Changing to Meet the Truth

All this talk about Jesus' authority, but what does it mean to me? My life? My responses to situations affecting me?

A question we ask ourselves at AVEFC is: if what we learn is truth, then what do we do about it? In this subject of authority, the easy answer is to just say accept it and live your life based on it. 

Ha! I don't know about you, but I am a rebellious soul. If my dad were still around you could ask him. He could tell you some stories. In general, when told to go right I go left (part of that is dyslexia LOL). Or more importantly, if told to do or not do something, there I would be doing the opposite. A life time of that nature running rampant is hard to reel in and change.

I am independent and had raised my boys, on my own, for 8 of their in-home years. I am used to looking at things with my own logic and experience. So, my first problem is simply remembering that I am not in charge. I go off on tangents without even giving a thought to God or that I should even pray about it. Then I start seeing unintended repercussions. That's bad and at that point is when i start thinking, "Hey God, come on. A little help here." My own fault that I didn't ask in the first place!

I have written earlier on a blog that I am working on contentment and gratitude. How can I do that if I don't let God lead me? That is where I am today--learning to follow Him. That does not mean I am going off into the wild jungles (I don't think), it simply means to look to Him first. Ask what He would have me do, how to respond or just wait.

I have started my blogs for some creative freedom and to share myself with whomever reads them. I prayed about them and felt an urge to make them happen.

I am having that same urge in finding a way to make some income. There are a few avenues open to me, but I want to honor Jesus not my abilities or follow some man-made plan. So I wait.
There are a few things I am working on ATM. Things like writing a fictional book, the church website, blogs, and doing other things online. I just wrote a book for my granddaughter, and feel led to do something in the realm of relationships--marriage, family, people--putting God into it but not sure how to go forward there and a number of other things.

My ability to focus is also reflected here

Writing a fictional book takes time and I have to keep God and my family responsibilities before it. If anyone has written or been passionate about something that is not directed towards your family, you know how hard it is to keep it all balanced. I tend to do many things at once, but only focus on one or two things with full force.

Take babies for example. The baby becomes the mom's focus and the husband is often left on the periphery somewhat ignored, especially his need for serious affection from his wife. Guilty here. I didn't know that I should have had a better balance, nor did I know how if I had been aware. That is something God has shown me. That is one reason to keep God first, He helps with making my marriage good and keeping a major focus on my Frontier Hubby! That change in me, made a change in him, too. We are so much better together now than ever. When either of us takes our eyes off God, we end up fighting because it then becomes all about us. If you do not know God, that may sound really off-base, but it works! I would rather be happy in my marriage than give into my need to be the number 1, most important person in my life. Been there, done that and flopped.

So, if Jesus' authority is real what should we do about it? I try to bring myself under His authority. He is not a selfish, power hungry person. He is God, the benevolent dictator, and He is concerned about us. There is talk about if we all love each other, there would be no war. Well, if people were not involved that might work, but whoever is in power will become corrupt. It is just human nature. So how about we all look to Jesus and love Him. The rest falls into place as long as we get out of the way!

So, what are you going to do about the truth of His authority?

May you find all things new in Him,
Frontier Woman @ FrontierChristianLiving

Love by Choice

Love is one of the most overused words around. What meaning does it hold? Is it a feeling? Is it measurable? Does it come and go?

Yes and no.

I first thought love was a feeling, and it is. I thought love was commitment. It can be. I thought love was forever. Not the kind of love I had then. I thought I loved more than anyone else, but that was not enough. I thought love was freedom without bounds. It is not without bounds.

We love so many things such as:  our spouses, kids, pets, sports teams, ourselves, trees, homes, cities, collections of this or that, even money. Some of the things we are related to and others we relate to. But what would you die for? Anything?

That is a way to measure love. I would die for my family. I would not die for much else. To describe something we need adjectives and analogies. To measure something, we need a standard to measure against. To really understand something we need to experience it.

God is all of these and we need to experience Him to get to know Him.

We are to love the Lord our God. Wow, how is that possible? Without knowing God it is hard to simply love Him.

One of my first lessons learned is that to love God is to get to know Him. As I learn about Him by reading His words in the Bible, He ever so slightly uncovers the mystery of Him. The more I learn about who He is, the more He reveals Himself and the more I can love Him.

Is God only love? No. He has all the emotions we do. He certainly has different motivations than we do. All His emotions have to be contained within His goodness. He has no evil in Him. He is just, which means there are consequences. He shows mercy when we ask for mercy as those consequences were completed with Jesus on the cross. We only need to believe that, and ask God to show us mercy and forgive us for the unlovely things we do. Repent. That means asking for God's mercy and forgiveness with no hidden agendas or intentions to ever do it again. As humans, we tend to lean toward doing stupid things over and over. He knows that and every time we come to Him through Jesus with repentance in our heart, He is true to His word and forgives us.

Picture from clipart in Office

Here is my analogy. Many of us have chosen to have cats for pets. We desire our cats to choose to "love" us back, but cats are very independent. They want us to do all the work and, if they feel like it, they come love us back with rubs and purrs. Young children often want to make cats love them back. The children pick up a cat and hold it tight making the cat want to break loose. The relationship with cats is like what we have with God. He does all the work and we sometimes choose to acknowledge Him and love Him back. He does not force us to love Him but desires for us to talk to Him and spend time with Him. He wants relationship and is waiting right now for you to turn to Him and love on Him. He will return your efforts more than you can imagine.

God gives us choice, always, even when we tear up the curtains or "miss" the litter box. Love out of choice is so much more meaningful than if it is forced.

Choose to show love to others, without judgment, and do for them as we would like to have done for ourselves. Have you ever needed help and wished someone would just help you get through something? Start helping others get through their needs and you will find others helping you, too. 

God made us to willingly love Him and each other. Don't hoard your energy and love. Give it away, and it is returned to you many times over. 

 

In Him,
Frontier Woman @ frontierChristianLiving.blogspot.com