It's “Valentine’s Day season”, right? One of my favorite times of year. I love the Fourth of July because I am a pyromaniac, I love birthdays because I can focus on appreciating and celebrating each specific person in my life, I enjoy the season of Christmas, but I also love valentines day. Just another opportunity to use as an expression to those who mean so much to me. So if you expected a sappy post, I hope you will not be disappointed. I had two books in front of me last night that I was reading; one was my expression of love to a man, and the other was an expression of love to me. Since my early teen years I have periodically written letters in a book for my “future husband”. Each were written with one specific person and purpose in mind. I had read the testimony a young woman had posted to her blog about her journey to marriage. It was a beautifully written story. Throughout her relationships, though she made some mistakes, she was determined to keep herself for her future husband. In so doing, she started writing letters to him. Once a year, on her birthday, she would write a letter to her future husband and then place it into a box. Year after year, letter after letter, she would write. It kept her mind focused on the best instead of the good or the now. Personally, it has been beneficial in bringing the fantasy back to reality. When you’re forced to write a letter, it causes you to think more realistically and concrete. I was enjoying skimming the poorly written, emotionally-driven chicken scratch pages and reading between the lines into where I was in each point of life. I could read the progression of the relationship I have now, even if it was not specifically mentioned. However, this is not the book I really got in to. About a week from now, 18 years ago, our relationship began. I was young, yes, but very much in love. It has only gotten better from there. His love for me has never changed, but my love certainly has. I’m in love with the One who loved me first. I'm slowly finding the real definition of love; God's definition. “The world takes us to a silver screen on which flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch, the world says, "This is love." God takes us to the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs and says, "This is love."” (Cary Schmidt)
February 1999, I accepted Christ as my own personal Saviour. I was 3 (I would turn 4 that year). My testimony is not a story that one would necessarily be excited to read. It is relatively simple, but it never gets old. After returning from church, I was lying in bed trying to go to sleep but my mind would not slow down enough to allow me to sleep. I kept thinking: what if this was my last night to live. What if I go to sleep and stop breathing in the middle of the night? I wouldn’t know. I would just never wake up. I knew of the realities of Heaven and Hell and they began to sink in well at that moment. What if I die, and then I will be in Hell. The words of the pastor earlier that evening echoed in my mind; something about, “God knows how many breaths you have left to your life.” So, as silly as it may seem, I began trying to slow my breaths and take as few breaths as possible. Thinking that if I held my breath (conserved that number) that I would live longer and be able to make it through the night. I was not a morbid child at three, I promise. I shared a room with my two sisters. My older sister began to notice that I was restless and asked me what was wrong. I explained and she instructed me to go into the living room where my parents were and talk to them. I was highly uneasy about that suggestion as I grew up in a home where when you were sent to bed you stay in bed or you will regret that decision. With a bit of coaxing, reluctantly, I began my way down the long hallway following the light from the table lamp in the living room. I peered around the corner to see my parents siting on opposite couches cleaning off a cluttered side table between them. The only visible light on in the house was that table lamp on the table they were cleaning off. I hid behind the corner as I tried to muster up the courage to say something. I was startled as they called my name. To my surprise, I did not get into trouble as I explained why I was up. Instead, I sat on the couch beside them as they took me through the plan of salvation and I accepted Christ that night. Instantly, I received an assurance and confidence in Him. With a new peace that passes all understanding, I went to bed and was able to quickly fall asleep that night. I do not remember struggling with sleep any more that night. My life since has not been perfect, but it has been filled to overflowing with a daily renewed grace from the Lord to help me through everything this life can throw at me. My life is a gift from Him and I do my best to live it to His honor and glory. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. The best love story is just that. I was a sinner. I was three, I did not have long to mess up my life, but I was a sinner. Romans 3:23 puts it this way, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Sin is anything we think, do, or say that breaks God’s law. Even from a small child, every one of us have disobeyed our parents, smacked our siblings for no apparent reason, or been selfish and prideful. None of us are perfect. We ALL have sinned. The problem is sin has a high price. Romans 6:23a says,”the wages of sin is death...” In other words, the price for sin is eternal death apart from God in a place called Hell. Because of our sin, none of us can make it to Heaven alone. Nothing we do will ever be good enough to make it to Heaven. The Bible say’s all our righteousness's are as filthy rags. Trying to do enough good things to get to Heaven is like trying to wipe off the grime of sin off ourselves with rags that have been drug through the mud; it just doesn’t work. The best we could ever do in our life wouldn’t be enough to get into Heaven. Here’s the good news- God sent help! The rest of Romans 6:23 says, “...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” And again in Romans 5:8, God says, “But God comendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!” Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, came to earth as God in the flesh, lived a perfect life, and then voluntarily died on a cross because He loves me and you. On that cross He literally paid for all our sins! He took our blame; He punished Himself for our wrong-doings! John 3:16, a widely known verse, says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,but have everlasting life.” God, in His awesome love, came to earth to make a way for us to be forgiven of our sins and given eternal life! How awesome is that?! Even if I were the only one, He still would have died for me. John 15.13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” In verse ten of that same chapter God says, “For with the heart man beliveth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” He says it’s as simple as believing and receiving. Ask the Lord to forgive you for your sins, and come into your heart. It’s as simple as asking, and the relationship begins. He will always say yes if you come to Him in His way. Our sin comes between us and hinders communication and a relationship with Him, but His perfect gift of Love makes a way for us to be with Him. My favorite book right now? Specifically, Psalms. This was the other book I was reading last night. The Bible is, in fact, one of His expressions of love to me. I have fallen more and more in love with who He is. It’s overwhelming and frustrating to attempt to express who He is, and who He is to me. “I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” (Psalm 18.1-2) This is just two verses and yet, there is at least ten personal expressions of who God is. Stand in awe. The more time I spend in His Word, the more in love with it I become. The more I know about Him, the more I want to know Him. The Christian life is not boring, it is not emotion, it is not a show, it is not fake. The Christian life is literally a relationship with the One who made you and learning to love, follow, and obey Him. Yet, the things we have the most difficulty doing become natural when we begin to build a relationship with Him. The war with the flesh will continually be present, but when our focus is on Him, the struggle fades. He will always be with present with us. Even when the day comes that no one will love us, there is still GOD that will love us from who we are and will keep loving us no matter what. Someone recently said something to the effect of, "You could not do anything that would make Him love you less, any more than you could do anything to make Him love you more." He does not love someone else more than He loves you, and He does not love a "better" version of you more than He loves you just the way you are as you are reading this. That is incredible to me. He knows every detail about me that any one else may never know, yet He loves me just the same as the most righteous believer in my mind. In closing, my friends, I leave you this poem by S.M. Lockridge I was recently introduced to which provided an incredible description of the God I serve. It barely scratches the surface of His awesomeness. This is the greatest love story ever told, I hope you have experienced it for yourself and can call it yours as well. "He is unparalleled and unprecedented. He is the centerpiece of civilization. He is the superlative of all excellence. He is the sum of human greatness. He is the source of divine grace. His name is the only one able to save, and His blood is the only power able to cleanse. His ear is open to the sinner’s call. His hand is quick to lift the fallen soul. He’s the eternal lover of us all – every one, And you can trust Him. He supplies mercy for the struggling soul. He sustains the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes with the wounded and the broken. He strengthens the weak and the weary. He guards and He guides the wanderer. He heals the sick and cleanses the leper. He delivers the captive and defends the helpless, and He binds up the broken-hearted He’s for you…and you can trust Him. Jesus is the key to all knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance and He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway to glory, And yes – you can trust Him. Jesus IS enough…He’s the all sufficient KING… He’s the King of the Jews. He’s the King of Israel. He’s the King of Righteousness and He’s the King of the Ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of Glory. He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords. And “yes” again, you can trust Him. And rejoice in this, my friend…He is a Sovereign King. There is no gauge to measure His limitless love. There is no barrier to block His blessings outpoured. He is enduringly strong and He is entirely supreme. He is eternally steadfast. He is immortally faithful. He is imperially merciful. He is Jesus – God’s Son – and you can trust Him. I wish I could more accurately describe Him to you; but He’s indescribable. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. You can’t outlive Him and you can’t live without Him. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t fault Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t conquer Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him! My friends… He’s the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. He’s the God of the future and the God of the past. And we rise to speak His Name again and again… Jesus…Jesus He is Jesus…He is for us…and WE CAN TRUST HIM!"
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Lizzy parkerMarriage.
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January 2023
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