Unspeakable Joy

Loose your life, and gain it.

Someone is waiting for us to just let go of ourselves, our entitlement, our humanistic mentalities, our anxieties to allow Him to personalize us and fashion us into His image. He has amazing things in store and invites us into representing Him in the world.

That person is Jesus Christ.

He is a good God who loves us, chooses us, and includes us in Jesus Christ.

You belong to Him.

(((Be at rest with the knowledge that he is with you to perform his own pleasure through you today. sometimes without our knowledge.)))

So, what do I do when my mind is so fixed on daily thinking about the 'what if's of life?' Remember Him. Remember the cross, remember His life he chooses to live through me.

This is where I found joy today. Real unspeakable Joy.

The Truth shall make you free.

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

This is the theme of my week: through stories, conversations, meeting new people, and reflecting on the Declaration of Independence...

...When rules of application become our principles, and when actions replace attitudes of the heart, we have probably given in to a religion that has replaced Christ rather than one that serves Him.

Well stated thought that encapsulates a conviction I have had for a long time...and yet find myself doing it over and over.... This is when I am reading Biblical text and take one section to 'apply' to my life before reading it all in context to really understand the full meaning of this truth. He is Christ in fleshly form. the one and true living God who is the creator of the heavens and the earth and has a great desire to know each person. But the question posed by every person, I am convinced, is: am I known? Am I loved? Will I be remembered?

This week....

Decided to discover the public transit here in CS so I took the bus to the YWAM base for their last worship night for the summer as well as celebration for the graduating DTS students. There was a young man who just completed his dts and shared his testimony from the team that went to China/Thailand.

He was at a gathering with lots and lots of young girls in Thailand. They were so excited at the possibility of this young man giving them English American names. The rushed up to him to hear him say a name to them with a great thrill. He would tell them each their name which came to his mind...and then they would forget it so they'd rush over to him to hear him speak their name again... He had a great idea to write down the names and give them each a piece of paper with their name on it. Well... one little girl kept on coming back to him to give him her paper. He gave it back to her again and again and again until finally he heard through a translator that she wanted Him to not forget her name. Isn't that sweet!? He concluded that she just wanted to be known and loved like all of us and God has put that hole in each person for a reason: relationship. We all want to be remembered and known.

He concluded with saying that this is what he wants to do for the rest of his life: remind people that they are known and important.

Isn't that beautiful?

There must have ben an exchange that took place in that young man's life during this time for this to impact him like it did! He was laying down his life and came back home with more life than he set out with! Eternal life and a good story to share.