What is Love?

Love...what is it? Is it that mushy feeling you get when you see that guy or girl? Is it a hug? Is it saying "I love you"? What is love? Love, as defined by our very accurate and correct Holy Bible is one word: God. I John 4 says that God is love. This statement does not simply mean that God is something else: He is really love. This means that love is His very nature. It is the basis of everything that He does. And we are commanded to love. In Matthew 22, we are told that we are to above all else love our God most of all; then in the very next verse we are commanded to, next to that, love our neighbor the same way that we love ourselves. We love ourselves WAY too much. I know from experience that I love myself way more than I should. Whenever I have a choice to make, I will most likely make the choice that makes things easier for me, not for those around me; but by the grace of God I am able to deny myself and show love to others and make the unselfish choice, but that isn't even very often. I am so selfish, and I know so many people who are. So then if we are commanded to love, how DO we love? If God is love, and I KNOW I am certainly not God, then how do I become something that is that is the very essence of His character? This has been a question in my mind for some time, and I am just completely amazed by the love of my God. His love is not a selfish love. It is not a taking love. His love gives and sacrifices and puts others before self. THAT is my God. THAT is love. And how to do that, I have no idea; but I will continue to pray that God will be gracious to me and grant me His love so that I may love others the way that He loves me: unselfishly and sacrificially.

~ Stephanie ~
    *Phil. 3:13-14*

Control

God is good. That is all. I have been realizing this SOO much lately. God is so good to save me from myself and to give me chance after chance after chance to do right and to live for Him. I want to. I want Him to have complete control. That is my heart's desire right here, right now. But this is so often easier said than done. It is easier to say " I want God to have control" than to actually GIVE Him control. I have definitely experienced this in my life. There have been so many times when I have honestly wanted to give God control and to allow Him to control my life; but I haven't. Why not? Why is it so stinking hard to just give up and let Him rule my life? This is still a HUGE question in my life right now, but I think I might be getting closer to the answer, but I am not there yet. All I know for now is that the answer is in His Word and in submitting to it when He shows me something that I need to change. Basically, repentance. Well, these are just some thoughts that have been running through my head lately. Hope they are an encouragement!

I regret the hours I have wasted,
And the pleasures I have tasted
That You were never in.
And I confess that though Your love is in me,
It doesn't always win me
When competing with my sin!

And I repent!
Making no excuses!
I repent!
No one else to blame!
And I return
To fall in love with Jesus!
I bow down on my knees,
And I repent!

I lament the idols I've accepted;
The commandments I've rejected
To pursue my selfish end.
And I confess I need You to revive me;
Put selfishness behind me;
And take up my cross again!

And I repent! 
Making no excuses!
I repent!
No one else to blame!
And I return 
To fall in love with Jesus!
I bow down on my knees,
And I repent!

~ Stephanie ~ 
    *Phil. 3:13-14*

Surrender

In selfishness and pride,

I cling to what is mine.

In stubbornness I hold back things from God.

And at times it seems to me,

That He holds back things from me,

So I try to put things where I clearly see.

And as to my rights I hold,

His soft voice speaks to my soul,

And in brokenness I relinquish all control.

I let Him lead!

Now I hear His voice!

And instead of strife and pride,

Now my will is crucified.

So in full surrender now I've made my choice:

Your will be done

In my life, O Lord.

Now I know I will be blessed,

For my Savior does what's best.

Now I can finally rest.

When I take control from Him,

And drift back into sin;

When I start getting worried and confused,

When I don't understand;

Things aren't going as I planned.

I can put my broken life back in His hands.

He will heal and He'll forgive,

Then in fellowship I'll live,

And with power from me He'll banish Satan's sin.

I let Him lead!

Now I hear His voice!

And instead of strife and pride,

Now my will is crucified.

So in full surrender now I've made my choice:

Your will be done

In my life, O Lord.

Now I know I will be blessed,

For my Savior does what's best.

Now I can finally rest.

This song has been a huge challenge and encouragement to me lately. I have just been realizing more and more that I need to simply let go and let God be God and trust that He DOES indeed have a GOOD plan for my life, and He will work that plan out in my life no matter what it takes. My prayer the past few days has been "Lord, break me. Whatever the cost, whatever the pain, break me." I want to be used by God and I want to be so close to Him that nothing can move me and nothing can cause me to doubt Him. I want to be so in love with Him and so overwhelmed by His love that I can do nothing but respond in humble obedience and love. As Christmas is right around the corner in about five days, I want Christmas this year to be about Him and about His birth, not about me and what I am getting for Christmas. I want to give HIM a gift rather than simply receiving His wonderful gift. After all, it is HIS birthday, not mine. How would I feel if on my birthday, I gave everyone presents and no one gave me anything? I would feel pretty rotten. So why should He be any different? It is His birthday, and He gave us the ultimate gift and we, in response, give everyone else gifts but give nothing to Him! I am so ashamed of myself and of my selfishness. I want to give Him the only thing I CAN give Him--my life!

~ Stephanie ~
    *Phil. 3:13-14*

Truth - Definition and Action

TRUTH. What is it, and why should I focus on it? Well, my friend, that is a good question. Truth, simply stated by Dictionary.com, is, "the true or actual state of a matter." And what does God's Word say about truth? What is God's definition of truth? Well, John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy Word is truth." This is Christ speaking to God the Father. So, obviously, God says that His Word, the Bible, is the truth. It is the only thing that never changes other than God. So then, now that I know what the truth is, why should I focus on it? Well, the first reason that we should focus on truth is that we, as believers, are being sanctified through the truth. How, then, can we be sanctified without the truth? Another reason to focus on truth is that the truth will "set us free." (John 8:32) John 8:31-32 says, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." So, the truth of God's Word makes me free. Free from what? Why, sin, of course! The next few verses go on to explain how we are slaves to sin, but when the truth comes in and we believe it, we are set free from the slavery of sin! What an awesome promise! If I claim the truth of God's Word, I can be free from my sin! I am free from not only past sin, but also present and future sin as well. That is an incredible promise to claim. A third reason to meditate and focus on truth is because it protects us in our fight against Satan and against sin. Psalm 91:4 says, "He [God] shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." So God's Word is what protects us from the fiery darts of Satan! If I am not hiding God's truth in my heart, then how can I fight against Satan? Even Christ, when He was in the wilderness, used scripture to fight against Satan when Satan was trying to tempt Christ. If Christ, my ultimate example and perfect man, used the truth of God's Word to fight temptation, how much more should I, being a sinful human being, use God's truth to fight my temptations? I would venture to say that I should! But how can I meditate on God's truth and use it in my spiritual battles unless it is in my heart? I have to be meditating on and memorizing God's Word if I am going to be able to just pull it out and use it! When was the last time you, on your own volition, determined to put to memory a passage of scripture and then did it? Has it been a while? Are you losing the battle against sin? Maybe that is why you have been struggling to win! I know I am not perfect either, and I need to memorize more of God's Word as well, so I have made a commitment of scripture memory that I intend to follow through with. I would encourage everyone who reads this blog to consider choosing a passage, even if it is a short one at first, and putting it to memory. Give yourself a time limit. Tell your self, "self, you are going to have this passage memorized by _____ time." And then do it! Push yourself to commit the Word of God to memory so you can use it to fight!

~ Psalm 86:11 "Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name." ~ 

~ Stephanie ~

   *Phil. 3:13-14*