Two weeks ago a pastor used bumper stickers as a sermon illustration. Later that day Kevin and I reminisced over our favorite sticker. Shortly after we were married, we saw a sticker on a car that made us laugh so hard we cried. This sticker had a cartoon drawing of a rabbit, standing with his hand over his mouth that was in a smile. The caption on the sticker was "You smell like butt." Even now as I type it, I laugh. I don't know what it is about this sticker that is so funny, but we laugh hard every time we talk about it. A few days later, I started really thinking about that bumper sticker and realized that there is some truth behind its caption.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes we can really make a mess of things? This is generally caused from our selfishness, our choice to live a self-hyphenated life. We constantly want controll of life and everything around us. God did not create us to be in control. We attempt to live out a dream that we made ourselves. God has a much greater plan. We think our beliefs and thoughts are more superior that those of other people. God called us to only speak and believe what He designed for us. Living a selfish life allows people to only see us, and us is really not something that most people need to see. Generally speaking, people are messy and stinky. We mess up when we do things on our own. In short, we "smell like butt." I don't know about you, but there are many times when my "self" gets in the way and I really smell like butt. It's disgusting and awful. I would much rather have far more moments where my "self" just got out of the way and Jesus can work through me. If we all chose to live life like this, then the world would smell much sweeter.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
No time for religion...
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Matthew 11:28 - 30 (Message)
Religion is basically a set of beliefs, rules, and/or laws. Many people believe that in order to be good enough, they must follow all of these standards. I guess it's like a checklist for life. Attend church -- check; be baptized -- check; read my Bible -- check; don't drink -- check; be nice to people -- check. Of course, none of these things are wrong. It's just that God never meant our lives to be about living up to a set of standards. And that is what religion has become -- a set of standards or rules that we are to live by. Even Jesus did not like religion. You can read about His encounters with the religious people of His day thoughout the Gospels. Jesus came to earth to fulfill the law, and we can receive what He did for us, His death on the cross. We will never be good enough to enter heaven. We will only wear ourselves out trying harder and harder and then find ourselves eternally burning in hell. However, by living in a relationship with Jesus and allowing Him to reign in our lives, we will find eternity in heaven. The checklist I mentioned before no longer becomes a checklist but things we do out of the overflow of the perfect love that Jesus pours into our lives.
Sadly, the confusion over religion versus relationship has caused many people to believe that they have to "clean up their act" before coming to God. This is simply not true! God wants us exactly as we are. It is impossible for us to change our lives on our own. It is through God's redemptive love, exemplified through Christ's death on the cross, that allows our lives to change. No one has to get their life in order before meeting Jesus. Meeting Jesus will allow people to restore their lives.
"I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die." Galations 2:21 (NLT)
Much of my life was about living up to the standards of religion. There were many times that I would choose to do something because I was a "good Christian girl." Good Christian girls read their Bibles. Good Christian girls did not cuss or drink or sleep with their boyfriends. Good Christian girls made good grades. Good Christian girls went to church and participated in religions type organizations. I was completely exhausted trying to keep up with everything I was suppose to do. All of my good works was causing me to be blind to the real truth -- that Jesus simply wanted me to humbly give over my life to Him and to walk in a relationship with Him. I thought my eternity was secure and I was Christian because I could pull together a long and impressive list of everything I did as a "good Christian girl." It took 2 people to explain to me that being a Christian was more than simply believing that Jesus died for our sins (Duh! even Satan knows this) and by being good, and it took a holy slap from God himself to show me that if I were to die, I would not go to heaven. All I had to do was to lay down my sins before Jesus, accept His forgiveness, give Him my heart and invite Him to reign in my life. That happened on September 8, 2006. I took a nap after I prayed that morning, resting peacefully because I no longer had to "do." I now choose what I do because I know it comes with Jesus's directive, not because they are things I ought to do.
Religion says earn. Relationship says rest.
Religion says do. Relationship says be.
Religion says try harder. Relationship says I love you.
Matthew 11:28 - 30 (Message)
Religion is basically a set of beliefs, rules, and/or laws. Many people believe that in order to be good enough, they must follow all of these standards. I guess it's like a checklist for life. Attend church -- check; be baptized -- check; read my Bible -- check; don't drink -- check; be nice to people -- check. Of course, none of these things are wrong. It's just that God never meant our lives to be about living up to a set of standards. And that is what religion has become -- a set of standards or rules that we are to live by. Even Jesus did not like religion. You can read about His encounters with the religious people of His day thoughout the Gospels. Jesus came to earth to fulfill the law, and we can receive what He did for us, His death on the cross. We will never be good enough to enter heaven. We will only wear ourselves out trying harder and harder and then find ourselves eternally burning in hell. However, by living in a relationship with Jesus and allowing Him to reign in our lives, we will find eternity in heaven. The checklist I mentioned before no longer becomes a checklist but things we do out of the overflow of the perfect love that Jesus pours into our lives.
Sadly, the confusion over religion versus relationship has caused many people to believe that they have to "clean up their act" before coming to God. This is simply not true! God wants us exactly as we are. It is impossible for us to change our lives on our own. It is through God's redemptive love, exemplified through Christ's death on the cross, that allows our lives to change. No one has to get their life in order before meeting Jesus. Meeting Jesus will allow people to restore their lives.
"I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die." Galations 2:21 (NLT)
Much of my life was about living up to the standards of religion. There were many times that I would choose to do something because I was a "good Christian girl." Good Christian girls read their Bibles. Good Christian girls did not cuss or drink or sleep with their boyfriends. Good Christian girls made good grades. Good Christian girls went to church and participated in religions type organizations. I was completely exhausted trying to keep up with everything I was suppose to do. All of my good works was causing me to be blind to the real truth -- that Jesus simply wanted me to humbly give over my life to Him and to walk in a relationship with Him. I thought my eternity was secure and I was Christian because I could pull together a long and impressive list of everything I did as a "good Christian girl." It took 2 people to explain to me that being a Christian was more than simply believing that Jesus died for our sins (Duh! even Satan knows this) and by being good, and it took a holy slap from God himself to show me that if I were to die, I would not go to heaven. All I had to do was to lay down my sins before Jesus, accept His forgiveness, give Him my heart and invite Him to reign in my life. That happened on September 8, 2006. I took a nap after I prayed that morning, resting peacefully because I no longer had to "do." I now choose what I do because I know it comes with Jesus's directive, not because they are things I ought to do.
Religion says earn. Relationship says rest.
Religion says do. Relationship says be.
Religion says try harder. Relationship says I love you.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Oh How He Loves Us
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Ephesians 3:18 NLT
We sing this amazing song at church called How He Loves Us by Kim Walker. Every time it stirs an internal emotion in me that is like nothing else. Have you ever experienced God's great love?
The greatest sin barrier I had to overcome in order to walk in a full relationship with Jesus was pride. God continues to chip away at this barrier. Pride got in the way of me fully experiencing the love of God even after I gave over my life to His Son. Almost 2 years ago I was talking to a good friend after church and she was just glowing because it sunk in for her how much God really loves her. I was happy for her and blew it off with a "Of course God loves you." In my head I knew that God loves each of us because we are His sons and daughters. But my heart did not understand that at all.
Early in 2008 I was going through some hard places. The enemy attacked me hard. I was falling into real areas of fear -- fear that I was not performing well in my job and that people would be very mad at me. I was in a place of driven performance and people-pleasing. Much of the problem occurred because I was not rooted firmly in the true identity of who I am - a beloved child of God. For all of my life, I found my identity in what I did, who I dated, recognition I received, and the work I performed. I was having a true identity crisis. I began to ask questions of why was some of this so important to me, why did I have to be the best at everything I did, and why did I feel so void when I received harsh feedback or when something was taken away from me? Through much prayer, Bible reading, processing with my leaders, and listening to "Re:Wind" from the Fall Kick Off 2007 series, I began to realize that I was not living in my true identity. I knew that I was a child of God because I gave Him my heart on September 8, 2006, but I simply wasn't living there. That summer I began taking huge steps towards allowing the capital-T truth of who I am become permanent in my heart.
At the end of the "Rooted" session at Leadership Retreat we sang a song that was based on Ephesians 3:18. During that song I could do nothing more but stand with my hands held out and cry. The words "how deep, how wide, how great is Your love for me" rang through to my core. Later that day I received the little football with the word on it chosen just for me. My word was "Adored." My initial reaction when I turned the card over was, "What? What kind of sissy word is that?" But then I heard Jesus whisper, "Alesha, listen. You get it now. The work is done. You are my child and you are more than dearly loved. You are adored." I did nothing more than cry, then rested. This long, hard process is now complete. It was wrapped up with a simple little word printed on a paper football. But now the song "Jesus Loves Me" has a whole new meaning. My heart is now in a position that when I sing this song with Kelly that I can tell her that it is more than just a cute, little song for her to sing, but that it is the very essence of the lives we live. I walk with such a peace and freedom of simply seeking God and living in His love and adoration.
We sing this amazing song at church called How He Loves Us by Kim Walker. Every time it stirs an internal emotion in me that is like nothing else. Have you ever experienced God's great love?
The greatest sin barrier I had to overcome in order to walk in a full relationship with Jesus was pride. God continues to chip away at this barrier. Pride got in the way of me fully experiencing the love of God even after I gave over my life to His Son. Almost 2 years ago I was talking to a good friend after church and she was just glowing because it sunk in for her how much God really loves her. I was happy for her and blew it off with a "Of course God loves you." In my head I knew that God loves each of us because we are His sons and daughters. But my heart did not understand that at all.
Early in 2008 I was going through some hard places. The enemy attacked me hard. I was falling into real areas of fear -- fear that I was not performing well in my job and that people would be very mad at me. I was in a place of driven performance and people-pleasing. Much of the problem occurred because I was not rooted firmly in the true identity of who I am - a beloved child of God. For all of my life, I found my identity in what I did, who I dated, recognition I received, and the work I performed. I was having a true identity crisis. I began to ask questions of why was some of this so important to me, why did I have to be the best at everything I did, and why did I feel so void when I received harsh feedback or when something was taken away from me? Through much prayer, Bible reading, processing with my leaders, and listening to "Re:Wind" from the Fall Kick Off 2007 series, I began to realize that I was not living in my true identity. I knew that I was a child of God because I gave Him my heart on September 8, 2006, but I simply wasn't living there. That summer I began taking huge steps towards allowing the capital-T truth of who I am become permanent in my heart.
At the end of the "Rooted" session at Leadership Retreat we sang a song that was based on Ephesians 3:18. During that song I could do nothing more but stand with my hands held out and cry. The words "how deep, how wide, how great is Your love for me" rang through to my core. Later that day I received the little football with the word on it chosen just for me. My word was "Adored." My initial reaction when I turned the card over was, "What? What kind of sissy word is that?" But then I heard Jesus whisper, "Alesha, listen. You get it now. The work is done. You are my child and you are more than dearly loved. You are adored." I did nothing more than cry, then rested. This long, hard process is now complete. It was wrapped up with a simple little word printed on a paper football. But now the song "Jesus Loves Me" has a whole new meaning. My heart is now in a position that when I sing this song with Kelly that I can tell her that it is more than just a cute, little song for her to sing, but that it is the very essence of the lives we live. I walk with such a peace and freedom of simply seeking God and living in His love and adoration.
Heaven and Hell
Do you believe in heaven and hell? The Bible, the holy inspired word of God, provides us in numerous places that both exist. And one day our physical life on this earth will end and we will exist eternally in one or the other. Heaven and hell do not exist as the intangible, supernatural, spiritual, I-heard-about-it-in-church or read-it-in-a-book kind of way. They are physical, geographical locations. They are places that one day each of us must go. We have the opportunity today to pick where we will spend eternity. How do you pick? You pick by choosing to believe in the cross; by choosing to believe in Jesus as your Saviour. But don't stop there. Choose to live out a relationship with Him by yielding your life to Him. By choosing these, you will live your remaining physical years on this earth in freedom and with peace and joy, and you will spend eternity in a place where there is no more pain, no more suffering, no more tears. When you live your life as a follower of Jesus, you will have a confident hope that your eternity is secure in heaven. Isn't that where you want to spend forever?
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. I Thessalonians 4:16 - 17
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. I Thessalonians 4:16 - 17
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