For I am Yours
And For I am Yours
And You are mine
What does this mean to me? How deep do these words penetrate? I know the words, I welcome their impossibly true presence in my life. But each profound facet of the meaning doesn't hit me yet. It comes at me day by day. When I least expect it, a piece of who He is clubs me over the head, and I am lost again in the revelation:
I am Yours
And You are mine
Someone asked a question this week that tore me up inside. He said, "I think Christians need to reevaluate why they are for God." I couldn't answer that for myself. I couldn't form an outcome. Nothing would come to mind. There was just a wall of confusion. Because how could I not be for God? After all this time, after all He's done...how could I not? And then the other voice in my head kept asking, "Am I for God? Am I really?"
I don't know why this question has never been asked before.
But when my head finally cleared enough to give even a semblance of a reason, I came to this conclusion. Why am I for God? Because I need His love.
I cannot replicate it or find it somewhere else. I cannot run from it. I cannot discover it. His love has come into my life - I did not ask for it. It came and overwhelmed me and addicted me all at once.
I'll never be the same.
I am His.
He is mine.
So when little things tear my gaze away from who He is, that crazy love always chases me down and brings me to my knees. He never lets me stray far.
It's beautiful, this love.
Of course it's appropriate that I'm talking about love on Valentine's Day. I mean, naturally ;) I am so afraid that earthly loves are going to distract me from Him (they can and they do). I...I have never dived so deep into risking hurt before, with love. It scares me.
God has placed me here. Which is exactly why I know that I need not fear. His love casts out this fear and reminds me that everything, especially pain, is designed to draw me to Him.
I am more than okay with this.
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Friday, February 14, 2014
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Simple
Life isn't simple.
But it's not complicated either.
Life isn't all good -- there's always going to be hard things, bad things that happen, things that we wish we could forget happened.
But we know that "all things work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8:28).
I complicate things in my mind, though. I feel surrounded by doubt - because I'm surrounded by the world. I don't dig deeper into God; I dig deeper into the world. But I want to know who He is. I want to love Him with my whole heart!!
What is it that Paul says? He does the things he does not want to do, and the things he doesn't want to do, he does. Every day is a battle against our flesh. Against what we were born into (sin).
Anyway, this is the struggle I have been dealing with. On one side is God (so simple a thought, just that word: God). On the other...is everything else that I want in this world. Dreams, friends, food, money, everything perishable and yet not inherently evil. It's like a clamorous room filled to the brim.
And across the hallway I see an open door. I don't know what lies behind it, really, because I haven't taken the time to look. There's just a wall of white, like fog. Only the fog doesn't seem to be trying to conceal. It wants to reveal God to me. He wants to reveal Himself to me! But I turn and walk away nearly every time.
So I leave you with this one simple verse: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
[Matthew 22:36-40]
But it's not complicated either.
Life isn't all good -- there's always going to be hard things, bad things that happen, things that we wish we could forget happened.
But we know that "all things work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8:28).
I complicate things in my mind, though. I feel surrounded by doubt - because I'm surrounded by the world. I don't dig deeper into God; I dig deeper into the world. But I want to know who He is. I want to love Him with my whole heart!!
What is it that Paul says? He does the things he does not want to do, and the things he doesn't want to do, he does. Every day is a battle against our flesh. Against what we were born into (sin).
Anyway, this is the struggle I have been dealing with. On one side is God (so simple a thought, just that word: God). On the other...is everything else that I want in this world. Dreams, friends, food, money, everything perishable and yet not inherently evil. It's like a clamorous room filled to the brim.
And across the hallway I see an open door. I don't know what lies behind it, really, because I haven't taken the time to look. There's just a wall of white, like fog. Only the fog doesn't seem to be trying to conceal. It wants to reveal God to me. He wants to reveal Himself to me! But I turn and walk away nearly every time.
So I leave you with this one simple verse: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
[Matthew 22:36-40]
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Lifting Up One Another
Fever Fever rocked the house (er, church) last night!! :D woot! I got two free t-shirts, bought a cd from a young band called The Divide (they have some great guitar stuff in their songs). I go crazy at concerts. A little wild and overboard, maybe, but it makes everything so much fun. How can you stand in the crowd at a rock concert and not be moving to the beat?
Let's just say that music can transport me to other places. Sometimes it's the future, most of the time it's the past, it can make me happy, sad, contemplative, crazy, and a plethora of other emotions.
But Vince, the bass player for Fever Fever, took a couple minutes towards the end of the concert to talk about their mission to the world, and their band, and God. One thing he said really caught my attention. He was talking about bad days - who doesn't have them? - and how we always want God to save us. We want Him to come in and physically make us happy or change our day from bad to amazing. "There are several reasons He doesn't always do this," said Vince. "He could come in and save the day every time, if He wanted to. But I think one of the reasons He doesn't, is because He wants us to look out for one another and help each other. Jesus said that we will do greater things than Him [I found that this passage is in John 14:12]. Now, did He say that because we're more powerful than He is? No. I mean, He's God!"
He went on to say that God wants to use us - that He delights in using us in others' lives, for His glory. We are the lights of the world, the Body of Christ, and we need to be reaching out to others! I think as Christians, we sometimes get caught up in our own spiritual lives and problems, and we forget that this life is being lived by millions of others who all have pains and fears and troubles. What are we doing to encourage others in the faith? What are we doing to ease the pain for others? "Two are better than one..." the Bible says, because one can help the other.
This fight for life isn't meant to be fought alone. Every battle is fought with God in our hearts, but think how much stronger we could be when we stand together! There are so many little things, simple things, that we could do today and all days to ease our brothers and sisters burdens. When your burdens grow heavy, don't you turn gratefully to that friend who always seems to be able to lift you back up? Return the favor.
Love one another, as Christ also loves us.
<3 Elizabeth-Marie {Em} <3
Let's just say that music can transport me to other places. Sometimes it's the future, most of the time it's the past, it can make me happy, sad, contemplative, crazy, and a plethora of other emotions.
But Vince, the bass player for Fever Fever, took a couple minutes towards the end of the concert to talk about their mission to the world, and their band, and God. One thing he said really caught my attention. He was talking about bad days - who doesn't have them? - and how we always want God to save us. We want Him to come in and physically make us happy or change our day from bad to amazing. "There are several reasons He doesn't always do this," said Vince. "He could come in and save the day every time, if He wanted to. But I think one of the reasons He doesn't, is because He wants us to look out for one another and help each other. Jesus said that we will do greater things than Him [I found that this passage is in John 14:12]. Now, did He say that because we're more powerful than He is? No. I mean, He's God!"
He went on to say that God wants to use us - that He delights in using us in others' lives, for His glory. We are the lights of the world, the Body of Christ, and we need to be reaching out to others! I think as Christians, we sometimes get caught up in our own spiritual lives and problems, and we forget that this life is being lived by millions of others who all have pains and fears and troubles. What are we doing to encourage others in the faith? What are we doing to ease the pain for others? "Two are better than one..." the Bible says, because one can help the other.
This fight for life isn't meant to be fought alone. Every battle is fought with God in our hearts, but think how much stronger we could be when we stand together! There are so many little things, simple things, that we could do today and all days to ease our brothers and sisters burdens. When your burdens grow heavy, don't you turn gratefully to that friend who always seems to be able to lift you back up? Return the favor.
Love one another, as Christ also loves us.
<3 Elizabeth-Marie {Em} <3
Thursday, August 26, 2010
God Gave Me You :)
Have you ever heard the song "God Gave Me You" by Dave Barnes?? It's a great song. It's how I feel about all of my friends - God gave me you guys to go through life with, and I don't know what I'd do without you :)
If you have people close to you that you love and you don't think you could ever live without, please tell them. Tell them that you care. Tell them they mean the world to you.
Because it's true.
And if someone is reading this who has never been told that someone really loves them, then here you have it: God loves you.
Don't wait for them to be the first to say it. You can never sincerely say "I love you" too many times!!! If someone loved you, wouldn't you want to know?
If you have people close to you that you love and you don't think you could ever live without, please tell them. Tell them that you care. Tell them they mean the world to you.
Because it's true.
And if someone is reading this who has never been told that someone really loves them, then here you have it: God loves you.
Don't wait for them to be the first to say it. You can never sincerely say "I love you" too many times!!! If someone loved you, wouldn't you want to know?
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