When Love Walks

Walk - to move about in visible form

Have you ever thought about the idea of love walking before? Think about love for a second. What comes to mind? Is it an emotion? Is it a feeling? Is it an action? What is your definition of love? Where did you get this definition? Did the world, media, or culture shape or define love for you? Has God's Word had anything to do with your connotation of the word love? What is the source of love? If you agree with me and say God then do you define love the way He defines it?

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. - 1 John 4:10

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. - 2 John 1:6

Love cannot be stagnant. The love of Christ, the love he showered upon us must be walked out. It must move to become visible. You may be asking yourself what that looks like. Check out 1 Corinthians 13 and you will see a pretty clear picture. Today ask God to give you love that walks. Love that is visible for others to see. A love that we cannot create or manufacture but love that comes from God Almighty.

Power, Passion, & Purpose

Do you walk with your head up or down? Do you walk around with power, passion, and purpose?

Often times I catch myself with my head down. Many times I forget.

I forget that if our God is for us who can be against us?

I forget that our God is stronger and higher than any other

I forget that our God is the healer and redeemer of the broken and the lost

I forget that he is the life changer

I forget that he is living water and the bread of life

I forget that our God is all powerful

I forget that our God loves us unconditionally

I forget that I am His.

Have you forgotten?

Over lunch today I was encouraged. I was listening to a guy who hasn't forgotten. He was walking in the power, passion, and purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was taking the attacks of Satan head on with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit. It wasn't easy but there was the power or Christ in his life. His passion and purpose proved it.

I don't usually write prayers but I want to leave you with one today. Don't let the enemy win the battles in your mind and in your life. Use the power and truth that God has given you.

"God, I am your child. You are my father. I thank you for that relationship. I pray that I realize this truth and embrace it. I pray that I would walk in your power today. That you would give me a passion for the name of Jesus Christ. As it talks about in Acts 4, I pray that people would take note that I have been with Jesus. That my life would reflect and lead people to you Lord. I thank you for the power over sin and death that the cross accomplished for me. Give me an eternal perspective and a passion to fulfill my purpose in Christ. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Restrained

Have you ever had to be restrained?

When it comes to living passionately for Jesus Christ one of the last words I think of is restraint. That is why it caught my eye as I was reading Exodus 36. As the people of God were constructing the Tabernacle, everyone whose hearts were stirred to do the work came. The people of Israel continued to bring contributions for the work of the Tabernacle. In verse 5 the workers approach Moses.

"and said to Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do." So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more." - Exodus 36:5-7

I love the fact that they had to be restrained from giving. There is no way you would see that in today's culture. We are either holding on so tightly or when there is an abundance it is never enough. One of the prayers for the ministry is that God would provide all that we need to do what he has commanded us to do. Not more and not less, just enough. Every month God comes through. Every month we have enough to pay the bills. God continues to prove time and time again that we can trust him. I don't know where you are at but I do know God wants you to trust him.

I love to dream. I love to dream big. What if the people of God would desperately care for the work of the LORD? What if the people of God had an eternal perspective? Would their focus shift? Would the world look any different? What would it look like if pastors would have to tell their congregations to stop giving because of the abundance of their giving? What an awesome sight that would be!

The Sheep of Your Pasture

"But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,

will give thanks to you forever,

from generation to generation we will recount your praise."

- Psalm 79:13

Have you ever thought of yourself as a sheep in the Lord's pasture? To me that is a reassuring. It is a picture of God's love and guidance for our lives. As much as my prideful self hates to admit it this means that I am not in control. This means that I have to surrender control of my life to the shepherd. But thanks be to God that when the Lions, Wolves and Bears come we have our shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me."

- John 10:10-14