what Jesus did for two days longer? John 11:6
“Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.”
Jesus
Saturday Fun
I love praying randomly like writing words and filling up the entire page, which is probably why I love this idea:
(yeah…I know that picture doesn’t have color, but I LOVE the idea of focusing on the names of God so check out the website for other examples with actual color and then try it out! I know I’m going to try to use a bit more splash in my journal.)
Do I Believe You?
“You keep no record of my sin. You don’t remember all my shame.”
While listening to this song in church, I penned a big question down in my journal:
Do I believe You?
See, I don’t just want to believe IN Him, but I want to believe Him.
I want to LET Him love me. I don’t want to shy away from His loving embrace.
“Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.5It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].6It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.7Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].8Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].
13And so faith, hope, love abide [faith–conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things; hope–joyful and confident expectation of external salvation; love–true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], these three, but the the greatest of these is love.
Do you believe Him?
Wait a Second…
Has anyone here been healed?
Why do I immediately put healing into the category of only PHYSICAL?
Yes, there are all kinds of records of physical healing, but
Jesus is in the business of healing hearts too…
And oh, how He wants our hearts…
❤
“You won’t relent until you have it all…my heart is yours…”
Works for Wednesday
Work=activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
Ergon (Greek word): deed, doing, labor, work. From a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication, an act — deed, doing, labour, work.
John 6:27-29
“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”
Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
I read this passage and walked away wondering…Am I trying to make this so complicated? Am I trying to find a formula or isolate those areas that “work” for me rather than keeping it as simple as believing in Him? Maybe, just maybe, it’s more of a risk in trust to venture confidently with belief rather than reason, logic and oh, yes…experiences or what’s worked in the past. I don’t want to get what I’ve always gotten…I want to let Him take me places that go beyond what I can ask or imagine.
Just a few rough-edged thoughts…what do you think?
Smattering
In hard times she’d learned three things–
She was stronger than she’d ever imagined.
Jesus was closer than she ever realized.
And she was loved more than she ever knew.
“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9b) So, I raised my hand and said (out loud), “I believe: God is who He says He is. God can do what He says He can do. I am who God says I am. I can do all things through Christ. God’s Word is alive and active in me.” (from Beth Moore’s Believing God study)
–A Path from the Head to the Heart
Matthew 5:3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. (The Message Version)
Part of being made new is also a call to to forget “the former things” (Isaiah 43:18). The decision to let go of our expectations based on what has been familiar can be really tough. But when we do, we give God permission to knock our socks off. We let go of our self-imposed limitations. We dream bigger and reach higher.
-“He Makes All Things New” -Thrive
History tells us that God doesn’t forget His people and He’s not going to start with you. When He does show up, you’ll know that it’s unmistakably Him.
-Cross Point Church| Faith, Hope and Love Series
Songs and Lyrics for Leaving “Home”
Why are you crying…let me lift up your face… just don’t turn away. To where will you go, child, tell me where will you run. Cause I’ll be by your side wherever you falling, dead of night whenever you calling, please don’t fight these hands that are holding you, my hands are holding you.
You may find me in the midnight, falling down upon my knees, riding out another storm praying for some peace even when I feel alone Jesus this I know You will never leave me, you will always be the one who is holding onto me…i will not give into fear cause lord i know you’re here. though my heart is breaking…I’m standing strong because I believe you have promised me You’ll never leave.
love is here, love is now
If there’s no other way, I’m done asking why. Cause I’m on my knees begging You to turn to me. I’m on my knees Father will you run to me. One tear in the driving rain. One voice in a sea of pain. Could the maker of the stars hear the sound of my breaking heart? One life that’s all I have. Right now I can barely stand. If you’re everything You say you are would you come close and hold my heart. So many questions without answers Your promises remain. I can’t see, but I’ll take my chances to hear you call my name.
ht: Sidewalk Prophets “These Simple Truths” album and Tenth Avenue North “Over and Underneath” ablum
Thunderstorm!!
You probably can’t tell in this picture…but lightning and thunder and lots of rain are happening right through that window. The power flickered for a bit and I got completely drenched walking down to dinner! I love a good storm. Mostly because of the change, the awe, the power, the sound, and the gorgeous new green grass. I’m feeling this in my life lately too. I see now the newness that comes after the storm and after light has been shed on dark areas. Storms in life and being starkly exposed can bring such great intimacy and new life in Christ if we choose to respond positively. So, how are you responding to His pursuit of intimacy with you today?
Lesson of the Day
As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’m learning and re-learning things. Part of this includes wrestling with how things will look and seeking guidance from Him and others. Today, turned out to be one of those days where I learned a bit more and made the lesson a little more tangible, real, and sink in. Since I’m into those dictionary definitions lately, we’ll start there:
let go: relinquish one’s grip, allow to move, stop holding onto
To go along with this definition, there’s this little handy story to go along with it. I have a watch that I decide to give to you. I give the watch to you and put it on your wrist. Except, I decide I want to look at the time so I take it back and then put it back on your wrist. Or maybe I just hold onto the watch while it’s on your wrist or keep touching the watch while you’re wearing it. Awkward, I know! Basically, if I keep doing this then I haven’t really given you the watch. We’re more sharing the watch or I’m trying really hard to get the watch back. So, if I want to “let go” of the watch, I must actually give it up and not peek at it or take it back for a few minutes, for a second or for any amount of time.
The same thing is true with the things that we lay down at the cross for Jesus to take care of for us. We have to trust Him with the valuable item and let Him have it completely. He gets to do whatever He wants with that watch whether He changes it into something else or gives it to someone else or even lets us have it back some day. We can’t hold onto the watch or try to keep tabs on what He’s doing in and for the watch. At this time, for me, this tangibly means that I have to let go of communicating, checking blogs, asking others, and I need to genuinely and continually trust Jesus with the whole situation and lay it at the cross (He even gave me a physical reminder by leaving the outline of my cross necklace thanks to some happy sunshine). Laying it down and actually letting go is hard, but once again worth it in the end because then I’m not focused on what I’ve “let go” at all. I only fix my eyes on Jesus who can give me whatever He wants in whatever timing He likes.
Wonderwall
Wonder: a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar or inexplicable
Wall: a continuous vertical brick or stone structure that encloses or divides an area of land. something perceived as a protective or restrictive barrier.
“Today is gonna be the day that they’re gonna throw it back to you
by now you shoulda somehow realized what you gotta do
I don’t believe anybody feels the way I do about you now
And all the roads we have to walk are winding
and all the lights that lead us there are blinding
Because maybe you’re gonna be the one that saves me
and after all you’re my wonderwall.“
I’ve realized what “I gotta do.” Run to my wonderwall (my protector, my strong tower, the one who leaves me in awe and wonder at His love and forgiveness). Run to Jesus. Because that is where I find healing and I trust Him “because You’re gonna be the one that saves me.” He is the one that makes “all the lights that lead [me] there are blinding.” He brings light to the darkness (1 John 1:5). God is so blinding that Moses literally glowed when he left the presence of the Lord (Exodus 34:29). He makes a way in the wilderness: “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19). He wants me to get to the place where He wants me and to do what “I gotta do” because He knows what is best and causes all things to work for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). He loves me like no nobody else does. So, that’s where I’m running today. To the foot of the cross where I lay it all down and ask Him to “take it all” because I trust Him. He’s my wonderwall.
b'ahava 