IF YOU LOVE GOD. . . (The dangers of an ultimatum)

“If I speak in tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”  - 1 Corinthians 13:1-2

“Love is not premeditated – it is spontaneous.” - Oswald Chambers

We often find ourselves preaching about discipline, or denial, or tasks. We often find ourselves using the phrase “we should be doing these things out of our love for God,” yet often find ourselves condemning those unwilling to complete those tasks.

My question is what if those tasks aren’t completed because the person tasked with them knows they aren’t doing them out of love? What if the one tasked is simply  listening to what we’re saying? Do we give them an ultimatum to “do better or else?” Or do we tell them to seek God first?

I fear the answer is too often an ultimatum. I fear too often we give a “do it or lose us’ response. I fear we often respond with the guilt trip, rather than giving them a reason to love God to the point of obedience. I fear we aren’t really  listening to our own advice.

In our inconsistency and the inconsistency of others, especially in those we disciple, we should be avoiding the ultamatum at all costs, and should begin recognizing the problem at it’s heart. We must recognize the lack of love.

In our failed goals and failed attempts at showing our godliness and love for God out of task completion, we must examine ourselves and our peers, and ask ourselves: are we completing these tasks out of a longing to love God, and know Him better because of that love? Or are we completing these tasks because we’ve been told that if we don’t, we don’t love God?

“If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15

This verse can sound very legalistic to us. It brings with it a tone of salvation to be earned. Yet to truly understand, we must change the language. What if the “if” in this verse was a “because?”

This verse is not about legalism, but rather the end result. It is about the fruit that pours out when we love our God, not the things we do to prove that we love Him. It is about what happens when we embrace Him and deny us – which is true love! And through that true love, we long to serve the one we love. It is not “if” we love Him, but “because” we love Him that we will do His will and obey His commands. It is not task completion that earns His love, but rather His love that leads to our obedience.

As Romans 6:11 says, we shall consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to Him, and in Him there is no legalism – only love.

Obedience is rooted in love. Love is not rooted in obedience.

ABIDE AND LET IT BE!

“Look at the birds of the air . . .consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin.”      - Matthew 6:26, 28

. . . They simply are!

So often we fret about our usefulness to God, yet in this passage (among others) He simply reminds us of our usefulness in the areas we don’t recognize. Our focus can not be on doing things for Christ, but rather being in Him! For when our focus is on doing for Christ, it is on the action rather than the reason. When our focus is on the reason rather than the action, we can have an influence for Him which is greater than we will ever recognize, and the reason we’ll fail to recognize it is because our focus will not turn away from Him long enough for us to look around at the rest of our lives.

We were created to be focused on God to the point of tunnel vision – unable to recognize ourselves and our lives outside of His purpose and direction.

“Let love be genuine.”   – Romans 12:9

Notice the simplicity again in this passage. We are not to “make” our love be genuine, or “force” it to be, but to simply “let” it be! WE were created to love, and through the recapturing of the Holy Spirit in us, we are to simply let love happen. With the transforming of our hearts comes the transforming of our very natures, and we no longer need to try to be godly, we simply need to abide in Him, and let His qualities shine through!

Have you recognized His transformation and let Him overcome our old nature and make His nature our own? Abide in Him, and let it happen!

ALL MY FOUNTAINS

“As they make music they will sing,

‘All my fountains are in You.’”   - Psalm 87:7

Psalm 87 was written by the temple assistants, the Sons of Korah, and was written about the City of God – the place where all believers will one day gather, and is looking ahead to the Holy City as described in Revalation 21:10-27. It will be an amazing sight when the day comes! The city is described as being 1400 miles square, and as long and wide as it is high! Imagine a 1400 square mile city, full of the worship of God’s children! A city without night, lit only by the glory of God! That will be a wondrous sight!

Yet although this verse is describing the glory after Christ’s return, it also describes what we should strive for while on this earth!

“All of my fountains are in You!”

This is the place we shall strive and long to be. I long to be in the place while on this earth where I know I have no other options besides leaning completely and totally on Him, and having “all my fountains” invested in Him. Heaven will be a wondrous sight, yet what is stopping us from showing heavenly  praise while on earth?

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Lord, take me to the place with no other options

take me to the heart of You!

For as this world tries me, I learn of my weakness

and my strength, found only in You!

Take me to the place where my spring finds it’s origin,

and let that origin be You!

 Not my strength, but Yours alone can sustain me,

For in my trials I rejoice of You!

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EDIT: When I posted this, a friend shared this video with me, so I thought it’d be worth posting here, as well. Enjoy!

J. & the Talents – Save Yourself

Here’s the newest song I wrote. I kind of wrote it as a story about having a conversation with God, asking Him the age-old question of how exactly can we reach salvation. I’ll put the lyrics below the video, so you can dissect the lyrics if you want. Let me know what you think!

Verse 1

When will the rain come extinguish the flame

When will the wind come blow our pains away

Old man sits by my side, says don’t you worry my son

Got a cure for the lonely, broken hearted one

Chorus

Said don’t you try to save yourself (x4)

My boy now don’t you try

Verse 2

The man said to heed his word, and follow all he told

Told a cure for the broken, said to save your soul

Said to quit chasing perfection, in a try to outrun shame

Quit judging your brother, start loving all the same

Chorus

Verse 3

We all chase perfection, when it’s given free of charge

Unwilling to accept it, till we see the scars

Those holes left in His hands, the thorns upon his head

His ransom for true freedom, carpenter three days dead

Bridge

But if I try, and if I fail

If I find that I’m unable

Can I fall down on my face

Praise you for your unearned grace

Chorus 2

I can’t try to save myself (x4)

My God now won’t You try

( © Joel Helenbolt)

TAKING THE JUMP (embracing the gift)

“I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.”  – Jeremiah 45:5

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will appear with Him in glory.”  - Colossians 3:3-4

The bible constantly tells us our life is simply a gift given to us by God. Christianity is constantly compared to death, and life, and we are constantly told to die in order to live. Yet how often do we see this gift of life as a prize given to us by God? How often do we live as if our life is a gift given by God? How easy it is to underestimate the value given to us in Jeremiah 45:5!

In order to truly recognize our value, we first must look at the meaning of a gift. A gift is something given, from one person to another, and is seen as new to the one receiving the gift. In order for your life to be given to you as a gift, it first belongs to Christ, because He is the one giving it, which means in order for you to receive this gift, you must first give the entirety of yourself over to Christ. Only then can He bestow upon you His gift of true life, and true freedom in His love. It requires reckless abandon – to give our life to something we don’t understand, and to realize that the questions we have for Him often cannot be answered without first surrendering our own doubt to Him and letting Him guide us through our questioning. This cannot be done until we surrender all control.

“Abandonment means to refuse yourself the luxury of asking any questions.” – Oswald Chambers

Abandonment is refusing luxury. Have you abandoned your questioning and learned to rely and trust completely on Him? Our questioning is nothing other than a lack of trust. We must break ourselves of that habit, and embrace the knowledge He has given, telling us and assuring us that HE HAS EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL.

Think of it as a cliff jump into water below. If we continually question the safety of the jump, we will never jump, and we will never realize where the joy of the jump comes from – and that is in the rush of the unknown. In a sense of complete safety, there is no unknown, and all excitement is lost. Life cannot be lived in a place of complete safety, and neither can our spiritual lives, because we live in a world where unknowns will always be present. We control nothing, and He controls everything. He isn’t going to tell us what to expect, but He is continually inviting us to quit pretending we know what’s coming and simply embrace His control in the midst of the unknown. Only when we let go and embrace the beauty of His unknown can we truly see our destination, or not fear not knowing where exactly that destination is. Only when we let go can we truly be given our lives as a gift, and see them as such, living them according to the plan arranged by the only one who knows the map and hidden surprises better than ourselves.

See your life as a gift given to you, and recognize that the plan He has given in His gift is designed exactly how you need it to be – whether you know it or not. Trust His plan, embrace His unknown, and always remember, above all, that His gift is exactly that, and it is good.