God's Own Fool

Let's just say for simplicity's sake I am thankful for the example of our Father God and His Son's unconditional love. I am also thankful for Jesus rescuing the Apostle Paul  and using him to speak to the church in Corinth.  He laid out the attributes of love in chapter 13, and also showed what the fruit of the Holy Spirit is when he spoke to the Galatians, of which we read in Galatians 5.  Summed up, when I compare it to the life of Christ, I see that Jesus embodies all of the attributes and demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit.

 ^"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ..
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."  

I ask myself, "what part of the words 'is, does not, is not' do I not understand?"  Paul clearly states what love is. There is no beating around the bush or leaving room for excuse for me to not act accordingly. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. This is Agape love.There is no room between the words "all." 

It sounds like it’s a blind love. Love is not blind. Love sees more. Because love sees more, it chooses to see less. People may say “You’re in the clouds somewhere!”. If you have this kind of love Agape love, you will be misunderstood and called blind. No. Not so. Love isn’t blind.

Because it sees more it chooses to see less. Agape love sees the price that has been paid on the Cross.  Therefore I don’t have to dwell, or delve, unless it’s for the purpose of restoring, exalting, blessing and helping. If I’m willing to to do as Jesus did, washing redemptively and restoratively refreshing, I have no right to point out dirt. No gossip or being upset. Jesus loved the disciples. He was able to deal with the dirt because he was willing to personally refresh them individually and restore. But, if my attitude is to cut off, then I’m not living in Agape.

How in the world can love do all this? Through Jesus because He embodies love. The only way to produce fruit is to abide and stay attached to the trunk and source. (John 15) “Christ in you is the hope of glory.” Jesus came in the past and He’s coming in the future.I am in the present, so love. He is the hope.  Faith in Jesus, hope for the future , and love in the present. 

"Seems I've imagined Him all of my life as the wisest of all of mankind. But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to man, He must have seemed out of His mind .For even His family said He was mad, and the priest said a demon's to blame. But, God in the form of this angry young man, could not have seemed perfectly sane. When we in our foolishness thought we were wise, He played the fool and He opened our eyes.When we in our weakness believed we were strong, He became helpless to show we were wrong. So we follow God's own Fool, for only the foolish can tell. Believe the unbelievable, come be a fool as well. So come lose your life for a carpenter's son, for a madman who died for a dream, and You'll have the faith His first followers had, and you'll feel the weight of the beam. So surrender the hunger to say you must know, have the courage to say 'I believe'.For the power of paradox opens your eyes, and blinds those who say they can see. So we follow God's own Fool, for only the foolish can tell. Believe the unbelievable, come be a fool as well"
- Michael Card  "God's Own Fool"

Shout to the Lord

 17 years ago, at age 9, I first heard these words:

"My Jesus, my Savior

Lord, there is none like You
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love

My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You!

Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing!
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name

I sing for joy at the work of Your hands!
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You!"

What captured me in this song was the portrayal of the power of Jesus though His name in the earth and His glory displayed in creation.  The fact that I could actually be in the presence of such might because God allowed me was (and still is) awe-inspiring.

I didn't realize at the time why it impacted me so much. I understand now that it was because it explained the security, refuge, and love I desired to have for all of my life, and I could find it fulfilled in Almighty God because He loves me unconditionally. That is His promise He'll always keep.  This truly inspires me to never cease worshiping Him!

The Son of God

It's the Christmas season!

It's my favorite time of year, with the sparkle and anticipation of celebrating Christ's arrival on earth, together with friends and family.

I love all of the hymns! They make me think fully on Christ, His unconditional love and freedom to mankind He has given.  Only one King came down, broke the slaves chains, and taught us to love one another. That is Christ Jesus my Lord!

Then, there are the songs that contemplate the position of Mary and Joseph. What did they think when they heard the news? They understood there would be rejection, criticism, misunderstanding and dirty looks through their entire lives.

"I am waiting in a silent prayer. I am frightened by the load I bear. In a world as cold as stone, must I walk this path alone? Be with me now, be with me now. Breath of Heaven, hold me together...Do you wonder, as you watch my face, if a wiser one should have had my place? But I offer all I am for the mercy of Your plan. Help me be strong, help me be, help me.  Breath of Heaven, hold me together. Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven. Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness, pour over me Your holiness, for You are holy." 

She had been so overjoyed to hear her cousin Elizabeth's greeting. " When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:41-45)

And Mary said:

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors." (Luke 46-56)

I can't imagine being in Joseph's shoes either.  

"His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:18-21)

To wake up from that dream after making his decision, which he carefully assessed beforehand, would be (to put it in less than adequate words) mind blowing, but "He did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife" (Vs 24).   He submitted himself and found peace from this confirmation.

So he takes his new pregnant wife to Bethlehem to register, as commanded by Caesar. There, she gives birth to the King of the world!

"How could it be this baby in my arms, sleeping now, so peacefully, the Son of God, the angel said. How could it be? Lord, I know He's not my own. Not of my flesh, not of my bone. Still Father let this baby be the son of my love. Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours. How can a man be father to the Son of God? Lord for all my life I've been a simple carpenter. How can I raise a king, how can I raise a king? He looks so small, His face and hands so fair, and when He cries the sun just seems to disappear, but when He laughs it shines again. How could it be?Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours."  (Joseph's Song, Michael Card) 

Shepherds arrive, telling everyone about what the angels told them regarding all these things. It must have been so encouraging (albeit a little strange) to both Mary and Joseph.   

 "They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart^. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."   (Luke 2:16-20)

After eight days, they take Jesus to the temple and they meet a man named Simeon.

"Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him"  (Luke 2:28-33)

Then kings from afar come to their home to worship, give gifts, and glorify God. 

"The star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh." (Matthew 2:9-11)

What a testimony of God's faithfulness and encouragement to Mary and Joseph! Instead of the solemn weight of having Jesus as their son, it was a blessing, and all because God was glorified through the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ.  I'm sure they wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

I love The Nativity film, because it portrays so much of what I have described here. It also shows the humbleness of Mary and the submission of Joseph to the Spirit of the Almighty God.  Seeing Mary and Joseph learn to love through this event is beautiful to behold. The underlying hymns tie everything together!

These things make me ask myself: "What if I had been Mary, chosen by God? Would I have been so tender to the will of God?"  In all reality, I probably wouldn't have been. I would have sorrowed for my estate of rejection and misunderstanding. If I had been Joseph, I would have stood on principle and turned away, not believing the impossible.  Yet both Mary and Joseph both rested in the peace that passes understanding because they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was God's will. They accepted it fully. 

O that I could be like them! I praise God for each day new day He gives to me to learn such tenderness to His Spirit. There is hope of achieving this through Christ and I am so grateful for that!  "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" -Matthew 6:33

Am I practicing?

On the way to work today I had the chance to listen to a message by Pastor Alistair Begg of Truth For Life Ministries. He's been going through the book of Proverbs recently and it has been incredible! I haven't read Proverbs in a while so I had forgotten how many helpful statements of truth and advice there are inside. Almost like eating a delicious morsel of food that you'd not tasted in forever and you ask yourself why you'd stopped eating it in the first place.

Now, the book of Proverbs, as you know, is a book of counseling and teaching, as a father to his son for the protection of the child he loves dearly. There are many subjects covered, but over all they are each concluded with fairly black and white contrasts between someone who fears the Lord and one who doesn't.  With that in mind, I'll continue with my thought.

 Towards the end of the sermon, Pastor Begg, in essence, addressed the question of how God's people can actively avoid the follies of sin that are described by King Solomon. There is a genuine desire, as a follower of God, to stay away from those things that entangle us so easily. We, I, wonder how not to be enticed by sin. God will ask for an account of our actions in the end, and we would like to be found faithful. But how? The advice he gave amazed me. It was so simple, yet profound.

Remember: God is always watching over us even if we forget. Practice the presence of God. Live that reality each day.

As soon as he said those words I was stunned. I mean, I've heard the concept before and tried my attempt at it, yet not in a very committed way because I'd thought of the "presence of the Lord" like a separate sanctuary that I had to be purposeful in visiting. But I hadn't heard of practicing the presence of God context of the fear of the Lord in such a way as Pastor Begg stated.

I've still not gotten over the fact that literally living daily in God's presence will do so many things to radically change my life. Currently, in context of the book Proverbs, that statement brings the proper fear of the Lord into my heart that I've never before understood. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Prov. 9:10)

It's a sober thought to live each day knowing that God is watching. Yet at the same time, I am so filled with peace knowing it because this knowledge made into daily action through the Spirit's power is what can protect me from enticing flesh and it's desires!  That is why it is such a crucial thing to never forget that God sees. Also, I have even more peace with it because I know that I will be found faithful! I don't have to worry or fret about the fact that God will ask for an account of my life because I will have done all things according to His desires, because I have His Spirit living within me!

I am also filled with joy at this thought! Why? Because I have been set free through Christ and He's given His Spirit to help me understand the fullness of who God is! Proverbs 9:10 has even greater meaning. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

So, I ask myself again, am I practicing the presence of God? =) 

Beautiful days

I thought I'd send some sunshine your way!

Celebration!

My friend over at ninjacat12890.wordpress.com  is getting married in June!

The bridesmaids got together and figured out what we could to to surprise the guest of honor, since she was to be in the dark about the details. Since she's very much an artist, we pooled our resources and the bridal shower turned out beautiful!  Thankfully, we had an insider who could sneak in the artwork the bride had created, so we spread that around the cafe along with the engagement photos.
We all had a wonderful time!

Happenings

This weekend has been a good time of fellowship and fun! It was kicked off by Friday Night prayer at GFA, which was a blessing and filled me with anticipation for how God is going to answer our prayers. It's not very often we get the chance to pray for all of the world's vast people groups from A to Z, but we got to do that! I am so glad the God gives us the chance to intercede for those who've yet to even hear of Him.

Yesterday I helped put together wedding invitations for a friend with my roommates and friends. Sometimes handwriting the addresses on envelopes is just what's needed for yours truly. It's fun to recognize the people on the invite list and recall the times spent in conversation and fellowship. Once we finished stuffing, stamping, and addressing, we hung out for a bit before going our separate ways for the evening.

Have you seen Captain America yet?! I went with my brother and we loved it! I won't give any spoilers, because there's nothing worse than to have someone go on about something you want to be untainted by viewpoints and snippets of the movie. If you have seen it, I'd like to hear what you think of it. So far, Captain America is quickly becoming a favorite with me!

I think I'll go make a cup o' joe and enjoy being indoors while it rains outside. Cheers friends!