Love and faithfulness

This morning was pretty awesome; so awesome in fact, it set the course for my entire day. I love days like that. I was reviewing my prayer journal and found the page dedicated to myself. I reread two verses in a completely different way.

Proverbs 3: 3

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

I used to think that I had to be loving and faithful. That's tough. This morning I read it realizing that I need to wear God's love and faithfulness never leave me. I need to trust that God is loving and faithful, always. That He will persevere through the heartache, suffering, and tragedies. Thanks to Pastor Stephen's message on Sunday, I realized that I have difficulty trusting in God. So this morning, I wore a necklace to remind me to trust that God is always loving and faithful.

Philippians 3: 8

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain in Christ.

Once again, I used to think I understood this verse. I read it in Haiti and thought I needed to rid myself of worldly possessions. That, obviously, did not work out very well. This morning, I read it and saw it as a way of prioritizing things in my life. I so often believe lies that define myself in worldly things (weight, job, appearance, etc.). Today, however, I count them as rubbish compared to Jesus Christ, my Lord. I have the freedom to confess to Jesus how I do define myself in those things and there are things that I do want. Combine that with love and faithfulness, and I trust that God will reveal the desires of my heart. I trust Him to do so, and today I think I experienced joy in waiting. An answered prayer!

Even if for a day, I am thankful to have been able to trust in God's love and faithfulness and consider all things rubbish compared to Jesus. Pray for me, as tomorrow is a new day!

A difficult thought.

At the whole gospel class this morning through my church, I heard the speaker, Dr. Gates, tell a story from a male friend in South Africa. In it, the man was with his girlfriend in high school. His girlfriend was shot by a police officer or some militant man. An officer had stood over them with his gun but left instead of shooting either of them. Dr. Gates commented on how his friend had described that officer as a "Christian brother." Either Dr. Gates or the friend described it as a "perverted Christianity."

This story sparked a thought. No matter how "bad" or "evil" we judge someone to be based upon his or her actions, we are all brothers and sisters. We all need a Savior.

Being "pretty good" is not enough. Jesus lived perfectly and is willing to share His perfect record with us. He does not hoard His Father's kingdom; He shares it with us. He wants us to enter His kingdom.

The harsh reality is that we all need a Savior; our system for defining bad actions is just that: ours.