Jesus… Our Eternal Valentine

Today I thought I would touch on the topic of love, since that is what everybody is celebrating today. I don't tend to celebrate Valentine's Day, but I know the majority of the country does and takes it as a very sacred and special day. When we think of love from a humanly perspective, we think of it in the terms of telling someone you love them, giving a hug or a kiss, some flowers or chocolate candy or a big stuffed animal, perhaps a massage or salon day or a fishing trip and favorite beer for the guys. Doing it in physical ways that someone can see. There is nothing wrong with that and it is always nice to feel appreciated.

"But since you excel in everything- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you- see that you also excel in this grace of giving." (2 Corinthians 8:7 NIV)

But the idea of "love, happiness, sweet things, and passion" makes me think of the way that Jesus showed his love for us. We could not see physically what he had done, as none of us existed at that time. But we do know from the Bible exactly how God showed His love for us, and how Jesus willingly showed his love for us as well. God gave His only Son to pay for our transgressions...not because He had to, but He willingly chose to. Can we imagine a love THAT deep?

We are all sinful human beings and we show love in such a passive way. That does not mean we don't know what love is, that does not mean that we are not genuine when we show our love, or that it is insignificant. What it does mean is that no matter how much we think we have and give...it could never equal even a speck of the deep way that God loves us. Jesus was the only sinless human and he showed love with an unending, unconditional, and eternal sacrifice. Jesus died on the cross for us, he was beaten for us, wore a crown of thorns for us, was speared in the side for us, was ridiculed, spit on, and slandered for us. 

"so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:28 NIV)

Candy, flowers, cards, a nice dinner, and a kiss are all wonderful…God created us to crave love because God IS love and we are made in His image. But the love we feel and receive from above far surpasses anything physical thing I could ever want or get on this earth. I choose to seek Jesus' love this Valentine's Day. I choose to be grateful to him for what he has given and done for me. I choose to acknowledge all of the unseen gifts that he gives every single day...not on holidays...every single waking hour of every single day. 

So today I do not celebrate Valentine's Day in the traditional sense. Today I celebrate the true and eternal love given to me by Jesus Christ, and I choose to pour that same love into every day of my life, not just on February 14th of each year. May we always remember the face of what love is, where love originally came from, and the right way and the lasting way in which we can spread genuine love to others. When I give my offering today, it will not be roses, candy, a card, or anything of a humanly nature. Nothing of a passing or soon forgotten nature. It will be my heart, my mind, my soul, my spirit, with my arms stretched high and offering all I am and all I have to Jesus...on this day and everyday.

Walk in love.....

Struggles Lead Us Home

Why are we all so afraid of struggle? Why do we always see it as such a negative thing? It is because we are human. It is because we are afraid. It is because the unknown is uncomfortable. We are told in the Bible many times over that God does not put struggles in our lives, but rather he allows some of our struggles and trials to take place and lead us on an unsteady course. Many people would say, "Well, if our God loves us so much, why would he allow that?" My answer to that is, "If our God loves us the way He says He does, why wouldn't he allow it?"


“If Jesus gives us a task or assigns us to a difficult season, every ounce of our experience is meant for our instruction and completion if only we'll let Him finish the work. I fear, however, that we are so attention-deficit that we settle for bearable when beauty is just around the corner.”  
― Beth Moore


Struggles are what help us learn to trust God. Struggles are what help us to grow our faith. Struggles are what strengthen our character and mold us into the person that we were created to be in order to live out the destiny our Lord has set in front of us. Without those struggles, would we look to God? Would we find reasons to be selfless and help others? What would Society be like without struggles? Many would say society would be wonderful without any struggles and everybody would be happy. The truth of the matter is, this world would be even more corrupt and terrible than it is right now without struggles. No one would look for God, no one would grow in faith, no one would lend a hand to help another. We would not know how strong we truly are, how capable we are, and just how much we can survive.


The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5 ESV) 


God allows certain things to happen in our lives in order to carry out a greater good, even if we never understand the reason why...all we have to know is the "Who". If God brought us to it, allowed it, or enables it…He will equip us for it and see us through it in order to mold us and our lives into something greater than we could've ever seen with our own eyes. Do not curse your struggles, do not wish for someone else's life, do not beg for the hard times to never come. Be grateful that God chose you as such a strong warrior, be grateful that He is constantly by your side and giving you love, mercy, and guidance. This stronger we are, the closer we feel to God. The deeper we struggle, the farther God reaches out for us.


For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11  ESV) 


I am not saying our trials in life will be fun or that we should look at them as something to run out and shout on the rooftops about. They will be hard, some will last a lengthy time. But God makes no mistakes. God knows you better than you know yourself, and He knows what you need and why you need it. When looking at it this way should we be afraid of struggle? Should we feel sorry for ourselves when trials come to us? Or should we be grateful that we have a God that loves us so much that He wants to walk with us through the trials to bring us out better on the other side. That he is molding us into his perfect children so that we can inherit His Kingdom and spend eternity doing His Work. What better blessing can there be? This blessing is one in which a large part of of it is gained through struggle and hardships...but if we keep our eyes on the victory that lies on the other side, we will find ourselves forever grateful for every speed bump that has come our way!

"The most beautiful things in life first have to go through a lot of dirt before they get to blossom."

Will "Story" Rivera

Comparison Is Crippling

We all do it...and those who do not, have either had YEARS of solid discipline in it, or truly are not human! We compare ourselves to the neighbor next door--how their lawn looks compared to ours, how their children are dressed compared to ours, how nice their car is compared to ours. We compare ourselves to other parents--how well they handle their hectic schedule, how orderly and nutritious they pack their child's lunches, how spotless their house always seems, how calm they appear when their children act out. We compare ourselves to significant others' past relationships--how pretty they are compared to us, how nice of a figure they have compared to us, how much more popular they are than us, how much more our significant others must have liked being with them over us. We compare ourselves to the careers and successes of others--how much money they make compared to us, how they have been able to be so financially stable compared to us, how they are able to do what they really want compared to us doing what we really have to, how they seem to get all the breaks in life, or how they get to stay home and be taken care of compared to us having to work three jobs and not have that "luxury".


But this type of behavior is not only dangerous to our self-esteem and self-worth, it is also crippling to our relationship with Christ. We were each made exactly he way we are for a reason. We each have every scar, struggle, and life path we do for a reason...God makes no mistakes, and does not allow anything that does not help us to grow and work towards a better life in some way.


Ezekiel 16:13 states: "So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen."


We are all beautiful, we are all queens in God's eyes. We need not want what others have, or compare ourselves to the live they have versus ours. We do not know what goes on behind the closed doors of another person's life. They may have unimaginable struggles...and wish in turn that they were you or had your life! You cannot compare your inside, with what you see on someone else's outside. It is not fair to you, or to them.


Galatians 6:4-5 goes further to state: "Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load."


We are each meant to be exactly who we are. We are designed to have drive to always be better and do better...but be better and do better for ourselves, not to try to measure up with others. Embrace your love from The Father, and He will remind you daily of how perfect and wonderful you already are to Him. He does not want you to be like anyone else...that is why He has created you the EXACT way He has. Be the best YOU that you can be...it's enough for the Creator of the Universe...shouldn't it be enough for you?

God Loves What You Give...Whether A Little, Or A Lot

We often become discouraged because we think we are not doing enough. If there are spare moments in our day, we are certain that we must be missing something that needs to be done, or we need to find another activity to fill that slot of time. We have become so accustomed to the busyness of life, and we forget that nothing we can do could make God love us any more. We can attend church 5 nights a week, be active in our Bible study groups, volunteer at our church, help our children to know the Lord, and speak to others about Christ. But again, doing all of that does NOT make God love us more. He already loves us with a perfect and endless love. When Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross, he took on everything...for all of us. He sealed God's love for us in spite of our sinful nature, and our selfish tendencies.


Now, being involved in groups, volunteering, leading our children, and immersing ourselves as deep in the Word as we can are all WONDERFUL things. But not because they make God love us more. It is because we fall into a deeper and more secure relationship with Our Father. When we learn more about Him, we can understand His truths for us better and apply them to our lives. That is the end goal. For some people, this requires many hours a day or week. For others, it may require only small segments of minutes per day or week. Neither one is wrong. The fact that we consistently work towards a deeper relationship through Christ, and that we continually strive to be better ourselves and to others...those are the things that God appreciates. God does not measure in how much we do or how big our deeds. God measures in purity of heart and genuine intentions.


Becoming spread too thin or overly involved can actually hamper our relationship with Our Savior. When we do this, our actions become simply "doing", as if trying to get across a finish line, or be noticed for multiple achievements. But the truth is, this can actually cause us to not embrace the reason we are doing these things, and we tend to not allow ourselves to be still enough at times to hear God's voice, and to spend necessary quiet time with Him. It is through these times that we grow the closest to Him, and if we miss these times, we miss precious opportunities to feel Him working in our lives. Sometimes saying yes to too many things, causes us to say no to God. Sometimes filling our time constantly with "things" (even though they may all be ministry related and wonderful things), can cause us to take control of our own time, and miss God's actual plan for us.


We need to be able to take time to hear what God wants for our lives, where He wants us placed, and when He wants us to say yes and no. Be sure to start taking this time, if you are not already, so that you can live the abundant life God has called you to. I believe time in study, fellowship, and community involvement are all extremely important. But so is stillness and quiet--take a moment to write time with God in your hectic daily schedule, no matter whether it is 5 minutes, or 5 hours...and be sure to do so in ink, not pencil!

Don't become so busy doing FOR God, that you forget to be WITH God!