Had a weird moment yesterday night when couldn't actually think about more than one thing at a time... so the whole multi-tasking thing went out the window and I had sort stuff out in my mind one at a time. I couldn't even think about a whole concept, but had to think about it step by step... It was very strange and I didn't like it very much, apart from when Becky and I were having Becky, Ee-Reh and God time, and I got a fresh revelation of how AWESOME God's Love is.
Firstly, we need to have more revelation of who God is, what God is, and how God is... I am totally GOBSMACKED at God. I'm awestruck, my mind is blown away, I'm love-struck.
My heart always softens when I see any couple who are old that are clearly more in love with eachother than when they first met. But I am loved more than that. God has loved me since before creation. With me in mind He created the world. But with the purpose of reflecting His glory. But He made the coolest way possible of us doing that. All we have to do is love Him. It isn't a complicated choice to love God, who has loved us since before creation. His love for us is simple yet profound, our love for Him comes out of a simple choice of accepting who He is, and and all that came from His love. God is Love. Without God there would be no love. Because of God's love I feel worthy (He has made me so). If my heart softens at the sight of an old couple in love with eachother, how can it not soften at a glimpse of God?
Jesus lives in me, and that means I can love as He does. My whole life, I want to become more and more like Him. I want people to be love-struck when they see me - not at me in myself, but at Jesus in me, and for them to meet with the Lord and Saviour of my life.
...and that torrent came from not being able to think straight. God really does work through every situation...
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Monday, January 16, 2006
Excited about Love
You know that when you love somebody, you can depend on them... Do you just depend on them a little bit? I mean, when you really love somebody... I don't even think about whether to depend on them or not. I'm confident in my dependence.
I'm reading through the Minor Prophets (I think I already said that on here) and am in Hosea, and today's reading was what I read on my A-Level Results day! It was pretty cool really, seeing as how I started my uni exams today... I proceeded to get really excited (and am still excited) about what I was reading. The verse that God really put on my heart that day was this:
Hosea 12v.6
"So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confidence dependence on your God."
I read that verse, and rang up school to get my results. It was quite amusing really, having got them, I thought about going back to sleep but thought that was a bit cruel on my mum, so I got up and told her. I can live in confident dependence - not on myself, and not anything else - but on God.
Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. Greater is He that is in me than He that wrote my exam papers. God's greater than all of that.
He has a plan and purpose for my life.
His will is better for me than my will.
In my weakness, He is made strong. The more I diminish, the stronger He becomes in me! I want to be weak enough for His will to be enacted in my life.
What I'm thinking about is this: What do I depend on? On whom do I depend? Is what I depend on dependable? Are the people I depend on dependable? I don't know about you, but when I depend on someone, I trust them, and I trust them with a lot of things. I trust them not to mess around in the relationship I have with them, I trust their words. I trust them, depend on them. Isn't that how friendship grows? But ultimately, where does my dependence lie? I'm not independent. To be independent is a sad and lonely place to be...
Ultimately, I depend on God. Ultimately, I trust God, because I can do so confidently. Why is that? Because His will is greater than mine. Because His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Because He chose me and has a plan and purpose for my life. (Same for you! GET EXCITED!) So this is it. I will act on the principles of love and justice and will always live in confident dependence on my God!
I'm reading through the Minor Prophets (I think I already said that on here) and am in Hosea, and today's reading was what I read on my A-Level Results day! It was pretty cool really, seeing as how I started my uni exams today... I proceeded to get really excited (and am still excited) about what I was reading. The verse that God really put on my heart that day was this:
Hosea 12v.6
"So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confidence dependence on your God."
I read that verse, and rang up school to get my results. It was quite amusing really, having got them, I thought about going back to sleep but thought that was a bit cruel on my mum, so I got up and told her. I can live in confident dependence - not on myself, and not anything else - but on God.
Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. Greater is He that is in me than He that wrote my exam papers. God's greater than all of that.
He has a plan and purpose for my life.
His will is better for me than my will.
In my weakness, He is made strong. The more I diminish, the stronger He becomes in me! I want to be weak enough for His will to be enacted in my life.
What I'm thinking about is this: What do I depend on? On whom do I depend? Is what I depend on dependable? Are the people I depend on dependable? I don't know about you, but when I depend on someone, I trust them, and I trust them with a lot of things. I trust them not to mess around in the relationship I have with them, I trust their words. I trust them, depend on them. Isn't that how friendship grows? But ultimately, where does my dependence lie? I'm not independent. To be independent is a sad and lonely place to be...
Ultimately, I depend on God. Ultimately, I trust God, because I can do so confidently. Why is that? Because His will is greater than mine. Because His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Because He chose me and has a plan and purpose for my life. (Same for you! GET EXCITED!) So this is it. I will act on the principles of love and justice and will always live in confident dependence on my God!
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Someone like you
It's someone like you that God predestined to be holy and blameless.
It's someone like you that chose, even before He created the earth, to reflect His glory.
It's someone like you that God has spoken through in songwriting, singing, music.
It's you that Jesus thought of on the Cross. It's you that He thought of when He rose again.
It's you that Jesus wants. It's for you that God created the heavens and the earth and sent Jesus to die.
God can use someone like you. Because He has made you worthy.
You are worthy. Worthy to serve God. He made you worthy.
God loves you. He chose to love you. And He won't go back on that choice.
It's someone like you that chose, even before He created the earth, to reflect His glory.
It's someone like you that God has spoken through in songwriting, singing, music.
It's you that Jesus thought of on the Cross. It's you that He thought of when He rose again.
It's you that Jesus wants. It's for you that God created the heavens and the earth and sent Jesus to die.
God can use someone like you. Because He has made you worthy.
You are worthy. Worthy to serve God. He made you worthy.
God loves you. He chose to love you. And He won't go back on that choice.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Overwhelming Love
To continue on the theme of Love... since God has continued to speak to me about it. It's cool, and so awesome. Awesome not in the sense that it can become known (as another word for amazing) but awesome in the sense that it has filled me with awe. I'm going through the minor prophets at the moment, still in Hosea. Hope to have finished them by late February, early March, but will see, because I don't just want to read them, I want them to affect me.
'When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.' - Hosea 9v.10a
So here I found an image of how much God loves us. Grapes in a desert? It's crazy - out of all that barreness, a grape. How precious would that grape be to you? I would get so excited about that grape, I would love that grape. That grape would be so precious to me. And that's how previous we are to Christ! Like a grape, a juicy grape, in the midst of a desert. Imagine how precious it would be, a great find! Yeah... just like that. (And then we come to figs... which I don't like. But I remind myself that God made them so God likes them seeing that God created them and said they are good. So we're precious like that too!)
'But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved. ' - Hosea 9v.10b
How much must the people of Israel broken God's heart when they turned their back on him? When that people who were to God as precious as a grape in the midst of a desert turned their back on Him who chose them. It must have broken His heart! But as I've read through Hosea, I have had fresh revelation of God's grace. As much as Israel turned their back, as much as God, through Hosea, gave warning after warning, when they turned back to Him, He had grace for them. It has struck me that His grace is sufficient. And I don't want to break God's heart. I won't turn my back. I love Jesus. How can I?
To wrap it up (!) I've found a real overwhelming love in Hosea. A love for God's people. And because Jesus died and rose again, we are His people, and that overwhelming love is for us. I find that totally awesome.
'When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.' - Hosea 9v.10a
So here I found an image of how much God loves us. Grapes in a desert? It's crazy - out of all that barreness, a grape. How precious would that grape be to you? I would get so excited about that grape, I would love that grape. That grape would be so precious to me. And that's how previous we are to Christ! Like a grape, a juicy grape, in the midst of a desert. Imagine how precious it would be, a great find! Yeah... just like that. (And then we come to figs... which I don't like. But I remind myself that God made them so God likes them seeing that God created them and said they are good. So we're precious like that too!)
'But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved. ' - Hosea 9v.10b
How much must the people of Israel broken God's heart when they turned their back on him? When that people who were to God as precious as a grape in the midst of a desert turned their back on Him who chose them. It must have broken His heart! But as I've read through Hosea, I have had fresh revelation of God's grace. As much as Israel turned their back, as much as God, through Hosea, gave warning after warning, when they turned back to Him, He had grace for them. It has struck me that His grace is sufficient. And I don't want to break God's heart. I won't turn my back. I love Jesus. How can I?
To wrap it up (!) I've found a real overwhelming love in Hosea. A love for God's people. And because Jesus died and rose again, we are His people, and that overwhelming love is for us. I find that totally awesome.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Unconditional Love
Much of what God has been speaking to me recently has concerned love. Today, He has proved his consistency, and challenged me on loving people unconditionally. To love unconditionally is to love when they don't love you back, when they reject you, when they outright hate you. To love unconditionally is to take on the true nature of Christ. To love unconditionally is hard, but a fresh revelation of how much God loves us comes with it. I totally believe that as we try to do as God does, in this sense, love as God loves, this is one of the times at which God reveals more of His nature to us.
Unconditional Love endures. It perseveres. It forgives seventy times seven times. And it doesn't just end with, 'Yeah I love them'. It speaks not from the mouth but from the actions.
Unconditional love started with God. We can love unconditionally because of Christ in us. Unconditional love is powerful - it's why God created us, it's why Jesus died on the cross for all our sins. But because of its power, it is also why Jesus rose again. Because God wanted to have a people who worshipped him, who reflected his glory. That means... God wanted a people who loved unconditionally. That was his purpose. That is still his purpose. God still wants a people who love unconditionally.
Unconditional Love endures. It perseveres. It forgives seventy times seven times. And it doesn't just end with, 'Yeah I love them'. It speaks not from the mouth but from the actions.
Unconditional love started with God. We can love unconditionally because of Christ in us. Unconditional love is powerful - it's why God created us, it's why Jesus died on the cross for all our sins. But because of its power, it is also why Jesus rose again. Because God wanted to have a people who worshipped him, who reflected his glory. That means... God wanted a people who loved unconditionally. That was his purpose. That is still his purpose. God still wants a people who love unconditionally.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Snowy Scotland...
So, I'm at home in Aberdeen, fun fun fun... it finally slowed today. We've been waiting! It's the first non-white Christmas I can remember! How crazy is that?
Erm... Last night spent 11hours straight watching a Korean TV Series... subsequently didn't sleep at all last night, since i finished watching them at 7am... so I spent lots of time with God... and it was totally fascinating.
God is SO, SO fascinating. I love Him so much!
Someone spoke at the church I go to up here on Sunday morning based on crackers (as in, Christmas Crackers). The thing that really stuck in my mind is that the cracker has to break, it has to snap, in order to obtain the gift inside. It's the same with Jesus. He had to break, to snap, in order for me to be able to have the relationship with God that I have, for me to be able to have eternal life. And so with me, I have to daily hand a broken heart to Jesus, be totally vulnerable to His sculpting (not really a worry since He's the best sculptor in the world!) and mending. And daily, He puts my heart back together.
Jesus melt this heart of mine
Make my heart soft again
Jesus will You mould this heart
Into the jar You want to make
Jesus is amazing. Everyday I hand Him a broken heart, everyday I fall deeper in love with Him.
Erm... Last night spent 11hours straight watching a Korean TV Series... subsequently didn't sleep at all last night, since i finished watching them at 7am... so I spent lots of time with God... and it was totally fascinating.
God is SO, SO fascinating. I love Him so much!
Someone spoke at the church I go to up here on Sunday morning based on crackers (as in, Christmas Crackers). The thing that really stuck in my mind is that the cracker has to break, it has to snap, in order to obtain the gift inside. It's the same with Jesus. He had to break, to snap, in order for me to be able to have the relationship with God that I have, for me to be able to have eternal life. And so with me, I have to daily hand a broken heart to Jesus, be totally vulnerable to His sculpting (not really a worry since He's the best sculptor in the world!) and mending. And daily, He puts my heart back together.
Jesus take this heart of mine
Lord put these pieces together once more
I've tried to put it together myself
But I just can't do it on my own
Make my heart soft again
Jesus will You mould this heart
Into the jar You want to make
Jesus is amazing. Everyday I hand Him a broken heart, everyday I fall deeper in love with Him.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Glorifying God through studying
We were created to reflect God's glory. We were created by God so that He could have a people who worshipped him. I am one of those people who has chosen to live a life of worship. In choosing to life my life for God, I have chosen to let go of my control on my life and give Him full control. It's amazing - such vulnerability, yet such security. Vulnerability because you have to let go of your life, every little bit of it, and yet security because God won't take you to the wrong place, or make you do the wrong thing. Once you give Him full control, and everyday do so, He doesn't shrug off responsibility, no, He takes full control and in tune with Him, things will not go wrong. So anyway... the things I do in life are study, spend time with my local church, socialise, go out, practise, and that just about sums it up! Of all these, my studies take up most of my time (which is a good thing, I love Law!), and since my life is to reflect God's glory in all I do, I want to glorify God in my studies. That means putting my utmost into my studies, doing my best. To achieve less than my full potential is not glorifying to God, since He has given me this potential. (Man I'm starting to feel convicted even as I write this, and I thought I was doing ok!) So I have to think big, think outside of the box, because as Keri Jones once said, 'The only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary'. I want to be successful, I want to be successful so as to glorify God.
Right. I'm going to go and work now. :-)
Right. I'm going to go and work now. :-)
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