The Love of God

God is love. I am convinced of this reality; I am a witness of it. Yes, He has many characteristics, but first and foremost He is a God of Love - He defines it. Love is different than Justice and Peace (and all other character traits), for they are tangible focus on a rather narrow aspect of life; Love can be thought of as more of a state of being - and it's definition is much more complex. Consider 1 Corinthians 13, it takes the whole passage simply to describe the characteristics that are present in Love. But really, I don't think it's important to get caught up in defining Love, there is a very simple explanation for Love's complexity: it is the essence of God - to define it would be to define Him. God is Perfect Love. This is what I believe, and this belief is what has changed my life. Considering God in this way simplifies the christian life and the understanding of scripture. It is not something that takes a degree in theology to grasp (it never has been), it is the simple understanding of  purpose in light of my trust in the Perfect Love.
This is an understanding I desire for everyone, for it has made an incredible difference in my life and I can only imagine the difference it could make in others. Maybe it is something you want, and if so, I would compel you to pray - ask the Holy spirit to show you the evidence of God's Perfect Love around you. God has promised He will not refuse us the desire of our heart - and this is a noble desire.

There Is Nothing That God Can't Undo

I've thought about the question that is so often posed to christians, "if God is all powerful and loving, why does He let bad things happen to people?" Sometimes this sentiment is used as an excuse to dismiss any serious consideration of God, but more often I think it reflects an honest quandary of character - and if He really is what He claims to be. I know He is, and I don't think there is really any complex answer to the question either. Power is a wonderful thing; some people (in this broken and incomplete world) attempt to show the power they may have by forcing things to go according to their desire- consequently, it seems that  this is the medium used to judge the amount of power someone possesses. And, conversely, the more someone (or something) else is able to go against that will signifies of a lack of power. But I wonder if power is actually measured a different way. Instead of being judged by an individuals ability to command, I think it should be judged by an individuals ability to "repair" - so to speak - damage done to his plan. Think of God; He has a plan to redeem the world and save as many as will believe in the reality of His Son. And despite giving us the ability to choose wrong (which we do often) and Satan's power of temptation, He is still able to take what has gone wrong and make good out of it. And in all reality - when bad things happen - it isn't a testimony of God's impotence, rather it is the result (although maybe somewhat indirectly) of God giving us the ability to choose between right and wrong - and when wrong was chosen, evil entered the world. So don't blame God (or question His love) when evil happens; realize that because of His love, He gave us the ability to choose to claim Him as our Father. He loves us so much that He wants us to voluntarily give Him our hearts - but when the choice was made otherwise (back in the garden) the door was opened for evil to affect our lives, and death entered the world. So the reality of evil does not call into question the truth of God's love, instead it is actually a confirmation of it - showing that He loved us enough to give us a choice to either love Him or hurt Him...

It is better to have lived and died than to never have lived at all

Life is a precious thing. Maybe it's funny that I should be saying so, but I really believe that it is. Only God can bestow life, and only God can take it - it is a task that we are not worthy or responsible of having. It is a blessing really, and one that I have taken for granted. It shames me to think of the ways I have disregarded this reality through my plans and choices (which I make in my best interest). And it shames me to see the evident truth, that, in many cases, the gift of life has become more important to me than the Giver who loved me enough to grant it to me in the first place. It makes me wonder, how often do I fail to set an example, as God's child, of a person who holds lightly to life - it shames me to think...

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it..."
(Matt 16:25)

All in a Family

Agree with me or not, God designs; and what He designs is good. With this week of rest has come the ability to remember. And as my thoughts have traveled over the past year, I have been caught by the change that has come about in my life - physically, mentally and spiritually. But more so, I have noticed the value and role of family in all that change - mostly grandparents. In my mind, I firmly believe that last fall was the time-frame that I moved from being a guy into a man; and that is not because I learned (kinda) how to live apart from my parents, but because of the spiritual and mental maturity that came to be mine during that time. What I was able to discern this last week was that the maturity that I found, was really given to me by the Holy Spirit working through my grandparents as they lived with me each day and spoke truth into my broken mind. Their influence changed me; and because of their obedience to God, I am in a position today to deal with the struggles of cancer in the way that I have. In light of this, I have re-written that cute little phrase that grandmother's like to hang on plaques above the sink (or written on little pictures on the wall). That is - Grandparents are a gift from the Lord.


So what am I really saying? Well, I'm trying to say that God designed family, and He designed it with a purpose. And that purpose accomplishes many things when it functions in the way He designed it. To say it simply; God knows the value of grandparents, of the older generation teaching the younger, and He has blessed me with Mema and Papa (and blessed me through them). For they were (and have been) a witness of God's love to me, a beacon of His light in the darkness around me, and part of His hand changing me into the man that He created me to be. And that is the benefit in God's design of family.  

Thank you God for Family...

It's funny how things change

Life is different now; I guess it will never be the same. But I don't want to leave everyone feeling like they just finished listening to an Anberlin song (although they are very insightful songs). I was encouraged by a friend from our church to journal some of the thoughts that I had accumulated over the course of the last few months - journal them now that I had a week off of treatment and felt sufficiently energized to do so. I have shared a lot with people who have stopped in to say hi and offer encouragement to me; but verbal communication is easier (and goes two ways) than writing, so I've fallen lax in this department. Anyhow, here's to Mr. Cleveland and Aunt Valerie, thanks for the reminder to write.

It's not about me. Ha, we all know that, don't we. God is in control and His desire is for His creation to love Him. And as we talk about "being used" to complete His purpose, we are alluding to the reality of our insignificance and His importance. I guess this has taken on a little deeper meaning for me in the cancer process. See, I have understood that my actions and words and thoughts were to be about God, for God, and under God's direction. But I realize now that when it came to physical things, such as money or possessions, I didn't treat them as thought they were about God - I treated them (and considered them) to be about me. You know, like I thought that as long as the outcome of how they were used was glorifying to God then it didn't matter how they were used. I guess it's not my intention to say that I have learned to treat everything as though it belongs to God, but the thought that has captivated my mind is that even my cancer (something that is, physically, only affecting me) is not about me. I cannot even claim that this illness is only about me, neither can I claim that the good that comes of it is only for me. That is such a paradox for me to grasp - That not only is life not about me, but I am not about me... And yet, even in this I have no resentment (it isn't really something to be resentful of), for I know that God does love me - and it is a knowing that is deeper than anything I claim to understand, but that is a different post:)))


 - maybe more unfortunate is the person who thinks they no longer need to learn...*




*see Look At it in a Different Light on January 18, 2012