Questions

          God hit me with a tough question awhile back, and I can't seem to get it off my mind. It’s the kind of question that can bring you humbly to your knees if you truly examine the inner workings of your heart. The question was… What are you doing today, to prepare for eternity tomorrow? In other words, how am I any more prepared for God to come back today than I would’ve been if He had come back yesterday? Am I one step closer to God’s vision for my life, or have I fallen two steps behind? Have I added anything to the kingdom of God, or have I selfishly hoarded everything He’s given so freely to me?

          This question came to me when I was watching a news story about Billy Graham’s 93^rd birthday. My mom and I were talking about how awesome of a man of God he’s been, and with his latest book being titled “Nearing Home” we talked about how his ministry has come full circle. Then my mom said something that really stuck out to me, she said, “You know, of all the thousands of people who’ve come to know Christ through Billy Graham, I wonder who that one person is that God’s waiting for Billy Graham to reach before He finally calls him home?” Her question sunk into my heart, and as I pondered it, God began to speak to me. Who’s the one person He’s waiting on me to reach? Am I even trying to reach them? Do I really have a desire to be the hands and feet of Christ? Am I really trying to increase the Kingdom of God, or am I more worried about adding to my own earthly kingdom?

          I couldn’t help but think of my friend, Trey. Next month will be 2 years since God called him home. Billy Graham has been here for 93 years and God is still not finished with him. Trey was only here for 20 years. He was killed in a car accident after preaching his very first sermon at our Friday night youth church. That’s all God was waiting for with Trey - he was just waiting for him to make that one leap of faith, surrendering to the call to preach, and his ministry on earth was complete. After only 20 years on this earth, he had already found and fulfilled the purpose God had for him. What purpose is God waiting on you to fulfill?    
          If there's one thing I learned from Trey's passing, it's that we are not promised another day. We have to live each day we are given to the fullest; live as if it's our last day on this earth, because it just may be. Whether you're on this earth for 20 years or 93 years makes no difference, but what you do with the time you are given makes all the difference in the world. So that brings me back to my original question, what are you doing today to prepare for eternity tomorrow?

"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is a sin."

~ James 4:14-17 ~

          I am one of those people who has always been "the good girl" and if God had not have found me when He did, I would have been one of those "good girls" to whom God would've said "Depart from me, you worker of iniquity." But far too often, when you've been labeled "the good girl" long enough, you start to believe it. Eventually, pride (which is a sin in itself) starts to creep in. But Romans 3:23 assures us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So when I read James 4:17 I realize just how much of a sinner I really am. How many moments have I let pass by that I could have been sharing the gospel? How many people have I crossed paths with and never told about Jesus? How many times has God convicted my heart, and I simply refused to respond? It's a scary truth to answer up to, but how much of my purpose am I missing out on when I "knoweth to good, and doeth it not?" I know that I need to be living my life today in preparation for eternity tomorrow, but is that what I'm doing?

***

          
          So this whole blog has pretty much been a whole lot of asking questions without any answers, that's because these are all questions that can only be answered by searching within your own heart and asking God for direction and discernment. Well... last year when I was asking myself these same types of questions my search soon became a prayer, and that prayer became a poem. So if you're interested, the poem can be found here: What is my life?

Tow Truck Savior

          A few weeks ago I was sitting in my room, eating dinner and watching TV, when I saw something on the screen that caught my attention. In the scene of the show I was watching, one of the main character’s car had broken down and she had called a tow truck. When the tow truck pulled up, it looked something like this…

          Now maybe you think I’m weird, and that I am. Maybe you know what the back of a tow truck looks like, and think I’m pretty slow to just be noticing it. But when I was sitting there watching TV and I saw a tow truck pull up with what looked like a cross on the back, I had a God Moment. My brain started spinning... I was thinking "that cross-shaped object is reaching down to pick up a broken down car, and then it’s going to take that broken car to the shop to be fixed." As the saying goes, “that’ll preach!” I was immediately fascinated with tow trucks and I wanted to know more. So I did what I always do when I’m looking for answers. 

Pray. Read the Bible. Google it.

          What I found was definitely inspired by God, because I could not have come up with it on my own if I had tried. First of all, a tow truck is also known as a wrecker, a breakdown truck, or a recovery truck. When I read this I thought about the times in my life when I was a nervous wreck, or the times when I felt like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown - the times when I felt completely broken down and alone. The definition of "tow" is to draw, to pull, or to lead. So who was there to draw me out, pull me up, and lead me out of those messes in my life? Who was my recovery? – It was God. Or as I like to refer to him now, my Tow Truck Savior! 
          Towing services are generally provided by an emergency road service operator. So when you find yourself in the middle of a situation where you’re broken down and in need of repair – call up the emergency road service operator. Call up the Tow Truck Savior. My Preacher has told us several times that the Savior's number is 333... Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” 
          Okay, so the next "God thing" I found out about tow trucks is that they are used to transport vehicles to another location (usually a repair garage) or to recover vehicles which are no longer on a drivable surface. As the body of Christ we are vehicles for Christ. We are vessels, used by Him to carry His gospel out to the world. He has plan for us, a road that He wants us to follow. So in those moments when we find ourselves broken down, or in the moments when we get off track from His plan and end up in a ditch somewhere, we can call up the Tow Truck Savior and he will answer us. He will come and draw us out of our mess, pull us up, and lead us forward. He will transport us to another location. He will take us to a place where He can work in our lives. He can repair our brokenness. Matthew 11:28 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” When we call out to God, He will put people around us who can encourage us. He’ll put us back on a drivable surface. He’ll lead us, direct our paths, and put us back on a track heading in the direction He has planned for our lives. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

          There are three different types of tow trucks that are used for different types of emergency services. The first is the Hook & Chain tow truck.  eHow.com says,

“For the hook-and-chain tow truck, a boom is attached to the back of the tower's vehicle. A chain with a hook at the end hangs from the boom. The tower can adjust the boom and the chain as needed. The chains and/or hook would be attached to the vehicle's axle. The boom would lift the vehicle up and place the front wheels onto a rubberized area on the back of the truck, while the back wheels are free on the road.” 

I think that far too often when we encounter problems in life our first choice of rescue would be the hook and chain tow truck. We try to adjust God’s answer for us into something that we think is more suitable for our need. We want God to help us, but we don’t want to surrender our lives completely to him. We want to keep those back two wheels free on the road. We think as long as we give part of ourselves to Christ, we’ll be okay. But God doesn't want just part of us, He wants all of us. He wants to carry our burdens for us. 1 Peter 5:7 says to cast your cares upon Him, for he cares for you! You see, when we hook onto Christ, but keep those back two wheels on the road, we’re doing more damage than good. Hook & Chain tow trucks are no longer used much nowadays because they end up scratching the bumper of the cars. Don’t let your bumper get scratched by trying to fix the problem on your own... surrender your life completely to Christ and let him fix the broken parts of you. 

          The next type of tow truck is the flatbed. The flatbed truck "can be hydraulically inclined and moved to ground level allowing the vehicle being towed to be placed under its own power or pulled by a winch." I am so thankful that Jesus Christ moved himself to this earthly ground level so that he could repair our brokenness! By coming down to ground level, the car can be placed on the flatbed one of two ways. First it can come up by its own power (just driving up), or if it’s too broken to make it up on it’s own then there is a pully that will help it. I’m so thankful that when I’m broken down to nothing, when I’m weak and I don’t have the strength to pull myself up, that I can look up and see God reaching out to pull me up. When we are powerless, He has the power to lift us up and bring us to safety. He draws us forward, levels us out, secures us, and raises us up on the flatbed. Psalm 62 is an awesome passage that talks about God as our Sold Rock (flatbed) and our power (pulley system).

          The final type of tow truck is the one in the image above. This is the wheel-lift tow truck. Wikipedia says that it, 

“evolved from the hook and chain technology to produce a large metal yoke that can be fitted under the front or rear wheels to cradle them drawing the front or rear end of the vehicle clear of the ground by a pneumatic or hydraulic hoist so it can be towed” 

This type of tow truck evolved from the hook and chain technology because it has less ability to damage the car. The cross keeps us safe from harm! The large metal yoke it is talking about would be that lateral piece. On the cross of Christ, that would have been where His arms were outstretched. His arms cradle us and draw us clear off the ground to be towed. In the arms of his mercy we find rest. Matthew 11:28-30 says, 

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

So what does that word yoke mean? Well literally it means "a bar of wood that’s used to unite two animals allowing them to work in the fields." But figuratively it’s a symbol of slavery, burdens, oppression, and bondage to sin. So with this metaphor of the tow truck God uses a yoke, something that has all of these negative connotations attached to it... burdens, slavery, oppression, bondage to sin… things that normally weigh heavily on you and bring you down. But God says, "I’m going to take these things and I’m going to use them for my glory. Yes you've made some mistakes in the past, but I’m going to take those mistakes that have now been washed in my blood, and I’m going to use them to lift you up. I’m going to cradle you in my arms of mercy. I’m going bring you up, draw you forward, and I’m going to fix the broken parts of you. Then I’ll put you back on the road and you will go to great places. You will be in my will. You will declare my name. You will make disciples of all nations. And when the world catches up with you again, if you ever find yourself broken down again, you just call upon me. I’ll lift you up. I’ll give you rest. Take my burdens upon your shoulders, because they are light. Give me your problems, and I’ll repair them. Cast your cares on me, because I care for YOU!"

*******

          When I think of brokenness in the Bible, one of the first people I think of (other than Job) is Jeremiah. Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations. To lament literally means "to mourn aloud, to express sorrow demonstratively." Jeremiah was obviously broken when he wrote this book. He had just personally witnessed the downfall of Judah and the capture of Jerusalem. But even though Jeremiah is writing about sorrow and tragedy, even while he is pouring out his heart to the Lord, he still has hope. Jeremiah has the ability to hope in the midst of such suffering because he has found relief in God's arms of mercy. He has been rescued by the Tow Truck Savior. 
          In Lamentations 3:19-29 Jeremiah is remembering his brokenness. He remembers it because it gives him hope. It's never good to dwell in the past, but every now and then we need to take a little trip down memory lane and remember where God has brought us from. We need to remember the times when we were broken down on the side of the road of life, the times when we called out to God and He came to our rescue. As verse 22 says, it's because of His mercies that we fail not. Our hope is in Christ and His faithfulness. 
          In verse 32 of the same chapter, Jeremiah says "But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies." I've always heard the saying "God will never put more on you than you can handle" and I've always believed that to be true. But I heard it from a different perspective the other day. I was reading a devotional by someone who's mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She said that people kept telling her "God will never put more on you than you can handle" but she didn't believe them. She knew what she was feeling, and she knew what her mom was going to be put through in the coming months and years. It all seemed pretty overwhelming. So she began to search the Bible, because she wanted proof that what everyone was telling her was true. However, she never found the proof she was looking for. What she found instead was that "though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion." You see, we're all going to face hard times. And at times, it may seem like it's too much to bear. But Christ tells us to cast our cares on Him. He says for us to take His yoke upon us. Nothing is too much for Christ to bear, and with Him on our side we can endure all things. 
          Skipping down again, in verses 49-58 of the same chapter, Jeremiah is overwhelmed with grief. He is broken down yet again. But when called out, when he called upon the name of the Lord (333)... God, the emergency road service operator, came with the cross-shaped tow truck and pulled him out of the low dungeon. He drew him near. He redeemed his life.
          What is your story of redemption? Do you need to bring it into remembrance so that it will give you hope like it did for Jeremiah? Have you grown complacent in your walk with Christ? Do you need that hope back? Do you even have that joyous hope that only comes from the salvation of God? Search your heart. Maybe you're at a place in your life right now where you're broken down. Maybe you've made some mistakes and you feel stuck in the mess you've made. Let God fix your brokenness. Let him pull you up out of the miry clay. Don't be afraid to call out to Him. Cry out to Him and He will hear you. He will answer you and He will come to your rescue. We serve a Tow Truck Savior... We serve a God who will come down and meet us in the midst of our problems. He will reach out and pull us up out of our pit of despair. He is the lifter of our heads. He'll repair the broken pieces of our heart. He is a God of mercy and love. He will cradle us in His arms, raise us up, and take us to safety. He will bear our burdens, if only we would surrender them to Him.

Psalm 116 ♥

          I've been struggling spiritually a lot lately, and I'm not sure why. I'm not even sure how to explain it. All I know is that I haven't had the passion, desire, or inspiration that I one time had. I've felt distant from the Savior, almost as if I've hit a brick wall, a spiritual plateau. My walk with God has grown complacent. God has continued to pour out His blessings on me, and yet I've become stagnant in the praise I offer back to Him. I've felt empty inside, desperately searching for some type of revelation as to why I feel this way. Earnestly, I've been seeking a personal revival. Fervently, I've been praying for God to restore the joy of my salvation. Well, I think my breakthrough came today.

          Sometimes you read a passage of scripture and it speaks to you in such a profound way that there is simply nothing that needs to be added or taken away from it. Well, that's exactly what happened to me tonight when I read this passage, so I felt led to share it...

"I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: "Please, Lord, save me!" How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the Lord's presence as I live here on earth! I believed in you, so I said, "I am deeply troubled, Lord." In my anxiety I cried out to you, "These people are all liars!" What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord's name for saving me. I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people. The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die. O Lord, I am your servant, born into your household; you have freed me from my chains. I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people - in the house of the Lord, in the heart of Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!"

~ Psalm 116 (NLT)

Extend Grace

          I saw someone offer this advice to someone else via Facebook a while back, and I was in awe of the power that seemed to radiate from just two words. Extend Grace. Two words - it seems simple enough, but in actuality it's probably one of the biggest struggles of the Christian life today. Don't ask me why. Christ extended His Grace to us, so I will never understand why we find it so hard to extend Grace to others. I guess it all comes back to pride - one of the most destructive sins and one of the most successful tools of Satan.
          One of my biggest pet peeves in school is on that first day of class, when the sophomores start ragging on the "lowly" freshmen. It gets under my skin, because just a few months ago they were that lowly freshman. They know what it's like. If you remember how miserable it was for you, then why do you want to be the source of misery for someone else? We, as Christians, are the exact same way. We know what it's like to be lost out in the world. It seems like you're all alone, nothing is ever good enough, you constantly feel as if you're being judged. So why do we want to make others feel the same way we once did? We are called be Christ-like. It's what being a Christian means, literally. Christ was all about Mercy, Grace, Forgiveness, and Compassion... so why can't we offer that same type of love to our neighbors? Christianity has a negative reputation, because so many who profess to be Christians aren't living like it. And those who are Christians don't do anything but judge those who aren't. When we call ourselves Christians we are saying that we are like Christ, or at least striving to be like Him. So how does the way you're living reflect who Jesus is? Do you show the world that Jesus walked around with His chest bowed out, looking down on everyone around Him, kicking those who were already knocked down? Or do you show them the Jesus who showed compassion to crowds of people, extended grace to prostitutes, mercy to thieves, and love to murderers? He was the King of Kings, and yet He humbled Himself to the form of a servant and washed the feet of His very disciples. That is the Jesus I know, love, and serve. That is the Jesus I want others to see in me when I call myself a Christian. Will I ever live up to who Jesus was? Absolutely not. But I want to live every day of my life striving to be more like Him.
          So what exactly does it mean to "extend grace"? Well to extend means to "cause to cover a larger area, or cause to last longer" and grace means "divine love and protection bestowed freely on people, the state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God, and an excellence or power granted by God." When I was reading these definitions 1 Peter 4:8 came to my mind, which reads "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins." If you continue reading, verse 10 says "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." According to the definition of grace, we are granted excellence and power by God through His Grace. If His excellence and power is within us, then why is it so hard to offer it back to others? We need to use that power for love and service, rather than judgement and condemnation. Matthew 10:8 says, "Freely you have received, Freely give." You were freely given love, mercy, and compassion by Christ. Why not offer it freely to everyone you come in contact with? Don't ask questions or wait until you see what kind of person they are, just love them like Jesus!

As confirmation that this blog was "InspiredByGod" these are a few quotes that I coincidentally came across this week...

• "A Pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a Spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself." -A.W. Tozer
• I was reading a passage in my Bible the other day and I can't remember what the passage was, but it was talking about the "righteous" and the notes in my Bible made a point that really stuck with me. It said the author wasn't really calling these people righteous, because Romans 3:10 says "there is none righteous" and Romans 3:23 says "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." So when the Bible refers to someone as being righteous, it actually implies that they are being self-righteous. Therefore, a Pharisee is a self-righteous person, but a Spiritual man or woman acknowledges and makes it known that Christ is the only Righteous One.

• "The Holier a man becomes, the more he mourns over the unholiness which remains in him." -Spurgeon
• This quote says that the Holier a man becomes, the more he mourns over the unholiness that remains within himself. It does not say that the Holier a man becomes, the more he condemns the unholiness of others. He is too saddened by his own unholiness to worry about the unholiness of others. Does this mean he doesn't care about leading others  to Christ? Absolutely not, but he must get himself right with God before he can lead others to Him. It's like the verse that says, "Why are you worried about the dust in your brothers eye, when you have a plank in your own eye?" When you are focused on ridding yourself of your own unholiness, that is when you will set the greatest example to those who are lost.

• "Have you ever considered that the area of the church which you are most critical of just might be the area in which you need to be serving?" -Mark Hall
• I realize that this quote (though nonetheless powerful) does not directly relate to the main idea of this blog. However, if you look at it from a different perspective it makes perfect sense... Have you ever considered that the people you are most judgmental of just might be the ones you need to be ministering to? We need to build up the Church, not tear it down. So reach out to someone today that you would normally avoid. Start a conversation with someone you would normally just talk about behind their back. Be the change you wish to see in the world.

• "If you see someone is bleeding don't ask "Are you a Christian... Muslim... Atheist... gay... illegal?" Just help them, like Jesus did!" -Rick Warren

Redefining Love

*This is a blog that I wrote back in April, but for some reason I never got around to posting it. Well this week the thought of "Redefining Love" has been on my mind again. I originally came across this post with the idea of using it for my personal study and/or just adding something to it. But as I read through it, I didn't see that there was anything that needed to be added or taken away. It spoke to my heart in a powerful way once again, and I pray it does the same for you.

          As I mentioned in my previous post, I was able to be a part of an amazing move of God last weekend. Part of that awesome move happened around midnight Saturday after we left the church. Our FOCUS group was gathered in the living room of a generous church member's house, planning our lesson for Sunday School. We knew that we wanted to talk about the true meaning of love, but we couldn't seem to get any of our ideas to work. It seemed like we kept hitting a brick wall, and it was frustrating. Finally, one of the girls in the group asked if we could pray. Of course, we all quickly agreed. She didn't pray for a miracle, but God answered her prayer in a miraculous way. Immediately after she finished praying we decided on the scripture we were going to use. There were seven verses, and seven of us, so we each read a verse. I honestly believe that in that moment we were bound by a form of unity that I have never experienced before, and the Holy Spirit began to speak. When we finished reading the scripture someone made a comment about love being an action. Then someone else added to that, and we literally went around the room finishing eachother's sentences. We had the basic outline of our lesson planned in just a few minutes. I can't even begin to describe how awesome that was. We were overwelmed by the greatness of God, and it bubbled over in the form of joyous laughter. The only words that seemed to appropriately describe the moment was, "God is good!" :)

          Our lesson that next morning was titled, "Redefining Love" and God has used that exact same message to minister to me all week. The basis of our scripture was 1 John 3:14-20 and the message we received could be summed up like this... Love is an action, so if you don't act on it then it isn't really love. God is love, so when we show love to others we are also showing them who God is. Love involves passion and sacrifice, therefore Jesus made the ultimate demonstration of love through His death on the cross. 

Three in One: Getting to Know the Trinity

          God has really been opening my eyes lately to the power of the Trinity - God in three separate persons. It's one of those things that I've always known about, and always believed to be true, but never really understood or truly grasped the meaning of. Well last week God laid it out to me like this...

God: My Father

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

-Romans 8:15

          
          As a father watches over and protects His children, so does God watch over and protect us. And as a child is taught to respect and obey his father, so should we respect and obey our heavenly Father. The word Abba is Arabic for father, but it is accompanied by another word which also means father. Therefore Abba is often believed to have been more of a childlike term of endearment - almost like the word "Daddy" in English. I believe God uses the word "Abba" to try and teach us that we need to depend on Him like a little child depends on his daddy. We need cry out to God to fix our boo-boo's when we get hurt. We need to call out to Him when we need someone to get the monsters out from under the bed. When the kids on the playground are making fun of us, we need to run to our Daddy. It's all about that childlike faith. But we can't forget that Abba is also accompanied by the word "Father" because when we run away from home and realize we can't make it on our own, it's our Father we need to run back to with shame and humility. When get out in the real world and it knocks us down to our knees a few times, it's our Father we need to call for advice on how to get back up on our feet again. When He speaks, we listen. And what He tells us to do, we do without argument. The relationship between a father/son or father/daughter is all about respect and obedience - or at least it should be. Children seem to be constantly searching for approval from their parents. When they are younger they want their artwork to be displayed on refrigerator for all to see. When they are older they want to see that look of pride and feel that pat on the back when it comes time for family introductions. Search for that same approval from God, and always live your life in a way that would make your Father proud. Come to Him with childlike faith and endearment, but at the same time offer Him the respect and reverence He deserves, and obey His commands when He speaks.

Jesus Christ: My Prince
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
-John 15:13

          

          Jesus is the lover of ours souls, and He loves with an unconditional love. He demonstrated this love when He laid down His life on Calvary (Romans 5:8). Before He offered up His life, Christ prayed to His Father. This prayer is found in John 17 and in it He prays first for Himself, then for the disciples, then for us who had yet to believe. Christ came to be our intercessor, so that we could have a direct communication line with the Father. But before we were even brought into being, He was already making intercession for us! He ends His prayer by saying "I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." He is basically saying "I want the love that You (God the Father) have for me, Your perfect and blameless (only begotten) Son, to be in them (the sinful beings who are about to betray and crucify me)." Wow! There is truly no greater love. Now Christ has ascended and we are awaiting His return. He is the Bridegroom and we are his bride, anxiously awaiting the marriage supper around His throne (Revelation 19:6-10). This comparison between Christ and the Church and the relationship between a husband and wife can be found in Ephesians 5:23-25. We are to submit to the will of Christ, just as the wife is to submit to her husband. We must humble ourselves before Him, cast our cares at His feet, and surrender our lives to Him in humble obedience. How could we not demonstrate our love for Him in these acts of service after He demonstrated His love for us on the cross at Calvary? We need to give Him the praise He deserves, it is the very least we can do. And just as in any other relationship - communication is the key. We must stay in a state of constant communication with Christ in order for our relationship with Him to remain strong. The Word of God is His love letter to us. He speaks His love to us daily through His Word, through nature, through others, and through that still small voice. Our prayers, worship, and service are our love letters back to Him. Have you told Him lately that you love Him? 

Holy Spirit: My Best Friend
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
-John 15:26

          

          I have been amazed by what all I've learned about the Holy Spirit this year. I was able to be a part of a ladies bible study and our focus for the study was the Holy Spirit. Most of the inspiration for the study came from Forgotten God by Francis Chan and though I haven't yet got a chance to read the book I was left in awe by how much we truly seem to have forgotten the third person of the Trinity. We take Him for granted, and so often forget that He is also a separate being just as The Father and Son are separate beings. In fact, one scripture in particular that left me dumbfounded was John 16:7 in which Jesus Christ Himself said, "It is expedient (advantageous) for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." I have often thought that life would be so much easier if Jesus were here with us in person. But John 14:17 gives an explanation for why it is so advantageous for Him to go, "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth in you, and shall be in you." The world could see Jesus Christ in the flesh, and they still rejected Him. The Spirit, however, dwells within us. Jesus in the flesh could walk and talk, but He could only walk and talk as far as His human voice would allow and His human legs would take Him. Therefore He taught His message to twelve men who would carry the message after He was gone. But even those twelve men, though they could see Him with their eyes and hear His voice with their ears, often failed to let His words sink into their hearts. The Holy Spirit, however, is not contained to a fleshly body. He dwells within us and can speak directly to our hearts. He is everywhere, at all times. He can speak to hearts in Africa, and at the same time speak to my heart thousands of miles away. He is our helper, our comforter, and  He is with us always. We simply have to call upon His name. The Holy Spirit is our evidence that Jesus Christ is very much alive and living. The Holy Spirit is our evidence that God cares for us and loves us with an everlasting love. The world doesn't understand because they can't see Him with their eyes or touch Him with their hands. But we know He's there  because we can feel Him in our hearts. He is our very best friend, so we need to treat Him like. Talk to Him and spend time with Him - don't take His friendship for granted!

Eyes of Faith

"... faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God." - A.W. Tozer

          Many non-believers use the phrase "seeing is believing" to defend their beliefs. However, I am a believer, and therefore I prefer to twist this statement up a little. I like to say that believing is seeing, because in order to see God you must first believe that He exists. Seeing can be believing, but only if you're looking through the eyes of faith rather than worldly eyes. Look with your heart and then you will begin to see. Open your eyes to the invisible things of God. For as Hebrews 11:3 says, "Things which are seen were not made by things which do appear". In other words, the things of this earth are only made visible through the invisible things of God. So how can we see things that can't be seen? Faith makes it possible. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is "the evidence of things not seen" so when you look through the eyes of faith you will begin to see things that did not seem visible before, and belief in those invisible things will naturally follow. 

          A.W. Tozer seeks to provide a definition for faith in chapter 7 of "The Pursuit of God". Tozer comes to the conclusion that "looking" and "believing" are synonyms. He says that looking is done through external eyes, but believing is done through the heart. He then says that faith is when you focus your eyes on the things of God and look to Him in all things. He used Psalm 34:5, 123:1-2, and Matthew 14:19 to support this definition. As I read through these verses and through Tozer's explanation, I was utterly amazed. I began to read Hebrews 11 (aka "The Hall of Faith") and God began to speak. As He spoke, my eyes were opened and I began to view faith in a different way than I had ever seen it before. 

          First of all, I think it is important to point out that in Biblical numerology the number 11 means "chaos" and the number 40 means "some sort of probation or trial period". Hebrews 11 is a book devoted to defining the word faith and it consists of 40 verses total. So before I even begin reading this chapter I have already determined that faith is defined (and refined) through a chaotic trial period.
          The chapter provides several examples of Old Testament figures who demonstrated true and genuine faith even in the midst of trial and chaos. For example, verse 7 says "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." And verse 17 says "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son... Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead." These men, along with the others listed in this chapter, endured and conquered great trials because they looked at their situation through the eyes of faith.  They knew the promises of God and they took Him for His word, never doubting or wavering. Although they had not yet received the promise, they embraced and clung to it because they knew that God was faithful and they believed wholeheartedly that He would not suffer them to be tempted beyond that which they could bear.
          Imagine if they had not looked through the eyes of faith. Imagine if Noah had said, "I have to see the first raindrop before I'll begin building the ark." He and his whole family would have been destroyed and life would have ceased to exist. But Noah never doubted God. Scripture says he "moved with fear" and began to prepare for what he could not see with external eyes. He hadn't yet received the promise, but He saw it in the distance because he was looking through the eyes of faith. He looked to the Heavens and believed in what could not be seen. In the end, God provided a rainbow in the sky as evidence of His promise.
          If you're having trouble seeing through the eyes of faith today, look to Christ for strength and place your trust in Him. Be assured that even if you can't see God's promise today, it's waiting patiently in your future. So embrace the journey, because God will prove Himself faithful in the end... and He may even provide a rainbow as evidence of His faithfulness. Then you will be able to use your rainbow to give a little hope to someone else and help them to also be able to see through the eyes of faith.