One of the things I think most people have in common is a desire for a close intimate relationship with someone. Whether is be a romantic relationship or a peer to peer relationship, we all desire to be important in someones eyes.
So we have this desire, and as a result we seek out a relationship with people. The first question we should ask is who should I seek relationships with? The bible deals with this question specifically in 2 Corinthians 6: 14-18. It says:
"Don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That's not partnership; that's war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God's holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way:
"I'll live in them, move into them;
I'll be their God and they'll be my people.
So leave the corruption and compromise;
leave it for good," says God.
"Don't link up with those who will pollute you.
I want you all for myself.
I'll be a Father to you;
you'll be sons and daughters to me."
The Word of the Master, God.'"
If you think about it, this passage makes complete sense. When entering a relationship with anyone, dating or friendship, wisdom says to only seek close intimate relationships with those who also seek God. Closely pairing yourself with someone who rejects God makes no sense when you consider that you have the holy spirit living inside of you. We don't understand the influence that those who reject God can potentially have over us. God himself warns us not to place ourselves in a position in which we could become polluted by the lies of Satan.
Does this mean we never associate with non-Christians? Not at all. In fact if we didn't our calling to continue to spread God's message would be pointless. However what this passage is saying is that we should't link ourselves (standing arm in arm) with those who will not walk in the same direction we are walking in. Consider it this way, if we want to go east and the person we are arm in arm with wants to go north then there will be some struggle and chances are depending on your own strength you probably will not be able to stay directly on the path you know you need to be taking.
My challenge to you is to ask yourself who you are walking through life with. Are they people who are walking the same path and pulling you through toward God, or are they people who reject God and therefore have to potential to detour you from your journey?
"Don't link up with those who will pollute you.
I want you all for myself.
I'll be a Father to you;
you'll be sons and daughters to me."
~Catie
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
"Though it costs you all you have, get wisdom."
I think all of us at some point in our lives search for wisdom, yet rarely do we really know where to begin. Proverbs 4:7 says this "the beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom!" (Amp). How is that really much of a help? When seeking for wisdom get wisdom?
In order to first understand how to get wisdom we must first understand what wisdom is. Throughout Proverbs King Solomon tell his son to listen to his teachings along with the advice of those older than him. He tells him also to be aware of sin traps and to seek the knowledge of God. How is this helpful? Firstly, seeking the wisdom of those older than you is wise because the truth is they have experience more and have lived life longer than you have and have a much different perspective on things. They can look back and relate to your situation however they know that breakups won't kill you, they know that school problems are part of life and overcomable, and they know that relationships with parents ease with time.
Secondly, Solomon tells his son to be aware of sin traps. Now this is very hard to do without self-evaluation. So I would pose that having a knowledge of yourself and who you are is essential to gaining wisdom. Without it you won't know why you do what you do, in fact you won't even be able to understand the consequences whether they be good or bad. Knowing yourself will give you insight into where you fall victim to temptation and sin. In addition, seeking the advice and wisdom of those older than you will enlighten you on potential sin traps that you might face or the ones you are currently facing.
Finally, in order to gain wisdom you must first seek the knowledge of God. I found this a very interesting thing. Solomon separated knowledge and wisdom. Why? Upon further examination into Proverbs I began to see that knowledge was just information; understanding of events and actions. Wisdom on the other hand was knowing why; why we should follow in Gods plan, knowing why you react the way you do to things and why other people react or act the way they do. Then, apply it. If you know why you need to do something then it is still simply knowledge, but when you understand it with both your heart and mind and put it into practice, that is when you begin to demonstrate wisdom.
This is what Solomon says about the benefits of wisdom:
"Then will you understand what is right and just and fair - every good thing. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you." (Proverbs 2: 9-11)
I love this verse because it wraps wisdom in beauty. When you seek to understand, when you seek to gain knowledge of who God is, rejecting your own understanding, it's beautiful. Seeking wisdom means rejecting your own pride and accepting humility, rejecting your own understanding and seeking that which is not your own, and rejecting passivity and finding strength in the Lord to give you the strength to develop your character.
So begin this journey of seeking wisdom with me. The first step: ask God what he wants to teach you and then listen! He has something for you because he longs to teach you, he longs to walk with you. Join this journey as I seek wisdom. I'm going to be starting a little mini series on this topic so expect more from me about what I've been learning and what I have found about wisdom and the knowledge of God.
"Let your eye's look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only the ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left, keep your foot from evil." (proverbs 4:25-27)
~Catie
In order to first understand how to get wisdom we must first understand what wisdom is. Throughout Proverbs King Solomon tell his son to listen to his teachings along with the advice of those older than him. He tells him also to be aware of sin traps and to seek the knowledge of God. How is this helpful? Firstly, seeking the wisdom of those older than you is wise because the truth is they have experience more and have lived life longer than you have and have a much different perspective on things. They can look back and relate to your situation however they know that breakups won't kill you, they know that school problems are part of life and overcomable, and they know that relationships with parents ease with time.
Secondly, Solomon tells his son to be aware of sin traps. Now this is very hard to do without self-evaluation. So I would pose that having a knowledge of yourself and who you are is essential to gaining wisdom. Without it you won't know why you do what you do, in fact you won't even be able to understand the consequences whether they be good or bad. Knowing yourself will give you insight into where you fall victim to temptation and sin. In addition, seeking the advice and wisdom of those older than you will enlighten you on potential sin traps that you might face or the ones you are currently facing.
Finally, in order to gain wisdom you must first seek the knowledge of God. I found this a very interesting thing. Solomon separated knowledge and wisdom. Why? Upon further examination into Proverbs I began to see that knowledge was just information; understanding of events and actions. Wisdom on the other hand was knowing why; why we should follow in Gods plan, knowing why you react the way you do to things and why other people react or act the way they do. Then, apply it. If you know why you need to do something then it is still simply knowledge, but when you understand it with both your heart and mind and put it into practice, that is when you begin to demonstrate wisdom.
This is what Solomon says about the benefits of wisdom:
"Then will you understand what is right and just and fair - every good thing. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you." (Proverbs 2: 9-11)
I love this verse because it wraps wisdom in beauty. When you seek to understand, when you seek to gain knowledge of who God is, rejecting your own understanding, it's beautiful. Seeking wisdom means rejecting your own pride and accepting humility, rejecting your own understanding and seeking that which is not your own, and rejecting passivity and finding strength in the Lord to give you the strength to develop your character.
So begin this journey of seeking wisdom with me. The first step: ask God what he wants to teach you and then listen! He has something for you because he longs to teach you, he longs to walk with you. Join this journey as I seek wisdom. I'm going to be starting a little mini series on this topic so expect more from me about what I've been learning and what I have found about wisdom and the knowledge of God.
"Let your eye's look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only the ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left, keep your foot from evil." (proverbs 4:25-27)
~Catie
Monday, October 17, 2011
Faces hidden behind the masks of Ideal Christianity
What exactly is Christianity? What exactly does it look like to walk, talk and behave as Christ did? We have so many "answers", explanations, and methods for how to be the "ideal" christian. As young adults in an ever changing, tolerating world we are often torn between two paths: the worldly path and the one God has laid for us.
Somewhere in this battle we place masks over our faces, one for Sunday morning, one for school or work. Often times we further divide these masks between us and our family, certain groups of friends, coworkers etc. These masks become walls that we use to shield ourselves, hide us, and protect ourselves from the world.
My question is really, why do those in the body of Christ wear masks? Are we ashamed, embarrassed or guilty? In Christ there is no condemnation. Just take one look at Jesus's life and you will see that. He chose to hang around prostitutes, cheaters, liers, and adulterers and he loved them entirely without any hint of judgement. Rather, he spoke truth into their lives with acceptance, compassion and love.
So why do we feel condemned, judged or unaccepted by those in our own church? Personally, I find it much easier to love those far from God then I do those close to him. I think the reason for that is because we believe Christians should just "know better," and so we justify ourselves in judging them.
At times I can be a very judgmental person. It's not just with other people though, I judge myself very harshly too. I know that I'm not a perfect person. My life has not been characterized by good choices. When I first started addressing those areas in my life where I had messed up I was so hard on myself. I thought, "I should know better." My idea of perfection was shattered and I realized I wasn't even a generally good person. Talk about a reality check.
I remember about a year ago I was sitting with one of my best friends, smoking some cigars elbows deep in a theological discussion, and suddenly it hit me. My friend of ten years was sharing his heart in a way I had never heard before. He shared his hurts, his struggles and fears with me in a very vulnerable way. For that brief moment he took off his mask and I saw him for who he truly was. It was at that moment I came face to face with the reality that I too had been wearing a mask. Mine was the mask of self-assured confidence.
When you've been hurt throughout your life, it gets to the point where you don't want to hurt again so you build up a wall and put on a mask to protect yourself.
But in this moment, as my friend was sharing, I realized it was okay. it was okay to let down your mask and to genuinely live out your life. However the thought of "what will others think," soon popped into my mind.
As brothers and sisters in Christ we are called to come along side each other to encourage and support one another. We become useless and ineffective witnesses when we reject or condemn our brother or sister because in doing so we portray judgement and condemnation to the world, the exact opposite of what Jesus was communicating on the cross.
Now this doesn't mean that we can let our brothers and sisters do whatever they want. There are consequences for actions, however our attitude should be one of humbleness rather than shamefulness. There is a significant difference between the two. Conviction comes from the Lord and he uses it to humble us. However we can easily fall into a pit of shame in which the devil fills with concrete making us unable to move. We become stuck in our own shame and guilt thinking that we can never escape. This thought completely discounts the word of God. He promises if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sin. Humbleness on the other hand, is where you accept your inadequacy and the consequences of your choices along with Gods plan over your own.
My challenge for you is that you open your eyes and look into people rather then just at them. Everyone is broken, some in small ways some in huge ways. Realize that they don't need another judgmental person in their lives. Swap that for love and acceptance with the realization that you to belong in the the group of broken people. It's a strange thought, but it's okay to be broken. It's the only way we can be made new.
"my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." - 2Corinthians 12:9
~Catie
Somewhere in this battle we place masks over our faces, one for Sunday morning, one for school or work. Often times we further divide these masks between us and our family, certain groups of friends, coworkers etc. These masks become walls that we use to shield ourselves, hide us, and protect ourselves from the world.
My question is really, why do those in the body of Christ wear masks? Are we ashamed, embarrassed or guilty? In Christ there is no condemnation. Just take one look at Jesus's life and you will see that. He chose to hang around prostitutes, cheaters, liers, and adulterers and he loved them entirely without any hint of judgement. Rather, he spoke truth into their lives with acceptance, compassion and love.
So why do we feel condemned, judged or unaccepted by those in our own church? Personally, I find it much easier to love those far from God then I do those close to him. I think the reason for that is because we believe Christians should just "know better," and so we justify ourselves in judging them.
At times I can be a very judgmental person. It's not just with other people though, I judge myself very harshly too. I know that I'm not a perfect person. My life has not been characterized by good choices. When I first started addressing those areas in my life where I had messed up I was so hard on myself. I thought, "I should know better." My idea of perfection was shattered and I realized I wasn't even a generally good person. Talk about a reality check.
I remember about a year ago I was sitting with one of my best friends, smoking some cigars elbows deep in a theological discussion, and suddenly it hit me. My friend of ten years was sharing his heart in a way I had never heard before. He shared his hurts, his struggles and fears with me in a very vulnerable way. For that brief moment he took off his mask and I saw him for who he truly was. It was at that moment I came face to face with the reality that I too had been wearing a mask. Mine was the mask of self-assured confidence.
When you've been hurt throughout your life, it gets to the point where you don't want to hurt again so you build up a wall and put on a mask to protect yourself.
But in this moment, as my friend was sharing, I realized it was okay. it was okay to let down your mask and to genuinely live out your life. However the thought of "what will others think," soon popped into my mind.
As brothers and sisters in Christ we are called to come along side each other to encourage and support one another. We become useless and ineffective witnesses when we reject or condemn our brother or sister because in doing so we portray judgement and condemnation to the world, the exact opposite of what Jesus was communicating on the cross.
Now this doesn't mean that we can let our brothers and sisters do whatever they want. There are consequences for actions, however our attitude should be one of humbleness rather than shamefulness. There is a significant difference between the two. Conviction comes from the Lord and he uses it to humble us. However we can easily fall into a pit of shame in which the devil fills with concrete making us unable to move. We become stuck in our own shame and guilt thinking that we can never escape. This thought completely discounts the word of God. He promises if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sin. Humbleness on the other hand, is where you accept your inadequacy and the consequences of your choices along with Gods plan over your own.
My challenge for you is that you open your eyes and look into people rather then just at them. Everyone is broken, some in small ways some in huge ways. Realize that they don't need another judgmental person in their lives. Swap that for love and acceptance with the realization that you to belong in the the group of broken people. It's a strange thought, but it's okay to be broken. It's the only way we can be made new.
"my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." - 2Corinthians 12:9
~Catie
Monday, July 11, 2011
Moving out of Fear and into Perfect Love
"There is no fear in love for perfect love casts out all fear" - 1John 4:18
I would say that over the course of my life I have never truely experienced fear, and so this verse has never really meant a lot to me. However some of the things that have happened this summer have caused me to fear for others and fear for control (or the giving up of control) in a way I never thought possible. Yet as I feared, God comforted me. And as the days moved on and the hours started to differenciate themselves, I was left with a lingering fear "what if I will never move past this?"
I don't know if anyone of you has experienced a trauma in your life, lost a loved one, or been hurt phyically, verbally, or sexually, but one of the most common things to ask yourself after experiencing a trauma is "will this ever be over." Reliving the moments, second by second seems like a daily thing and it's exhausting. I found myself questioning God constantly asking him why I wasn't past it, why I still found myself lost in the loop of recouting every detail. One minute I would be laughing and the next weeping. The emotional rollercoaster didn't make sense to me and I sought God for comfort and found very little.
I was challenged to make a list of all the fear I had and to let God's word answer the fears with his perfect love and truth. A variety of things was on this list, however the biggest one was the fear of not moving past this moment. I felt like I would be stuck in feeling out of control, fearful, and unsettled. One of the first verses God gave me was 2 Corinthians 1:9 "But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."
One of my questions to God has been, "why did you let this happen?" He was very clear in answering that; because I needed to rely on him. He also encouraged me by saying "We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in dispair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destoryed" - 2Corinthians 4:8
There are times in our lives when we are hard pressed, when everything seems like its going wrong and it doesn't seem like it can get much worse. But what God promises us, it that we may be hard pressed but when we rely on him we are not crushed. There are times when we ask God, "God why did you have this happen?" No matter how hard we try we can't seem to comprehend why God would allow something. But God says that when we fall to him, we will not be in dispair: giving up hopeless because we have no idea what's going on. There will be times in our life where we feel persecuted for what we believe or think. Because of that we might be left, gossiped about or slandered, but the one person who will never leave us is God. We will not be abandoned in the hard times. We will not be abandoned in the good either. There will be times when the consequences of our sin will cause us to fall away, but we will not be destroyed because we are held firmly in God's hand.
I don't know about you, but this verse puts life into perpective for me and gives me tremendous ammout of comfort. Yes there will be difficulties, but there is hope even through the hard times. When we set our hope on Christ we will not be dispointed because he wants to grow us closer to Him.
So, will I ever move past it? Will you ever be able to step out of fear and allow God's all consuming love to dispel the fears you have? It starts with a choice: the willingness to give God your fear and allow him to move into your heart. Through him you can move past the sadness, you can move past the pain, and you can move out of fear and into confidence in God's plan for humanity.
"On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us." - 2Corinthians 1:10
~Catie
I would say that over the course of my life I have never truely experienced fear, and so this verse has never really meant a lot to me. However some of the things that have happened this summer have caused me to fear for others and fear for control (or the giving up of control) in a way I never thought possible. Yet as I feared, God comforted me. And as the days moved on and the hours started to differenciate themselves, I was left with a lingering fear "what if I will never move past this?"
I don't know if anyone of you has experienced a trauma in your life, lost a loved one, or been hurt phyically, verbally, or sexually, but one of the most common things to ask yourself after experiencing a trauma is "will this ever be over." Reliving the moments, second by second seems like a daily thing and it's exhausting. I found myself questioning God constantly asking him why I wasn't past it, why I still found myself lost in the loop of recouting every detail. One minute I would be laughing and the next weeping. The emotional rollercoaster didn't make sense to me and I sought God for comfort and found very little.
I was challenged to make a list of all the fear I had and to let God's word answer the fears with his perfect love and truth. A variety of things was on this list, however the biggest one was the fear of not moving past this moment. I felt like I would be stuck in feeling out of control, fearful, and unsettled. One of the first verses God gave me was 2 Corinthians 1:9 "But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."
One of my questions to God has been, "why did you let this happen?" He was very clear in answering that; because I needed to rely on him. He also encouraged me by saying "We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in dispair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destoryed" - 2Corinthians 4:8
There are times in our lives when we are hard pressed, when everything seems like its going wrong and it doesn't seem like it can get much worse. But what God promises us, it that we may be hard pressed but when we rely on him we are not crushed. There are times when we ask God, "God why did you have this happen?" No matter how hard we try we can't seem to comprehend why God would allow something. But God says that when we fall to him, we will not be in dispair: giving up hopeless because we have no idea what's going on. There will be times in our life where we feel persecuted for what we believe or think. Because of that we might be left, gossiped about or slandered, but the one person who will never leave us is God. We will not be abandoned in the hard times. We will not be abandoned in the good either. There will be times when the consequences of our sin will cause us to fall away, but we will not be destroyed because we are held firmly in God's hand.
I don't know about you, but this verse puts life into perpective for me and gives me tremendous ammout of comfort. Yes there will be difficulties, but there is hope even through the hard times. When we set our hope on Christ we will not be dispointed because he wants to grow us closer to Him.
So, will I ever move past it? Will you ever be able to step out of fear and allow God's all consuming love to dispel the fears you have? It starts with a choice: the willingness to give God your fear and allow him to move into your heart. Through him you can move past the sadness, you can move past the pain, and you can move out of fear and into confidence in God's plan for humanity.
"On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us." - 2Corinthians 1:10
~Catie
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Truth Of God
My dearest child,
Why do you believe all the lies the world tells you? I hear you cry out to me in desperation for someone to love you, someone to care, someone to listen, someone to be there. You tell me you know that I'm there and you know that I love you, yet you don't believe it.
My heart breaks for you because you can't see how beautiful you are. I made you and I take great delight in you. I thought about your life and put so much care into planning it out. I formed you with my own hands, and know every intricate detail of who you are. I put the freckles on your face and the the dimples in your smile. I hand picked the color of your eyes and crafted your ears and nose perfectly. I'm so proud of my creation that I gave you life! I wanted to show everyone how beautiful you were.
It broke my heart when you turned away from me not because I expect perfection but because it broke our relationship. I want you to live in my blessing and walk on the path of life and hope. I loved you so much that I died for you. You were so valuable to me that I sought you out when you were lost and provided an opportunity for us to be in relationship again! You cry out to me because you are hurt and broken. I died for your brokeness. I died for all the wrongs done to you and I was there the moment you were being hurt, dying and hurting with you.
You are worth everything to me. Because I am unchanging, my love for you is always the same. You couldn't do anything to make me love you less. I will always forgive, and I will always take you back. It breaks my heart that you walk away because when you walk away you walk off of the path of blessing. I want to comfort you and hold you as you cry over the destruction you find from the path of darkness. I never blame you for failures because I know that without me you can't do anything. When you take my hand I will bless you. I want to teach you and grow you in my love and in my spirit.
My dear child, don't listen to the lies the world tells you. Listen to my words because my words are truth! I wrote you a letter to remind you of my love and I provided a way for you to speak to me every day. Come to me and I will bless you. Rest in me and I will give you peace. Surrender to me and I will heal you from all your brokeness. Your smile warms my heart and your laughter is heavenly music. Trust in me when times are hard and I will never fail you because I long to love you and provide for you.
~ God
Why do you believe all the lies the world tells you? I hear you cry out to me in desperation for someone to love you, someone to care, someone to listen, someone to be there. You tell me you know that I'm there and you know that I love you, yet you don't believe it.
My heart breaks for you because you can't see how beautiful you are. I made you and I take great delight in you. I thought about your life and put so much care into planning it out. I formed you with my own hands, and know every intricate detail of who you are. I put the freckles on your face and the the dimples in your smile. I hand picked the color of your eyes and crafted your ears and nose perfectly. I'm so proud of my creation that I gave you life! I wanted to show everyone how beautiful you were.
It broke my heart when you turned away from me not because I expect perfection but because it broke our relationship. I want you to live in my blessing and walk on the path of life and hope. I loved you so much that I died for you. You were so valuable to me that I sought you out when you were lost and provided an opportunity for us to be in relationship again! You cry out to me because you are hurt and broken. I died for your brokeness. I died for all the wrongs done to you and I was there the moment you were being hurt, dying and hurting with you.
You are worth everything to me. Because I am unchanging, my love for you is always the same. You couldn't do anything to make me love you less. I will always forgive, and I will always take you back. It breaks my heart that you walk away because when you walk away you walk off of the path of blessing. I want to comfort you and hold you as you cry over the destruction you find from the path of darkness. I never blame you for failures because I know that without me you can't do anything. When you take my hand I will bless you. I want to teach you and grow you in my love and in my spirit.
My dear child, don't listen to the lies the world tells you. Listen to my words because my words are truth! I wrote you a letter to remind you of my love and I provided a way for you to speak to me every day. Come to me and I will bless you. Rest in me and I will give you peace. Surrender to me and I will heal you from all your brokeness. Your smile warms my heart and your laughter is heavenly music. Trust in me when times are hard and I will never fail you because I long to love you and provide for you.
~ God
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Love must be Sincere
"Love must be sincere, hate what is evil cling to what is good." - Romans 12:9
Often times we read this verse and immedicatly apply it to ourselves. We need to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. This is true ad right, however, I think we rarely stop to think about the beginnging of the verse. Love must be sincere. What does that mean?
The definition of sincere is "pure; unmixed; unadulterated." So to have sincere love, it is a love that is genuine and pure. When we look at the way that Christ loves us, we see sincerity. He knows who we are to the deepest level, yet he genuinly cares about us. He is patient, kind, his love is oriented to us and our best intrest. He always persues us, always protects us, and never fails us.
Part of being a christian, is orienting our lives to reflect His. Is our love sincere? Do we genuinly care about people? We talk about caring for people all the time, yet to be honest, that other person really annoys us and we hate certain things that they do or say. Is that a sincere love?
Love is both a feeling and and action. If you genuinly love someone, you will act on it regardless of the feeling. However, I believe when you sincerly love someone, you always have compassion for them so that yor actions are matches with care.
Caring about someone should compel us to act on that emotion. How do we sincerly love people? I believe through compassion, a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering. When we see people as just as broken and lost as we are, something about the way we realte to them changes. However, we first need to see that we are broken, beyond our own ability to repair. When we can relate to other people based on our own failures, we begin to genuinly love the other person.
So is your love sincere? Do you have a compassion that compels you to act?
~Catie
Often times we read this verse and immedicatly apply it to ourselves. We need to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. This is true ad right, however, I think we rarely stop to think about the beginnging of the verse. Love must be sincere. What does that mean?
The definition of sincere is "pure; unmixed; unadulterated." So to have sincere love, it is a love that is genuine and pure. When we look at the way that Christ loves us, we see sincerity. He knows who we are to the deepest level, yet he genuinly cares about us. He is patient, kind, his love is oriented to us and our best intrest. He always persues us, always protects us, and never fails us.
Part of being a christian, is orienting our lives to reflect His. Is our love sincere? Do we genuinly care about people? We talk about caring for people all the time, yet to be honest, that other person really annoys us and we hate certain things that they do or say. Is that a sincere love?
Love is both a feeling and and action. If you genuinly love someone, you will act on it regardless of the feeling. However, I believe when you sincerly love someone, you always have compassion for them so that yor actions are matches with care.
Caring about someone should compel us to act on that emotion. How do we sincerly love people? I believe through compassion, a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering. When we see people as just as broken and lost as we are, something about the way we realte to them changes. However, we first need to see that we are broken, beyond our own ability to repair. When we can relate to other people based on our own failures, we begin to genuinly love the other person.
So is your love sincere? Do you have a compassion that compels you to act?
~Catie
Saturday, January 29, 2011
What have we forgotten?
I've been really frustrated recently. Partly because people who I care about are struggling, partly because I'm struggling, and I just want to hear the truth! Its like I'm standing in a crowded room trying to listen to one voice, yet the others are so overwhelming and loud I can't hear.
Its like I want to just scream "Shut UP!" I miss talking to my dad. I miss cuddling up in his lap and having him read to me from his word and teach me new things. I love hanging out with him, I love being with him and I love how he constantly meets me every day with something new!
Yet in the craziness of my own life, in the craziness of our lives, we forget. We get wrapped up in what church we go to, what things we say, how we present ourselves, what we are doing so share the gospel, how we are moving forward, who is mentoring us, who we are discipling, etc. And don't get me wrong those things are important, but thet are second! The first and biggest thing we need to be focused on is our relationship with Christ. Afterall he is the only one who can put us back together. He is the only one who can meet our needs. We can't do anything unless he is moving through us. Yet we forget that. It's what am I doing, when it should be "God what do you want to teach me today?"
We are mirrors that reflect both the light and life of Christ. Yet because we are fallen, our mirror is cracked and chipped all over the place. When we focus first on reflecting before we allow God to fix some of those cracks, we don't display the glory of God. However, when we take the time to allow God to patch us up, fillin some of those cracks, spray a little windex on us...thats when we start reflecting the imense glory of who God is. And the crazy thing is that, when we are allowing God to move in our lives first, thats when we shine the brightest! It's not about us...it never was and never will be. Its also not about what we can do because we are completly and totally inadequate without the Holy Spirit. Some people might not like that because it means that somehow they aren't good enough. But I love it! I'm not good enough! YES! I'm inadequet, yet in my inadequacy, God's grace allows me to be used! Holy cow is that humbling. We can't choose God, but he chose us! He chose me to be his daughter and he chose you to be his child. How loving, how crazy and insanely amazing does that make God. He cares about us so much! He died because he cared so much!
What have you forgotten? Have you forgotten what his arms feel like, or what his voice sound like? Have you forgotten that you need him or that your inadequate without his divine intervention? Have you gone at it alone, trusting in your own power rather then his? Or have you forgotten his love?
I want to challenge all of you, and I am lumping myself in also, but I challenge everyone one of you for a week to stop doing...stop talking...and just listen. Ask God what he wants to teach you and how he wants to grow you, and then wait on him. I don't know what that looks like in each of your lives, and I don't know how God is going to respond. But one thing I do know is that God answers those who call on him and he blesses them. Some things are gonna be hard to hear, convicting, loving, teaching, rebuking...but God wants to show each one of you something. So stop looking out into the world for what you can do, and look up at the one who created you.
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." - 2Corinthians 4:6-7
Its like I want to just scream "Shut UP!" I miss talking to my dad. I miss cuddling up in his lap and having him read to me from his word and teach me new things. I love hanging out with him, I love being with him and I love how he constantly meets me every day with something new!
Yet in the craziness of my own life, in the craziness of our lives, we forget. We get wrapped up in what church we go to, what things we say, how we present ourselves, what we are doing so share the gospel, how we are moving forward, who is mentoring us, who we are discipling, etc. And don't get me wrong those things are important, but thet are second! The first and biggest thing we need to be focused on is our relationship with Christ. Afterall he is the only one who can put us back together. He is the only one who can meet our needs. We can't do anything unless he is moving through us. Yet we forget that. It's what am I doing, when it should be "God what do you want to teach me today?"
We are mirrors that reflect both the light and life of Christ. Yet because we are fallen, our mirror is cracked and chipped all over the place. When we focus first on reflecting before we allow God to fix some of those cracks, we don't display the glory of God. However, when we take the time to allow God to patch us up, fillin some of those cracks, spray a little windex on us...thats when we start reflecting the imense glory of who God is. And the crazy thing is that, when we are allowing God to move in our lives first, thats when we shine the brightest! It's not about us...it never was and never will be. Its also not about what we can do because we are completly and totally inadequate without the Holy Spirit. Some people might not like that because it means that somehow they aren't good enough. But I love it! I'm not good enough! YES! I'm inadequet, yet in my inadequacy, God's grace allows me to be used! Holy cow is that humbling. We can't choose God, but he chose us! He chose me to be his daughter and he chose you to be his child. How loving, how crazy and insanely amazing does that make God. He cares about us so much! He died because he cared so much!
What have you forgotten? Have you forgotten what his arms feel like, or what his voice sound like? Have you forgotten that you need him or that your inadequate without his divine intervention? Have you gone at it alone, trusting in your own power rather then his? Or have you forgotten his love?
I want to challenge all of you, and I am lumping myself in also, but I challenge everyone one of you for a week to stop doing...stop talking...and just listen. Ask God what he wants to teach you and how he wants to grow you, and then wait on him. I don't know what that looks like in each of your lives, and I don't know how God is going to respond. But one thing I do know is that God answers those who call on him and he blesses them. Some things are gonna be hard to hear, convicting, loving, teaching, rebuking...but God wants to show each one of you something. So stop looking out into the world for what you can do, and look up at the one who created you.
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." - 2Corinthians 4:6-7
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Abide in my Love
Its funny how the first thing we thing about when we think of God is love. When asked to define a characteristic of God we say that he is love, yet do any of us really understand this aspect of God? I think we want to believe it means that he loves us with this fluffy kind of love, but when you really look into it you begin to see that he loves us with an everlastingly perfect love. Most of us agree that when we are walking with God we feel loved, we feel close to him and we feel safe, and therefore we love him back. It is also interesting to note that we often love God the most when we feel his love the most. Therfore our love for the creator is most often times conditional. Whenever our world gets rocked we turn into two year olds and think God is being mean and doesn't love us.
But God says "abide in my love." Again I ask, what does this mean? Well when I hear the word abide I think of rest. So rest in his love. That sounds so peaceful, just to crawl into Gods lap and feel his love surround me. And thats really what it means, but how do we do that? How do we abide regardless of the circumstances?
God gives us promise after promise in the Bible. "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." "I have a plan for you declares the lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
God is patient, he waits for us as we do our own thing. It says in Isaiah that God waitied in quietness. "This is what the Lord says 'I will remain quiet and look on from my dwelling place.'" An army was moving against Isreal. In my mind this would not have been the time for God to sit back and be quiet. But God was being patient with Isreal; he was waiting for them to turn thier eyes upon him and trust in him for delieverance.
Gods love is kind. I think this is the love we talk about the most but rarely acknowledge. When our day is hard, his love is the rainbow we see in the sky, or a smile from a friend, or a hug from a family member. I remeber that someone told me "anytime someone shows you love, that is God showing you love through that person." I think back to every time someone has written something nice to me or given me encouragement when felt down...Gods love is kind!
Now in Corinthians 13 it says that love is not jealous or boastful. However, since Gods love is perfect, he is jealous us of. God created us, he knows us perfectly and intimatly. When we fix our eyes on someone or something else he becomes jealous. When we become jealous we often say, "What does that person have that I don't?" God says, "I wish they could see that what they are running after has no lasting value."
God also boasts about us. The clearest picture we have of this is when God boasts about Job. Satan comes into God court after wandering across the world. God says, "Have you considered my sevant Job?" He brags about him saying, "Ther is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." See when God brags, he tells the truth. His bragging brings our best to light.
God also delights in us. When I think about that I think back to the passage that says, "he delights over us with singing." I think of a father dancing with his younger daughter or playing catch with his son and the joy in his face when we look up at him with innocent eyes.
God is not rude, he is not self-seeking, and he is not easily angered. I want to stop at the last one and define it more. God is not easily angered; but how can this be true when it says that God is a God of wrath? That is entirely true, however his anger and wrath don't come on the moment you first sin. Infact it says in Exodus 34:6 "The Lord is a commpassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness." In Psalms 30:5 is says "For his anger only lasts a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime." Gods anger is very real, but he does not become angry quickly.
God love keeps no record of wrongs. This is unbelievably true although often times impossible for us to understand. Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Once we place our faith in him, our sin is gone. Now this doesn't mean we never sin, but when we do God looks at us through the lense of Christs body. He knows we sin, but he doesn't tally our failures so that when we come back to him after walking away he says "well I don't know if I can forgive you, afer all you have done that 15 times already..." Its a hard concept to grasp, but as soon as we are forgiven, it is forgotten! He casts our sin as far as the east is from the west...which when you stop and thiink about that is infinatly far.
Gods love always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perserveres. Humanly it is impssible to protect the way God protects us. Humanly it is impossible for us to perserver the way God does after us.
So abide in his love, find rest and comfort in his perfect promise to love, teach and guide you.
"Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatestof these is love."
~Catie
But God says "abide in my love." Again I ask, what does this mean? Well when I hear the word abide I think of rest. So rest in his love. That sounds so peaceful, just to crawl into Gods lap and feel his love surround me. And thats really what it means, but how do we do that? How do we abide regardless of the circumstances?
God gives us promise after promise in the Bible. "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." "I have a plan for you declares the lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
God is patient, he waits for us as we do our own thing. It says in Isaiah that God waitied in quietness. "This is what the Lord says 'I will remain quiet and look on from my dwelling place.'" An army was moving against Isreal. In my mind this would not have been the time for God to sit back and be quiet. But God was being patient with Isreal; he was waiting for them to turn thier eyes upon him and trust in him for delieverance.
Gods love is kind. I think this is the love we talk about the most but rarely acknowledge. When our day is hard, his love is the rainbow we see in the sky, or a smile from a friend, or a hug from a family member. I remeber that someone told me "anytime someone shows you love, that is God showing you love through that person." I think back to every time someone has written something nice to me or given me encouragement when felt down...Gods love is kind!
Now in Corinthians 13 it says that love is not jealous or boastful. However, since Gods love is perfect, he is jealous us of. God created us, he knows us perfectly and intimatly. When we fix our eyes on someone or something else he becomes jealous. When we become jealous we often say, "What does that person have that I don't?" God says, "I wish they could see that what they are running after has no lasting value."
God also boasts about us. The clearest picture we have of this is when God boasts about Job. Satan comes into God court after wandering across the world. God says, "Have you considered my sevant Job?" He brags about him saying, "Ther is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." See when God brags, he tells the truth. His bragging brings our best to light.
God also delights in us. When I think about that I think back to the passage that says, "he delights over us with singing." I think of a father dancing with his younger daughter or playing catch with his son and the joy in his face when we look up at him with innocent eyes.
God is not rude, he is not self-seeking, and he is not easily angered. I want to stop at the last one and define it more. God is not easily angered; but how can this be true when it says that God is a God of wrath? That is entirely true, however his anger and wrath don't come on the moment you first sin. Infact it says in Exodus 34:6 "The Lord is a commpassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness." In Psalms 30:5 is says "For his anger only lasts a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime." Gods anger is very real, but he does not become angry quickly.
God love keeps no record of wrongs. This is unbelievably true although often times impossible for us to understand. Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Once we place our faith in him, our sin is gone. Now this doesn't mean we never sin, but when we do God looks at us through the lense of Christs body. He knows we sin, but he doesn't tally our failures so that when we come back to him after walking away he says "well I don't know if I can forgive you, afer all you have done that 15 times already..." Its a hard concept to grasp, but as soon as we are forgiven, it is forgotten! He casts our sin as far as the east is from the west...which when you stop and thiink about that is infinatly far.
Gods love always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perserveres. Humanly it is impssible to protect the way God protects us. Humanly it is impossible for us to perserver the way God does after us.
So abide in his love, find rest and comfort in his perfect promise to love, teach and guide you.
"Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatestof these is love."
~Catie
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Abiding Comfort
Sometimes when I'm spending time with God, he shares something with me which I am completely ovewhelmed by and can't wait to share with others!
"But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possesion of is a land of mountins and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." - Deuteronomy 11:11-12
We are beginning a new year; crossing over from last year to this one. Each year is full of promise. God has amazing plans in store and he wants to lead us individually down a path of teaching and blessing. It says that the land is a land of mountains and valleys. There will be highs this year and lows this year. We will struggle spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, socially....in every way possible we will face some type of struggle. Yet it also says that the land drinks rain from heaven. Jesus tells us that he is the wellspring of life and David writes that his soul pants for living water. We need water to sustain us physically and in the same way we need Gods word to sustain us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. If we cease to go to him and drink up his word then we forget what clean, pure water tastes like.
It says that the land we are lead into is the land that the Lord God cares for. Imagine that? God leading us into a land that he has created and cares for. It also says that his eyes are on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future."
I know that verse is used so many times. But that verse is a promise. God has laid out that path we will tred on for the next year. He knows the mountains we will face, and the valleys we will be lost in. But he also knows the meadows we will walk through with him.
I take so much comfort and hope in these verses. No matter where I go, God has a plan. He knows me, he knows his will for me and because of that I truely take peace and comfort in his arms.
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you decalres the Lord." - Jeremiah 29:12-14
"But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possesion of is a land of mountins and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." - Deuteronomy 11:11-12
We are beginning a new year; crossing over from last year to this one. Each year is full of promise. God has amazing plans in store and he wants to lead us individually down a path of teaching and blessing. It says that the land is a land of mountains and valleys. There will be highs this year and lows this year. We will struggle spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, socially....in every way possible we will face some type of struggle. Yet it also says that the land drinks rain from heaven. Jesus tells us that he is the wellspring of life and David writes that his soul pants for living water. We need water to sustain us physically and in the same way we need Gods word to sustain us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. If we cease to go to him and drink up his word then we forget what clean, pure water tastes like.
It says that the land we are lead into is the land that the Lord God cares for. Imagine that? God leading us into a land that he has created and cares for. It also says that his eyes are on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future."
I know that verse is used so many times. But that verse is a promise. God has laid out that path we will tred on for the next year. He knows the mountains we will face, and the valleys we will be lost in. But he also knows the meadows we will walk through with him.
I take so much comfort and hope in these verses. No matter where I go, God has a plan. He knows me, he knows his will for me and because of that I truely take peace and comfort in his arms.
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you decalres the Lord." - Jeremiah 29:12-14
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