(DO) I love God! (?)

The other day I found myself saying "I love you, God!" -- then realized I couldn't remember the last time I'd told Him that. Seriously! And for the next few days I sensed Him challenging me as if to say Do you realize what you just said?! & Do you know what that really means?! - & If you do, are you sure you mean it?!. ..Yikes!

Last wk I posted "Give AND Take/Do Something" re: worship & how I sensed a need for more giving as opposed to taking advantage of the grace God so freely gives (balance). A comment "there" motivated me to read "Crazy Love". Can't say I enjoyed it bc it was SO convicting & challenged me to ask myself Do I really LOVE God ? - & - Am I pleasing God (passionate!) or disgusting Him (lukewarm!)?. I discussed my tho'ts at length w/ my husband on Sat & then, on Sunday I wondered what everyone else in church was doing while Pastor preached to me?!

I know that grace - pure & simple - should motivate me to serve God - but I wrestle here bc often I serve Him out of guilt - knowing I should rather than bc I want to. But, when I serve God bc the desire/delight(!) of my heart is to honor & please & thank Him, only then does what I do for Him even remotely seem to resemble the LOVE He desires from me.

I believe this love should "look like" how I love my husband (& he's an ex. that helps me better understand how Christ loves me!). When I do something for him bc I feel obligated to, I tend to do the least amount of work possible in order to feel like I've "fulfilled my obligation". But, when I really want to honor, please & show him how grateful I am for & to him, I take extra time, spare no expense & I go the extra mile to pay attention to details that will help him to know the intent of my heart. Both are a response to all He does for me - but only one is done out of true love.

I seek balance in almost every aspect of my life, in part bc I "see it" in the intricate/fragile balance of creation/nature & in God's Word - bc I believe God has revealed Himself to us in both His Word & His Works. But - long story short - after "all of this" I realize God's grace (The cross!) is SO amazing/EXTREME(!) that I could never possibly do enough to "balance that scale" & attempting to do so should not be my motivation to serve Him. Yet I also realize that bc His grace is SO extreme, I could never be too extreme in attempting to show God how much I love Him in response to all He's done/given/sacrificed for me (grace!) by serving Him/others (doing/sacrificing/giving) toward that end - & so perhaps that's how I know I'm falling extremely short in that regard.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:15 & 16

He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "
Luke 10:27

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.
Romans 12:1

Happy 5th Birthday Malakai!

Mak's 5th b-day was Thursday. Strike & I picked up this pathetic little hotdog toy at CVS bc it was the only one we could find w/ a squeaker - to give Mak a toy w/o a squeaker is practically pointless :) We finally gave it to him today - when we were all together...bc no one wants to miss out on the fun ... & I do mean fun!...my wood floor turns into a slip & slide from all the slobber & Mak transforms from the gentle giant we know & love into a giant playful puppy for as long as the squeaker lasts (SO Cute!) - usually somewhere between a few seconds & a few minutes!

playoffs

Last night Strike pitched in a playoff game. It's easy to say "it's just a game...." but when she begins to feel the weight of the game is on her shoulders & everything she's learned in that regard is being put to the test & she's given all kinds of "advice" from all sorts of people - then I get rather tense myself!! Last night I felt like one giant muscle in need of a giant muscle relaxer!! But - her team enjoyed a happy ending - they won by the skin of their teeth & they're moving on ...to the championship!

The contents of this box are classified

In Science Strike has learned about the classification system used to define, identify & better understand natural objects by sorting them into the three kingdoms: Mineral, Plant, & Animal. The incredible order & intricate patterns(design!) displayed thru'out nature never cease to amaze me.

Yesterday, as Strike's science book touched on classification systems, I seized the opportunity to remind her of something I learned alongside her a while back when I was struck by the fact that that no matter how hard man tries to understand nature by creating "boxes" (Kingdom,Phylum, Class, Family) to sort it all out, there are exceptions that don't quite fit right into any of the boxes. One ex. is the platypus (study it & learn why - it's pretty interesting!)

Perhaps what struck me most is that often people try to understand the Creator in a very similar way that they attempt to understand His Creation - by first "putting Him (God) in a box" that's just the right size to fit whatever it is they want Him to be - or only as big as they are able to comprehend. Don't they realize that by trying to do this they're actually attempting to make Him into something less than who & what He is? ... & He'll never fit!?

I've said before that I believe the nature of the Creator is revealed in His creation (nature!)...

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8 & 9

pink sky

So glad my husband told me to to come & see this right
outside our door tonight - ... otherwise I'd have missed it!

Give AND Take (ie. Do SOMETHING!)

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you, whom you have received from God?
I Corinthians 6:19

This verse struck me in a fresh way yesterday as I was reminded of some fascinating parallels between the OT temple & the NT temple/our bodies (I'd love to do a study just on that sometime!). For one thing, both - at least in part - were created for worship(!) which involves give and take (relationship!), - & doing something.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—
this is your spiritual act of worship.
Romans 12:1

In our "microwave society" we have to choose to do something bc we've so effectively minimized the need to do anything!. There's an appliance, machine or someone else to do most everything for us - to the point that we can barely even entertain ourselves let alone take pride in a job well done!

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

So whether you eat or drink or
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
I Corinthians 10:31 (my emphasis added)

Should it be of any surprise that our obsession w/ doing nothing has infiltrated the church & even our own/my(!) personal relationship w/ God? There's so much taking(!) - taking advantage of the grace He so freely gives - & so little giving (offering!) back to him in return.

Salvation concerns the sinner’s acceptance of the free gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins through faith alone. Discipleship concerns the believer’s response to the grace received by offering himself to God in submission, obedience, and sacrifice. In salvation, Christ paid the price; in discipleship, the believer pays the price. Therefore, salvation is free, but discipleship is costly. Because they are separate issues, there is no contradiction.

-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
via*

Hmm...I wonder - if we were perfectly balanced (much less extreme in giving or taking) in our worship, would worship be more of a way of life - & would we be more apt to:

a. give of ourselves (serve) the church (Body of Christ) & others
b. take care of our physical bodies (Temple of the Holy Spirit)
c find ourselves in the center of God's perfect will (all of the above?!)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God
—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1 AND 2 (my emphasis added)

**************

*Bunny - I've been mulling this quote over ever since you posted it the other day. Thanks for sharing!

Scriptures quoted from NIV

Playful

Sunday we enjoyed fellowship, food & fun w/ friends. The nice weather held on for a good while before the sky broke open, the wind blew & the rain POURED!! We (well most of us!) scurried indoors & enjoyed the storm from the inside out. But - a couple of us had a different idea ... & I think they enjoyed the storm more than all the rest of us put together!

Playmaker's version of the
Kodak Moment I captured above :)

He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'
and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'
Psalm 37:6 (NIV)