We’ve lost all reverence; we’ve lost all awe for our most holy Lord. How few are those who tremble at His word, those who dare to desire His presence. We are so comfortable- so stagnant. So filled with this idea of ‘grace’ that leads not to repentance but only to increased debauchery. The first reactions of those confronted by God were fear, dread, utter desperation as they were faced with their own humanity and imperfection. We flee from Him. We want God close enough to help us when we call, but far enough that we can continue to live as though He isn’t here. And we call ourselves Christians, Christ-followers. I am ashamed. Our brand of Christianity accepts everyone and expects no change. We feel that God will adapt to meet our needs. I think of Paul’s words in Galatians 3:1, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” And in 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?”
This doesn’t sit well with our feel-good, everyone’s okay brand of Christianity, but this is the truth. As long as we continue to identify ourselves with Christ and continue to live as though he doesn’t exist, we are guilty of high treason. We are ambassadors grossly misrepresenting our King- turning people away from Him with our self-righteous antics! It is only by His grace that we are not consumed. Let us then, in view of that grace, come before Him and offer ourselves wholly to Him. Let us change our way of thinking- and thereby change our way of being. Let us leave behind us our old ways and live in light of our Lord, in light of eternity.
-Joy
Everyone around us may be doing it. But at the end of our lives, we won’t answer to everyone. We’ll answer to God.
Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.
If you really desire to one day discover the ‘beautiful side of love,’ you have to first walk through the ‘painful side.’ …Laying your life down is not the fun and enjoyable part; it’s the essential part!
The risk-free life is a victory-free life. It means lifelong surrender to the mediocre. And that is the worst of all defeats.
Vision is not a matter of seeing what is and asking why. It is far more a matter of seeing what has never yet been and asking why not.
If we determine to confront the giants that would bar our path and plant heaven’s flag in the hills and fields across the Jordan, then we may indeed prepare this earth to receive her King. If, on the other hand, we elect to see ourselves as grasshoppers, then we, too, will return to the wilderness while God awaits another generation.
Falling in Love
My dad says I’m slow… and maybe I am. But here’s the deal: how can you love someone you don’t truly know? And how can you know someone without spending long hours delving into the depths of their soul? How can you know someone without giving them time to face a crisis and watch them handle it? True character is revealed when life doesn’t turn out as planned. The more I get to know people, the more I am able to love them. The same is true with Christ, but different.
Perhaps my relationship with Christ has been going on for so long that I just take it for granted. I’ve yet to have a human relationship (in a falling in love sense) that has lasted long enough for that. Or maybe it’s the fact that I can’t physically see or feel Christ that makes me shaky. It probably is a combination; regardless, it’s ridiculous.
The more I get to know God and his love, the more in love with him I fall. But it’s so easy to fall away. It’s so easy to get distracted, to let “amores pasajeros” sway me from his arms. Why? When I know that Christ is everything, when he’s proven himself time and time again, why do I falter? It’s so sad. John Ortberg suggests that we should stop praying for more faith and instead pray that we can know God better. He says that the more we know God, the more our faith will grow, because God is just that awesome. How small is my understanding of God, then?! Pathetically so…
I am waiting for the day when I shall know him fully, even as I am fully known. Until that day, slowly but surely, my knowledge will grow; my love will follow. :)
Heart Healthy
I’m sure all of us have seen the Cialis and Viagra commercials that have flooded the media of late. I want to focus on the end; the announcer always feels it is necessary (FDA mandated, actually), to warn the men to make sure their heart is healthy enough for sex before taking the advertised product. This has always made me chuckle; you’d be amazed at what older men do to protect their sex lives. But, today, I’ve been thinking about it a little more seriously.
I mean, let’s move past the physical heart that moves blood through your body. Let’s move on to the heart of your being: who you are. Is your heart healthy enough for sex? Are you so firmly founded in Christ that you can completely give yourself to please your partner? Can you handle the intensity of the union of souls and honor the marriage bed by keeping it holy? Are you emotionally healthy enough- spiritually healthy enough- for sex? How is your heart?
-Joy
Adam knew Eve
“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived” Genesis 4:1
I almost died when I read this. There’s not a whole lot I want more from people than to be known, and to know in return! Oh, the joy of it! And here it states my long-held belief so clearly: to have sex with someone is to know them. And here we think it’s all about foreplay and penetration. One night stands and broken relationships surround us, and we wonder where we went wrong. The ultimate act of intimacy, of closeness, of knowing another person, is having sex with them. It is the climax of the journey of getting to know one another. It doesn’t get any closer!
Sex is a picture of Christ and the church. I know, the Bible says marriage is. But what is the fundamental difference between a roomate and a husband? In this light, sex is the ultimate act of a woman submitting to a man- a man who wants nothing more than to give himself for her and bring her into the fullness of life. It is about selflessness- mutual delight and joy in the giving of oneself to the other.
The Bible says that in the end of times we will know fully, even as we are fully known. It also says that we will be given to Christ as his bride. We will fulfill all intimacy in fellowship with him. Sex, in the right context, is literally a little taste of heaven right here on earth. Sure it’s physically satisfying [[at least, that’s what they say]], but it goes so much deeper than that. It is spiritually satisfying. It is righteous; it is beautiful.
Knowing the ecstasy that is to be had in a pure sex life, why would I ever compromise it? How could I give myself away in a manner that could never compare to the true beauty of sex the way it’s meant to be? I want to be known- you don’t even know how much I want to have someone know my inner thoughts, my inner being. Then again, I’m in no rush.
“For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.” -Isaiah 54:5
What more could I ask for?
-Joy
