Who Loves Ya, Baby?

I am veering from my usual blogging style just a bit for this one. I really want to get down to basics and speak to you from my heart. So far in this 2014 Blog Challenge, I have written about who we are in Christ (meaning when we give our hearts to God, he makes us new). However, I want to tell you something that is at the very core of everything. I mean EVERYTHING. It is the core of why you even exist.


You are valued. You are cherished. You are loved. You are special.


You. Are.

Psalm 139:13-17 (NLT)

¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
¹⁵ You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
¹⁶ You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!

I know the enemy fights you. I know he tells you lies about your beauty, worth, purpose, character, and future. He doesn't like you. He doesn't value you. He hates you. I'm here to tell you, though, that it is nothing personal. It FEELS personal and it hurts, but Satan doesn't care about hurting you. He cares about hurting God. Why would hurting you matter to God?


It is because God LOVES you. The Creator made you special and complex. You are marvelous just the way you are! You've never been alone, even when you were being formed in the womb, because it is not in God's nature to leave your side. He can't take his eyes off of you! He has special plans for your life and your life has purpose. You are always on his mind.


You are precious to God. You are a treasure to him. A TREASURE. The next time the enemy tries to tell you otherwise, just come back and re-read this blog remembering WHO made you and WHO loves you. Remember your worth. 


YOU are anything but typical.

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Sacred Masterpiece

We were dead. All of us. You, me, the entire human race. Dead. It wasn't a physical death, but a spiritual one that was a result of our sins and transgressions. Many people don't realize the ramifications of living in sin, but the Bible tells us that spiritual death is the result. When you combine spiritual death with physical death, well, that's the point of no return.

 

When one is physically dead, he can not raise himself up to life. He is powerless to change his position. The same is true of spiritual death. For this reason, God chose to step in and come to our rescue. He is omnipotent so he is powerful when we are powerless. Take a look at what happens when God gets involved:

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. 2 You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God's anger just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, 5 that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms -- all because we are one with Christ Jesus. 7 And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.   

While we were still conniving, ungrateful sinners, God sent Jesus to die for us which made a way for us to come alive, be raised up with Christ, and live forever in Heaven. I'm not sure about you, but that's a lot more than I could offer anyone who was on my enemies side. The best part is that God, in his kindness, makes it so easy for us to come to him (we're the ones who make it hard). He offers grace; all he asks is that we have FAITH.

 

Those who accept God's grace are spiritually re-created and experience this glorious plan that He designed for us. No longer defined by our sin, we become God's MASTERPIECE much like some of the great paintings and sculptures found in history. Even a poem can be considered a masterpiece. I love poetry and have often written poems when I am in the depths of emotion (whether it be joy, grief, anger, etc.). Each poem is so personal to me that they are almost sacred. In that same way, we are God's poetry.

 

                Source: Cast a Line, 2011, license

This says a lot about our value and purpose. Our worth as Christians is not based on how good we can act, how many rules we can follow, or how righteous we appear to others. The only value we have was given to us by a holy God and there's nothing we can do to earn it. It is a free gift that changed us from a dead sinner to a sacred poem of the Most High God.

You are His sacred masterpiece!

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He Cracked The Dashboard

I love my Daddy. He is a big, snuggly teady bear type of guy with a huge heart. He is probably one of the most patient people I've ever met. He will take a lot more from people that I am capable of taking, but even my sweet Daddy has a point that you don't want to cross and when you get there....you'll know. Few people have caused him to lose control of his temper, but we had an old car once that suffered the brunt of his anger as his fist came down and cracked the entire dashboard!  We laugh about it now, but I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time.

Some people anger easily and some don't. Some people get offended easily and some don't. If you are one who is easily offended, you may want to stop reading here (disclaimer....you have been warned).

God is wrathful. Much like my sweet earthly Daddy, God can take a lot from us, but He has a line that you don't want to cross. Many people don't like to think about the wrath of God. It is easy to think about all the "good" things, like His faithfulness, mercy, holiness, wisdom, and love. Those types of things are the ones that give us the warm fuzzies as we leave church bolding singing, "He has made me glad, he has mad me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad!" When you mention the wrath of God, you get a weird, cockeyed look from people as if you've grown a second head.

They don't want to hear it. It scares them. It makes them uncomfortable. We don't "typically" talk about those types of things even in "Christian circles." 

But we should. "Why?" you ask (and I'm SO glad you asked!)?

1. People who claim to be Christians and yet reject the wrath of God may as well reject Him entirely. You can't pick which parts of God you'll take and which one's you'll leave at the store. He's not produce!

2. The wrath of God draws clear lines. If you obey God and are not His enemy, you have no need to worry about being on the receiving end of His wrath. His wrath is not for His children, it's for His enemies.

3. If you are a Christian, the enemies of God are YOUR enemies, too. God's wrath is just another promise of how He will take care of you and will ultimately win in the end (if you're from the old-school, this is where the white hankies start to fly!).

4. It is only when you fully embrace God's wrath as a part of His attributes that you fully understand the sacrifice He made in offering His Son to die for your sins when He very easily could have raised His mighty fist and crushed the world! Instead, He chose to offer another way....another chance. (You can thank my dear husband for that final point.)

Here's what His word says... 

Nahum 1:2-8

2 The LORD is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and wrath. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and furiously destroys his enemies! 3 The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet. 4 At his command the oceans and rivers dry up, the lush pastures of Bashan and Carmel fade, and the green forests of Lebanon wilt. 5 In his presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles, and its people are destroyed. 6 Who can stand before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence. 7 The LORD is good. When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge. And he knows everyone who trusts in him. 8 But he sweeps away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He pursues his foes into the darkness of night.  

Thank you, God, for your plan to take care of our enemies once and for all. Thank you also for your plan to save our souls once and for all. While the thought of your wrath makes us cringe sometimes, the knowledge of your love for us is far greater. Thank you for your boundaries and letting us know what they are. I accept your wrath just as I accept your love. I want all of you. Nothing else will do. 

Mr. Know-It-All

We all know one (at least one) person who thinks they know everything. These are the obnoxious people who correct you when you weren't even wrong only to tell you how you could have been MORE right. They throw in needless information because they feel that the conversation is somehow inadequate without their contribution. Here in the south, these people end up earning a nickname: Mr. or Mrs. Know-It-All. While some people would love nothing more than to be called that in public (for everyone to hear), I assure you, it's not a compliment. 

There is One who is the ultimate "know-it-all" and He is God. The proper term is called "omniscient." It means that God knows everything. It sounds like it means that God is just really smart and knows all there is to know, but it's deeper than that. Much deeper.

Let's take a look...

Psalm 139:1-6

1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. 3 You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. 5 You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know!  

It gets a little more personal when you realize that God knows everything about you. He knows your thoughts, your words, your motives, your secrets, your sin, your weaknesses and your strengths. He knows when you stand, sit, walk, run and kneel (ahem). He knows your limitations and when you need to rest. He knows when you've had all you can take and when you can push a little further. He knows all of your wounds, heartaches and brokenness, but He also knows all of your pride, arrogance, and selfishness. Wherever you go, He has gone before and will go after you.

I don't know about you, but that is a pretty scary thought. The God of all creation knows EVERYTHING about me. I mess up. I am FAR from perfect and I don't always do the right thing. I'm a human who was born with a sin nature just like everyone else on the planet. I am hopeless without Him. I know how easy it is to slip into sin and how hard repentance can be. I look at all the things I know about myself and all things God knows about me and I am humbled...especially by the last part of verse 5 in the previous scripture. It says, "...You place your hand of blessing on my head."

Such knowledge truly is too wonderful for me and too great for me to know! He knows it all...AND YET. Those are two of my favorite words because it means that in spite of us, God can do some incredible things that are Anything But Typical. It's not typical to love people who betray you. It's not typical to bless people who curse you. It's not typical to offer life to those who are dead in sin...but He did because not only does He know your past, and your present, but He knows what you CAN be with Him.

WOW! Even though we are miserable wretches without God, He still extends His hand of love and blessing. He knows all of our sin and yet He loves us anyway! I am so unworthy!

Saved by a....string?

God is love, but not the love we understand as humans. As powerful as human love can be, God's love is so deep and strong that it is unfathomable. We can't understand it.

1 John 4:7-10

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God -- for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  

The only reason we even have the ability to love is because we are made in the image of God. God made us to love Him and love each other. He demonstrated how love works Himself by sending His only Son, Jesus, on a rescue mission for our souls. He gave up someone who meant a lot to Him and allowed him to be abused, mistreated, and beaten for our sakes. His Son was perfect! He commited no sin and yet He died for our sin. He took the blame, shame, and responsibility for us. He took the punishment that should have been ours (we are the ones who deserve it, after all) so we didn't have to.

That is love as well.

Because of the love of the Father and the love of the Son, we are free from the bondage of sin, death, and eternal punishment. What do we get instead? God! Heaven! Eternal LIFE!  Freedom! That's worth shouting about!

Some might say, "Yeah, but love is never free. There are always strings attached." While I can see why would may think that on the human level (I know I have thought that on many occasions), God's strings are much different. Here's what God wants from you....He wants you to:

1. Tell him that you know you've sinned and that you are truly sorry.

2. Turn away from your sins and ask God to forgive you and be the Lord of your life.

3. Believe that Jesus died for your sins and accept His gift of grace and love.

It's true that love comes with strings sometimes. Some strings bind you to things you don't need or want. The strings with God's love are like the very strings that pull you to safety when you're drowning in the sea. These strings bring life, healing, and never-ending love from an infinite, holy God.

I can't imagine why He would love me. I know what a mess I am at times and I know that many times, I fail Him. I have been mean, ungreatful, rebellious, and disrespectful to Him. I have sinned and fallen short of His desires for me. I have been so thick-headed that at times I thought God would have to hit me over the head with a brick to get through my thick skull. And yet, He loves me. He loved me first which is why I even have the ability to come to Him and apologize for my random acts of selfishness and stupidity. Every time I mess up, God is there and always ready to offer forgiveness and restoration.

It's when you look at God's love that you realize that you don't know as much about love as you thought. Holy Father, please teach me more about your love and help me to love You and others better.

I feel like a blonde joke.

Years ago, blonde jokes were "all the rage." Every time you turned around someone was coming up with another joke about people with blonde hair (implying, of course, that they are all dumb air-heads). Even though I was born with blonde hair, I must admit that I have laughed at my fair share of those jokes. One of my favorites goes something like this:

How do you kill a blonde? Answer: Put spikes on her shoulder pads!

Yeah, yeah, I know. Not only is that one mean, but it is totally dated. For any of my younger friends, you're probably thinking, "What the heck are shoulder pads?" You don't want to know.

I say all of that to say that I felt like a blonde today because as I meditated on today's attribute of God, I kept finding myself getting lost in thought, cocking my head to one side, and staring blankly into space with a confused look on my face.

Omnipotent. God is onmipotent.

Omnipotent is one of those terms that can easily be "church-i-fied" (a christy-ism, of course), underestimated, and taken for granted. Many of the sacred words used to describe God have been said so much in the church that people often say them without even understanding what they mean.

Omnipotent means that God is powerful. Not only that, but if you remember yesterday's blog, I wrote how God is infinite (no limits whatsoever). So when you put those two together, you get an unlimited God who has unlimited power.

HARD. Concept. For me. To grasp.

Check this out:

Jeremiah 32:17-18, 26-27

17 "O Sovereign LORD! You have made the heavens and earth by your great power. Nothing is too hard for you! 18 You are loving and kind to thousands, though children suffer for their parents' sins. You are the great and powerful God, the LORD Almighty.

26 Then this message came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 27 "I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?

My human brain is so finite and limited that I just can't understand the reality of no limits. I look at myself and my own life and see LOTS of limits. I try to be a positive person, but the truth is that I can be very skeptical, cynical, and negative sometimes (and when I am feeling that way, I don't want all your cutsie smilie faces and jokes, LOL). As most of you would imagine, I am not this way as often as I used to be because of the grace of God and the things he has taught me over this past year and half of my life.

Still, my life as a human being is very limited. I have hopes and dreams that will never be fulfilled. I have put a cap on the whole height thing and it's all a journey to munchkinland from this point forward (bone loss with age, yadda yadda yadda). I have to wait in the check out line holding one item while the person in front of me has a full cart and I'm in a hurry. I have to endure the idiot drivers who think its ok to speed and ride my bumper while I pretend they're honking because they love Jesus.

I am limited. This world is my temporary home, thankfully, and I look forward to the day where I don't have to worry with the limitations of this life. But for now, I am a limited person trying to understand an unlimited God.

This verse says that:

1. Nothing is too hard for God.

2. He loves people (even when the children are suffering for the sins of their parents) and is kind to them.

3. He is great and powerful.

Even though I can't fathom the love, power, and greatness of God with my faulty human brain, there are some things I understand with my heart.

I understand that because of God's omnipotence, I am safe with Him. He loves me in spite of my faults and has the power to do anything. Read that again: anything.

If God has the power to do anything, why do I struggle with doubt? Why do I worry? What is there to fear if God is on my side?! Nothing!

Our struggles and pain in this life can be too much to bear at times, but it's not too hard for God.

And now, I must go continue my meditation because at this point, I want Him to search my heart and show me anything that I have been afraid to give over to Him. Are there any reigns that I simply can't let go of? I want to know so I can confess that to Him and be healed.

I serve an unlimited God who has such an abundance of power that NOTHING is too difficult for Him. That means it's time for me to let go of it all and trust Him completely. How about you?