Growth

Walking in the Presence of God

LynnLeave a comment
Grand Teton National Park

Hallelujah!  Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Psalm 146:1–2 (BSB)

My soul is enraptured by Your majestic Presence, O God. In the stillness of Your creation—among the towering mountains and whispering winds—my spirit trembles in awe. Even the smallest flower, placed purposefully by Your hand, resonates within my heart that You see me. 

Columbine Flower

You commanded it to bloom in this very place, at this very moment, to stir my heart toward You, to refresh my weary soul, and to rekindle the longing to continue to draw nearer.

How humbling it is to stand before such magnificence and realize how small I am—yet how deeply I am loved. You, the God of the universe, are not ashamed to call me friend. Every petal and every breath of wind proclaims Your affection. Words fail me, yet my heart overflows with praise for Your beauty, Your faithfulness, Your mercy, and Your forgiveness… and most of all… Your love.

There remains within me a quiet ache—a loneliness that only You can fill. Who could ever understand the wonder of moments like these? Still, I long for the world to know Your glory, to see Your beauty, to taste Your love. I long for them to know You as I have known You, even more so. You reveal Yourself so tenderly to those who seek You. May Your glory shine through me and may Your Love be demonstrated through every small thing I do, Lord—not that I may be known, but that You may be known.

Lord, You have filled my soul with wonder. You meet me in quiet places and remind me that I am seen, loved, and chosen. Let every breath I take be a song of praise to You. Use my life to reflect Your glory— not that I might be noticed, but that others may behold You.

You are my joy, my friend, my everything. May my heart never cease to be in awe of You.

Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Psalm 103:1 (BSB)

Selfless Love

Lynn1 Comment

2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2 BSB

In today’s world, we have a wonderful opportunity to gain knowledge like no other previous generation. Almost every one of us has the world at our fingertips through tiny screens, we call cell phones. Within the last several years, there’s been an explosion in the technology of artificial intelligence (AI). People have programmed AI so well, that at times, it can be difficult to distinguish between whether or not you are speaking to a real person or an AI program that sounds like a human being.

If you’ve written a book or an article, AI can check for proper grammar usage and punctuation. AI can now make suggestions for a better argument or the use of more articulate sentences. In fact, AI could write the book for you if you’re detailed enough in your requirements. AI can create pictures and videos that are so life-like that you’d think they were real. (A scary thought.) AI is also being used to write its own programs to solve complex, mathematical equations and many scientific puzzles, including calculating and proving out abstract theories.

If you want to know how to switch out the climate control panel in your car or fix your dishwasher, just YouTube it or ask AI specific questions, and BAM!! you’re on your way to fixing the issue yourself. In many ways, having all of this knowledge so readily available can be a blessing, like in the examples above. If there’s a common household problem that needs resolving, the internet offers a million and one ways to solve it. I especially enjoy this kind of knowledge because I like understanding how things work and how they go together. I can easily get pulled into a night of watching YouTube about things pertaining to any type of engineering. You like mathematics? There are millions upon millions of websites and videos you can get lost in. Want to become the best debater and sharpen your skills? Grab your phone and YouTube it. I think in some ways it’s good that knowledge is not out of reach for those who have a thirst for learning that is never quenched.

Just as much as it is can be good, it can also be distracting, taking you down unnecessary paths and stealing hours upon hours of your precious time. Sometimes, you can find yourself so submerged in all that information that you’ve forgotten what brought you there in the first place. You started out looking for information about what kind of tree you saw and somehow you ended up watching adorable kittens playfully pouncing one another. We laugh about it because it’s true. I think most of us enjoy learning new things. After all, God has instilled this desire within us so that we would seek Him.

Studying the Bible is one of the most important things, as believers, we should do. Held within the very words of the Holy Scriptures is Life itself. However, just like we can get lost on the information highway, sometimes we can get lost in obtaining knowledge about God too. Of course, this can be a good thing, until it gets to a point where knowledge becomes superior to love. If I were able to connect each and every Scripture perfectly and interpret them correctly, but are unable to have compassion for a fellow brother or sister, what use is knowing all of those wonderful things? If I can formulate the most perfect argument and win every debate, but lose the soul, what good is it?

Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8 BSB

As we draw nearer to knowing God, transformation should not only be happening in our understanding of the Scriptures, but also within our heart as well. Such transformation should be bringing about the love of God from within you. This love is then demonstrated by how you treat others.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, Colossians 1:9-10a BSB

I recommend that you read all of Colossians Chapter 1. What spiritual wisdom and understanding is Paul referring to?

While knowledge is the accumulation of facts, wisdom is the ability to use that knowledge in a way that brings about a good outcome. Spiritual wisdom, in particular, involves using knowledge with insight, patience, and compassion, which reflects God’s love and truth. (James 3:17)

What does Paul mean when he says, “so that you might walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way” ? (An entire article can be written from this question alone. 😊) What fruit are the above Scriptures referring to? Such fruit is clearly explained in the below reference:

52 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 BSB

Notice that the kind of fruit Paul is referring to doesn’t speak of having the ability to solve every mystery held within the Scriptures or to prove yourself right in a debate. He is talking about those things that we cannot possess without first having an intimate relationship with God. Through our intimacy with Jesus, He develops within us a kind of love that is completely selfless. This selfless love is the very nature of who God is and the very reason why Christ died. (And the reason why we need God so very much.)

5 But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked. 1 John 2:5-6 BSB

What does it mean when it says “walk”? By saying walk, it is referring to a continuous journey. It involves making a daily decision to follow God’s path, seeking His guidance and wisdom to grow more aligned with His heart and purpose. And, how did Jesus walk?

1 Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:1-7 BSB

Can you see the love and compassion woven in Paul’s pleading? He’s saying, if you have any love within you, then consider others better than yourself, be like Christ, who humbled Himself and willingly died in complete submission to God for the betterment of others. We are supposed to be servants of God and then likewise, servants to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our walk with God should not only be solely focused on gaining knowledge for ourselves, but also on the building up of others in the faith. I’m not suggesting that we lose ourselves in serving others, but to remember why we are here. Are we only here to gain knowledge just for ourselves? Are we not to also to build one another up? I implore you, what kind of fruit are you bearing?

As a side note, I noticed this beautiful complement Paul gave Timothy. Read this:

19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I learn how you are doing. 20 I have nobody else like him who will genuinely care for your needs. 21 For all the others look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:19-21 BSB

Paul’s deep appreciation for Timothy stems from Timothy’s faithfulness and devotion to Paul’s calling. Timothy’s love for Paul was demonstrated by his continued support and faithful friendship. Paul trusted Timothy so much, that he was sending him in his place to care for their fellow believers. What an honor! The bonded friendship between them had a foundation of love that stemmed from being selfless towards one another. What a beautiful example of the kind of friends we should not only seek, but to become.

5 The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 BSB

Sincere faith is laden with love. Faith should not exist without love, but it can and often it does. This should not be.

All knowledge will cease and only God and those who love Him will remain. In the end of all things, the ultimate goal that God desires for each of us is for us to become like Jesus.

Jesus possessed all wisdom, faith and love. By looking intently into the Scriptures, you can identify Christ’s love woven throughout. The people Jesus rebuked the most were the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the teachers of the Law. Why do you think that was so? You might say that was due to their lack of faith in Who Jesus was or that they had more faith in their doctrine than in God Himself. I see this, but I am also seeing something deeper. We intellectually know that it is never a good thing to place doctrine over God. In fact, it is not good to put anything over God, including faith, and might I so audaciously say, even the study of the Scriptures.

So, what happened to the Pharisees and the Sadducees? They studied the Scriptures all day long and went through special training. That’s all they knew… the precious Scriptures, and yet, they missed the most important thing in all of life!! Jesus Christ Himself! How can such a thing be possible, that is, for a person to spend that much time researching the Scriptures and miss the entire point of it all? (This should pose to us a warning.)

I think it was in part due to their lack of genuine love, the selfless kind of love that God is. They unraveled the Scriptures and understood things that most of the common people did not, and yet, they possessed no true love for others and so God withheld their ability to see the Truth.

22 But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22 BSB

What is acceptable obedience according to Scripture?

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. John 15:12-14 BSB

37 Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 BSB

The Bible shows that love for God leads us to love one another. By obeying what God has commanded, that is, to love your neighbor as yourself, you will walk in perfect faith toward God.

If the only point in studying the Scriptures is to gain understanding of what they mean, then the Pharisees and the Sadducees would have been first in line and the most praised, but that ended up not being the case. They got lost in their search for understanding. They missed the entire point of it all.

Yes, the study of Scripture is wonderful and glorious, but if it does not lead you to a life of selfless love, then the Scriptures themselves will have had no real impact on your heart. And this is the purpose for their existence, to lead you to a Selfless Loving God, so that you may exemplify the very traits Christ possessed. God’s selfless Love is woven throughout the Scriptures from Genesis 1:1 all the way through Revelation 22:21. The whole point of our relationship with God should be based on love, and if this is so, then that love should radiate to those around you. The kind of love that puts Self aside and thinks of others. One that puts agendas aside and reaches out to build up and encourage our fellow believers. Sometimes, people put forth a false sense of selflessness, only to hide their true motive, and such motives are to serve themselves. This should not be.

My friends, let us love one another selflessly. In the end, it really doesn’t matter if you can solve all the mysteries in the world and understand all the deep meanings within the Scriptures, if you do not have love, you have missed the most important thing.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 BSB

7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. 10 And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because He first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well. 1 John 4:7-21 BSB

12 And by these, my son, be further warned: There is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body. 13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:12-13 BSB

May your studies lead you to the greatest wisdom of all: Selfless Love.

Spiritual Maturity

LynnLeave a comment

1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3And God permitting, we will do so. Hebrews 6:1-3 | NIV84

Winter came early last year and quite unexpectedly. There just wasn’t enough time to gather up all the leaves that had fallen and were scattered all over the lawn. By the time it was possible to get outside and finish winterizing the lawn, it was simply just too cold. It didn’t matter how many leaves covered the grass because the grass had gone dormant and wouldn’t start growing again till Spring anyhow. Winter not only came quick last year, but it has held its grip rather tight too, almost unwilling to give any sign of relief. This past week, the temperatures rose and even the sun poked it’s head out of the clouds for a few days. No winter coats or gloves required!

I’ve been so used to being cooped up in the house, that when the sun broke through the grey clouds, I was eager to go outside, even though it was only 43°F. 43°F is not 34°F and when the sun is shining, it’s actually refreshing. I couldn’t wait to get outside in the yard and cleanup last year’s leaves. Upon getting outside and surveying the yard, I found it was littered with broken branches scattered everywhere coarsely decorated with a massive amount of pinecones too. Then I remembered there had been an unusual amount of wind these past two years. After scouring the yard and hunting down every pinecone, I ended up with a 5 gallon bucket full of them. Why so many pinecones, I thought while glancing up at the huge pine tree. 

As I was raking around the garden, gathering up dead branches and old leaves, I began to think about the growing season. In no time mowing will happen, flowers will bloom, and suddenly everything will simultaneously take off, and look absolutely beautiful. The warm air will sooth away the chill of winter. The birds will return and the sounds of nature will fill the air with the promise of additional little creatures roaming the backyard. Winter has grabbed it’s coat and left, at least, for the time being, that is.

Nature does its growing thing naturally which was put in place the moment God spoke way back in Genesis. From the moment God spoke, nature will continue to go through it’s cycle until the end of time is sealed up and thrown away. Nature doesn’t have to force itself to grow, growth is instilled inside it’s DNA. No matter what, nature always finds a way to grow. Just look at how a plant can cause concrete to crack in its pursuit of seeking sunlight to grow.

The human body is much like nature in general. Meaning, the human body grows regardless too. Babies are born, and they grow into children, then adults, and then eventually into elderly people. At first glance, it would appear that people and nature have similarities, after all, they both physically grow. Although they are somewhat similar, there is a drastic difference between the two. A person has an eternal spirit living within them and nature, even animals, do not. The spirit was given to man by the act of God ‘breathing’ a part of Himself into the body of a man. The part God breathed into the man was His eternal nature, the spirit-being that lives within the human body. So people really comprise of two different things. A body and a spirit. What’s interesting is, the spirit has a will of its own unlike the growth the body performs. The spirit can choose to grow or it can choose to remain stagnant whereas, the body grows regardless.

While I was clearing away the dead leaves and branches from the backyard garden, I thought about how often people, in general, do not clear away old habits, but rather, they choose to remain the same as they have always been, or in another words, they choose to remain stagnant. A static soul is a sorrowful soul. This is why there are people who are physically classified as adults, but still emotionally act like children. This is also the reason why many Christians never actually grow-up spiritually. They learned what they consider ‘enough’ to navigate church and maybe even enough to slide through life, but they never really get to experience true growth and enlightenment of who God really is.

It was back-breaking work, cleaning out the dead leaves, branches, and pinecones out of the flowerbeds, yard, and garden. My soft hands got blisters and my lower back ached. It was not only a physical challenge, but it took me between 2 days, 6-8 hours… and I’m still not fully done. I still need to clean out the flowerbeds on the northeast side of my home and prune the rose bushes. Not to mention edging, planting, and distributing mulch. In fact, the yard is an endless job. There is always something that needs to be done. It’s a lot of work and even though it may appear as if I’m complaining, I actually enjoy having something to do; something to occupy both my mind and my body. And when I’m doing these, my spirit grows.

While living upon the Earth, work is technically never finished. While we are alive, we are always still physically growing and/or changing. It should be the same with our spirit. Jesus completed the work of Salvation through death on the cross and rising from the dead, but it wasn’t until He sat down at the right hand of the Father that the work of Salvation was finished. He is still at work, interceding in Heaven for His brothers and sisters. We have been set free by having faith in what Jesus did on the cross in our place, but there is still work to be done while we are still here on Earth. The ‘work’ I’m referring applies to the growth and maturity of your spirit. I’m not talking about doing good deeds, going to church, and trying to be a better person. I’m talking about rolling up your sleeves, opening up the Bible, and digging into the Word. I’m talking about prayer, fasting, and listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And then, of course, when God does speak to you, that you obey and/or do whatever it is He has shown you. This is the ‘work’ I am referring to. This is the kind of work that will mature your spirit so it can catch up to your physical body. 

Leave the way of immaturity and only knowing simple Truths of Jesus Christ, and press on to clearing away the dead leaves and the old branches so new growth can begin. New growth that will lead you to the Living Well that never runs dry. New growth that will nourish you through the winter and provide food for your soul. God is never interested in the short term of anything. He is very interested in your long term growth toward maturity.

It’s time to clean out the old stuff, and throw away the things that hold you back, to make room for new growth to develop that will lead you to spiritual maturity. Don’t let last year’s leaves get in the way of new flowers that want to bloom in your spirit.

Sabbatical

LynnLeave a comment

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.

Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” Genesis 32:24-28 | NIV84

Sometimes we must take a “Sabbatical” from life to work on who we are internally; from the inside out. At times life can become so overwhelming that we are crushed under its weight. We are broken by its burdens, sorrows and unrelenting anguish.

Being broken hurts emotionally, physically and spiritually. Being broken takes time to mend and heal. Sometimes when we are broken, we don’t go back together like we once did. A part of us has changed forever…kind of like when Jacob wrestled with God. Before the sun rose Jacob demanded for God to bless him. God did, but in the process, He touched Jacob’s hip socket, changed his name to Israel and Jacob walked with a limp for the rest of his life. Jacob’s life was forever changed and if you want to get technical, because of his perseverance so did ours.

So, in challenging times, it’s important to stay close to God, wrestle with Him with all of your strength, with all of your heart and ask for His blessing, so when you are done… you can be put back together with His special touch to forever, not only change your life, but more importantly, help to change the lives of others.