Loving God Archives | Page 19 of 39

April 4, 2017April 2, 2017

Day 2: Dancing the “Paradigm Shift”

I grew up in Kansas. Where there are four distinct seasons. During the summer of 1996, I moved to California to attend graduate school. Same country. Very different state. I loved the odd-looking plants (like oleander and palm trees) … and all the swimming pools.

It was already late August. Fall was not far away. And I was looking forward to enjoying my new apartment’s amenities as long as I could. So I asked the manager when the pool closed.

She replied, “At 11pm.”

It took a minute to realize she’d answered a different question than the one I’d asked. Back home, the pools close on Labor Day.

That was the first of many paradigm shifts in getting to know California.

Getting to know God requires MORE THAN ONE paradigm shift.

[callout]We all became Christians with only a partial understanding of who God is.[/callout]

As noted yesterday …

My mom didn’t contribute much. I don’t remember ever hearing her pray. But she did read her Bible a lot. She kept it by her rocking chair and underlined verses. Sadly, that was her only testimony.
Thankfully our ultra conservative church provided the Rules for Living. And we had the world’s absolute best youth group. We went roller skating, camping, boating, and on hayrides.

But my church also taught me …

that you could mess up things with God.
so you need to “come forward” and “get right with God.”
and that the being a Christian meant you lived with guilt and shame.

Does any of that match your experience?

If so, here are some ways to open yourself up to Who God really is …

Talk to Him. He’s Very Approachable. And He doesn’t expect perfection. Just a conversation. (Jeremiah 33:3, Hebrews 4:16)
Read the Bible. Don’t merely accept others’ interpretations as the Absolute Truth. Seek to know the Truth that will set you free for yourself. And if it doesn’t set you free, it isn’t the Truth. (John 8:32)
Surround yourself with people who are kind. And full of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

How different would your life be if you fully understood the Lord’s love?
What would change about your outlook for your relationship?
How might your relationship be different?

March 28, 2017April 2, 2017

Secret Places

You have Secret Places in your heart. That no one knows. Not even you. But The Lord was, is, and always will be aware of where and what they are. Because He was, is, and always will be with you.

He knows your Deepest Disappointments. Your Happiest Hopes. He also knows the Desires of your Heart because He put them there Himself.

And His Heart’s Desire is to give you Your Heart’s Desire.

That is, to help you become the person He has had in mind since the day He first thought of you. Since The Beginning. His Desire is to partner with you to make all that happen. Because He loves you more than anything. And – in case you are wondering – He also knows and loves the person who is next to you right now more than anything.

[callout]The One Who knows you most deeply is The One Who loves you most deeply.
And there is no fear in His Love. Only Faithful Friendship.[/callout]

You have searched me, Lord,
    and You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    You are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    You, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and You lay Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain. – Psalm 139:1-6

March 26, 2017April 2, 2017

Not Just Any Dream

My favorite song in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical is Any Dream Will Do. It’s a very catchy and memorable tune. But is he right about that? Will just any dream do?

Joseph believed His Dream because he believed God.
And because it was a really big, really Impossible Dream.

His brothers hated him and sold him into slavery.
But God had shown Joseph that he would one day be above them.

And no matter how far from His Dream reality took him,
Joseph kept believing in God’s dream for his life.

I once believed that our dreams should be
Reasonable. Reachable. Doable.

Then I thought that we should dream Big Dreams
because they cost the same as small dreams.
“They both cost us nothing,” I reasoned.

[callout]When suddenly I realized that my old beliefs and thoughts were both incorrect.[/callout]

Because small, reasonable dreams cost us a lot.
They keep us from becoming all that God
has planned for us to be.

So what’s your dream, Friend?

“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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