Alabaster and Nard

The missing puzzle piece and the bend in the road.

We all have a purpose for our lives. This may sound radically cliché; it may have been instilled into our heads a little too much growing up, but that does not negate the fact that it is entirely true. We have a purpose for our lives. I have a purpose for my life. I know this to be true because Jeremiah 29:11 tells me so: “For I know the plans I have for you…” The Lord has a ridiculously amazing plan for my life. I know He does; I feel it down to my very bones. This thought has been prompted by the revelation of the life of Pope John Paul II – a strangely different philanthropist of a Pope. He appeared to be following, with all his heart, the will and the path the Lord had laid aside for him. And I have had to ask myself, “Can I do the same?”

I like to think that the way the Lord reveals His will for our lives is a little bit like a scavenger hunt. When I was younger, my dad would always create scavenger hunts for me. He would write up little slips of paper and scatter them around the house, and wait and watch while I tried to unravel the clues. Up and down the stairs, outside, around the house, in the mailbox – he was amazingly creative when it came to revealing the next clue to the puzzle. And always at the end, something wonderful awaited me. Once, it was an ice cream treat; another time, a new toy; once, above all my expectations, it was a beautiful new bedroom set (which I still have and use today.) I like to think that that is a little how the Lord works when He reveals to us little bits of His plan for our lives. He does not want to give away the whole game at once – for where would the faith and fun be in that? No, little by little, prompt by prompt, every day, we get closer to the revelation of our lives; the “aha!” moment, when the curtains part, and the marvelous plan for our lives is revealed like a beautifully produced play.

I am a huge Anne of Green Gables fan. And in one part of the first book, Anne talks about the “road” of her life. She always thought it was so linear, and that she had it all worked out how it would go: school, college, marriage, etc. But then, a curveball is thrown in, and a bend in the road is revealed. She cannot see as far ahead as she had previously thought. “…My future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don’t know what lies around the bend, but I’m going to believe that the best does. It has a fascination of its own, that bend.” I could not agree more. It may be reassuring to know every aspect of one’s life, before it plays out; it may be comforting to have every milestone mapped out. But it is not nearly as much fun, and it does not require nearly as much faith in the Lord’s providence.

I do not know what my road holds for me. I would like to think that I have a faint glimpse, maybe, of what the next few miles may hold, at the least; but I know, without a doubt, that a curve is coming up somewhere, sometime soon. All I know, right now, in this moment, is that I need to finish school, and finish strong - to perform well, to exceed academically, to love my fellow students. More than that the Lord has not solidly and assuredly revealed to me.

It is scary to not know what the future holds. A sharp turn may come up even tomorrow and knock me off my feet in its unexpected arrival. But the purpose of my life is not so much about the specific things I will do, or not do; no, the measure and scope of my life will be recognized by whether I was a woman who followed the Lord with all her heart and soul, who willingly made sacrifices for Him; who pursued Him at cost to her reputation, family, and dreams, or whether I was a woman who lived for her own desires and recognition and fame. I will endeavor to be the former.

Innovation.

Believers have been commissioned by Christ to “go and make disciples among the nations” (Matt. 28:19), while being urged by Paul to “not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world” (Rom. 12:2). While perhaps superficially contradictory, the terms are, in all actuality, quite congruent. We, as Christians, have a duty and command to stand out among the sinful masses of the world as redeemed, saved-by-Grace individuals who desperately seek to show others the forgiveness and love that we have experienced from our Maker. We are not to assimilate and acculturate ourselves to the norms and traditions of the world, but to be salt to it – flavoring it with the love of Christ. To do this successfully and effectively involves thoroughly understanding the current dynamics of the culture – that, and innovation. We need to remember the words Christ said about His followers, “I have given them [my disciples] your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15-16, emphasis mine).  The phrase “be in the world, but not of it” seems appropriate here, with the idea that we should be clever in the way that we interact with the nonbelievers we encounter; we should entice them to follow Christ as we follow Him. We should not sugarcoat the Gospel, but instead present it as the best, most free, excellent, joy-filled, way to live. The task is not an easy one, and for this reason we need the Holy Spirit, and also creativity and imagination, when it comes to how we approach evangelism. Indeed, Christ says in Matt. 10, ““Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (v. 16). We are allowed to use our God-given brains to think of artful ways to engage society. That is not to say we are to accept the standard connotation of the word “cunning,” which implies deception, scheming, and being duplicitous; instead, Christians should look at their vocation here in this world almost as if they were spies infiltrating enemy territory. We need to know where the safe spots are to catch our breath (fellowship within the Church), where we receive our next mission (quiet times, reading of the Scriptures, and prayer), and that we need to wear constantly our “spy suit” (the armor of God; Eph. 6:10-18) for protection and concealment (if necessary) in order that our spyglasses (Holy Spirit) may be fully tuned and functional to hone in on potential individuals who, we hope, have good soil for the word of the Lord and the saving grace of Calvary.

Innovation, then, plays a key role in this model. Indeed, how often do we see in movies and read in books of all the cool gadgets and gizmos that spies have to help them accomplish their various missions? Our goal should be the same; we should continuously be reevaluating our strategies to determine which are the most effective in reaching out to lost individuals, and even developing new ones. Asking on a regular basis questions such as, “What aspects of church are appealing to nonbelievers? Are there outdated aspects of church that can be updated without diluting or distorting the message of the Gospel? When do secular individuals respond best to evangelical initiatives  - is relational or random outreaching more effective? What problems do outsiders see in the church that need to be corrected because they present as inconsistencies?” This sort of refinement process – innovation – allows the Bride of Christ be relevant and adaptable to the needs of the current generation. For what other reason was there such an advent 20 years ago to modernize churches across the nation? Organs and pews were exchanged for electric guitars and stadium seating, so that people felt more comfortable in the House of God, more receptive to the message spoken by the pastor, and more able to engage in a community where they felt that they belonged and that called for a different walk than the one presented by secular culture.

Christians need to learn to fight fire with fire. So the most popular musical artist of the day uses techno beats and flashing lights? Why can’t the church incorporate some aspect of that, to an extent, to make the Church more relevant? People are increasingly using social media to connect with others? Can the Church utilize these networks to access this specific population? The people feel that the Bible only tells outdated stories? Can we modernize the stories – put them into a 21^st century context? The problem with many churches today is that they fear change because they fear that they will be sacrificing the Gospel for the whims of “pagans” – or simply because, “that’s just not the way church is done” (insert presumptious sigh and finger-wagging here). The latter comes from stubborn pride and is a sin; the former is indeed a valid fear, but does not have to be a threat if each new innovation is checked against Scriptures; it may be wild, it may be brand new, or even radical – it may even cause some of the older individuals of the congregation to faint from shock. But, then, the church is not and should not be our standard for conduct and the Gospel, and the means by which we evaluate actions; the Bible should be. Let us not forget that Jesus was pretty radical and innovative for His age, too (He still is): He sat down with beggars and lepers, ate with prostitutes, and called ordinary, poor, fishermen to be His disciples, ordained that a well-known persecutor and murder of Christians serve as one of His greatest theologians and missionaries, as well as encouraged His followers to eat of His body and drink of His blood (what is that all about?) All these things caused Jewish society in the first century to be turned upside down – and to be sure, many Pharisees were quite upset with His proposed revolutionary changes (I like to imagine them huffing and pacing around the temple, sweating profusely and muttering amongst themselves, “Did you just see what that Jesus guy did? He can’t do that. That’s not allowed!” – can’t you just hear them whining and complaining?)

As we are called to mirror Jesus and His actions and works (“I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” [John 13:14]), we should therefore strive to be as radical in drawing people into the love of the Lord as Christ himself was. That includes Muslims, homosexuals (and, homophobes), members of the Westboro Baptist Church, women who have had abortions, Democrats, Republicans – the list goes on. We need to be constantly revolutionizing the way we do church, to better meet the needs or an ever-expanding, ever-changing, ever more secular and global society. That may include showing videos in church; worshipping barefoot or on bended knee; wearing jeans to Church (not out of scorn or disrespect for Christ, but to allow people to come as they are with all their baggage, to the Cross and into community); the Church needs to enable people to actually be moved by the Spirit, to embrace their spiritual gifts (yes, even prophesy and tongues); to create and participate in small groups where divorced mothers or homosexuals can meet and find community amidst the body of Christ; to talk about sex in church and the need to pursue extreme purity by ceasing in our addictions to pornography or masturbation (those unspoken sins of the church); The Church should consider moving away from soapbox evangelism (because, let’s face it, nobody likes it, and it rarely propels the Kingdom forward) and admitting that we have been wrong in the past as Christians, in our conduct and initiatives to spread (force?) the Gospel to people; the Church should be giving generously to missionaries as they do the work of Christ abroad, but also teaching the congregation that everyone is a missionary and their neighborhoods, jobs, and friends are their mission field; and, above all, the Church should encourage their congregation to be wrecked by the Gospel of Christ anew everyday – so much so that we are brought to tears, shouts of joy, unrestrained dancing, or prostration before our Creator, like David did when the ark was returned to the Israelites; that may involve becoming a little undignified in the eyes of the world.

That is the kind of church I want to attend, - the kind I want backing, supporting ,and encouraging me as I go out with my own specific calling; but that is not always the kind of church I see in America – or even the world- today. Thus, we, as those professing to be followers of Christ, need to have kingdom-focused mindsets when it comes to reaching the lost of our generation, regularly brought to tears by the thought of impeding damnation of our loved ones, and ready to embrace any new concept or idea that might better proclaim salvation. Innovation, then, combined with the Spirit, might just be the stimulus the world needs to raise their eyes heavenward in acknowledgement of the Most High.  

Adulteress.

A while ago, I studied extensively the book of Hosea, and the last few chapters I’ve read have really transformed the way I view my relationship with the Lord, the ways in which I interact with people (specifically, nonbelievers), and how I retain and maintain an intimate relationship with my Creator. It really allowed me to contrast a life dedicated to Jesus from a life dedicated to self. One of the major themes of Hosea is how the Lord is constantly seeking to redeem us from our sinfulness and adultery against Him (as evidenced by Hosea returning to his unfaithful wife). The book is a cry of both frustration and love of our Maker as He pursues us, despite our rejection of Him. In the seventh, eighth, and ninth chapters in particular, the Lord highlights the blessings of following Him, and the consequences that happen when we reject Him.

            As I was reading the seventh chapter of the book, I was struck by the thirteenth and fourteenth verses, in which the Lord says, “I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me. They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds.” As I read that passage for the first time, I was reminded of something I often tell myself: the Lord’s default disposition toward me is one of kindness and love. “I would redeem them.” The Lord was aching to bestow His blessings upon Israel, but they preferred to seek after false gods and pursue the things of this world. Things have not changed that much in the world from Hosea’s time to ours. Still, society rejects the Lord and His provision because we believe that what the world can offer us is better than what the God can offer us. “No thanks, God” we say, as He attempts to make His plan – His good, wonderful, life-giving plan – known for our lives. Why? Because each of us desires to be our own god and because we fear and reject Something that threatens to undermine that selfishness. We do not yearn and seek after Him; “they do not cry out to from the heart.” That is to say, we do not desire Him above all else and never get to the point of absolute desperation for His presence. Although most people would not outwardly admit it, we need the Lord (because we are created to do so by Him). When we come to that point when we can admit our vital need of Him (and our depravity without Him), He is most able to work in and through us: “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’…for when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:9,10). This means that everyday I need to have a heart that seeks after the Lord; I need to get to the point in my relationship with Him that, even if I lost everything else (think Job), I would still be content with my relationship with the Lord. I need to allow the Lord to redeem me (remember, “I would redeem them”); Paul writes, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph. 2:10). Let the Lord have His way with me: “We are the clay, You are the Potter” (Isaiah 64:8).

Oh, that the Lord would make me a woman who is desperate after Him; a woman who would not find rest and comfort, except in His arms. In His great love for me, I pray that the Lord would constantly remind me that I am not a lost cause beyond redemption, and that He would not let me be lead astray by what this world would offer me, but refine me so that all that I find in Him would be infinitely better than what I find in the world.

But what happens when we lose that vital connection with our Maker?

            “Israel is swallowed up; already they are among the nations as a useless vessel” (Hosea 8:8). Because Israel rejected the Lord and decided to pursue after worthless idols, they became useless to the Lord. They felt no need of God and thereby relinquished their blessings that the Lord would give them (“You do not have, because you do not ask” [James 4:2]). When we become “worldly,”distant from the Lord, and dependent on our own abilities instead of the Christ’s strength, it becomes increasing difficult for the Lord to use us. In other words, when we begin to resemble more the unbelievers of this world than we do our Maker, we relinquish our connection with the Lord (and subsequently His blessings) and miss out on opportunities to show them Jesus through our actions. This truth is easier to comprehend than it is to put into practice. How often have I sacrificed my morals and convictions for the sake of this world? The only way to prevent ourselves from becoming “enslaved to sin” (Rom. 6:6) is to impress upon my heart the Word and truth of the Lord, so that, when I do go “among the nations” (that is, interact with nonbelievers), I do not act the adulterous wife to the Lord, but instead boldly proclaim His name. Conviction.

            In continuing with this theme of what a life looks like inside and outside of the “fold” of the Lord, Hosea chapter nine again portrays a snapshot of what occurs to humans when they reject the Lord. In verse 17, the prophet states, “My God will reject them because they have not listened to Him; they shall be wanderers among the nations.” This again struck a cord with me. However, I think it is really easy to misinterpret this verse and believe that the Lord will actively reject us when we reject Him, which is not what we see in Scripture: “See, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands” (Isaiah 49:16). If the Lord is willing to “engrave” us onto Himself, it is not likely that He will reject us; He loves us far too greatly for that (Hosea 11:8,9). However, when I choose (with stress on the personal nature of the decision) to wander from the Lord, I relinquish any entitlement I may have had to the Lord’s blessing on my life. This is not to say that when we choose to not follow God, the Lord will cause bad things to happen to us (it is not a direct cause and effect relationship, which would also be contradicting the Lord’s desire that we have free will in our decision to follow Him); rather that phrase highlights the fact that when we do not have the an active relationship with Christ, it makes it harder for us to flourish and thrive in this life – not as punishment, but because we were created to have fellowship with our Savior: “And they shall be My people, and I will be their God” (Jer. 32:38). The Lord does not need my fellowship to thrive, but I certainly need His fellowship to do so – to experience all that the Lord has for me (“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” [John 10:10]). Therefore, I must not allow myself to be convinced that I can actually walk this life without the Lord holding my hand the entire way (and sometimes even carrying me completely). When I neglect to have quiet devotional time with the Lord, my days are progressively harder to endure, and the connection and “cord” that connect me to Jesus becomes weaker and weaker, and thinner and thinner. In contrast, when I am consistent with my personal time with the Lord, I feel sated, filled up, and able to thrive as I was intended. More than that, I find joy in knowing the Lord better, and begin to look forward to my quiet devotional times as the highlight of my day. If I make knowing the Lord and studying His Scriptures such a priority in my life, I will not have to suffer the effects of my disconnection with Him and join the “wanderers” of the nations.

            The Lord uses many things to draw our attention to His truths, and one of His most common methods of doing this is through His Word..) Yet, to reiterate, if I only study God’s Word, and thereby neglect to apply it, I lose the intention in the first place. When I study the Scriptures, I become more affirmed than ever that I do not want to spend one minute of my existence on this earth disconnected from the guidance, love, and grace of my Creator.

Self-righteous.

“You become judgmental by being a very good person that never surrenders to all God wants to do in the lives of people who aren’t as good as you are… and because you’re better than them you forget to care about them… and become an obstacle to the grace and love of God in the world.” Andy Stanley

  I am absolutely crazy about and dedicated to Gospel and love of Christ. That message I will shout from the rooftops every day that the Lord gives me breath, and I will be unashamed to do so. But, through the wisdom of others, and what God has placed on my heart, I’ve come to a new conclusion about how I interact with those of different faith. I’ve learned to make a distinction, if you will. There’s the tolerance that comes from admitting that someone can believe whatever they would desire, and they have every right to do so; I am for that kind of tolerance. However – and here is the crux – that sort of tolerance is very different from a tolerance of theology. Theological tolerance says you can interpret the Bible, the nature of God, who Jesus is, however you may please, and that it is relevant, it is all ok, and it is not wrong.  This sort of tolerance is insupportable and cannot be maintained in a person who claims to believe in the risen Christ. That is the nature of the Gospel, and we need to point people to that truth, at all costs. For, for truth to be upheld, there needs to be antipode of that truth; that is, that Christ is not Lord. Therefore, if one does not claim Christ, they claim Satan. There is no room for misinterpretation of that in the Bible. However, that aside, I’ve learned that (and this is quite humbling) it is really easy to put on the self-righteous, Calvinistic hat and say, “I’m the elect; I am better than you because I know Christ.” The first part is correct; those that are in Christ are predestined to be so (Ephesians 1:11); however, while called to be Christ’s disciples, we are just as much the sinner as the person next to us. We are fallen, degraded human beings with the weight of sin and death on our shoulders up to the moment that we accept Christ as Lord. We have no right to be righteous in our own selves. I am learning that that is easier said than done. However, Christ promises in John 15 that when we abide in Him, we will bear fruit in Him, and that fruit is manifested in Galatians 5 as love, joy, peace, patience, etc. For me, special emphasis is needed on that first fruit – love. I am learning that I need to be more loving toward those that do not know Jesus, as recounted in the Bible. I cannot do that on my own, that much is very much certain and manifested. But when I abide in Him, when I remain in Him, connected to His vine, He promises me that His love will shine forth through my actions. Thank goodness.

But, if we, as Christians, spend our life on the sidelines, with our hand over our mouth, terrified that if we say anything that we really believe about the Lord, we’ll be mocked, cast down, oppressed and rejected, then we give into the sin of omission. Jesus does not promise us that people will accept His Gospel; the second book of Timothy, chapter three, verse 12 reaffirms that. But, the difference in the way Jesus went about preaching and interacting with people, more often than not, differs greatly from the way I usually do. That is to say, while Jesus went around in love (for He was love incarnate) and met people where they were at, and after He listened to them, he did not say afterward, “Aha, I knew you were a sinner all along, and your words just now affirm that! I am right, you are wrong!” No; He was right, and they were wrong, but the way He communicated that shows that, in His default setting, the Lord’s disposition toward us in one of kindness (Matt. 7:7), not of anger. Mine should be the same.

I am a sinner – the very worst of them – who, by grace, received salvation, and the commission to share that message with others, although I too often do it badly, and with self-righteousness. But, through Christ, I am empowered with the Holy Spirit, and because of that, “no longer I, but Christ in me.” If I remain in Him (which I am planning to do every second of every minute of every day that the good Lord gives me on this earth), He promises to manifest His love through me, and through this, I can be a better representation of Him while on this planet. 

His disciples took hold of His feet and worshiped Him (Matt 28:9).

All Mary Magdalene needed to hear was the risen Lord calling her name for her to cling to Him (John 20:16-17).

Thomas cried out “My Lord and My God” on seeing the mark of the nails (John 20:27-29).

Peter leaped out of his boat to swim to the shore, where Christ stood waiting for him (John 21:7).

How will you worship your risen Messiah today?

Are you a kingdom-builder or a kingdom-destroyer?

Think carefully about the significance of that question before you answer it.

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Lately, I have been trying to refrain from “teaching” on Tumblr, knowing what the Scriptures say about it (James 3:1) and not having received any confirmation that teaching is one of my spiritual gifts.

However, during my time with the Lord this morning, I felt really convicted on what I read and studied and I wanted to share it, because I think it’s worth sharing. Maybe not necessarily to convict you (because that is not up to me, but is the Lord’s business), but just to get you thinking….so, think about it: are you a kingdom-builder or a kingdom-destroyer?

I’ve been studying the minor prophets recently, and Micah 3 was my focus for this morning. The basic synopsis of the chapter is about the Lord casting judgment on the current leaders, priests, and prophets of Israel. They had become corrupt and wicked and had lost sight of their calling from God to be His chosen people. Because of this, the Lord declared punishment upon them, which included His silence toward them (v. 4), giving them “darkness” (v. 6), and, ultimately the unbuilding of Jerusalem (“Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins” [v. 12]).

My key focus verse from this chapter was verse 8: “But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might.” Here Micah distinguishes himself from the unrighteousness and wickedness he finds in his society. “But as for me…” What we can deduce from this part of the passage is that those who seek the Lord and follow after Him earnestly, to those He will bless with “power,” “the Spirit” (combine them and we get the power of the Holy Spirit, as evidenced at Pentecost) and “justice and might” so that they may have a kingdom focus and do the Lord’s work while on this earth. James tells us that “faith without works is dead” and Jesus reminds us to pray “Your kingdom come, Your will be done” (James 2:!2; Matt. 6:10). Therefore, we can easily see a stark contrast between Micah and the people (heads of society) of Israel; while Micah sought to build up the kingdom (literally, in this passage, the kingdom of Israel) through the word of the Lord, the others strove towards their own gain (“bribe,” “price,” “money” v. 11). Micah edifies Israel through seeking and following after the Lord, while the prophets, priests, and false leaders destroy Israel with their actions.

Remember, “we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:9). If we proclaim Christ as our Savior, we become grafted into His family, and the family business of the Lord is construction and building - to help build and strengthen the Church and its followers as the Lord guides and prompts us, and being a tool He can use to draw them closer into fellowship with their Maker.

So, the questions to ask oneself here are, “Am I a builder or a destroyer? Does my life encourage the kingdom to flourish, or am I leading people astray by my contradictory behavior, and by seeking pleasures for myself and not heeding the word of the Lord? Am I a false prophet by teaching and proclaiming one thing, while my actions demonstrate inconsistencies from the words of my mouth?” (2 Peter 2:1-3). Am I a hypocrite? Am I a destroyer?”

So, how does this then apply to everyday life? Christ-followers need to be kingdom-builders, not kingdom-destroyers. The world has been and is closely watching Christians and their actions, and you better believe that they are seeing some major inconsistencies with what we preach and how we actually live; in actuality, many times they see kingdom-destroyers disguised as a kingdom-builders.

Christians who are more concerned with succeeding in this world than in helping to bring lost souls to the foot of the Cross, who are more interested in conforming to the sinful society that surrounds us than in standing out by proclaiming Jesus openly and boldly - those people may have some serious soul searching to do. The way I see it is, if the world is not condemning me for my walk with the Lord, I would do well to pause and reflect on whether I am truly following Him in the first place.

Paul warns us to “not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12-13). Again, in Romans, Paul reminds us that we are “fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him” (Rom. 8:17).

Indeed, we need to remember that Jesus said,

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:23-27).

Am I willing to follow Christ to this end - indeed, to the end of myself? Willing to face condemnation, judgment, and persecution for Him? Are you?

There are only a select few among the multitudes of mankind who have and are willing to stand out and be different, that the glory of the Lord may be revealed.

So, I need to consider carefully - Which do I want to be: a kingdom-builder or a kingdom-destroyer? For if I am not pursing the Lord with every ounce of my being, facing persecution because of my unquenchable love for Him, following after Him with reckless abandonment, and instead only surrender part of myself and live a calm and complacent existence, not being continually rocked by the word of God - well then, am I really following after Jesus?

Deny yourself daily. Proclaim Christ daily.

To be sure, my faith in Christ is firm, strong, and deeply rooted, but I wonder - how many kingdom-building opportunities have I let slip past me because I was afraid to take up a particular cross?

What I want is to say truthfully and honestly that I follow Jesus into the dark unknown; that my desire to know and be known by Him is my greatest aspiration; that I am a kingdom-builder for His glory.

What I don’t want is to, consciously or unconsciously, be denying Him because I desire to acculturate to what society deems important; be leading people astray in my walk with the Lord because I present inconsistencies and hypocrisies between what I say and what I do.

When the world looks at me, let them see a women who is markedly different from the rest because she has been touched by Jesus - and not for any personal glory or recognition (which, if one is not careful, will run rampant in one’s spiritual walk and cause devastating destruction in the soul) - but for the glory of the Lord, that He may become known among the earth.

The world has enough lukewarm Christians; they need Christ-followers that are scandalously in love with their Maker and are willing to stand up and say so.

Proclaim to the Lord that you are His, that your body is His vessel. instrument, and tool to build up His kingdom in this broken world. Proclaim to the Lord that you will never allow society to dictate what you believe about the Messiah; never allow it change you, corrupt you, or lead you astray. Proclaim that you will never be a kingdom-destroyer.

Would you face trial and persecution for the Lord, because you recognize that following and knowing Him, and experiencing His love and grace, is worth infinitely more than anything this world can offer you?

Are you ready to start building the kingdom?

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“But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might”

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

You need to know….

You are beautiful.  You are enough.  The world we live in is twisted and broken and for your entire life you will be subjected to all kinds of lies that tell you that you are not enough.  You are not thin enough.  You are not tan enough.  You are not smooth, soft, shiny, firm, tight, fit, silky, blonde, hairless enough.  Your teeth are not white enough.  Your legs are not long enough.  Your clothes are not stylish enough.  You are not educated enough.  You don’t have enough experience.  You are not creative enough.

There is a beauty industry, a fashion industry, a television industry, (and most unfortunately) a pornography industry: and all of these have unique ways of communicating to bright young women: you are not beautiful, sexy, smart or valuable enough.

You must have the clarity and common sense to know that none of that is true. None of it.

You were created for a purpose, exactly so.  You have innate value.  You are loved more than you could ever comprehend; it is mind-boggling how much you are adored.  There has never been, and there will never be another you.  Therefore, you have unique thoughts to offer the world.  They are only yours, and we all lose out if you are too fearful to share them.

You are beautiful.  You are valuable.  You are enough.

(Source: http)

The Determination to Serve

“The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Matt. 20:28

Paul’s idea of service is the same as Our Lord’s: “I am among you as He that serveth;” “ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” We have the idea that a man called to the ministry is called to be a different kind of being from other men. According to Jesus Christ, he is called to be the “door-mat” of other men; their spiritual leader, but never their superior. “I know how to be abased,” says Paul. This is Paul’s idea of service - “I will spend myself to the last ebb for you; you may give me praise or give me blame, it will make no difference.” So long as there is a human being who does not know Jesus Christ, I am his debtor to serve him until he does. The mainspring of Paul’s service is not love for men, but love for Jesus Christ. If we are devoted to the cause of humanity, we shall soon be crushed and broken-hearted, for we shall often meet with more ingratitude from men than we would from a dog; but if our motive is love to God, no ingratitude can hinder us from serving our fellow men.

Paul’s realization of how Jesus Christ had dealt with him is the secret of his determination to serve others. “I was before a perjurer, a blasphemer, an injurious person” - no matter how men may treat me, they will never treat me with the spite and hatred with which I treated Jesus Christ. When we realize that Jesus Christ has served us to the end of our meanness, our selfishness, and sin, nothing that we meet with from others can exhaust our determination to serve men for His sake.