Living for Something Larger Than Ourselves

"And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:15

"The way I see it, we ought to be expendable. In the military, we were taught that to obtain our objectives we had to be willing to be expendable. Missionaries must face that same expendability." - Nate Saint

"Such fatigues and hardship as these serve to wean me more from the earth; and, I trust, will make 

heaven the sweeter. Formerly, when I was thus exposed to cold, rain, etc., I was ready to please 

myself with the thoughts of enjoying a comfortable house, a warm fire, and other outward comforts; 

but now these have less place in my heart (through the grace of God) and my eye is more to God for 

comfort." - David Brainerd


These past few days I've seen a weakness in myself. I love comfort. That's not the weakness though. Where I find my comfort is. I look to circumstances--physical location, my schedule, my resources--to provide my feeling of comfort. Comfort is a good thing. But we need to go to the right place for our comfort. 

I've lived what some would call a charmed life. Why I've been so blessed, I'm not totally sure. I want to be grateful for those blessings. But I don't want to depend on them more than I depend on the One who gives them. 

I'm starting to see that my blessings should be a means to glorify God. God blessed Abraham so that he would be a blessing and so that ultimately, the nations may give glory to God (Genesis 12:1-3). If I see my blessings that way, then I won't be offended when they are taken away. Because, just as my "plenty" is meant to glorify God, so is my "lacking." I want to have the courage to bear both. I want to be so dependent on God that neither fears nor sorrow, nor pleasures have sway on my soul. 

I'm not there yet. 

I keep praying to know the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:19), because I believe only then, when I am rooted in His love, will I have the trust to sustain me. 

I love Bethel's song, "Brave." Notice how most of the song describes God's love and character. It is only after the foundation of knowing Him is laid that bravery follows. 

The funny thing about all this, is that it's upside down. You'd think that chasing bravery would be a scary thing. You'd think that facing the prospect of losing material comforts would cause chills (and sometimes it does!). But the apostle Paul didn't see it that way. Paul saw it as a gift. "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." Jesus's death freed us from the bondage of living for ourselves. In Him, we are offered something much greater, much sweeter. We are offered the privilege of living for Him...Wow. 

Lord, let my heart be enraptured by the greatness of that reality. 

Learning Love

I've been thinking lately about love. I've seen some people really good at it. They love people well. They think about others first. I want that trait to mark my life. Below is a poem that came out of some of those thoughts. 

Teach Me How to Love

Scornful eye cast

     on one less along

Perception of being

     farther along

Hidden rejection of

     someone I should love

Crying, “I want to know You.”

     But You are Love,

The command You give,

     “One another, love.”

Not searching for

     poetry, praise, A’s

“Feed Me, Clothe Me, Visit Me.”

     This to the least of these.

Greatest of all

      used towel and bowl

On knees, washing feet.

     Love with heart, mind, body, soul.

Though I’ve everything

     lacking this I’m nothing

You look at heart

     not at shell

Give not merely words

     but life as well

This, this will outlast all.

     While else falls to dust.

God, my God,

     we can because You have.

God, my God,

     teach me how to love.

I was reading in Ephesians 3:14-19, verses I'd read dozens of times before, and was struck by them, especially by verse 19, Paul's prayer for the church in Ephesus, "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." 

That's it. 

I long for a full life, a rich life, an abundant life. One with no regrets. One that is significant. One that is not wasted. I want to experience for all my days the fullness of God. And this is the fullness of God...knowing the love of Christ. 

Searching for the word "know" in a Bible concordance, I found that it means to learn to know, to perceive, to feel. It even can denote intimacy between a husband and wife. This knowing of Christ's love is more than intellectual knowledge. It is a real knowing, an encountering.  

If I ever hope to love others, I need to know His love first (1 John 4:19). I have been praying Ephesians 3:18-19 for myself and others; "Lord, let me know Your love that I may be filled with the fullness of God." 

Verse 20 gives me hope. He "is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think." He is able to do it. Amen. 

A Few of My Favorite Things

Starry heavens

Clear Winter nights

The sound of snow

Sunny morning sky

The smell of coffee

Brother strumming on guitar

Powerline horizons

The scent of red dirt

The feeling of spring

Hawaii

Sloppy wet niece kisses

Brother-sister talks

Daddy's hugs

Yellow carnations

Momma's steady love

Tight friends' hugs

Good books

Songs that stir

Worship

Dancing

Wins

Family cabins

Blue Bell ice cream

The Smoky Mountains

Family weddings

Colorful roses

Candles burning

Crackling fires

Epic movies

T-shirt sheets

Prayer

Blessings

Walks on the beach

Childhood stories

Big dogs

Christmas

The Bible 

Worth It

I was reading through one of my old journals and came across an entry that I'd like to share, if only to remind myself of the message.

I've transcribed a condensed and modified version below. The original was written on March 16, 2011.

I was reading from Beth Moore's A Heart Like His, a study on the life of David. This passage stood out to me: "God is looking for qualities that remind Him of His Son, the object of His most supreme affections. These qualities are developed in us at no small cost, just as they were in the life of David; but the pleasure of God is profoundly, indescribably worth it!" (166). 

These qualities--humility, accountability, worshipfulness, dedication, justice, kindness, restoration, protectiveness, to name a few--come by walking with the Holy Spirit. 

I don't know what the cost will be...to have these attributes in my life. But I think of God looking at me, pleasure in His eyes and heart, because I remind Him of Jesus...and that seems so valuable. To  stand before Him at the dawn of eternity and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant" is indeed worth every discomfort, every sacrifice, every inconvenience, every pain, every trial. 

I ask for the grace to be humbly obedient, just like my Rescuer was. 

Treasures

Last week, a dear friend invited me over to her house for coffee simply for the purpose of fellowship and to talk about writing. It was a treat! We enjoyed good coffee and even better conversation.

It's one of the events of the past couple of weeks that has reminded me of something. These are some of the others...

My parents recently spoke at a gathering at my church, telling their story. One of points they emphasized was the importance of being plugged into the body of Christ.

My youth pastor was having a water slide day at his house, and my sister invited me to come (even though I'm not in youth). I did. It was fun!

Last Sunday I sat in on my church's young adult group, talking and fellowship with people...

I realized how much I miss relationships. True, I'm introverted and like some good time to myself, but I also realize how much I need other people. You see, other people can see things differently than I can. They point out things I may miss. They make me laugh. They let me cry. They refresh my heart. It's the way Jesus created His Body--to need on another and to bless one another. I'm thankful that people care enough to invite me...even when I've told them "no" ten times before. I'm thankful for the Church. For friends. For family. And the reason it's so good is because He's in it.

Good times. And it's just the beginning!

Family

This morning I had a sweet time with the Lord.

For a brief weekend, some old friends and new friends of mine stayed at my house. I had asked the Lord before their trip that the visit would be one of encouragement and refreshment for both parties. I can say that, at least from my part, it was.

This morning I woke up early to see them off. I intended to going to back to bed once they left, but the house was so quiet, I couldn't resist an opportunity. I had put a kettle on for some hot water and made a cup of wild orange tea. Then, in the stillness of the early morning, the sky still mostly dark, I sat in our living room and journaled. And read my Bible. And thought. And prayed.

I've had the privilege of meeting believers from various parts of the U.S. as well as some in Ireland. Some of those people I may never see again on this earth. Still, they have a special place in my heart. Yet as I reflected this morning, I was thankful at the kindness of our God, who adopts us into His family. And while we may be spread out over the ends of the earth for a while, one day, we will all be together. I love the family of God. Like any family, we have our struggles. But there is no other family I would want to have. When I think of the things that bond people together, I know that there is nothing stronger than knowing that we are saved by Jesus and have a destiny to live for and with Him.

Life is busy. Days can be long. I get caught up in to-do-lists as much or more than the next person, stressing over all that "needs" to be done. But today, for a moment, my heart was stilled. I recently learned the definition of 'peace' as it is used in Galatians 5. It means, 'To set at one again.'
We worship a kind Lord. He sets our hearts at one again. We are whole in Him. And in each other. Our Family, where Christ is Head.

Grace

Earlier this week I started reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship. In chapter 1, Bonhoeffer discusses cheap vs. costly grace. He sarcastically writes, "Let him [the person content with cheap grace] be comforted and rest assured in his possession of this grace--for grace alone does everything. Instead of following Christ, let the Christian enjoy the consolations of his grace!"

This set me to thinking about the way we think about sin. I believe sometimes we focus too much on sin. Sin, ultimately, is not the issue. A relationship with the Most High God is. It is in the essence of our being, written into the fabric of our creation. We were meant for a relationship with Him. Thus sin cannot be ignored and must be dealt with seriously, but not because it merits that much attention but because it stands in the way of something that does. If sin is the great wall that separates us from God then it must be torn down--violently--but not for the mere entertainment of us watching a wall crumble. Likewise if grace is the bridge that enables us to cross the chasm that sin creates, the bridge is not built so we merely may stand on it; it is built so we may reach the other side.

I do not want to under-emphasize grace. It is one of the most powerful things in the world. Like I believe Bonhoeffer is saying, if we like grace simply because is pardons our mistakes, we do not think nearly enough of it. Grace is so wonderful because it covers our hideous sin (and to appreciate grace I think we really must see our sin this way) and allows us to have what God intended for us to have, a right relationship with Him. The pardoning of sin is not so glorious because it takes away our guilt but because it allows us to be righteous. It is not wonderful merely because it liberates us from bondage but because it brings us into life with Christ. This is why we must not use it as an excuse to keep sinning, for by doing so we misunderstand the intent of grace. Through true grace, may we see the absolute evil of our sin and the absolute magnificence of Christ.

We were helpless in our sin. But Christ is abundant in grace. So He took our punishment. Not so we could feel better about ourselves but so we could lose ourselves that we might find ourselves in Him.