This evening I returned to my barracks (I've been away for military duty) to 4 military guys watching the movie Red Tails. I had never heard of it before tonight, but it looked pretty good to me! The scene I walked in on was an air battle between the Ally forces and the enemy. One airship had already been badly damaged and had turned around in retreat. It was under escort when it was attacked again by a Nazi plane.
One of the fighters was being chased aggressively when he saw his friend approach him from the front. In an ardent act of valor, his friend told him to dive out of the way. And when he did, the oncoming pilot began to engage the enemy. He fiercely fired upon his foe, killing his enemy and in the process took direct fire, which fatally ended his own life. The rest of the squadron watched in disbelief and shock as his aircraft, plummeted to earth, the pilot's life now expired.
This was such an amazing sacrifice of self to save his friends.
I had only meant to casually watch for a moment, when I walked up. But was immediately drawn in when I watched this heroic scene. And that's when I looked up and noticed two other men had also walked up and been drawn in. They stood...quietly fixated. Their fascination peaked as they heard the sounds of battle. You could have heard a pin drop!
I was very struck by this! Intrinsically, we are greatly moved by sacrifice. We are grieved, relieved, caught off guard, etc...
These men had been very moved by this temporal sacrifice. But this is exactly what Jesus did for us. But how would they know and be moved with great emotion?
There must be a power encounter within us, in order to stir and impact the ones around us. The testimony of Jesus must radiate in all of us! I must not only be a testimony of His love and sacrifice. I must be ARDENT!
"...always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." 2 Corinthians 4:10 NKJV
Only the supernatural work of His Spirit makes this possible!
"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." John 15:12, 13 NKJV
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
into the heart...
"One thing I have desired of the Lord,That will I seek...
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple."
Psalm 27:4 (bold me)
This is our first and most necessary calling. One Thing!
And this is where I seek to find myself....everyday...growing more in love with Jesus Chirst! It's is from this place that I learn to love as I am loved and to gaze, behold and dwell with Him. It changes me!
In Matthew 22:39, we are also called to love our neighbor as ourselves. I don't know that I have ever rightly grasped this. But grace and mercy lead me everyday by the hand to understand.
Last week, I went to the premier of "Snow White and the Huntsman". I felt compelled that I would have to see this when the teasers ran during the past few months. And I would put in on my list of "must sees". I could write a small book explaining how clearly the Biblical comparisons are as it deals with identity and destiny for the Bride...
...but let me share only one scene...
One the way to discovering her truest identity and step into destiny she is walking through the Dark Wood with the Huntsman, and they come across a bridge. At the moment they try and cross the bridge, a troll jumps up at them and begins battling with the Huntsman. The Huntsman, though powerful, brave and full of valor is not match for the mighty troll and is soon thrown unconscious across the creek. And is quickly in danger of being smashed to death by the creature. It is at this point that Snow does the only thing she can do. She stands in the way of the creature and locks gaze with it; her life now threatened in it's path.
At this point the troll lets out a terrrible roar, shaking her to the ground. But she doesn't take her eyes off the creature. Instead, her face softens as if there is something greater going on in her. And as she gazes, it becomes apparent that she actually feels compassion for this creature that appears completely evil and malicious.
It is at this moment that the Holy Spirit quickened to me that this is where the Bride of Christ is in her journey to destiny. The Bride is at a place of understanging TRUE compassion, kindness and mercy. To me it spoke volumes of love! I believe that our culture is at a place of explosive hatred. And at the forefront of this is the agenda for same sex rights. The Church is having to face the hypocrasy that it has created over many generations as it has so causally reacted to infidelity in the church, divorce, abortion and more. I am not poinitng a finger at the church. Instead, I am evaluating my own heart and actions.
Also, I am NOT pointing a finger at Homosexuals, or anyone else dealing with sexual issues. But let me ask...if the Church of Jesus Christ is expected to dwell in a place of fierce love and burning desire for purity and wholeness before the Lord...how could we do anything less than follow His example? I believe we are called to gaze wholeheartedly into the eyes of everyone that we percieve as vile or evil and have nothing but compassion and act out of selfless love.
I shared something on FB last evening that challenged me even as I wrote it. I was speaking about what our response should be to someone who is gay. And my point was, someone who has never known the love of the Savior and the depths to which we are so unconditionally loved, will only react with venom to a condemning even hypocrytical finger. Here's what I posted, "...and many times I didn't even understand how badly I had blown it until I understood how clean his blood made me." Even now it blows me away. Without the revelation of the Father's great love even some in the church will never understand what that means. But for me, I am blown away by this AMAZING LOVE!!!
It was the church of Laodecia that was called to repent and turn to Jesus. And I beleive this is the call over us in this generation.
"Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:17-20
Holy Spirit, help me to have revelation of the far reaches of Jesus' love. Chanllenge my paradigms and change my judgemental, frustrating spirit. I want to do what Jesus does, see as He sees, speak what He speaks, feel what He feels and LOVE AS HE LOVES!!!
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple."
Psalm 27:4 (bold me)
This is our first and most necessary calling. One Thing!
And this is where I seek to find myself....everyday...growing more in love with Jesus Chirst! It's is from this place that I learn to love as I am loved and to gaze, behold and dwell with Him. It changes me!
In Matthew 22:39, we are also called to love our neighbor as ourselves. I don't know that I have ever rightly grasped this. But grace and mercy lead me everyday by the hand to understand.
Last week, I went to the premier of "Snow White and the Huntsman". I felt compelled that I would have to see this when the teasers ran during the past few months. And I would put in on my list of "must sees". I could write a small book explaining how clearly the Biblical comparisons are as it deals with identity and destiny for the Bride...
...but let me share only one scene...
One the way to discovering her truest identity and step into destiny she is walking through the Dark Wood with the Huntsman, and they come across a bridge. At the moment they try and cross the bridge, a troll jumps up at them and begins battling with the Huntsman. The Huntsman, though powerful, brave and full of valor is not match for the mighty troll and is soon thrown unconscious across the creek. And is quickly in danger of being smashed to death by the creature. It is at this point that Snow does the only thing she can do. She stands in the way of the creature and locks gaze with it; her life now threatened in it's path.
At this point the troll lets out a terrrible roar, shaking her to the ground. But she doesn't take her eyes off the creature. Instead, her face softens as if there is something greater going on in her. And as she gazes, it becomes apparent that she actually feels compassion for this creature that appears completely evil and malicious.
It is at this moment that the Holy Spirit quickened to me that this is where the Bride of Christ is in her journey to destiny. The Bride is at a place of understanging TRUE compassion, kindness and mercy. To me it spoke volumes of love! I believe that our culture is at a place of explosive hatred. And at the forefront of this is the agenda for same sex rights. The Church is having to face the hypocrasy that it has created over many generations as it has so causally reacted to infidelity in the church, divorce, abortion and more. I am not poinitng a finger at the church. Instead, I am evaluating my own heart and actions.
Also, I am NOT pointing a finger at Homosexuals, or anyone else dealing with sexual issues. But let me ask...if the Church of Jesus Christ is expected to dwell in a place of fierce love and burning desire for purity and wholeness before the Lord...how could we do anything less than follow His example? I believe we are called to gaze wholeheartedly into the eyes of everyone that we percieve as vile or evil and have nothing but compassion and act out of selfless love.
I shared something on FB last evening that challenged me even as I wrote it. I was speaking about what our response should be to someone who is gay. And my point was, someone who has never known the love of the Savior and the depths to which we are so unconditionally loved, will only react with venom to a condemning even hypocrytical finger. Here's what I posted, "...and many times I didn't even understand how badly I had blown it until I understood how clean his blood made me." Even now it blows me away. Without the revelation of the Father's great love even some in the church will never understand what that means. But for me, I am blown away by this AMAZING LOVE!!!
It was the church of Laodecia that was called to repent and turn to Jesus. And I beleive this is the call over us in this generation.
"Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:17-20
Holy Spirit, help me to have revelation of the far reaches of Jesus' love. Chanllenge my paradigms and change my judgemental, frustrating spirit. I want to do what Jesus does, see as He sees, speak what He speaks, feel what He feels and LOVE AS HE LOVES!!!
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