Completely His

Hi folks!

I've been kind of MIA in blog world. I'm not even sure who has stumbled upon this, but that's okay. I'm still reading Completely His: Loving Jesus Without Limits by Shannon Ethridge. This woman continues to speak Truth and is really helping me dig deep into what my true desires are and where I am investing my love and heart. I have been lovingly convicted of investing my desires and love into temporary things.

A few parts of chapters 3-6 that have really spoken to me this past week:

" Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." - John 14:1-3
-- my friend Becky was just talking about whether or not we will have a room or a house when we go to meet Jesus. She's excited to decorate :)

One of the sections of Chapter 3 is called "A Pure and Spotless Bride."

" For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself in all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel...

We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ."
- Colossians 1:19-23, 28

" You are perfect in Christ. You are holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation. It doesn't matter that you don't feel worthy, because God's lavish love and unconditional acceptance of you isn't based on your worthiness. It's based on His goodness. It's based on the bride price that His perfect Son already paid for you- and me. We are no longer just anybody. We are His chosen. We are His beloved bride."

" If any of you wants to be my follower...you must put aside your selfish ambition, should your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life." - Mark 8:34-35

Shannon explains what putting aside our selfish ambition and following Him truly means:

" Whenever we are tempted to do anything that would pose a threat to our righteousness and bring disappointment to our Bridegroom's heart, we do whatever it takes to resist the temptation and remain pure."

God desires us to come to Him broken!

" Because God so deeply desires unbroken fellowship with us, He loves us right where we are, regardless of how entrenched in sin we've become. However, He loves us far too much to just leave us there. While He has paid our bride price and provided us with a white wedding gown, He desires for us to live the way He sees us. He wants us to embrace our role as His bride, for that is ultimately where we will find peace and fulfillment."

Chapter 5 really hit the spot!

" Are there things- even good things- you do for God in place of pursuing His presence as a person? What things make you think you are experiencing God, when you are really just doing things for God? Perhaps you, like me, have found service and study to be tempting substitutes for true intimacy with God."

" I thought if I could outweigh the unrighteous acts in my life with enough righteous acts, then I'd be acceptable to God and others and feel better about myself. My goal wasn't a selfless one of serving my Lord, but a selfish one of serving my own self-esteem. "

" In hindsight I can see that I was preaching something (having a "personal relationship" with Christ) that I wasn't experiencing myself. I was relying on my own efforts, and it was exhausting."

" We can get caught in [a] performance trap, feeling as though we must prove our love for God by doing great things for him. So we..implement great ministries and wonderful projects, all in an effort to spread the good news...While the world applauds achievement, God desires companionship. The world clamors, "Do more! Be all that you can be!" But our Father whispers, "Be still and know that I am God." He isn't looking as much for workers as he is looking for sons and daughters- a people to pour his life into..."

- Joanna Weaver

"When service takes the place of an intimate relationship with God, we'll always burn out long before the work is done"

" Think about it. Would you enter a room where your closest friend was waiting, sit down near her, pick up a book about her life and read a chapter or two, then stand up and leave without personally interacting with her? Of course not. So why are we tempted to do that with God?"

"Apart from a spiritual relationship with Him, we are just spinning our spiritual wheels."

"His purpose is not that we will accomplish more for Him, but that we will be more connected to Him."

Can you see how this is a challenge?! I am guilty of my heart beating more for myself than for Him.

 # 94: make it a habit to do nice things for people who'll never find out.