Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The person of Jesus

It's funny how you can believe something for the entirety of your life, and still learn day by day new & amazing things about that subject. The subject which I am speaking of is Jesus Christ. The past 6 months, I have learned more about the person of Jesus then I have the past 6 years. His heart, His care, His kindness, His grace, and His love. Every single attribute is perfect, every single look was filled with love for the souls of those He spoke too. He is precious to me and to everyone who has ever encountered Him. He is more beautiful than the glorious sky which He created. He is more loving than the mother who loves her child. He is more pure than the whiteness of snow. He is more gentle than a lamb. His perfection astounds me and His love overwhelms me. His hands, pierced through for my sin, hold me. His head, which thorns were beat into on account of me, is turned toward me and my cause. His eyes, which wept due to the grief I caused Him, look on me with love. And His heart, which was broken because I hated Him, engulfs my own solely because of His mercy. I shall never be able to fathom His kindness. I shall never be able to grasp why the Perfect Son of God chose to love me. I shall never be able to comprehend the magnitude of what He suffered on my account. And I shall never be able to understand why I continue to sin amidst this great love.

Isaiah 53
1Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
7He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
11As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Because He Loves Me

It really is incredible how much a conference can impact you. Elyse Fitzpatrick came to the Cov this past weekend and taught 3 sessions about the love of God. It was probably one of the most amazing conferences I have ever been too. There were many things that stood out to me, but...

Friday night, this one phrase really caught my attention: The only motivation for my actions that matters is love. Everything I do that is not motivated by love for God, is sin. Our love for Him is responsive in nature...without Jesus, religion, the law, the "right thing to do" counts for nothing! This was so convicting. So often, I will 'do the right thing' but forget why I am doing it. Not only in my physical actions, but in my relations toward others. Do I love them as Christ loves me? Are my actions towards them motivated out of love for Christ? "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" May this scripture season everything we say, do, and think.

Saturday morning session 1: Self-righteousness / Condemnation = Gone through Jesus. So...I'm pretty much both. I see others sin and become self-righteous then feel condemned for my self-righteousness. It's a tiresome cycle which is unending apart from God. Self-righteousness: I need to remember that I am the chief of sinners...I am the worst out there. If I have that in mind coupled with a motivation of love, my attitude toward others' sin will be one of faithfulness: faithful to love them and faithful to bring up an observation with grace and truth. Condemnation: It is appropriate for me to consider my sin...yet there's no power to change if I am simply focused on myself and sin. The point is not to consider sin, but to consider Jesus. My sin needs to point towards my desperation for a Savior, not to me and my failures. If all I see is sin, i will not have the faith to war against it and grow in sanctification.

Saturday morning session 2: "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will exalt over you with loud singing." LOVE. Why does God love me? I have NO idea...but I am His beloved daughter in whom He is well pleased. I am IN Christ and His disposition towards me is not based on my to-do list or anything BUT the cross! I so often think God is disappointed in me and I attempt to "heal" myself by my own righteous repentance; assuming God will be pleased. I don't earn God's smile over me through repentance, Jesus earned it...and in light of that truth, repent!

Listening to messages about God's love for us...His L.0.V.E. how amazing is that!? He loves us.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Brielle Layman


Brielle Layman turned 16 today. If you haven't met her, let me describe her for you so you have a better idea. She is a beautiful, 5'7 blonde with big blue eyes and a great smile. The second you meet her or see her, you instantly feel happy. She has a contagious joy which cannot be accounted for, except for Jesus. Her love for the Savior shines through everything she does. Through countless conversations, I have always come away encouraged and refreshed. There are so many memories with her it's hard to account for them all! One of my favorites was in Mexico, Summer '09. This week of July was one of the bests in my life. She and I had beds right next to eachother and every night we'd stay awake long into the early hours of the morning talking about our day, interests, and most of all, talking about God. It was amazing learning from her and seeing her love for life. Brielle has a younger brother, an older sister and an older brother. She respects her parents and values their guidance and counsel. She is a wise young woman following hard after God. I love her so much and happy birthday, dearest! ♥