So, today as I was watching people of all ages get baptised I began to think. Yes, I know that sounds scary! But, just keep following me! :) I was thinking what I would say to those who are new to following Christ. The three things I came up with were love, hope, and purpose. Of course, I would tell them that this road isn't always easy and sometimes we mess up, but it's completely worth it. That reminds me of John Mark McMillan's song "How He loves us". There's a line that says " I don't have time to maintain these regrets". That's been hitting home with me a lot lately. I don't have time to sit here and regret the choices I made to follow Him. It seems the older I get the more I face this. I begin to question myself, my beliefs and all the while the whole world seems to question me. I can't entertain these regrets! I chose Him because He first choose me. I don't regret my choices,because frankly I love Him that much. I love Him more than anything! It will always be Him above anyone and anything else. The moment He isn't, is the moment I've lost focus. It's just a distraction of the enemy to detour your pursuit of Him. ........(Bunny caught...now moving back to the subject at hand) :)
So back to this concept of Purpose, Love, and Hope......
Purpose. Sometimes I wish I could let people feel what I feel....If for just a moment they could feel Holy Spirit inside of me doing His work. We're all looking for a sense of belonging of fitting in or of finding our place. It's basically the fact we're looking for a reason to live. I know that sounds morbid, but it's true. Everyday we wake up for a reason. Some people wake up for a paycheck or for their kids or their family or even for themselves....And at some point those things or people become not enough......You lose your job, a family member dies, you disappoint yourself........something happens and your expectations are not met. When this happens a person feels empty and lost. This is where the difference comes in. When your purpose is defined completely by God, there is life no matter what circumstances come your way. Yes there are challenging days and days of doubt, but the trust is there that you still have a purpose. Some days you may not even understand what that purpose is. This purpose is a supernatural purpose...meaning, it goes beyond what is naturally occurring. This purpose can't be taken from you no matter what the enemy or circumstance looks like....Although, you can choose to deny it or give it away. Sometimes I wish people could understand that purpose doesn't always mean what you do for a living or even for ministry. Yes both of these are aspects of purpose, but there's more.....We were made to worship Him.. If we live a life of purpose, then what we do for a career and or ministry will always be us fulfilling our purpose! So scream with me " I am meant for great things!!!" Now the key to this is in defining greatness using kingdom greatness....not greatness according to the world's standards.
LOVE. If God is love then he defines love. Anything less than sacrificial love is not love at all! That is a bold statement, but true. When you experience the love of God is an amazing feeling of completeness, wholeness.....it's a love that you don't have to work for.....gentle yet strong......and with love comes mercy and forgiveness.....These are very hard concepts to try to understand...that's why it's important that we just accept these. I don't believe we'll ever be able to understand the depth, height, or depth of God's love! The fact is we're humans who are fallen beings.....the concept of God's love is beyond our comprehension...However, I do believe we can explore the meaning, but whatever we come up with to define God's love will never fully encompass it's meaning. Think of it this way.....we can see what's in front of us and what's beside us with our vision....there is stuff to see behind us...we know it's there, but we can't see it with our eyes.........we know God's love and experience it.....but there's more to it than that. I love the old hymn that says "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell". I can't talk about love without talking about discipline. If a stove is hot a parent will teach the child not to touch the stove.....God is the same way....He has to sometimes discipline us or even keep (what we think are) good things from us because he sees the whole picture....but it's in surrendering to all of His love no matter what form....that we find this complete love that fills every void.
Hope. This is the thread that ties purpose and love together. Hope is another term that can only be defined through the kingdom. See in the natural hope is dependent upon circumstance. In the supernatural, hope is dependent upon God!! There are days when I feel lost, but deep down within my soul the Holy Spirit ignites this hope that my circumstance does not define me....what I've done or who I've been does not define me....God defines me....and though as Paul said " I may not have attained that, I press on towards that goal"...paraphrasing there..........This hope carries me through when I don't understand what my purpose is....or when I don't understand love as discipline...It's hope that makes me able to let go of regrets...to endure hard times.....to learn difficult lessons......and most importantly to share the Love of God!! This hope does not run when life gets hard....or people die.....or dreams shatter.........This hope causes me to do more than just endure....It causes me to preserve! Endurance is just standing still in your circumstance.....but God has called us to become "overcomers" to persevere which means to ...I'll let dictionary.com define this one...
"steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement."
So to sum this all up.....I would tell them that there is so much more to falling in love with Jesus....It doesn't stop here...but it starts here!
