Total abandonment to the One who died so that I could live.

It has been a while since I have been on here [as is obvious] and today when I logged on I scrolled through my posts and saw that when I first started this blog it was the day of my 19th birthday. Well that is almost one whole year ago. Time flies.

This update is just an excerpt from an email I was writing out to my friend to day and its the subject that has been on my heart lately.

"I know how it feels being scared about stepping out for God and all. I battle the same thing. But really its just all about love and obedience. And we've just gotta look fear and the face with the "I just don't care" attitude and step out. I've done it before and it works. (Makes me wonder why I don't do it more often). Oh and about feeling inadequate, that's no excuse unfortunately. (I try to use that one on God often, it doesn't hold up). He is using "inadequate" people every second all over the globe. All He needs and wants is willingness and obedience. Look at Moses for instance, He didn't even know God and He was "slow of speech" but God appeared to Him in a really dramatic way and told Him to go and do a really dramatic thing. It was scary and Moses was scared but He stepped out. God used Him. He was called "A friend of God". Actually the book I am reading is not a 'preaching-at-you' sort of book. Its just a book sharing true stories and God has been extracting old truths out of it and bring them to my attention (Sister Freaks - Rebecca St James). Things that I had forgotten and buried under the "old-school religion" files. But Jesus is showing me, its not "old" or "religious" its called abandoning all to Him and sacrificing everything because He sacrificed His son for us. In our western world we don't know the meaning of sacrifice, we've watered down God's will and Word to suit our lifestyles ("Oh we'll go without one of our favourite foods for 40 days" or something. (Not criticizing anyone or anything, just thinking that there is more). All good intentions to be sure, but we cannot escape from the truth of the absolute hardcore sacrifice God gave us which was His son. Have you seen Will Smiths "Seven Pounds"? For me, that movie really brought to life what Jesus did for us and how we therefore should live out our life. Think about it. The character that Will Smith plays gives vital parts of His body to people who were struggling to live without them. In turn, how do you think these people [who were now free to live a normal life without fear of dying from their unfortunate circumstances] would feel? I know if I was in that position I would not take life for granted and I would try to live every day keeping in mind that a man died so I could live this day (and every day of my life) out in health and freedom. I would want to make the most of every second, every minute. Well, Jesus did no less, more in fact and look at the way we (or at least I) treat my life at times and live it so selfishly, as if its not worth all that much or of any great importance. But that wasn't how the King of Kings saw our lives as worth. He gave up everything for us because He saw us so worth it. Its only right, that I lay everything down in return at the feet of our King in honour and respect and thankfulness and love and reverence of what He did for me. He gave us life. Therefor we should be living it for Him with every fiber of our being. My spirit craves that life but my flesh screams at me and fights and kicks all the way. Its a journey in itself to get my flesh overcome by building my Spirit up stronger in Christ. I am so selfish. Jesus has made His power available to us and look how we live? We let the devil stamp and stomp all over us. If we truly knew who were were in Christ and really understood ALL that He has done for us. We would be 'blown away' and the devil in turn would be terrified of us. Anyway....that's my little raving rant for the day."

To love so much puts one in a vulnerable place. Jesus risked so much for love but "...for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame..." (Hebrews 12:2). Every soul that ever makes the decision to accept Him, every decision that we make to love, honour and obey Him is worth it. To Him it is worth all the pain He went through. Let us make more of those decisions and bring ultimate joy to our maker.

"Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all"

Above All - Michael W. Smith

The Love Factor

People get angry when someone else sees God in a different way than to what they see Him. I suppose it is the arrogance of man to take pity on another who does not see eye to eye with us, who is 'blinded' by his own idea or interpretation of who God is and how He acts.
I know I personally get caught up in the web of feeling that there is somehow a form of a void in a potential friendship or relationship with another human being if we do not share the same interpretation of God. Truth be told, we are all made in His image, in the likeness of Him. God is never ending. Wouldn't it be dull if his never 'endingness' was all the same flavour constantly? What if he were, for eternity, just like me? Or just like you? No thanks! He is endless, His ways are indescribable. He is unique. Every person on this earth has a different part of God in them. Should we not therefore instead celebrate that unique DNA of God in each person and get beyond the theological right and wrong game and instead reach out in love and embrace each other and the image of God that is placed in each of us?
If we could all join together we will end up having the complete picture of who God really is. Ultimately it's all about love. Like He said in 1 Corinthians 13:8 & 1 Corinthians 13:12-13.

What would happen if you attempted to cook a cake but all the ingredients had a mind of their own and wouldn't come together because they didn't like what the other ingredients looked like, tasted like or smelled like? Well the obvious outcome is that the cake would never be completed. And if someone attempted to eat a single ingredient by itself, they would most likely find it very bland and boring, not at all tasty. This is the way I believe it has become in the body of Christ. Satan, has tried to keep us all apart through division, theology, hate, religion, strife and every evil thing [James 3:16] for so long. I know that if we all came together sharing one single vision of "completing that cake" then we would see who The Father truly is and the aroma and the attraction of his beauty, and His love would be wafting all over the place and would attract people of all kinds, even people who might not like raw butter on its own may find that they really do quite enjoy it in the cake, or they might not even notice that its in there, instead they are simply enjoying the deliciousness of the completed, baked cake.

We are His children. Free to grow in each of our own little characteristics and traits but ultimately we should remember that we share the same Father and that love should circulate through us all from the Father. Lets move beyond petty religion and theology. Lets see God for who He really is and who He's really all about. Love.

What do you think are some major issues that Satan has divided God's people over?
Do you think these dissagreements can be put aside all in the name of God's love?
Do you think this is how we were created to live?
Do you have any testimony's of seeing beyond dissagreements and walking in true love that you'd like to share?