Tag: God

#RELATIONSHIPGOALS

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In a day where information is available to us at a tap or click, we can easily be deceived into believing that we can get all of the information that we need to know about a person. Think about it. How often do you meet someone (or even before you meet them) do your ‘research’? Checking Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. – even going as far as a free background check…totally bypassing the opportunity to connect and really get to know someone. Society has turned us into people that crave information more than relationship.

Our information makes us feel smart, safe, secure, and a step ahead. It makes us experts yet ineffective in our relations. Often creating barriers that prevent us from embracing true relationships. Armed with our “information”, we enter in to relationship with preconceived notions, false expectations (and often false information), standards and rules that prevent us from cultivating a genuine relationship with a person.

Same can be said with our relationship with God. Our knowledge (or lack thereof) and expertise, can be a barrier to our relationship with Him. Our knowledge can give us this puffed up idea that we know all there is to know and that we are the subject matter experts on all things holy. Instead of basing our relationship with God on salvation, grace, intimacy and experience, we base it on information, rules, certifications, titles, commandments, and others views of Him. Don’t be mistaken, as believers and followers of Christ, we should diligently study the Word of God as our source of truth, our history and instructions for living. However, information without a relationship with the One it’s all about, is useless.

During His time on earth, Jesus fiercely warned a group of people who valued religion more that they did a relationship with God. The Pharisees felt that their knowledge, interpretation of scripture and rule based systems were the way to a righteous life.

“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars! You took the key of knowledge, but instead of unlocking doors, you locked them. You won’t go in yourself, and won’t let anyone else in either.” Luke 11:52 MSG

The Pharisees were keeping people – including themselves, from the Kingdom of God based on their information. Their knowledge kept them from a relationship with God that could only come through salvation in Christ alone – not information, criteria or rules. Similarly, our desire to consume information to prove what we know and how much we know, can keep us from growing in relationship with Christ. As we constantly pursue information, we often miss opportunities to connect with Him, experience Him, embrace Him and live for Him.

Here are a few relationship goals we should have:

1. Connect with God through salvation.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior, consider asking Him into your heart. It’s the most important relationship you will ever have. You can do it right now….just say these words..

“I’m a sinner in need of rescuing. I need You, Jesus, as my Lord and Savior. I believe that you came to earth as God in the flesh, died on the cross for my sins, and rose again so that I can live eternally with You. I ask you to come into my heart and change me, that I might live for You. In Jesus Name, Amen”

2. Get to know God through His Word, daily devotions and prayer.

3. Express gratitude and value your relationship with praise and worship.

4. Hang out with God. Make personal quiet time, church and fellowship a priority.

5. Put your relationship on display and share the Good News. Let others see proof of your relationship by being the light and tell others about the One you’re in relationship with.

Now for a few closing words from a former Pharisee…

“The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ— God’s righteousness.

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” – Paul

(Philippians 3:7-11 MSG)

What Are You Hiding Behind?

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Last week was really challenging for me. It was rough and I really wasn’t liking myself because of the funk I was in. Nothing seemed to be going right. Every time I turned around it was something. I felt underwhelmed, overwhelmed, scattered, rushed, drained….it was a rough one. The only time I seemed to be okay was in my “quiet time” in the corner of my sanctified sofa but as soon as I walked away it was like I walked under a dark cloud. When I was in my quiet time, things made sense, there was peace, there was rest, and assurance but when I walked away I felt chaos swirling in my head – so many thoughts, so much to do, anxiety creeping in…. I pretty much carried all of it with me and on me throughout the day.

My countenance had nothing to do with the worship music. It wasn’t the scripture. It wasn’t God…it was me. I was choosing to pick back up and put on what was keeping me from letting God’s presence rest within me and work through me.

Then I stumbled across a portion of Brother Moses’ story. A time when his countenance changed after being in the presence of the Lord.

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.

When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with Him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.”

Exodus 34:29-30, 33-35 NIV

I thought about my own tendency to put on veils that prevent me from drawing near to God and cover the presence of Him in my life. Veils of fear, insecurity, frustration, pain, anger, irritability, unforgiveness, pressure, unbelief, anxiety and entitlement – all keeping me from fully embracing God and allowing His Spirit to radiate within and through me.

What veils are you hiding behind?

While our faces may not be radiant like Moses’, there should be a light radiating from those of us who belong to Him.

“Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.”

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 MSG

Remove the veil and let your light shine bright!

Not Your Grandmother’s Bible…

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My Grandmother like most had a Bible that recorded births, marriages and deaths. It was intended to be passed down from one generation to the next documenting our lineage. As I mature in my relationship with Christ, I think about my own Bible. The margins containing recorded thoughts, tiny prayers, underscores of meaningful scripture that spoke to me during difficult times, names of love ones next to promises for their lives, highlighted revelations of God’s Word, praises of victories, tear stains, maybe even a few drips of coffee spilled from my excitement pouring over a particular passage or if I’m being honest – a slight moment of carelessness, tiny hearts in response to God’s love letter to me.

Some will disagree that the holy sacred Word of God should be marked up, that your Bible should remain pristine and in tact. However, I disagree. Jesus came and tore the veil to give us unlimited, direct and intimate access to God. During His time as God in flesh on the earth, He acknowledged those whose faith was bold enough to reach out and touch Him, as opposed to those that waited for Him from afar.

My markings don’t mean I don’t reverence God’s word as holy. It means I believe it, I’ve questioned it, I’ve been thankful for it, I sometimes fall short, I practiced it, I love it, I cherish it, I’ve prayed it, that it’s my resource – my source of truth, the owners manual for my life, the encyclopedia of faith, pages of promises, a love letter written with me in mind….it is my lineage, it is my life, it is my hope, it is my delight. It reflects intimacy with my Father, a relationship with the Author.

When my grandchildren someday pour over the pages of my Bible, they can reflect on our rich heritage, a history of answered prayers, moments of doubt and questions, praises of victory – they are reminded of what God has done for us and encouraged as they leave a legacy of faith for their own children.

“Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.”

Psalms 145:4 NLT

Deeper…but I’m not sure I want to go….

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We sing the songs, we study the verses, and pass along the devotionals with the message “Lord, I want to go deeper, Anything for your glory, I’m ready Lord, Use me.”

But when He takes us deeper, when He takes us to that cliff and we’re in the pit of deeper, not quite how we envisioned…all of a sudden we don’t like deeper. We don’t want to be there. We don’t want to be broken. We don’t want to see His glory in the deep, yet we were so anxious to see His glory from the heights.

We seem to believe that theses moments of deeper should be elevated moments of success, back to back victories, happy, happy, joy, joy. We don’t believe that deeper sometimes means us taking a detour to the pit – the pit of tragedy, the pit of sickness, the pit of unemployment, the pit of divorce, the pit of a lost child. This is when He’s taking us deeper, that’s when He wants to develop our faith, that’s when He wants to speak to us, when He wants to use us.

It’s in these very moments that He is taking us deeper.

As I am reminded of one of my favorite songs… “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters, WHEREVER you would call me…take me where my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior.” -Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) Hillsong United

The moment we say “Yes, Lord use me, Yes, Lord I’ll go” we don’t have say in the wherever. We have to trust Him, trust the process, and allow Him to take us deeper WHEREVER He would call us.

Now that’s deep!

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs the all.”

-2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 17

Forever Grateful,

J

Validation

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Validation.  Don’t we have the tendency to chase after it? Maybe you haven’t placed a label on it, but what about the social media like, following, comment, or fishing for that compliment? Or how about the okay to move forward in purpose or to chase that dream? Or confirmation about that decision you made? The cheers….the applause….acknowledgement of a job well done.

I recently came across an article about an extremely talented and famous basketball player, in fact recognized as #2 in the game by some sources (including my teenage son), who felt the validation of his peers solidified him as one of the top in his game ….though he already was. Peers who were slightly less talented – depending on who you ask or what statistics you’re looking at (but don’t ask me …I’m just a girl that loves football). He needed their approval to feel good about himself, confident and assured that what he was doing worked, that the gift and skills that he had were legitimate, that he belonged. To me his comments sounded familiar….all too familiar. 

“for they loved human praise more than praise from God.” –John 12:43 NIV

If God has already told us that we are created in His

image…

chosen…

called…

appointed…

anointed…

equipped…

royalty…

redeemed…

justified…

the apple of His eye…

loved…

Why isn’t that enough? There’s only One that needs to validate you and He already did!

person doing thumbs up

Photo by Donald Tong on Pexels.com

Secret Recipe

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My aunt used to make the most amazing barbecue sauce…the perfect combination of sweet and tangy with just the right amount of kick. It set off her already perfect barbecue ribs, chicken or whatever she threw on the coals to be doused in her sauce.

During her final week here on earth, she wanted to make one last barbecue. She sent me to her grocer to pick up all of the ingredients. When I returned, she put together her “secret sauce”. Instead of staying in the kitchen to watch how she mixed the ingredients together, I went about my own way…

To this day, I can’t get the right combination together to replicate her sauce or even come close. Had I just stayed in the kitchen that day, asked for the recipe, and been ready to listen….I may have learned her secret recipe.

This story reminds me to eagerly seek and get wisdom while it can be found, as God’s Word encourages us to. Often times that counsel may come in the form of a person, who as my grandmother would tell us, “has lived a lot longer”. However, our primary source of wisdom comes from the Lord (Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 2:6). To receive such wisdom, we have to humbly accept that we don’t know everything, position ourselves to receive such counsel, and be willing to receive it – even if it’s not what we want to hear…seizing every opportunity to learn from those that have gone before us.

“One generation commends Your works to another; they tell of Your mighty acts.”

-Psalm 145:4

Secret Recipe for Wisdom:

(thoroughly tested and approved)

Stay: Take advantage of every learning opportunity. It’s worth it.

“She has a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said….Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”

-Luke 10:39, 41 NIV

Ask: If you don’t know, ask!

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. “

-James 1:5 NIV

Be Ready: Be open and receptive to hear.

“So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ “ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.”

-1 Samuel 3:9 NIV

For the secret ingredient, check out Proverbs 1. Enjoy!

Forever Grateful,

J