2. Hosanna
3. I Exalt Thee
Sometimes I find myself totally being critical of how other people thing; especially when they call themselves Christians. I feel like with the name Christian comes a lot of responsibility. I guess it's like when you play for a sports team... when you are wearing those colors, that jersey, that name, you are representing something. So when you're out and about you are representing that organization. You have a standard to live up to so that you don't give that company a bad name. You want people to have a good image of what the group you are representing. So acting irresponsibly or rude and crude usually isn't the way you go about acting. Usually when you have to represent something you are on what your parents used to say "Be on 'Your best behavior'". And if you violate that conduct, there are usually consequences, usually in a job setting you could be fired, on a team you could be kicked off. So I guess with the name Christian comes the territory. We have to realize who and what we are representing.
But then I have to look at this way. People have learned differently, grown up in different churches, had different backgrounds. But instead of trying to understand, it makes me angry and I get really frustrated. But instead of getting frustrated I need to learn to be patient and love those people even harder because if they truly are a Christian they are my family.
Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
I have two sister, a mom, a dad, and two grandmas. But I also have a Heavenly Father, and too many brothers and sisters in Christ to count. My family is my Christian family, So when I get frustrated I have to look at it as they are my family I need to understand more and do what I can to represent Christ in the way He intended me to.
The crazy thing is, is that recently I have gotten very annoyed with someone who claims to be a Christian but then take the Bible out of context and uses that as their witness and sometimes I have to sit back listen, and then react. But no, stupid me just reacts and gets angry. This person tries to back the logic up with Bible verses, but like I said everything is taken out of context. In church on Sunday my pastor said this:
"When you see people as God sees people, you will love people as God loves people".
As soon as he said this my heart sank deep into my chest. I was completely wrecked by God. He said to me then to stop getting frustrated with people this way and love them because I love them. And I cannot tell you enough of much that laid on my heart the rest of service and through out the night. I humbled myself before God and asked him for the patience and the forgiveness I needed from him.
I have to learn that as long as I am the representative that I am supposed to be God will do his work. And I have to realize that this person is my family. God loves them just as much as he loves me.
This is the first part of this blog that really was laying on my heart to share... here's the rest of what I am thinking.
Ephesians 3:16-17
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
I learned that when becoming a child of God I inhabit this power that Christ has given me as he lives in me. In the verse above, Paul is praying for us to realize that power and using that power. Pastor says "One of the greatest tragedies of a Christian is untapped power". I need to be more like Paul and pray that I start using this power that God has put inside of me, more.
Ephesians 3:17-18
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
God's whole desire for me is not for to me know all the information, but for the transformation of lives. Yes the information is a huge deal in transforming my life. But if you have all the information and you're not transforming, its untapped power.
I know God loves me. But God loves me more than I could ever imagine. I need to learn to love like God. I want God to break my heart for what breaks his.
God's love for me far beyond how long, how wide, how high, and how deep the ocean is.
I guess this will be something that I will have to get better at I just pray that God gives me the strength and the power to see people the way He sees people, so that I can love people the way He loves people.
I absolutely love it when I leave church completely wrecked and awestruck before God.
Zephaniah 3:17.
