There's a line that I read this past week. And it spoke to me very clearly about grace:
There's nothing you can do to make God love you any less.
There's nothing you can do to make God love you any more.
It's a little over halfway through the traditional Lenten season, and I've been focused on the Gospel. There are only two things I know to do with it - 1. Receive it freely and 2. Give it freely.
It ain't truly good unless it can be (and is) shared.
I was so moved and inspired by this song that two of our brothers sang for the congregation this morning when our church was exhorted to step up and give of ourselves. It's exactly what we needed to hear and I praise God for that. It's called "What If" by Jason Lavik.
What if I climbed that mountain, what if I swam to that shore
What if every battle was victorious then would you love me more
What if I was everyone's first choice, what if I went farther than before
What if I stood high above the rest, then would you love me more
Would you love me more?
You say I belong to you, apart from the things I do
You say I belong to you, I'm in awe of why you do
Why you do, I'm in awe of you
What if I ignored the hand that fed me, what if I forgot to confess
What if I stumbled down that mountain then would you love me less
Lord would you love me less
What if I were everyone's last choice, what if I mixed in with the rest
What if I failed what I passed before then would you love me less
Lord would you would you love me less
You say I belong to you apart from the things I do
You say I belong to you, I'm in awe of why you do
What have I done to deserve your son sent to die for me
What can I give, I want to live, give my eyes to see
In a world that keeps changing
There's one thing that I know is true
Your love is staying there's nothing else I'll hold on to
I'm in awe of you, I'm in awe of you
The way you love me, the way you do
The way you do, the way you love me, you love me.
John 10:17-18
"This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father."
Romans 5:6-8
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. "
Romans 8:31-39
"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Monday, March 23, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
"others" perspective
I read this article in the April 2009 edition of Psychology Today magazine at work the other day.
Titled, You're Driving Me Crazy! by Jay Dixit. The tag line reads: Petty annoyances erode even the best relationships. When you've picked up your husband's 2,543rd dirty sock, something's gotta change. Most likely, it's YOU.
Obviously, it's an article on long-term, marital relationships. I'm a single dude. But I thought there were some good principles and points made about how I treat some of my closest friends, family, and people I'm most familiar with. The article reminded me of my ugly, unloving attitude towards other people. Whether it was my perspective, actions, words spoken to strangers or especially people I'm close with relationally - the article was aptly timed.
Excerpts:
"'You don't really live with the partner in your home, You live with the partner in your head,' explains Van Epp. Gradually, you begin looking for evidence that your partner is self-absorbed - and of course you find it. Your perceptions shift over time: The idealized partner you started out with becomes, well, less ideal.
But if you want to stay in a relationship, something needs to change.
In all likelihood, it's you.
With most couples, the problem isn't insufficient communication but too much communication. Many couples get caught in vicious cycles of complaining and criticizing each other, hammerring the same issues over and over.
Not only is criticism flat-out destructive to a relationship, it often doesn't budge an issue. Most behaviors never change - because most relationship problems are unresolvable. Gottman calculates 69 percent of all marital provlems are immutable, arising from basic personality differences between partners.
In other words, what you can change is your perspective."
This past Friday night, our campus ministry delved into Matthew 7:1-12 together. A goodie on how we treat and view others/ourselves. The one thing to remember: We must display our Father's love in our relationships.
Three times this week, God spoke to me through (others) in 1 John 4:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we muight live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
I am reminded daily of God's grace. Sometimes the way I respond is humility. Other times, my mind remains stagnant and I get even more proud, resisting the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. A constant test of my obedience - will I yield?
This Kingdom of Heaven is truly astounding. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. Where I must be the servant of all. Instead of looking at others in disdain thinking "They should change because I'm right and they're wrong/worse than me!", I must look at myself through the Father's eyes and then see others with a renewed perspective. Wow. Blows my mind.
"Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"
Titled, You're Driving Me Crazy! by Jay Dixit. The tag line reads: Petty annoyances erode even the best relationships. When you've picked up your husband's 2,543rd dirty sock, something's gotta change. Most likely, it's YOU.
Obviously, it's an article on long-term, marital relationships. I'm a single dude. But I thought there were some good principles and points made about how I treat some of my closest friends, family, and people I'm most familiar with. The article reminded me of my ugly, unloving attitude towards other people. Whether it was my perspective, actions, words spoken to strangers or especially people I'm close with relationally - the article was aptly timed.
Excerpts:
"'You don't really live with the partner in your home, You live with the partner in your head,' explains Van Epp. Gradually, you begin looking for evidence that your partner is self-absorbed - and of course you find it. Your perceptions shift over time: The idealized partner you started out with becomes, well, less ideal.
But if you want to stay in a relationship, something needs to change.
In all likelihood, it's you.
With most couples, the problem isn't insufficient communication but too much communication. Many couples get caught in vicious cycles of complaining and criticizing each other, hammerring the same issues over and over.
Not only is criticism flat-out destructive to a relationship, it often doesn't budge an issue. Most behaviors never change - because most relationship problems are unresolvable. Gottman calculates 69 percent of all marital provlems are immutable, arising from basic personality differences between partners.
In other words, what you can change is your perspective."
This past Friday night, our campus ministry delved into Matthew 7:1-12 together. A goodie on how we treat and view others/ourselves. The one thing to remember: We must display our Father's love in our relationships.
Three times this week, God spoke to me through (others) in 1 John 4:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we muight live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
I am reminded daily of God's grace. Sometimes the way I respond is humility. Other times, my mind remains stagnant and I get even more proud, resisting the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. A constant test of my obedience - will I yield?
This Kingdom of Heaven is truly astounding. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. Where I must be the servant of all. Instead of looking at others in disdain thinking "They should change because I'm right and they're wrong/worse than me!", I must look at myself through the Father's eyes and then see others with a renewed perspective. Wow. Blows my mind.
"Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"
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