All posts tagged: love

Micah’s Declarations

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Don’t spend your day singing the blues? My oldest daughter stepped into the car on her way to school the other day, singing her blues: “I am having a bad day.” I had to tell her that sometimes we have to remind ourselves; speak to those negative FEELINGS that are shouting at us in ALL CAPS the things God says about us. I promise, it won’t be long until things come into alignment with the Word of God. Let Micah’s declarations become your confession: I’m filled with power, I’m filled with the Spirit of the Lord, I’m filled with justice I’m filled with might I’m filled with boldness Micah 3:8

He daily bears my burdens

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There is a phrase I love to use every moment I get the chance. It is not just a slogan or a catchy phrase for me – it’s a deeply theological truth that I believe with all my heart. ‘God is Good’ The bible says, “You are good and do good.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭119:68‬ ‭ESV‬‬ I believe this with every bone within me. God is Good! It is from this vintage point that I try to convince people who struggle with pain and suffering in this life. Too often we blame God for our misfortune, and accuse him of cruel indifference. But scripture is clear: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬ I am so glad that God suffers with me in my confusion of pain and suffering. I am so glad that God suffers with me in my struggle against sin. I am so glad that God suffers with me …

Disturb us Lord

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Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves, When our dreams have come true Because we have dreamed too little, When we arrived safely Because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when With the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst For the waters of life; Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity And in our efforts to build a new earth, We have allowed our vision Of the new Heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, To venture on wider seas Where storms will show your mastery; Where losing sight of land, We shall find the stars. We ask You to push back The horizons of our hopes; And to push into the future In strength, courage, hope, and love Prayer by Sir Francis Drake

Quotes from Donald Miller’s Scary Close

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I read Scary Close a few weeks ago and enjoyed it immensely. I have never had the privilege of reading Donald’s other books, so I will leave the all the critical evaluation to those who’ve read them and how they compare to this one. But in this book, Donald leads in a conversation about his personal journey of painful and failed relationships. For most of his life, he had lived, pretending to be something he wasn’t, hoping to impress people in order for them to like him. But at age forty he began to discover the freedom of being himself and the rewards of taking of his masks. If you want intimacy in your relationship, a healthy mind, a strong family and a satisfying career, Donald invites your to drop the act, be yourself and connect with more people. In this post, I want to share a few quotes that really made this book stand out in a significant way. Enjoy! Distracting noises of insecurity: “Applause is a quick fix, and love is an acquired taste.” “You need …

Two things I learned about Mercy in Jude’s Epistle

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As you may know, Jude the Epistle, was written by Jude, brother of James and Jesus (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3. “Judas” is the same as “Jude” in Jude 1). I have written and spoken from the passage below many times, but every time I revisit, something new pops up. Take a peek: Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Jude 1:21-23 Looking again at these verses, the word mercy stands out for the first time. Therefore, I want to share about two things I’ve learned about mercy in the book of Jude. First let’s define it: What is Mercy? According to Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of biblical Theology, “the chief Hebrew term is hesed [d,s,j], God’s covenant “lovingkindness.” In both the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the LXX) and the New Testament, the term behind “mercy” …

The Secret to More

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The secret to more in your life is your ability to release what you have. It’s your ability to live open handed and not tight fisted. Somebody once said , “In the Kingdom of God you only get to keep what you give away.” The principle is simple: “Bless Us – So we can be a blessing.” Freely received, freely give – for with the measure you use it will be used unto you. Getting all the good things in life and keeping them only for oneself is not only stupid, but also the perfect way to shut close the doors from where they came. When we try to keep for ourselves His ever flowing stream of grace, we create a life of stagnacity. The more we give away, the more we get to keep. Everything is worth sharing. The dead sea is a great example: Life flows into it – but nothing lives in it. Why? Because nothing flows out of it. If you want more Anointing look for opportunities to release it. If …

I will not offer the Lord anything that costs me nothing

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1 Chronicles 21:24 But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” I have always heard this passage use in the context of a fundraiser. Where the preacher urges the congregation or his audience to reach deep within their pockets and give an extravagant financial gift. I love the simplicity and the power of this challenge, but too often my desire to give disappear because the challenge is coming from, well, another TV evangelist, who always seem to want my money. My somewhat skeptical feeling is somehow true – because half or none of what I am being asked to give, really goes toward that cause. I think, in many ways, we have lost the act of motivating others to make greater impact with their substance and the act of inspiring them at the same time because of so much abuse from the pulpit. People are longing to be moved, …

What does it mean to really love God?

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And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:17, 18 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome …