I wanna give you the world

"But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from captivity in Egypt. When that day comes," says the Lord, "you will call me 'my husband' instead of 'my master.' . . . . I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord." - Hosea 2: 6-8, 13b-16, 19-20

 

Do you ever feel like you're stuck in the desert? Dry. Angry. Irritated. Worn out. I've felt that way for the past week. Physically exhausted. An emotional wreck. A mess. Then I went to West Virginia. Here I've been cut off from technology. Stuck in a signal-less "wilderness" with only my feelings. When I got two hours by myself, I started searching God's word. I was in James, then I was in Proverbs, and then I ended up in Hosea. What a journey that was.

 

In James 4:1-10, I wanted to figure out what causes fights and conflicts. According to verse 1, it's my pleasures and evil desires--what I want. The other verses reminded me of things I knew but had forgotten, but then I got to James 4:9. It says, "Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy." James is talking about my reaction to my sin.

 

Then I started to think about what is an abomination to God. What does God hate? What can't He stand? In Proverbs 6, it says he can't stand haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands shedding innocent blood, a heart devising wicked plans, feet running to evil, false witness, and the spreading of strife. Unfortunately, as I read that I realized I had been struggling with several of these this past week.

 

I got to Hosea chapter 2 and I began to understand. I had forgotten God. I'd left Him in the dust. I'd moved on in my life without Him. He did exactly what He said He was going to do in Hosea 2. He exposed my evil to my lovers. He brought me into the wilderness (my wilderness was West Virginia) and spoke kindly to me through a song that is designed to be sung as a love song from a husband to his wife. And I was broken.

Hosea chapter 2 communicates how deeply God loves me. And I can't believe that I can act the way I do and leave Him behind.

If there is one thing I've learned from this trip to the "wilderness" it's that God loves me immensely. And I can have a relationship with Him that is beyond the superficial churchgoer. This relationship is supposed to be like a relationship with a lover. And that's how God desires me. I want to come to know God in a way that I desire Him that way too.

Please pray for me, my friends. I know God can do a great work, but I need to turn from my pride and selfishness and start to really seek after Him.

When you feel like a failure...

This song is a great reminder of these truths...

 

I started reading the book of John this morning. I was searching for who Jesus is in the descriptions of Him as God incarnate and I started a list:

• He has always been with God.
• He made all things come into being.
• He is full of life.
• He shines through darkness.
• The world didn't know Him.
• The world didn't receive Him.
• He gave the right to become children of God to those who did receive Him.
• He became flesh and lived among us.
• He was full of GRACE and TRUTH.
• He takes away our sin.
• There was no deceit in Him.
• He zealously defended God's house.
• He knows what is in our hearts.
• He came to save, not to judge (John 3:17).
• He was full of the Spirit.
• He can give eternal life.
• He is powerful.
• He only did what the Father did.
• He gives life.
• He does everything in accordance with the Father's will.
• He knows all things. 

The first thing that stuck out to me as I read was that God knows everything about us (John 2:25). He knows the good and He knows the bad. He knows it, first, because He is God and God knows everything, and He knows it because He lived as one of us! He was God, but He was also man. He experienced things just as we do.

Even though He knows the evil that lives inside of us, ". . . God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." God sent His Son, Jesus, not to judge and condemn us, but to save us (John 3:16-17).

 

This got me thinking... God sent Jesus to save us so that we might have eternal life and if we believe in Him, we have it. It's as simple as that... and yet we strive and strive to do things the right way because God will look on us with favor. In John 5:29-30 it says, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life." These verses are saying that we are caught up in the wrong things! In my life, I don't pray very often because I don't want to pray until I know I'm doing it right. I also don't like to have devotions because I feel like I have to get my schedule under control before I can have proper devotions. This verse challenged me that there is no "right" way. We are fallen creatures and are lost without Jesus. When He came to die on the cross, He took care of all of my "rightness complex." Jesus knew everything about me, came to save me, and wiped my slate clean! I can come to Him in prayer even if it may not be the best. I can do devotions today because He only wants me to come to Him.

 

One of the last verses I read had a profound impact on me: "So Jesus said to them, 'My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.'" (John 7:6). This is almost like a warning, but more of an encouragement. Jesus knew there was still time for people to come to Him. It applied then and it applied now. While we are living on this earth, we STILL have time to come to Him. Whether that means we come to Him for the first time and seek a relationship with Him, or whether we come to Him after time and time again of feeling like a failure. Our time to come to Jesus is always opportune.

Will you heed this encouragement? Take the time today to come to Jesus... it'll be the best choice you ever make!

Marriage: A picture of the Christian life

I just got married on Saturday. In the final weeks of preparation and on the week of my honeymoon, I have been hit again and again by the parallels and connections of marriage to my relationship with God.

The proposal

 

This is when the guy saves his money, buys an expensive ring, plans a special day, and "pops the question." He asks, "Will you marry me?" Jesus did this when He came to earth and died for us. He gave up His throne in heaven, came down to earth as a human being, and gave His life to make a way for me to spend eternity with Him. When He came to earth, Jesus asked, "Will you marry me?"

 



I said "Yes!"

 

This happens right after the proposal; the girl, filled with excitement, happily says "Yes!" This yes sets everything else in motion. The guy is on his knee waiting, but he cannot act until she responds. In my Christian life, this happened when I was eleven. I finally became aware of Jesus being there waiting, asking me to trust Him. All I had to was say yes.

 

Wedding planning

 

This is the time after the proposal. It may be months, it may be years. The bride becomes consumed by wedding details. There's the dress, the flowers, the cake, the caterer, the decorations, the music, and on and on. The bride spends as much time as she can to prepare for the wedding day so that it can be perfect. As I was planning my wedding, I started to think that our earthly life is a lot like planning for a wedding! There is growing, there are relationships, there is joy, and there is pain. In this earthly life, I am preparing myself to be ready for my groom, Jesus Christ.

 

The ceremony

 

This is where all of the wedding plan comes to a head. The day is finally here. All of your plans fit together and you get to enjoy it. You present yourself to your groom in a white dress. You vow yourself to him, promising to be true to him. I've started to think of the ceremony as my transition from earth to heaven. On earth, I am spending my time preparing myself to be ready for heaven. When the time comes for me to go to heaven, I will get to see my preparation come to a conclusion as I am joined with my heavenly love.

 



The reception

 

This is where you get to celebrate your marriage with friends and family who have spent time helping you prepare, awaiting the day you would be joined with your husband. In the Christian life, I think this is the marriage feast in heaven. The church, Christ's bride, will finally be joined with Him, and we will celebrate at the marriage feast.



The honeymoon

 

This is the time after the wedding is over. You and your husband dedicate a length of time (typically a week) to spend with each other, getting to know each other more intimately. It is a time of joy. In the Christian life, I feel very strongly that heaven will be like a honeymoon. In heaven, we will spend eternity being intimately connected with God. We will have all the time in the world to get to know Him and to have a relationship with Him.

 

In John 17:3, Jesus prayed, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Jesus understood that eternal life meant having a relationship with God. Although I can't comprehend it all, I am so excited that God has started revealing things about Him to me. I'm looking forward to how much more I can learn about God through my marriage.