Cupid, God's Superhero?

Verse of the Week:

Ephesians 5:2 ...Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Cupid, God's Superhero?

If you could have any super powers, what would you pick?  I was once asked this random question, during a game when Brian and I were trying to get to know other couples.  I was hearing all sorts of answers: to be invisible, to be able to fly, to move around at the speed of light. When I got to share my answer, it sounded a little unorthodox, but that is just how my brain works; I come up with the weirdest things.  I wanted to be like Cupid and zap love into people's lives with my bow and arrow.  I would flutter around in my cute wings and whenever I saw any type of hate in people then ZING...POP!  My arrow would hit them and they would become all lovey, dovey, sweet, and cuddly with hearts popping out above them and little stars shining in their eyes.  Lets face it, I am a romantic at heart...I love hearing love stories about people and how they fall in love.  I love reading romance novels and seeing a couple come together against all odds because of their deep love, or a knight in shining armor coming to rescue his princess out of love.  My favorite movies are Pride and Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea, and Queen Victoria.  I sigh in contentment as I see the couple move in together for that sweet kiss or hear the man confess his undying love.  Yep...I am a hopeless...  I love LOVE! :)

Here is the problem....people in the world perceive love no more than as a deep affection towards someone, as a feeling, but love is so much more than just a feeling of attraction towards someone. Although it is nice to feel attracted to my incredibly cute husband, it would have never have been enough to keep our marriage together. Eventually he will have wrinkles around his face, bags under is eyes, white hair poking out of his head (that is if he doesn't go bald first!), a lump will form on his belly making me wonder if he is pregnant, and his rock solid muscles will be replaced with jello-like looking flab hanging off of his bones.  Poor guy...He sounds like a nightmare!  Nope, attraction is not a good foundation for marriage.  

Brian in 50 years.....AHHHH!!!!

You see, love is an incredibly complex word with way deeper meanings than a person realizes. One of my favorite romance authors, Micheal Phillips described love as this:

True love is deeper than mere emotions. True love never fades, it matures. All through the New Testament, love as Jesus describes it has to do with actions, attitudes, behavior, and commitment, not any particular feeling of giddiness.

 Lets turn back to cupid for a minute.  Suppose Cupid shot arrows that hit people and filled them with CHRIST'S LOVE.  What would that kind of love look like?

Describing Christ's love is incredibly hard to describe.  It is extremely complex....but the more I thought about it the more I saw one thing consistent whenever I looked into how Jesus loves.  Jesus's love is always selfless.  There is no room for self when loving with Christ's love.  Christ's love is ALWAYS in the best interest of others.  I Corinthians 10:24 says, Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.  Look at how Jesus loved and noticed that there is no selfishness involved.

• He came into this world lower than angels and made himself a man to save us.
• He healed the sick.
• He loved the sinners no matter what they had done.
• He created this beautiful world for us to enjoy.
• He died on the cross for our sins.
• He washed his disciples feet as an act of service.
• He asked God to forgive the ones who killed him.
• He made sure his mother was taken care of while dying on the cross.
• He taught us about love and life.
• He served others.
• He prayed for me and everyone in the garden before he was crucified.
• He promised to send his spirit to take care of me/others.
• He heals hearts.
• He promises to be with us always.
• He turned the other cheek.
• He never sought revenge.
• He has prepared a place for me in heaven.
• He wanted to bring His Father glory.
• He has taught us how to live life abundantly.
• He never rejects those who come to him.

WOW!!! His love is so selfless!  I made a list of things that I thought described Christ-like love, and here is what I came up with.

Think about how the world would be different if Cupid shot his Christ-like love arrows at everyone.  You would find the worst of enemies forgiving each other.  You wouldn't find any room for revenge in peoples hearts.  People would not be jealous of others but instead rejoice with them in their good fortunes.  People would be building each other up instead of putting each other down.  There would be no gossip and slander but people seeking to look for good in others.  People would be giving to the poor, open their homes to orphans and widows.  People would not get angry because they didn't get what they wanted.  People would not hold grudges.  People would be patient with others.  People would seek to find ways to be a blessing to others.  People would demonstrate unconditional love and love no matter how vile and horrible a person may be.  People would pray for others.  People would be truthful and have integrity.  People would be open to correction and be humble.  People would put the needs of others before their own.  What a different world it would be!

If everyone truly loved with Christ's love, there would be no more sin in the world! As it says in 1 Peter 4:8, Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Here is the amazing thing.  When we accept Christ into our hearts, His spirit comes to live inside of us.  So technically his love is inside of us too!  When we realize how loving Christ truly is, we can't help but love how He loves.  Jesus loves us fully and unconditionally.  Think of it this way...my husband showers me with love all the time that I can't help but want to love him in return.  It is the same way with our Savior.  He has done so much for us, that we can't help but want to love others with His love.  We begin to see others through His eyes and realize how much He loves even the worse of the worse, we want to love the same way.

Oh Lord, may our hearts cry be to love with the love you have inside of us!  May your voice be louder than the voice of our flesh/minds when it comes to responding to situations with your love.  May we view circumstances through your eyes of love.  In you name we pray,
Amen!

Ephesians 5:2 says, ...Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Yep, Cupid would be God's superhero if He ever needed one, but Jesus is greater than cupid, and His name means, LOVE!

  

Desires of My Heart

Verse of the Week:

Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

     trust in him and he will do this:  Psalms 37:4-5

Desires of My Heart

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Ps. 37:4)  Boy does that verse sound good! How many times have I desired to own a million bucks, to travel around the world, and to live in a nice 3 bedroom home.  From the sound of that verse, it looks like God is my own personal genie giving me all the desires of my heart.  Right?  Many people are deceived by this verse and expect God to give them what they desire, and when He doesn't, they reject him or grow angry because he isn't that kind loving God that they thought He was.  I remember talking to a girl about prayer one time, and she told me:

"I have tried that before, but it doesn't work.  I never get what I ask for."

Not all people are asking God for a million bucks.  Some people are asking him for very good things such as peace in a home, safety of a loved one, and healing for a friend, but when He fails to give them what they want, they turn away from Him thinking what kind of loving God would allow harm to come to people? 

People tend to forget the first part of the verse, "Take delight in the Lord..."  What does it mean to truly delight in the Lord?  I read in a book one time that to delight in the Lord means that you want what God wants, not what you want .**   You love God so much that you can't help but desire what he desires.  When you delight in God's will, thoughts, and plans, they eventually become your own will, thoughts, and plans.  

Think of it this way.  Lets say Brayden, my son, falls in love with music when he grows up. For those of you that don't know me, I can't carry a tune when it comes to music.  I cannot even play an instrument other than 2-4 notes from piano lessons that lasted a month. To top it all off, I never really cared to listen to music any more because of my hearing loss; it just doesn't sound the same with a cochlear implant.  I much rather be running, hiking, playing basketball, bumping volleyballs, hitting tennis balls, tossing a football around, and throwing disc golfs.  I am an athlete not a musician. I would prefer that Brayden like sports too.  However, I love our son to much to make him do what I prefer, so if Brayden decided that he wanted to play the piano, sing songs, and become a musician; I would take delight in his passions for music and support him at all costs.  I would attend all of his concerts, listen to all of his songs, and provide him with music lessons to support his passion.  I would support him because I loved him and his desires are more important than my own desires for him.  I would not pressure him to play sports simply because it was my desire for him to do so, but I would desire what he wanted to do with his life. I desired what Brayden desired. 

 It is the same way with God.  I love God so much, that I can't help but desire what he wants. There are many things in my life that I have greatly desired.  I have desired to be a children's minister in a church; I have desired to work in the medical field; I have desired that some of my loved ones be healed of cancer; I have desired that I be healed of my hearing loss, but God said no.  However, when I shifted my focus on God and looked at His heart and His great love for me, my desires changed.  I desired what God desired. Sure I had a preference on what I wanted to do in life, but more than anything I wanted what God wanted.  The more I trusted in Him and grew in my relationship with Him, the more I wanted to do his will.  I knew He knew what was best for me.  He directed me into teaching which was not my first choice, but I grew to love it.  He didn't heal my ears, but I have seen how He has used my hearing loss to be an inspiration to others and to bring Him glory.  My loved ones struggled to win over the battle of cancer, and in the midst of it all, their deep faith has been an inspiration to me and others.  They have both passed away, but I know that they are happy serving God in an amazing place.  God's will is perfect; and I delight in the fact that He knows what is best. 

Lets take it a step further and not only reread verse 4 of Psalms 37, but verse 5 as well:

Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

     trust in him and he will do this:

The key is to trust in God! When you are committed to doing his will; then you begin to trust in him on all aspects of your life.  In the story, On The Trail Of The Truth, God was talking to a young woman, and here is what He said:

When you trust me completely, as your Creator and Father and friend, when you trust me so much that you know I will do the best for you, when you trust me enough to want my will in your life, that becomes the desire of your heart.  The desire of your heart is to do my will.  And when you want my will for your life, and you want that more than anything else, then I will give you that-I will certainly work out my will in your life, And it will be the best possible life you could ever have! You will have the desire of your heart, and everything you could possibly hope for shall be yours-because your life is in my hands, not your own.

I want my life to be in God's hands, not mine.  I delight in you, Jesus!  My desire is what you desire! Mold me and us me and make me into the person that will bring you GLORY.  I love YOU!

 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

     trust in him and he will do this:

Are You Wise or Just Plain Stupid?

Verse of the Week:

Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult;
     whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
      rebuke a wise man and he will love you
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
      teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. Proverbs 9:7-9

Are You Wise or Just Plain Stupid?

I remember driving my Mom and sister home one day a few years back.  We had all just had a great time together shopping and enjoying our mother /daughter/sister time.  However, our outing on the way home slowly went sour.  I don't mind driving people around town, but driving around town with my family was tough growing up.  I was the youngest in my family, and it seemed that everyone in my family felt the need to correct my nasty driving habits.  It was always hard having a back seat driver with me in the car.  Unfortunately for me, I had TWO back seat drivers with me that day.  I don't fully remember all they said to me that day about my driving, but I am sure it was along the lines of this: "Trina, don't follow to close to the car behind you, that is dangerous!"  or "The speed limit is 60 not 62!"  or "Stay in your lane!"  or "Don't turn so fast, slow down."  or "Don't stop so fast, it wears on the breaks!"  or "Trina, make sure you stop completely at the stop sign."  Whatever it was they were saying that day, my temper slowly started to rise up from steaming to a boiling point.  It is enough when I have one of them correcting my driving, but two? Whew! I was surprised that my anger had not gone from boiling point to an out right explosion!  Eventually, I had enough, and I decided to do something about it.  Once again my sister was about to say something, so instead of listening to her, I decided why should I even hear her voice?  By this time, I had gotten my cochlear implant to restore my hearing, but in order to actually hear, I have to wear my processor (looks like a hearing aid).  If I am not wearing it, I am completely deaf.  In this case, I was sick of hearing my mom and sister correct me on every single detail of my driving; soooooooooo in a fit of anger, I grabbed my processor and jerked it off my ear!  Ahhhhhh....silence. Life was good again... that is until I saw their faces.  I knew I was in trouble! When we got home, I faced the wrath of the Garrison women....lets just say that I never jerked my processor off  my ear again.


Here is the point I am trying to make from this, when someone tells me something that I don't want to hear, I have a hard time being open to their correction and rebuke.  I didn't want to hear what my Mom and sister had to say about my driving, so instead I got upset.  I don't like hearing critical statements on things about me from my husband, family, and friends.  However, this past week I read something that once again reopened my eyes....It comes from Proverbs 9:7-9

Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult;
     whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
      rebuke a wise man and he will love you
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
      teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

I realized pretty quick that I was the mocker, not the wise man in that verse. People can easily find out how wise they are  by how they respond to people's critical remarks.  Proverbs 12:1 says, Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. I don't know about you, but I sure don't want to be considered STUPID!  

Lets look at the same scenario above, but this time lets see a wise man's response to it.  While I tend to give my family a hard time about being back seat drivers, I happen to be one myself.  All throughout our marriage I have had a nasty habit of telling my sweet husband what to do behind the wheel:  "Turn right here!"  "Please be careful on those left hand turns, that car nearly hit us!"  "The light has turned green!"  "STOP!"  "Can you go faster than 20 miles in hour?  The speed limit is 35!"  "Please make sure one of your hands is on the steering wheel!"  Lets just say I am way worse than my family ever was at keeping my mouth shut when I am in the passenger seat.  However, my husband rarely gets upset.  He just doesn't respond to what I say, but instead, stays calm. As a result, he has kept us from having pointless arguments about his driving.  I wish I had been smart to do that!

Brian and I 50 years from now.

Here is the point, I knew I needed to be open to correction and really listen to what people have to say to me.  While some people's criticism can be beneficial, not all of people's correction is always helpful.  However, how I respond to criticism whether good or bad is very important.  When I respond negatively, it results in hurt relationships and causes a lot of needless friction in mine and other's lives.  I knew I needed to exercise self control and not get angry on every little bit of criticism I received.  However, I was also very aware that "Me, myself, and I" can not always exercise that self control.  In Galatians 2:20 it says,  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Christ lives inside of me.  I was aware that Jesus who lives inside of me was the one who gives me the ability to accept criticism without getting angry.  Self control was one of the fruits of the spirit, that was displayed in Christ (Galatians 5:23). So my heart's cry began to be the following: "Jesus may your voice inside of me be louder than the voice of the flesh whenever I hear criticism.  Give me your ability to have self control whenever people are critical towards me.  Help me to receive correction with your gentleness and kindness.  May I respond wisely and with your love.  May your light shine through me. Help me to focus on YOU and your character whenever I respond to criticism. For I know that it is not myself who does these things but Christ in me."

Are you are mocker, a wise man, or just plain stupid?  You can always tell by how to respond to criticism.