The Web He Weaves

Only Jesus can unravel you of your past and begin to weave hope into your future. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is Hope. He is Joy. He is Love. In Him we find who we are and all we are called to be. We need only follow Him. His call is one of action - "Go" "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." 

The beautiful promise that comes with a Christ filled life is that He will not leave us where we are. He who has called you will work in you. You need only be still. Listen for His guidance, and stop trying to do all the work yourself. The race to obtain perfection is one that Jesus conquered for us. We are trapped in a web of self reliance when we try to run the race of perfection alone. Let Christ guide you through. He will untangle your past and weave hope into your future. 

In Christ alone, our hope is found. 

The Longing

We all have it. A deep desire to know and be known. Ultimately, known and accepted. We run from it, we run to it (or what we think it is), we run with a compelling desire to be fulfilled.

...And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith...

The writer of Hebrews makes mention of this race we all tend to run without having noticed at times. What we must take capture of is our motive and realize what we are running for. Jesus went before us in this race, setting the stage and claiming the victory. For our benefit and His glory. We must learn how we will be fulfilled. In Christ alone, remember your only hope is found. He is everything and in Him we find all we need. 

We long to be accepted and known. Sister, I tell you the truth when I say you are loved and known wholly by the One who is Holy above all! He created you and formed your inner most parts. He knows every nook and cranny of your being... And you know what? He still loves you. He loves you enough not to leave you where you are and to call you out of the dark places you will run without seeing the complete satisfaction found in Him. So long for Him. Long for Jesus. The author and perfecter of our faith. It is in Him that all hope is found. 

Consumed

I am consumed. And I struggle. No time to relax. No time to be still. It seems as if I always need to be doing something, posting something, checking something. Leaving no time to just take life in. So I'm letting go. I will free up my time. To relax. To refocus. To rewind 

A Constant Gospel

In Acts 15, the early Christians rejoice when they are reminded of the Gospel. They are being challenged in their faith, and they are reminded that their hearts are purified by faith, not by ritualistic cleansing; and that their salvation is through the grace of Jesus Christ, not through works they have done to uphold to the law. The beauty of the law in the eyes of grace and salvation is that by the law, we recognized our depravity and our need for a Savior full of grace and truth. Through Jesus, we have this available to us and offered to us. 

As Christians, we do not stop needing the Gospel once we are saved. The early Christians rejoiced at the reminder of the salvation they have, just as we should today. We need to be constantly reminded of the Gospel.

We are walking around with burdens that we do not need to carry; constantly living as if salvation is just something we read and talk about. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to edify and provoke one another to good works in Christ. We are adopted into an everlasting, glorious Kingdom. With a King who chose to leave His throne and die for us. The concept of this unbelievable grace is so farfetched to some, probably most, that a Christ inspired and lived out life is seen few and far between within the lives of the church. So why are we not being reminded of the Gospel more often?

Christians must be reminded of the grace they have received because that is what lies at the root of it all. I personally must remind myself. When I am weary, feeling unloved or unappreciated, the root of the solution is the Gospel. I must remind myself of my identity in Christ and remember I am worth dying for.

Rejoice. Our Savior has come and He lives in us.

This is the evidence of our faith, the Spirit that resides in the believer. We are adopted by the Father. The Lamb of God came down and died the death we owe, and the story does not end there. He has conquered the grave, and because of this glorious truth, we are redeemed to an everlasting life. This passage in Acts challenges me to speak the truth of the Gospel each day, in and out of church. Reading of the early church and its growth is so inspiring to me that it makes the church today look weak. It makes me wonder what we are doing wrong. In the beginning years of the church, thousands were coming to know Christ and becoming a part of the church. There is power in the name of Jesus. There is power given to us through the Spirit, this is evident in the book of Acts. We are no longer held captive by sin or restricted to maintain the exclusives of the law, but we are free. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 

The Gospel preached reminds us of this truth, of our identity and our freedom, of the initiating love our Creator has for us. Love came down and rescued us from our sin and accepting this grace gives us power to proclaim a Kingdom that is everlasting.

New Year, New Start?

So many focus on the romanticism of a new year. A fresh start. A time to start over. Begin a new. "New year, new you." The gyms are full of those wanting to lose weight. Meal plans are started to work towards healthy eating. Coffee dates scheduled with old friends to be more intentional with. I myself had the "resolution" to begin a reading plan to read through the bible this year. But guess what? I've already failed at diving into the word every day. I have already fallen behind. Not even a month in!! 

The refreshing and encouraging part comes in one of my readings a few weeks ago. John 1:16 

From his fullness, we have received grace  upon grace. 

Coming to a face off with my weakness, I'm reminded of His grace and fullness. I am reminded that each day is a fresh start in His Kingdom. I am a new creation in Christ and I am able to be overwhelmed with His grace when I fail. 

So I will continue on with my "resolution" remembering first that it is in Him that I find my new beginning, not the new year. In Him, I find the grace to start over each day. In His fullness, I'm made new. 

Patience or Pleasure

Where do I begin? It seems to be a curse of this generation. Busyness. Striving for perfection. Yes, sanctification is a holy thing, and working towards the upward call in Christ is not a bad thing. But when does our work become the idol? When does it become a false sense of righteousness? I can tell you that for me, there was no false sense of righteousness, only a rightful sense of unfulfilling exhaustion. 

I take pride in any work I do. Combine that with an overwhelming desire to please others, and you have someone who does not feel acceptable until they feel exceptional. Maybe it's part of a woman's make up- to believe we have to do things very well to do them at all. My issue is, wanting to earn more of Gods favor through what doing more for His kingdom.

Romans 3:20 

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

The truth I cannot seem to wrap my head around is that my Heavenly Father will not love me anymore or any less tomorrow than he does today. The truth is- even at my worst, He thought I was worth dying for. 

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

So, do I believe God feels pleasure towards me? That he delights in me? Or that he just is patient with me? I can bank on the Lord's patience with me. I have experienced it throughout my life. But the truth is, the truth that we must all wrap our heads around is, He is not waiting for me to become something else to love me. He loved me at my worst. 

Stop trying to pay a debt you do not owe 

Overwhelmed

The feeling of being overwhelmed is one I am all too familiar with - and I'm sure others can identify with to some extent. This is not a new word in our vocabulary by any means. I am constantly overwhelmed by the amount of tasks I take on and the responsibilities I claim as my own. My struggle to say no to others and desire to help does not work well when paired with my prideful mindset of "perfection." 

"Perfect" Oh that word and the harm it does. I know I am far from perfect. I can write books on how I won't be until my days in glory. I can talk all day abouthow His strength is made perfect in my weakness. But the struggle remains. My issue is the overwhelming desire to improve and maintain the opinions of others towards me. This overwhelms me. I am a "doer" and constantly strive to prove my worth to others. 

Whose Gospel is that?! 

There is nothing I can do to redeem myself or make myself any more worthy that I am now. Praise Jesus for His redemption, because I would make a lousy savior with how often I mess up. 

So why is it so hard to rest in this grace? This unbelievable and scandalous grace. Because I overwhelm myself with things in this world and struggle so much to keep my eyes on heaven. 

One definition Webster uses for "overwhelm" is "to affect someone very strongly." It is easy to relate this negatively to our everyday struggles and striving a for worth and identity. The challenging question is - How often am I overwhelmed by God? 

God calls for us to bring Him glory, and part of that is recognizing that we have received His grace by no work of our own. Nothing I can do to "earn" me any more love and acceptance from Him. He calls for us to come to Him, lay down our burdens, and walk with Him. Rest in Him. 

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.