How is a life in Christ lived without passion any different from spiritual deadness?
Jesus, let my relationship with You be continually reaching new depths. Let this intimacy with You ignite a burning fire in my heart for You. Do not let me waste a single moment You have given me on this earth, for it is all a gift, a gift I do not deserve.
Paul was a passionate man. He was passionate for Christ and the Gospel. He was also passionate before he became a Christian. For the wrong things, yes, but passionate nonetheless. The Lord will spit out those who are lukewarm. What is more pathetic, more pitiable, than a lukewarm Christian? You have CHRIST! How are you NOT passionately, wildly in love with Him!?
Oh Jesus. I have no words. I am engulfed by thirst for You. Please satisfy me daily. Have mercy on me for my lack of desire for You.
Your sacrifice on the cross is called "The Passion" for a reason.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Perspective
most of our hearts think like this:
"when i find him/her, then he/she will make me happy."
when in reality, God wants to program our hearts to think like this:
"if he/she ever enters my life, i want to do everything i can to make him/her happy."
imagine the difference between these two relationships:
- one where each person is trying to get what happiness they can out of the other
vs.
- one where each person is trying their hardest to make the other happy without expecting anything in return.
sacrifice is at the heart of love.
and no one knows it better than He does. (Eph. 5:1-2)
in the mean time... will you:
1) spend time worrying about the future, worrying if he/she will ever come, when he/she will come, what he/she will look like, how well you'll go together, if God even has someone in store for you at all
or
2) make the most of what you have now before it's gone and you can't get it back
Jesus, i choose to live with passion.
i don't want to do anything half-way.
You have given me so, so much... You make my heart sing.
awh, now i'm grinning like an idiot. hah. :)
love You.
"when i find him/her, then he/she will make me happy."
when in reality, God wants to program our hearts to think like this:
"if he/she ever enters my life, i want to do everything i can to make him/her happy."
imagine the difference between these two relationships:
- one where each person is trying to get what happiness they can out of the other
vs.
- one where each person is trying their hardest to make the other happy without expecting anything in return.
sacrifice is at the heart of love.
and no one knows it better than He does. (Eph. 5:1-2)
in the mean time... will you:
1) spend time worrying about the future, worrying if he/she will ever come, when he/she will come, what he/she will look like, how well you'll go together, if God even has someone in store for you at all
or
2) make the most of what you have now before it's gone and you can't get it back
Jesus, i choose to live with passion.
i don't want to do anything half-way.
You have given me so, so much... You make my heart sing.
awh, now i'm grinning like an idiot. hah. :)
love You.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
My Offering
here is my heart.
(it's got cracks and is kind of falling apart at the seams, not to mention the beating it's taken from depression and anxiety and years of saturating itself in lies. there's scars everywhere, most probably self-inflicted, and it's starved for love and has indulged in far too much isolation. it likes to think its strong when one look at it will prove otherwise.)
here is my heart.
(it's small, self-absorbed, full of conceit and selfishness, and has -- for all the years it's been alive -- lusted for things that are destructive. what little love is in there is for myself or the things that i think will make me happy. it runs to these idols over and over again and has still not learned its lesson.)
here is my heart.
(it frequently tells me that temporary things will fulfill me, and more often than not, i listen to it rather than Your unfailing and ever-guiding truth. sometimes it makes me feel like the king of the world and other times like the lowest piece of filth on the planet. my first instinct is to always believe it, even when it tells me to turn my back on You or abuse the grace You've given me and just assume You'll forgive me later for whatever sin i am about to commit. oh, and sometimes it uses You as a way to make myself more attractive to other people.)
You can have it all.
(when i step back and look at what i have to offer You -- even the "big" things, like my life, my heart, my time, i am astounded by the actual offensiveness of this to someone like You. the King and Creator of the universe sits before me, actually loving me, and unconditionally at that, and all i can offer is my heart. my filthy heart. my life... my rebellious and sinful life. my time... my wasted, misused, and utterly abused time.)
(filthy rags. all of it.)
(but if You bought it with Your precious blood and You want it... i may not understand... but You can have it. You can have it all. and i am sorry for withholding anything from You that You want. it's amazing that You accept it from my withered, weak hands.)
(You and i are so different. and that is why You are worthy of everything i am, everything i have, and every breath that ever escapes my lips.)
(it's got cracks and is kind of falling apart at the seams, not to mention the beating it's taken from depression and anxiety and years of saturating itself in lies. there's scars everywhere, most probably self-inflicted, and it's starved for love and has indulged in far too much isolation. it likes to think its strong when one look at it will prove otherwise.)
here is my heart.
(it's small, self-absorbed, full of conceit and selfishness, and has -- for all the years it's been alive -- lusted for things that are destructive. what little love is in there is for myself or the things that i think will make me happy. it runs to these idols over and over again and has still not learned its lesson.)
here is my heart.
(it frequently tells me that temporary things will fulfill me, and more often than not, i listen to it rather than Your unfailing and ever-guiding truth. sometimes it makes me feel like the king of the world and other times like the lowest piece of filth on the planet. my first instinct is to always believe it, even when it tells me to turn my back on You or abuse the grace You've given me and just assume You'll forgive me later for whatever sin i am about to commit. oh, and sometimes it uses You as a way to make myself more attractive to other people.)
You can have it all.
(when i step back and look at what i have to offer You -- even the "big" things, like my life, my heart, my time, i am astounded by the actual offensiveness of this to someone like You. the King and Creator of the universe sits before me, actually loving me, and unconditionally at that, and all i can offer is my heart. my filthy heart. my life... my rebellious and sinful life. my time... my wasted, misused, and utterly abused time.)
(filthy rags. all of it.)
(but if You bought it with Your precious blood and You want it... i may not understand... but You can have it. You can have it all. and i am sorry for withholding anything from You that You want. it's amazing that You accept it from my withered, weak hands.)
(You and i are so different. and that is why You are worthy of everything i am, everything i have, and every breath that ever escapes my lips.)
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Gmail Chats
Ruth: you know.
i had a somewhat beautiful thought earlier.
Jackie: what?
Ruth: it was about love, and how i may never find a match.
but perhaps that's because i'm being courted by Something much bigger than a single person.
and the adventure that awaits me is in the form of a romantic life with Someone bigger than time
Someone that transcends all these illusions we live beneath
it's like the universe says to people, "here, your love will look like this... your love will be this person... your love is encapsulated in this human being."
but when it got to me, it said,
"your Love is uncaged."
"your Love is bigger than what you can touch, what you can see, what you can smell."
"your Love is free."
it was so beautiful
it was like Someone had written me a poem and posted it on my heart.
to woo me.
Jackie: exactly, it's like He woos you in ways of the heart
Ruth: YES
it's so true!
GOSH
He's so good
that He woos me WITH MY OWN EMOTIONS.
LIKE A BOSS.
[slightly edited for your aesthetic pleasure]
[but not 1% less true.]
my goodness.
You are so big
and
so
beautiful.
i had a somewhat beautiful thought earlier.
Jackie: what?
Ruth: it was about love, and how i may never find a match.
but perhaps that's because i'm being courted by Something much bigger than a single person.
and the adventure that awaits me is in the form of a romantic life with Someone bigger than time
Someone that transcends all these illusions we live beneath
it's like the universe says to people, "here, your love will look like this... your love will be this person... your love is encapsulated in this human being."
but when it got to me, it said,
"your Love is uncaged."
"your Love is bigger than what you can touch, what you can see, what you can smell."
"your Love is free."
it was so beautiful
it was like Someone had written me a poem and posted it on my heart.
to woo me.
Jackie: exactly, it's like He woos you in ways of the heart
Ruth: YES
it's so true!
GOSH
He's so good
that He woos me WITH MY OWN EMOTIONS.
LIKE A BOSS.
[slightly edited for your aesthetic pleasure]
[but not 1% less true.]
my goodness.
You are so big
and
so
beautiful.
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