the proof of Your love."  Toward the end of the song this passage is read...starting with 1 Corinthians 13:1.  As I "heard" it being read, the question again came to mind...Is there a message the Lord is trying to tell His people about love?  (Okay, it didn't "sound" that way...read "clear"...in my head, but that was the idea. Why the question?  Because I've noticed a theme sometimes in songs, messages, prayers, challenges, etc. and now wondered about this "love" theme.) 

Then it hit me...what Jesus told His disciples about the signs of the end of the age...their love will grow cold.  At that thought, I put my index cards (spiral) down and picked my notebook up.  I found the verse in Matthew 24:

"And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity, But he who endures to the end will be saved."  

Matthew 24:12-13, Amplified

After finding the reference, I read through verses 3 to 14.  In the NIV84 this passage is labeled, "Signs of the End of the Age."  I looked through the other gospels for this passage where Jesus speaks of the end of the age, and read through Mark 13 and Luke 21.  They both have at least a little something about the suffering that will occur - especially regarding the destruction of the temple - but no others speak of their love growing cold - and it seemed to me that He is speaking of the Church.  However, there was a definite similarity in the need to "keep watch" to "stay alert" and to "not be led astray."  More to ponder...Jesus also spoke of false prophets and teachers as well and not to be fooled by them.

In thinking of guarding myself...and teaching my princess and warrior to do the same...I can only think of one sure way to guard myself...at least as sure as I can think of...to know God's Word so well that any twisting of it would be recognized...AND (of course) to pray for the Lord to give wisdom, guidance, and discernment in ALL circumstances...for as 1 Peter 5:8-10 says...that enemy of ours prowls around like a hungry lion as he seeks to seize upon and devour someone - we must withstand the enemy by abiding in Jesus (John 15).

While writing this now, the phrase "guarding your heart" kept going through my mind, but I couldn't place it.  Finally, Psalm 119:11 came to mind in a little song we used in a children's church we led.  This passage from Psalm 119 is definitely one of my favorites as it so clearly points to the road we must follow to keep a pure heart!

"How can a young man keep his way pure? 

By living according to your word.  

I seek you with all my heart; 

do not let me stray from your commands.  

I have hidden your word in my heart 

that I might not sin against you.  

Praise be to you, O LORD; 

teach me your decrees. 

With my lips I recount

all the laws that come from your mouth. 

I rejoice in following your statutes 

as one rejoices in great riches.  

I meditate on your precepts 

and consider your ways. 

I delight in your decrees; 

I will not neglect your word." 

Psalm 119: 9-16, NIV84

(copied and pasted from biblestudytools.com)

Here is my prayer from that night...I hope you'll join in praying this over my family and yours.  Because I want to let my life be the proof of His Love, don't you?

Lord, Teach me to love more like You.  May it hurt when I don't so that I'll quickly turn back to You and Your ways.  May our family love each other as You do.  May we be a family after Your own Heart.  May our love not grow cold.  Amen.

Stories...Not Even the Whole World Would Have Room

I began keeping a journal sometime in 2006.  At first I tried to have one for prayers, another for interesting things that happened in our family and another for taking notes during sermons and other speakers I listened to.  However, I soon found everything overlapping and blending together.  I now just keep one notebook, and everything goes into it.  (There is likely another post wrapped up here, but that will be for another day.)

Around Christmas time, I determined to go back and read through these journals.  Perhaps I thought about it because of all the changes which took place in 2012.  Perhaps not.  Regardless, I thought I would zip right through them before the start of 2013.  Wrong.  I'm still working my way through them...

As I've done so, I've been amazed more than a few times.  One of the most prominent things that amazes me is how LONG I've been asking the Lord to help me with certain aspects of my life and especially my habits.  I've written before on willingly and cheerfully placing myself under the authority of my husband (1 Peter 3:5-6).  In reading my journals I realized how LONG I've been asking the Lord for help in this area!  I must be one of the world's slowest learners, I guess.

I've also run across things the Lord showed me then that are still relevant now.  And that's just what brings us to the subject of this post...

Over the weekend I read something that seemed worthy of being shared...I hope you'll agree at the end.  This was written on June 16, 2010 (which just happens to be one of my sister's birthday!)...

"As I started to pray from my index cards this morning, some additional thoughts came to mind.  I was praying my 'wake up' prayer which speaks to the unpredictability of life with children.  I was saying thank You to the LORD for His creation - He created it for my enjoyment.  I then added that He created me for His enjoyment - which was old, but new. 

I went on to say that I wanted to be enjoyable to Him today - and also to my family.  I want to be an enjoyable mom, wife, friend, daughter and sister.  But I need help.  I can not do it without Your help, Jesus.  May Your Holy Spirit live and work in me and through me - today and every day.  I want to submit to Your will - to deny myself and pick up the purpose You have for my life.

As I was praying to continue to be amazed by Your love - I thought of the following verse from John 21:25 (NIV84):

'Jesus did many other things as well.  If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.'

As believers, transformed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ, we all should do have a story to tell about Him.  Imagine if we all wrote a book or books of what "things" He has done in our own lives.  Would the world have room?

Lord, help me to remember that Your 'story' doesn't end.  Indeed, it will continue until Jesus comes again, and then will be moved to heaven for those who believe.  May I live with Your story in my heart and mind.  May my lips be ready to share it when prompted by Your Holy Spirit.  May You continue to guide my feet along Your path, providing light and wisdom as needed (which will be a lot!).  I love You, LORD.

Today:  May I meditate on Your complete Goodness today.  Thinking of all You have done for me, Jesus.  And to think, the cross was the start, but You rose and sent us a Helper.  We are undeserving of Your love and blessings, and You still give us grace."

When my children were younger, I kept some index cards on a ring on my nightstand.  They had Scripture prayers from Beth Moore's book "Praying God's Word" along with other prayers and Scripture which spoke to my heart.  In the morning, I could easily grab those and read through them (at least a few of them) before a child (usually my warrior) woke up.  It involved no searching through a book, because I had His Word that most spoke to that season right there in my index cards.

If you are a believer, what's YOUR story?  Perhaps it would be better to say, "What are your stories?"  I'd like to encourage you to share ONE of them with someone today, as the Lord leads, of course, and tomorrow too!  If you're feeling brave moved, I would love for you to consider sharing one of them on this blog.  Perhaps it has to do with homeschooling, mothering, or some way you've grown in the Lord.  If so, please comment on this post, or send me a message.

There may not be room in the world for all of the books that would be written...but I'm thinking that computers bring a whole new aspect to the last verse of John.  What do you think?  Could we believers fill the whole cyberspace world with the many things Jesus has done?

More To the Point...I Hope

I ought to have put the following at the beginning of the last post:

"Caution: Rambling Road Ahead"

After hitting publish on the last post, I kept thinking about how much I rambled. This post will hopefully get to the point and stay there.

As we went through the difficulty of considering leaving one church family in search of another, many things went through my mind. I wanted to find another church home where we could "settle down." I thought of leaving our old home for a "new" one. I wondered how long we would be in this home...I hoped our children would finish their "growing up years" here.

But then I would hear the chorus to the song, “Where I Belong.” This is NOT where I belong. My real home is in heaven. In my heart, I yearn to be able to put down roots, to know that THIS is where our children will grow up. To know that THIS is the church our princess will be married in. To know that THIS is where we will house our grandchildren. The problem is, THIS is NOT my home.

Paul says this in his letter to the Philippians:

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Philippians 3:20-21, NIV84

If I am to “eagerly await” the time when Jesus comes again, I can not get too comfortable here in this world. The Lord has been removing many of my “comforts” to help me learn this Truth in a more “hands on” way over the past year. And while I've learned that air conditioning is a comfort I don't absolutely need. I've also learned that I ought not to get so comfortable with a church that I'm not willing to move when the Lord says, “Move!”

Does that mean I throw away the relationships from that church family? NO! Does it mean I am bitter toward that church family? NO! Does it mean I need to broaden my world? YES!

I thought of this before drifting off to sleep last night. Think of a box. A large box. Put a pinhole in the box. Look through the pinhole to see what's inside the box. How much can you see? What if you put a pencil size hole in the box? You could see more then, but you'd still be “blind” to parts of the box.

Now consider the maker of the box. He is inside of it and all around it. He sees every nook and cranny. That's our Lord. I need to trust His viewpoint, not mine. So while I look around the box through my pinhole wondering how this or that will work 10 or 15 years down the road, the Lord is saying, “Don't worry. I know things you don't. I've got a plan, and it's better than you could ever imagine.”

And every time I step out in faith and follow Him out of my comfort zone, my pinhole is enlarged ever so slightly. Why? Because I'm opening the eyes of my heart to see more from His perspective than mine.

For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].

1 Corinthians 13:12, Amplified