be my everything

“And they have played the harlot, departing from their God.” Hosea 4:12

When we think about what is important in our friendships and relationships, words like “honest”, “trustworthy”, and “faithful” come to mind. We empathize with the bitter complaints of those who have experienced the pain of a cheater. How many of us would ever condone or praise the acts of those who are unfaithful?

We shake our heads at the twisted love stories found in Hollywood, not realizing that we do the same thing every day.

The Old Testament is riddled with what seems to be endless stories of the Israelites setting their priorities wrong. As I spend time in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, and Hosea, I'm struck by the similarities between our attitude toward God, and theirs. A common thread runs through each of the books which unites more than just their timeline. Despite being a nation of God’s chosen people, the Israelites exhibit a generational pattern of kings who rise and fall with their choices to pursue the world.

Time after time, God calls out through His prophets, beckoning His bride to turn to Him. Time after time, altars are built to serve false gods.

Most strongly through the prophet Hosea, God speaks to Israel and likens them to a harlot, an adulterer, a cheater. He loves Israel, but that love is thrown to the wayside and ignored as they pursue their idols.

In essence? Idolatry = adultery.

If we as the church are the bride of Christ, anything that we devote ourselves to above Him is adultery. As His bride, shouldn't we do anything to spend time with Him, to hear His voice? Are we committing adultery with the world?

The amazing part? God doesn’t react to me as a spurned lover and turn away. He patiently waits with open arms and forgiveness. His grace is sufficient, and my prayer is that He would be my everything.

God in my living, there in my breathing

God in my waking, God in my sleeping

God in my resting, there in my working

God in my thinking, God in my speaking

Be my everything, be my everything

Be my everything, be my everything

God in my hoping, there in my dreaming

God in my watching, God in my waiting

God in my laughing, there in my weeping

God in my hurting, God in my healing

Christ in me, Christ in me

Christ in me the hope of glory

You are everything

one of those forwards

I received this as an e-mail forward (which I don't generally like) but thought it was a fun list. It was designed as a "live life to the fullest in 2011" guide.

Health:

• Drink plenty of water. 
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
• Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants
• Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
• Make time to pray.
• Play more games
• Read more books than you did last year
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
• Sleep for 7 hours.
• Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality: 

• Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
• Don't have negative thoughts or worry about things you cannot control.
• Don't over do. Keep your limits.
• Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
• Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
• Dream more while you are awake
• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
• Forget issues of the past. Don't remind people of mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
• You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:

• Call your family often.
• Each day give something good to others.
• Forgive everyone for everything..
• Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
• Try to make at least three people smile each day.
• What other people think of you is none of your business.
• Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

• Do the right thing!
• Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
• God heals everything.
• However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
• The best is yet to come.
• When you awake alive in the morning, thank God for it.

Trivial Pursuit & Perspective

When we slow down and sit in the silence of a moment, what will we find that we are giving our lives to?

Over the weekend I spent a considerable amount of time with my extended family, reminiscing good times as we hoped and prayed for the healing of a member of the family who is ill. As we sat in the hospital together, sometimes talking, sometimes just enjoying the comfort of each other's company and the silence of our memories, I found a fresh perspective.

First, I was reminded of the importance of family. I was 5 years old when I last saw the cousins that I spent the weekend with, and as I talked and laughed with them I wished it had not been that long. Friendships are important, and for some that may be the only family you know. But don't let an illness be what it takes to bring you closer to your family.

Second, I developed an intolerance for the petty complaints of the day. On returning to the hotel one evening I checked Facebook only to find that I could not stand to read the posts. After spending all day in the hospital with someone I love dearly, my first impulse was wanting to punch everyone who wrote endlessly of how they nearly died when the internet was out for a few hours, or how they hate their parents for a curfew.

Are we really spending our time worrying and complaining about these things? It breaks my heart to see where my generation invests its time. Is getting drunk on the weekend and posting pictures on facebook really the highlight of life?

I know that I am equally guilty of quickly becoming annoyed. The list of little things that I allow to control my attitude and perspective is long. If my hope was truly in Christ, would I be consumed with complaints when something small goes awry?

After this weekend, the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 have become a challenge for me: "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

As hard as it is to sit in the hospital room and be thankful, or to sit at home with no internet and rejoice, an attitude of gratitude will help us to be content in our circumstances and to invest our time and energy in what matters most. Don't cry over your loss of internet, find a way to make your time without it meaningful. Don't sit and worry when a loved one is ill, connect with family and celebrate their life.

enter His gates with thanksgiving

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, give thanks
to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindess is everlasting
and His faithfulness to all generations."
- Psalm 100:4-5

In a day and age when depressing is what sells newspapers and where complaining is easier in conversation than a positive outlook, it is so easy to forget the apostle Paul's encouragement to "give thanks in everything" (1 Thess. 5:18).

As Christians, I think we often quote scriptures such as 1 Thessalonians 5:18 without truly applying it to our daily lives. I wish that I could say that my attitude was one of continuous thanksgiving.

If you think you are a thankful person, I challenge you to sit down and write out 10 things you are thankful for. It seems simple enough, but it definitely humbled me as I sat and tried to identify things that I was thankful for. What are you thankful for? What should you be thankful for? What has God done for you this year?

I'm thankful for...

• My Savior - How amazing that even in my lowest moments, when I didn’t deserve to be brought out, all I had to do was cry out to Him to rescue me. So many things could have gone wrong, so many more mistakes could have been made, but in grace He reached down and opened my eyes. Thank You, God, for sending Your Son to take my place. Thank You for saving me.
  


• Family - We've been through quite a lot this year and are still pushing through. My parents have been a constant, always guiding us with their love and faith, showing us with their actions what it means to trust God. Each of my siblings has been to me the best friends that I could ever ask for. Honestly, I am so thankful to God for each member of the family and am truly blessed to be a Moonen.


• Friendships/ LOCC family – After reaching a point in church where my heart for serving became no longer a response of love to God but turned into a matter of obligation, He was faithful to give me a fresh start with encouraging friends. It is such a blessing to have found a group of people who live out their beliefs and encourage me to do the same. I am so thankful for this group of people!
  


• Graduation/ Time at USCB – The four years that led up to my graduation in May were four of the most amazing years of my life so far. God brought so many opportunities my way and there is nothing that I regret. I was able to achieve so much in my time at USCB, and I am so thankful for the support of the faculty and staff that I received while in school and on graduation.
  


• No student loans – This goes along with graduation, but I am so thankful to God for His provision for me in my time at school. I was so blessed with scholarships and stipends that I was able to work my way through college without taking any loans.
  


• My job – I have been given so much favor at the university, that at times it is overwhelming. Although this is not where I feel I will be long-term, I know that God has provided me with this job and I am thankful for it. I feel blessed to be able to say that I had a full-time position open for me after graduation.
  


• The worship team – Yes, at times there was confusion and hurt, but looking back I can say that I am thankful for the opportunity to be on the team. Although I have so much more to learn musically, I am glad that God allowed me to be there for the time that I was. I loved it and it was a great experience.
  


• SGM – In some of the dry times and the trying times, Sovereign Grace Ministries was only a few clicks away. Whether with a sermon from CJ Mahaney to challenge me, or just the right worship music to encourage me, SGM has always remained a pivotal piece of my spiritual walk. I'm thankful I grew up with such a solid background and that the pastors there are still able to encourage me.
  


• Elya – I planned on keeping this post as anonymous as possible, but I am so thankful for my best friend. Although I’ve only seen her once or twice in the past 5 years, she is always there with the perfect encouragement when it is needed. I am so thankful to God that He not only gave me her friendship but that He has continued our friendship through the years and distance. I would not trade her for the world!
  


• Constant provision – This is the only way to effectively sum up the fact that I’ve made it through this year in one piece, always with more than enough. Even in the moments when it seemed like things would fall apart, I can see that I had no reason to worry because God was always there, providing for me, lifting me up, and taking me forward. There were days this year when it seemed like life slapped me in the face with questions and situations that inevitably let to “why me” moments. Even in those moments, my Savior was by my side, holding me up. I can truly say that I am blessed.

defining love

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

It is so easy to look at this scripture and say "Praise God! He loves me so much to be patient... and never fail me!" But if this is the definition of love, and we ourselves claim to love him, what should that look like?

We would...

...be willing to wait for the things we ask of Him, knowing that His love for us is more important than anything else; speak highly of Him to those around us and not get upset when others do better or prosper more than we do; acknowledge that without Him we are nothing; conduct ourselves in a manner that glorifies Him at all times; seek to serve Him and others rather than serving ourselves; not become angry when things do not go "our way"; not complain when we suffer for the sake of our testimony in Him; not give ourselves to fleshly lifestyles, but rejoice in the truth of the gospel and a life lived for Christ; accept all trials and tribulations, know that it is for Him; believe in His word; hold on to the hope that He give us; and never give our time and energy to a pursuit above Him but hold Him in highest regard as the true love of our lives.

Does this sound like your relationship with God? While it is true that God demonstrated his love for us by first loving us and sending His son for us, when we claim to love God, do we understand what that means as we relate to Him?

devastating hopelessness

Never before have I come face-to-face with the hopelessness of a life without Christ. No matter what happens, no matter what comes my way, I have always known that I could turn to my Savior, cast my worries at His feet, and live with confidence in His grace. We become so complacent there, losing the awe having of a personal relationship with God among the daily trappings of life, not realizing the treasure we have in Christ. If we truly saw the gospel of grace as a treasure, wouldn't we be more quick to share it?

A student at the school who I led at orientation and helped throughout the semester committed suicide last week. When I heard the news and let it sink it, I slowly became sick as the emotion overwhelmed me. When the tears started, I immediately opened my mouth to pray and then realized, what could I pray for? Ricky took his life, and is gone. I could pray for comfort for his father. I could pray that his brother doesn’t make the same choice. I could pray that somehow lives could be saved out of the tragic situation. But helplessness and hopelessness soon enveloped me when I realized – I couldn’t pray for Ricky. He made his choice, and his destiny is now set in stone. Never before have I found myself in a situation where I couldn’t turn the situation to God, because Ricky had already made a choice and sealed his fate.

The hopelessness that I felt when I realized there was nothing anyone could do for Ricky is what nonbelievers live with every day. What incredible emptiness it must be to face life’s trials and not be able to rest in the grace and mercy of a Savior! I can only imagine how this hopelessness surrounded Ricky as he gave up on his life.

Hearing of his choice, I became overwhelmed with guilt for not sharing the gospel with Ricky in the time that I had with him. Our purpose as Christians is to glorify God with our lives, sharing the hope of the gospel with those around us. How tragic to get caught up in the daily trappings of this life to the point that we forget by whose grace we are here!

When they say that death haunts you with questions of “what if”, that is an understatement. What if I had slowed down enough to see beyond the sadness in Ricky’s eyes to minister to him, and share the treasure of the gospel that I have been given?

I pray that we all learn to value the grace found in the blood of Jesus, not as a ticket out of Hell, but as a treasure to be passed on to those who are hurting around us.

Lord, let me never ignore an opportunity to share Your love.

Sanctuary Lives... is He enough?

I recently had 10 hours to kill in a car and listened to an old sermon I found in my center console (it was one of the few CDs which didn't suffer from an explosive ranch packet... thank you South Carolina heat). The sermon was from Josh Harris and reminded me of the hope that we have through Christ.

Living surrounded by non-Christians, or those who claim to be Christian and yet do not live out their faith can become discouraging. So many times I've looked at the lives of those who do not even seem to care to follow the will of God for their lives, and they appear happy, even blessed with many things that I can easily become jealous of. How is that I spend time each week pursuing God, often giving up opportunities because I know that it isn't what He wants for me, and yet they seem to live stress-free, easily going after and getting whatever their hearts desire?

Asaph expresses some of these feelings in the 73 Psalm:

"For I was envious of the arrogant

As I saw the prosperity of the wicked

...

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure,

And washed my hands in innocence" (v. 3, 13)

Particularly recently I've found myself in Asaph's shoes, struggling to accept the fact that by choosing to keep myself pure I have come face to face with not only ridicule from others, but envy within my own heart.

Asaph quickly reminds us, however, that these struggles shouldn't matter if Christ is truly enough for us.

"Nevertheless I am continually with Thee;

Thou hast taken hold of my right hand.

With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me,

And afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but Thee?

And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth.

My flesh and heart may fail,

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Asaph tells us that he "came into the sanctuary of God" and was there reminded of the fact that the wicked will receive their judgment in the end. Until then, why does it matter if they exalt themselves with pride? If God is truly all that we desire on earth, we should rejoice in the fact that He is reminding us daily of our need for Him.

Something to take away from the sermon is that we need to lay aside our envy of others and stop living in our own imagined future. Discontentment would not have such a strong reign in our hearts if we didn't create our own future in our minds. We become disappointed when life does not turn out the way that we want, but if we laid those desires aside for Christ, we would find our hope fulfilled in Him. If we fix our gaze on Him, we are able to step into His sanctuary. But we need to choose to draw near to God.

I desire to live a "sanctuary life", daily in the presence of God so that I am reminded and encouraged of the fact that He is all that we ought to desire on earth. No matter what happens within our physical surroundings, may He be the strength of our hearts... our portion forever!