Tonight was the last night of the series of Songs of Solomon at The Well in Fresno. Tonight, Brad Bell talked about the importance of keeping the old as well as the new in a relationship or marriage and how important it is to desire your love. Now, while Brad was talking, God was giving me a sermon of His own, and that is where all of these ideas were born out of.
It all starts with faith and hope. Hope was what caused Abraham to set out on his journey to find the dwelling place of whose builder and maker was God. Faith sustained that hope because in his heart of hearts, Abraham knew that his heavenly Fathers words were true. He believed that God had the power to do what He promised him. So, with hope and faith, Abraham set out to seek his promise.
In the same way as Abraham was hopeful of the promise of God, so should we in light of our future spouse. However, our focus should not be on our future spouse alone, but, instead, our focus should be set on the Kingdom of Heaven and the hope of the glory of God. While pursuing those things, we are assured in the sermon on the mount that “all things will be added” to us (if) we seek those things first. When our focus is on our Master, He blesses us.
That is not to say that we should not focus on bettering ourselves for our God and our future spouse, nor should that imply that we ought not to pray for our future bride/groom. We should fervently pray for them and ourselves that we be prepared for the relationship and that we focus our attention on the author and keeper of our faith. With that, we can then prepare ourselves for our future relationship and have a good start to it. It would be the equivalent of studying for a test or training for any sporting event.
Another point this brought up was the passion I have, already, for my future spouse. I’m absolutely stoked to meet her and I know that God will provide for me an amazing bride. He will bring her to me and I will be hers and she will be mine. Not only that, but it will be divinely appointed. I always heard the words “God will bring you, your wife”. Which I always thought was “God will drag a girl out of nowhere and plop her right in front of you with no effort on your part”. I never agreed with that until God pointed out to me that it is not what those words mean. God told me to treat women like sisters in Christ. I should love them, respect them, and treat them as sisters in Christ; this is to make sure I am respectful and maintain integrity. It is so easy to meet girls and to attempt to put the “potential wife” label on them and treat them as such; however, it is far harder for us as men of God to assume the position of the respectful brother in Christ and to treat them as such. This causes us to suppress our male urges (hopefully) and cause us to better treat the women in our lives. When this happens, we aren’t worried about the women we meet being our future wives, we’re more interested in being a great man of God, holy and pleasing, and with that, meaningful friendships and relationships can be developed. Then, when God is working in us and He decides it is time for Him to reveal to us whom He has chosen for us, we can have that established relationship already and build upon that.
The divine interaction is most likely not a “we met in a bar across a crowded room” situation, but, more likely to be a “we met and grew as friends in the love of our Lord and felt led into a relationship”. This isn’t for sure, but I feel this is more likely than the former.
God has given me a passion for my bride now that has ALSO caused me to be mindful of how I act with women. I don’t want to spoil myself for her. I want to present myself pure to her. I want her to know that I have kept myself for her and her alone. I want eternalize my actions and to be completely conscious of all of my dealings with others. It sounds odd, but I feel like I am preparing myself for my wife who is and is to come and I don’t want to make her jealous. Lord knows I’m already jealous for her.
All of this was born out of tonight and I hope this impacts someone. One last bit of wisdom before I leave is this: normally, people let their past determine where they are going in life and how they will act in the present and future. Instead, may I propose this?
Let your eternity dictate what you do in the present.
What is done is done, but what is to come is going to be eternal, and if we are driven by our eternity, we will be taking active steps of hastening the Lords coming. I hope this blessed some of you. I love you all, very deeply. Please, feel free to message me and see me anytime. I have way too much free time on my hands.
Love,
-Josh
Monday, March 29, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
25 things you should know
So, after all the serious notes I've been writing, I've finally decided to give in to the facebook questionnaire; so, here it is: once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.
1. I love clothes, more specifically, v necks, tank tops, fitted jeans, and shorter shorts.
2. 8 times out of 10, I order an Iced Venti Green Tea Unsweetened from Starbucks; I never regret it.
3. Brand New, Sufjan Stevens, Matt Costa, and Band of Horses are some of my new favorites.
4. I have grown a mustache on several occasions and been called a pedophile because of it; often.
5. Working out is one of my newer favorite hobbies.
6. I know Nickleback sucks more than any other band out there.
7. I love SoCal.
8. I run on 6 hours a night perfectly fine.
9. I want a road bike.
10. Hebrews 11, Romans 4, 5, and 6, and James 4 are some of my favorite passages right now.
11. I think Neutella is over-rated.
12. Film camera's are under-rated.
13. I would much rather be outside and have fun while doing active things such as: longboarding, surfing, snowboarding, swimming, sports, etc.
14. I hate Saturdays.
15. I only watch two television shows, and I only watch them online: How I Met Your Mother, and Chuck.
16. I love and believe in the college ministry of Roots in Reedley; please, if you're looking to be loved, go to it, and call 559-840-7772 for more info.
17. Is my favorite number.
18. I tend to not worry about things that should be worried about, and worry about heart matters more often than I should.
19. I want more tattoos than I have, and I have grown quite fond of the one I currently have: It means worship in Hebrew.
20. I don't shoot guns on a regular basis and don't mind that I don't.
21. I forgive people very quickly and I almost never get angry with anyone legitimately.
22. I can't wait to be with my Forest Home friends in the summer.
23. I always say I'm going to grow my hair out, and at the same length, every time, I cut it shorter than I'd like. Always.
24. I am extremely transparent; I look like I feel.
25. My God loves me so much more than I could ever comprehend and I am excited to keep pursuing Him in all things :)
1. I love clothes, more specifically, v necks, tank tops, fitted jeans, and shorter shorts.
2. 8 times out of 10, I order an Iced Venti Green Tea Unsweetened from Starbucks; I never regret it.
3. Brand New, Sufjan Stevens, Matt Costa, and Band of Horses are some of my new favorites.
4. I have grown a mustache on several occasions and been called a pedophile because of it; often.
5. Working out is one of my newer favorite hobbies.
6. I know Nickleback sucks more than any other band out there.
7. I love SoCal.
8. I run on 6 hours a night perfectly fine.
9. I want a road bike.
10. Hebrews 11, Romans 4, 5, and 6, and James 4 are some of my favorite passages right now.
11. I think Neutella is over-rated.
12. Film camera's are under-rated.
13. I would much rather be outside and have fun while doing active things such as: longboarding, surfing, snowboarding, swimming, sports, etc.
14. I hate Saturdays.
15. I only watch two television shows, and I only watch them online: How I Met Your Mother, and Chuck.
16. I love and believe in the college ministry of Roots in Reedley; please, if you're looking to be loved, go to it, and call 559-840-7772 for more info.
17. Is my favorite number.
18. I tend to not worry about things that should be worried about, and worry about heart matters more often than I should.
19. I want more tattoos than I have, and I have grown quite fond of the one I currently have: It means worship in Hebrew.
20. I don't shoot guns on a regular basis and don't mind that I don't.
21. I forgive people very quickly and I almost never get angry with anyone legitimately.
22. I can't wait to be with my Forest Home friends in the summer.
23. I always say I'm going to grow my hair out, and at the same length, every time, I cut it shorter than I'd like. Always.
24. I am extremely transparent; I look like I feel.
25. My God loves me so much more than I could ever comprehend and I am excited to keep pursuing Him in all things :)
Circles
Oh, God, where do I start? I have been through more in the past 6 months in my life than I ever expected to go through at my age. I thought foolishly that the dash between 18 and 25 included indulgences in binge drinking, conquests with women and friends. I got the last part right. I’m sure somewhere in this area people are doing the first two items on that agenda, but not me. I asked God to “make me more like Him” and to “fill me with Him” and to give me “intimacy”; He took me seriously and I’m never going to understand why He decided to bless me with the things that He’s done and given to me. I have no clue how to connect this to my writing, but I needed to vent a little.
I wrote not too long ago about love and commitment and the linking of emotions. I explained that emotions, although not being bad in and of themselves, are only temporal things and cannot be counted on to always be there. On the other hand, a commitment brings about emotions. We should, instead of basing decisions on emotions, base our decisions out of the commitments we make and the proper emotions will pour out.
Now, I failed to mention that although emotions may be present, they, at times, may be absent. This seems a minor overlook to most, but I promise, it is not. It is far simpler to act upon good or bad emotion, than to act in the absence of them. In fact, it is not even acting on emotions in the first place; it is more of a reaction, or a response to emotion. In an emotional void, we have nothing to react or response to. We have to be the action. We have the responsibility to act.
This seems like it would not be a great deal, but, it is. It is far easier for one to blame their actions on a situation, or to be polite when they are happy, or to turn the other cheek and respect someone who has harmed them, than it is to be courteous and loving when you don’t feel anything for the other party. In the absence of emotion, however, we have the power to speak truth in perfection. With the full weight of the words behind them, we can speak the truth in committal love, not in emotional love.
This I have learned over the past year, and it has been proved helpful: our circumstances do not affect Gods eternal being. God IS good. God IS love. God is perfection. God IS righteous. These are all true, and our emotions, or how we feel, do not affect these attributes. Also, if God is eternal, and absolute, do any of His aspects change? The answer would be no. So, if God is absolute and He is truth, if we, then, speak the truth, we are speaking eternal words that are everlasting and true.
If I say “God is good” with no emotional attachment to the phrase, I am speaking the truth still, and God is being glorified. This is the beginning of faith, according to Romans 4. Abraham was building his faith by glorifying God, in emotion, and while being void of it I’m sure. Then, by growing in faith, we are credited righteousness. This is also stated in Romans 4 that Abraham was “credited righteousness” for waiting on the Lord and having “faith” in Him. With the introduction and development of faith in our lives, we are then justified, (Romans 5). Being justified by faith, we then, can walk peaceably with God, in intimacy with Him. With this intimacy we can walk down the path of righteousness and fulfill the purpose in our lives. This purpose is worship.
I will illustrate it like this. In life, there are four stages. There is the stage of enmity with God: where we are at war with God in our rejection of His son’s payment for our sin. Then, we step in to Redemption, where we are saved, by grace, through faith, that His son can cleanse us from sin. From there we walk with and in Christ our Savior on the path of righteousness. We do this to obtain our final destination, a place of constant worship of our God.
This is the simpler, clear cut version: War; redemption, righteousness, worship.
Now that we’ve established that, I’ll bring this back to the close.
We gain faith by glorifying God. When we have faith, and grow in faith, we are credited righteousness. When we are found in right standing with God, we can walk in peace with Him and be satisfied. We are most satisfied in life, when we are fulfilling our purpose, which is worship. And, in turn, worship is merely the act of glorifying God. This completes the circle a Christian must walk.
Grace gives us the power to have walk in this path, but it takes faith, and I believe that is where this starts. But, I could be wrong. I just found this amazingly beneficial in my life and I hope that this blesses someone. Thanks for reading.
Love,
-Josh
God, please continue to grow in me. I ask for comfort, continued comfort and love and affection. I want and need and deserve to be loved. Thanks.
I love you, God. Amen.
I wrote not too long ago about love and commitment and the linking of emotions. I explained that emotions, although not being bad in and of themselves, are only temporal things and cannot be counted on to always be there. On the other hand, a commitment brings about emotions. We should, instead of basing decisions on emotions, base our decisions out of the commitments we make and the proper emotions will pour out.
Now, I failed to mention that although emotions may be present, they, at times, may be absent. This seems a minor overlook to most, but I promise, it is not. It is far simpler to act upon good or bad emotion, than to act in the absence of them. In fact, it is not even acting on emotions in the first place; it is more of a reaction, or a response to emotion. In an emotional void, we have nothing to react or response to. We have to be the action. We have the responsibility to act.
This seems like it would not be a great deal, but, it is. It is far easier for one to blame their actions on a situation, or to be polite when they are happy, or to turn the other cheek and respect someone who has harmed them, than it is to be courteous and loving when you don’t feel anything for the other party. In the absence of emotion, however, we have the power to speak truth in perfection. With the full weight of the words behind them, we can speak the truth in committal love, not in emotional love.
This I have learned over the past year, and it has been proved helpful: our circumstances do not affect Gods eternal being. God IS good. God IS love. God is perfection. God IS righteous. These are all true, and our emotions, or how we feel, do not affect these attributes. Also, if God is eternal, and absolute, do any of His aspects change? The answer would be no. So, if God is absolute and He is truth, if we, then, speak the truth, we are speaking eternal words that are everlasting and true.
If I say “God is good” with no emotional attachment to the phrase, I am speaking the truth still, and God is being glorified. This is the beginning of faith, according to Romans 4. Abraham was building his faith by glorifying God, in emotion, and while being void of it I’m sure. Then, by growing in faith, we are credited righteousness. This is also stated in Romans 4 that Abraham was “credited righteousness” for waiting on the Lord and having “faith” in Him. With the introduction and development of faith in our lives, we are then justified, (Romans 5). Being justified by faith, we then, can walk peaceably with God, in intimacy with Him. With this intimacy we can walk down the path of righteousness and fulfill the purpose in our lives. This purpose is worship.
I will illustrate it like this. In life, there are four stages. There is the stage of enmity with God: where we are at war with God in our rejection of His son’s payment for our sin. Then, we step in to Redemption, where we are saved, by grace, through faith, that His son can cleanse us from sin. From there we walk with and in Christ our Savior on the path of righteousness. We do this to obtain our final destination, a place of constant worship of our God.
This is the simpler, clear cut version: War; redemption, righteousness, worship.
Now that we’ve established that, I’ll bring this back to the close.
We gain faith by glorifying God. When we have faith, and grow in faith, we are credited righteousness. When we are found in right standing with God, we can walk in peace with Him and be satisfied. We are most satisfied in life, when we are fulfilling our purpose, which is worship. And, in turn, worship is merely the act of glorifying God. This completes the circle a Christian must walk.
Grace gives us the power to have walk in this path, but it takes faith, and I believe that is where this starts. But, I could be wrong. I just found this amazingly beneficial in my life and I hope that this blesses someone. Thanks for reading.
Love,
-Josh
God, please continue to grow in me. I ask for comfort, continued comfort and love and affection. I want and need and deserve to be loved. Thanks.
I love you, God. Amen.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Temporal andThe Eternal
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines Commitment as "the act of committing"; this is not very helpful. But, his definition of committing is helpful in helping us understand a view on what it really means to commit.
Committing: Giving trust or depositing; an act of obligation or obedience.
With this definition in mind, I wish to convey my thoughts on, I believe, a pressing matter. The matter is this: Commitment; commitment will encompass other topics of discussion, but we must start from the beginning. There are two types of commitments: a commitment to the temporal, and a commitment to the eternal. First, I'll talk on the subject of the temporal.
Temporal is defined as this: lasting for a time only; existing or continuing for a limited time.
Things that fit into this category are: emotions/feelings, desires of the flesh, death, worldly possessions and ideologies, and the self. This is important to note because of what a commitment to the temporal can look like.
A commitment to the temporal can be something as simple as saying yes to a proposal to grab fast food with a friend because your emotions and glands are telling you that you're hungry and your friend is fun. It can be as important as a decision to step into a relationship with another person, or our Heavenly Father.
This type of commitment is not bad. In fact, for new believers and new relationships, it is essential. This type of commitment is necessary for us to grow. For example, stepping into a relationship with a member of the opposite sex in a romantic setting can be beneficial. The emotional, physical, and spiritual connection can be a legitimate basis to start a meaningful relationship. It is good to be disciplined in this. Even in a relationship with our Father in heaven. When we have an emotional "camp high" experience, our emotions and spirit are lifted up and cause us to desire something greater, which impacts us enough to make a decision or a commitment to follow Jesus Christ.
The temporal commitment is not bad. But, at the same time, the only problem with the TEMPORAL is that it is TEMPORARY. Emotions and feelings do not last; alas, they are temporary. Although they are beneficial for the moment, they come and go. They cannot be counted on to be constant and not a solid basis for any type of real firm commitment.
At some point, we all reach a point in our relationships and our lives where temporary things will not due; we need to be eternally driven and eternally committed, which is our second point of interest.
Now, we know that the only thing that is eternal is the God-head.
How does this relate to the temporal? I’ll explain.
The temporal, although it shares aspects of the eternal, is not the same and cannot encompass the eternal. However, the eternal, because it is perfect, can encompass aspects of the temporal. What this essentially means is that the temporal is imperfect, weak, and flawed. This is demonstrated easily by our hearts and emotions. The heart, as stated in Jeremiah 17 verse 9 is “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” This constitutes a problem, because, if we make a commitment based on an imperfect thing, by that very reason, it can never be firm as a foundation for a legitimate relationship; it can only be good for a small amount of time. Just as a relationship between a man and a woman, or between humankind and God can be simple at first as to promote growth, it is essentially not enough to produce a fruitful relationship between both parties.
That is where the eternal steps in. The eternal is the perfection of the temporal. The commitment to the eternal is constant. It is perfect. It is never changing. This is a “cut above” or a “holy” choice to make. It is a decision to upgrade or step into a more mature, committed, relationship.
I will illustrate this point in this light: God, because of His commitment to us, was willing to send His son to die a bloody death on the cross for us. He, our loving Father wasn’t always pleased with us; in fact, often times, I’d argue the case that He was angry at times with His people. But He promised us that He would love us all of our days and to not forsake us. He COMMITTED Himself to us and out of that commitment, the feelings of love, anger, joy, and so on were produced (which are temporal, God isn’t eternally angry).
Another way of illustrating this would be in another romantic setting. If I, a man, decided to LOVE a woman, I would be COMMITTING myself to loving that person, regardless of how I felt at times. Emotion would play a part and would flow from that commitment, but it is not the sole purpose of the relationship. It is a constant, perfect, commitment to an eternal aspect: Love.
Commitment to the eternal produces emotions (which are temporal: desirable and undesirable); it has and always will be this way. The commitment to the temporal, however, is subject to change and cannot be counted on to produce constant emotions. The temporal is temporary, and, therefore, cannot be counted on to be constant and perfect.
In order to make a complete and logical flow of what this looks like, I’ve constructed a map of what this looks like.
1. Commitment to Temporal (feelings produce a commitment)
a. feelings/emotions
b. desires/passions
2. Beginnings of a relationship
a. God or another person
Then we come to a crossroads, we either decide to stay in the immature and imperfect realm of temporal commitments, or we step into the eternal commitments
3. Commitment to the Eternal
a. faith
b. hope
c. LOVE (God is love)
4. Emotions flow from the commitment
a. Because I love you, I feel this way…
b. Decisions based on commitment
I will finish my thoughts with this statement.
In most Christians lives, we’ve come to a point where we have had to make a choice: to accept Him, or not. If we have accepted Him, and decided to follow Him then eventually we have to come to another decision: Whether or not we will deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and commit our eternal lives to following a perfect and eternal being. This decision, although daunting, is essential, and, frankly, one that many of us may have passed over.
Many church going people, including myself, have long staying in the uncomfortable confines of a temporal commitment to our eternal God.
We say things like “I loved worship today”, or “I felt close to God today”, and we equate those temporary emotions with the status of our relationship with Him. This is a temporal and futile way of thinking. We cannot, if we wish to have a fruitful relationship with God, linger in the childish ways of the temporal relationship. We must graduate and step into the eternal commitment to God. Out of that commitment, emotion will follow, desirable and not. And even though we may not always be HAPPY or COMFORTABLE in our relationship with Him, we will KNOW in all certainty the “I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine”.
I’ll leave with this scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:9-12
9For(O) we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but(P) when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For(Q) now we see in a mirror dimly, but(R) then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as(S) I have been fully known.
13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I hope this was a blessing to you, Amen.
-Josh
Committing: Giving trust or depositing; an act of obligation or obedience.
With this definition in mind, I wish to convey my thoughts on, I believe, a pressing matter. The matter is this: Commitment; commitment will encompass other topics of discussion, but we must start from the beginning. There are two types of commitments: a commitment to the temporal, and a commitment to the eternal. First, I'll talk on the subject of the temporal.
Temporal is defined as this: lasting for a time only; existing or continuing for a limited time.
Things that fit into this category are: emotions/feelings, desires of the flesh, death, worldly possessions and ideologies, and the self. This is important to note because of what a commitment to the temporal can look like.
A commitment to the temporal can be something as simple as saying yes to a proposal to grab fast food with a friend because your emotions and glands are telling you that you're hungry and your friend is fun. It can be as important as a decision to step into a relationship with another person, or our Heavenly Father.
This type of commitment is not bad. In fact, for new believers and new relationships, it is essential. This type of commitment is necessary for us to grow. For example, stepping into a relationship with a member of the opposite sex in a romantic setting can be beneficial. The emotional, physical, and spiritual connection can be a legitimate basis to start a meaningful relationship. It is good to be disciplined in this. Even in a relationship with our Father in heaven. When we have an emotional "camp high" experience, our emotions and spirit are lifted up and cause us to desire something greater, which impacts us enough to make a decision or a commitment to follow Jesus Christ.
The temporal commitment is not bad. But, at the same time, the only problem with the TEMPORAL is that it is TEMPORARY. Emotions and feelings do not last; alas, they are temporary. Although they are beneficial for the moment, they come and go. They cannot be counted on to be constant and not a solid basis for any type of real firm commitment.
At some point, we all reach a point in our relationships and our lives where temporary things will not due; we need to be eternally driven and eternally committed, which is our second point of interest.
Now, we know that the only thing that is eternal is the God-head.
How does this relate to the temporal? I’ll explain.
The temporal, although it shares aspects of the eternal, is not the same and cannot encompass the eternal. However, the eternal, because it is perfect, can encompass aspects of the temporal. What this essentially means is that the temporal is imperfect, weak, and flawed. This is demonstrated easily by our hearts and emotions. The heart, as stated in Jeremiah 17 verse 9 is “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” This constitutes a problem, because, if we make a commitment based on an imperfect thing, by that very reason, it can never be firm as a foundation for a legitimate relationship; it can only be good for a small amount of time. Just as a relationship between a man and a woman, or between humankind and God can be simple at first as to promote growth, it is essentially not enough to produce a fruitful relationship between both parties.
That is where the eternal steps in. The eternal is the perfection of the temporal. The commitment to the eternal is constant. It is perfect. It is never changing. This is a “cut above” or a “holy” choice to make. It is a decision to upgrade or step into a more mature, committed, relationship.
I will illustrate this point in this light: God, because of His commitment to us, was willing to send His son to die a bloody death on the cross for us. He, our loving Father wasn’t always pleased with us; in fact, often times, I’d argue the case that He was angry at times with His people. But He promised us that He would love us all of our days and to not forsake us. He COMMITTED Himself to us and out of that commitment, the feelings of love, anger, joy, and so on were produced (which are temporal, God isn’t eternally angry).
Another way of illustrating this would be in another romantic setting. If I, a man, decided to LOVE a woman, I would be COMMITTING myself to loving that person, regardless of how I felt at times. Emotion would play a part and would flow from that commitment, but it is not the sole purpose of the relationship. It is a constant, perfect, commitment to an eternal aspect: Love.
Commitment to the eternal produces emotions (which are temporal: desirable and undesirable); it has and always will be this way. The commitment to the temporal, however, is subject to change and cannot be counted on to produce constant emotions. The temporal is temporary, and, therefore, cannot be counted on to be constant and perfect.
In order to make a complete and logical flow of what this looks like, I’ve constructed a map of what this looks like.
1. Commitment to Temporal (feelings produce a commitment)
a. feelings/emotions
b. desires/passions
2. Beginnings of a relationship
a. God or another person
Then we come to a crossroads, we either decide to stay in the immature and imperfect realm of temporal commitments, or we step into the eternal commitments
3. Commitment to the Eternal
a. faith
b. hope
c. LOVE (God is love)
4. Emotions flow from the commitment
a. Because I love you, I feel this way…
b. Decisions based on commitment
I will finish my thoughts with this statement.
In most Christians lives, we’ve come to a point where we have had to make a choice: to accept Him, or not. If we have accepted Him, and decided to follow Him then eventually we have to come to another decision: Whether or not we will deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and commit our eternal lives to following a perfect and eternal being. This decision, although daunting, is essential, and, frankly, one that many of us may have passed over.
Many church going people, including myself, have long staying in the uncomfortable confines of a temporal commitment to our eternal God.
We say things like “I loved worship today”, or “I felt close to God today”, and we equate those temporary emotions with the status of our relationship with Him. This is a temporal and futile way of thinking. We cannot, if we wish to have a fruitful relationship with God, linger in the childish ways of the temporal relationship. We must graduate and step into the eternal commitment to God. Out of that commitment, emotion will follow, desirable and not. And even though we may not always be HAPPY or COMFORTABLE in our relationship with Him, we will KNOW in all certainty the “I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine”.
I’ll leave with this scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:9-12
9For(O) we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but(P) when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For(Q) now we see in a mirror dimly, but(R) then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as(S) I have been fully known.
13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I hope this was a blessing to you, Amen.
-Josh
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