loving Him. living for Him.

What does it look like? Just some thoughts and random ramblings...

We have to be totally and irrevocably in love with Jesus. No looking back. Being in love with Him will change the way we act, the way we think... We will change to become more attractive to Him. We change to fit the mold. His mold. And the thing about changing to His standards and desires, He never asks us to change into something that contradicts Him. So the change is always for our best and His glory…!! 

We absolutely cannot love Him in our own strength. Impossible. The Holy Spirit is the only One that can drench us in that love. I heard a really good quote one time. “Only God can love God.” SO true! And only Jesus in us can truly love someone else. Love is a choice. And if we really and truly love someone, we are willing to give of ourselves, fully. Completely. To quote a good friend, “...people in love are willing to make themselves vulnerable to each other, because that is the only way true intimacy is allowed to develop.”  Yes. The thing that blows me away is that when we truly love Him, being vulnerable doesn't scare us, you know? Because we trust Him. The same goes for human love.

To know Him is to love Him. The more we get to know Him, the more we just can’t help but love Him, and then we wanna get to know Him even more. I think the same goes for people too...  Love is an attitude, not an action. Holy Spirit can “hasten” our love for Him. I mean, if you ever just ask the Holy Spirit to give you love for Jesus….He wants to.  He loves Jesus like no other and we've got Him living inside us! If we have the privilege of asking for wisdom, grace, knowledge, peace… why not ask for a supernatural filling of love for Him? Lord. Give me grace. 

"Would you die for Christ? Deny Him and live, or embrace Him and die?" Over the years, I've heard this question posed many different ways. Death for the sake of Christ. A beautiful and utterly terrifying thing. Our flesh fights it, our spirit longs for it. The obvious answer is “yes” but when faced with it—when a gun is pointed in my face—would I actually do it? 

Sometimes, I just ache to be in control of my own life!! I have ALL these ideas and dreams and desires. And it's not necessarily wrong. It all sounds so good, even God-glorifying. But I don’t believe Jesus wants us to stress about “doing His perfect will.” And I really think Jesus put those desires there for a reason…  If we give ourselves over to unadulterated love and praise to Him, everything else will fall into place. His desires will become our desires. If we pursue Him with everything that we are, He will not abandon us. He longs to give us good gifts. The one thing I have to keep telling myself is that no matter what I think is good for me, whatever Jesus has planned is going to be a million times better.  And really, without Him at the center of my plans, how could I truly succeed anyway?

When I said “yes” to Jesus, what was I saying “yes” to? Fame? Fortune? Comfort? Easy life? Nope. With my "yes," I was instantly made an enemy of the world and all that it holds dear. I got this picture. Standing in front of Jesus, holding out my hands, in servitude. 1 Corinthians 7:22. “He who was called while free, is Christ’s slave.”  If everything worked as it was supposed to, my "yes" would give Him complete control right from the beginning... My battles would be His battles. He's much better at fighting and making those "life altering" decisions than I am.  He is my most dedicated Protector.

It would be an easy choice if I didn't have moments of being scared and fearful of what was to come. It can be scary. But I'm not giving myself over to a tyrant. He knows me better than I know myself. He doggedly pursues me, revealing His perfect love. And perfect love casts out fear.  Another picture. Life is a long stretch of coast line. Walking on the beach with Jesus, next to Him, holding His hand. Content to walk beside. Not looking over my shoulder at what is behind me, not straining my eyes to see ahead. Not even letting go of His hand to run back, or run forward. Simply walking. And every good thing along the way is a lovely gift from Him....right from His heart. Just for me.

A thought. If I am ever faced with a time when I'm asked to die for Christ, this is what will be going through my mind: The people wanting to kill me have no idea the gift they are giving me. To (finally!!) be face to face with Christ, leaving behind this world forever, it leaves me breathless… He IS the ultimate prize. He lived and died so I might be with Him… “Therefore since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.” 

Just as He is our prize, we are His inheritance.