Pure simple devotion to Christ

Well, the title really does say it all but I think Paul has a really good point in 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 when he encourages the believers to not stray from the simplicity that is in Christ.

It seems to me that we are prone to stray from the simplicity of love God, love people, loving God can become this to do list of things that mean we really love him or can prove to him (or to others) that we do love him. And then because of that loving people because this stressful task as opposed to an overflow of a loving heart.

When you come face to face with love you will give up everything for it, and I'm not talking about fake romantic comedy love I mean the love that is proven by the man with scars in his hands.

We love because he first loved us and gave himself for us, when we gaze upon this man, the one who gave everything, how can we not but love him? Love is a choice, not an emotion and it's easy to chose love when it's right in front of you.

My point? Let's give ourselves to thinking upon the cross, the demonstration of God's love that we might love him, because there is joy and peace found in this place of simple devotion. I don't expect to do much in my life that will be news worthy in this age but for all eternity I want to be known as one who loved well. It's what Jesus died for anyway

Wendy

Luke 23

In an earlier post I mentioned Luke 23, so here is the blog concerning this scripture. I was reading this scripture before we had communion with our interns and was struck by two things.

Firstly, everyone knew that Jesus didn't deserve to die, the Pharisees knew it, they had to pay people to give false testimony. Pilate knew it, he says it like 3 times that Jesus has done nothing to deserve death. Even the thieves on the crosses next to him knew he was not guilty. The Judge of the whole earth who is going to judge everyone in righteousness was condemned guilty and deserving of death, and he didn't deserve it. I did. I'm the one who deserves to die, not Jesus, but he died the death that I deserved that I may live eternally with him. Selah.

Secondly, it says in 1 Corinthians 13 that love does not seek it's own, that was a temptation that Jesus faced at the cross. People saying "If you really are the Son of God save yourself" "He can save others but he cannot save himself" Jesus could of saved himself, no one took his life from him HE LAID IT DOWN, and it's because he is God that he didn't because love does not seek it's own. How often do we have the temptation to save ourselves, to look after ourselves first but Jesus has the ultimate expression of love in the cross. He did not save himself, he knew what he was doing for the sake of love.

Luke is cool
Wendy

Two in one night

I was thinking tonight about my interns, they are leaving on Monday, two left yesterday, one thing I do have to say is that these ones have loved one another well, though that's not the point of this blog.

I had my last burn team with them tonight and I talked about the Love of God, and how when we believe God loves us, nothing can touch us - what can man do to me? And told stories of time when the Lord broke in when I needed him to with the reality of his love for me, and that he knows Iove him back.

It is right to remember His love, and His faithfulness. It's good to call to mind what he has done, we can start with the fact that we deserve hell and get to spend eternity with pleasures evermore and if there was nothing else he ever did that would be enough to know he loved me, that he died for me. But he does more than that, he gives us food, and clothes, and friends, and fun stuff to do and __________ (fill in the blank)

He is good, and he loves us, I wonder how differently I would live if everyday I just spoke that over myself. Maybe I'll try for a few weeks and let y'all know - anyone up for an experiment in remembering his goodness?

I will remember your love more than wine............
Wendy

Love does not take into account wrong suffered....

This is amazing, NIV says "keeps no record of wrong". when we approach the Lord he doesn't have a little list in the back of his mind of all the times we failed or broke our promises, he doesn't relate to us thinking of the disappointment we "brought him in the past". OUR ACCOUNTS AGAINST HIM ARE CLEARED because this is how we know what love is WHILE WE WERE SINNERS Chirst died! I love this, great is his mercy towards!

that's all!

To love and obey

As a somewhat famous lyric goes " I want to know what love is" they must have never got around to reading 1 John or Romans for that matter because in first John we are told not only that "we know love by this, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" but that "God is love" if we flip over to Romans 5 we are told in verse eight "But God demonstrated His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" And just because we all like the Chapter we can throw in 1 Corinthians 13 "Love is patient, love is kind......". So from these verses we can say that we know God loves us because he sent his Son to die for us (John 3:16) and that Jesus on the cross is a manifestation of "God is love". He makes in invisible visible by displaying the love of God in such a deep way we will spend many years singing "Worthy is the lamb because he was slain" So if it is Jesus death that shows us the love of God what does this mean for us showing our love to God and to others?

Jesus, in his "final message" in John 14 tells us that those who keep his commandments are the ones who love him. So, to love God is to obey God. People may ask what does it mean to obey God. It means do everything He tells you to do, and I'm not talking about which job to take, or car to buy but actually do what the Bible says. For example, take Matthew 5-7 and do it. Ouch. When there are policies in place for your work, follow them. Say what you mean, forgive people, don't complain, all those things that are quite frankly really hard and in fact impossible to do without God, so we go back to 1 John, we love because he first loved us, and having a revelation of God is what enpowers us to obey him.

I have been reading and outlining Fire Within by Thomas Dubuy, which is a great book on the contemplative life that we are all invited into, if I was to summarise the book I would say one of the main points is that our obedience to the Lord, and to those over us has a direct co relation to our prayer life, it's hard to pray if we are not obedient and it's hard to obey if we don't pray. Amazing.

I think I'll leave it there, but this will be a subject matter that you will find me pondering on a lot. How can I love Jesus to the fullest right now? Not tomorrow and not yesterday, because really all I can do is love Jesus in the present!

Grace and Peace
Wendy