God's Pursuit

Philippians 1:3-6
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I love this passage, as it really speaks of my heart right now. First, I must ask you to forgive my absence – I have been sick, and fought a headache for about 4 days. It got to the point to where I could hardly think!! (Not that I’m much better without a headache, but at least I can form semi-understandable thoughts.) Anyway, when I am unable to “meet” with you, I find that I think about you more often. I am thankful for you and your understanding, when I do not meet with you daily. However, I have to admit that I also begin to beat myself up, and I begin to wonder if you think I am lazy or apathetic. I truly am my own worst critic.

As I’ve thought about this tendency in my life (not just with the Morning SonRise, but with everything, especially everything spiritual . . . which I guess for me is pretty much everything), I thought about a quote I read from Eugene Peterson, who translated The Message. Now, I’m not going to be able to get this word-for-word, so I’m just going to have to paraphrase it for you. Basically, he said that his life was completely changed when he came to the realization that God was infinitely more interested in a relationship with him than he was with God. He talked about how he started to just calm down, he stopped fretting about everything he did wrong, stopped his frantic reaching and striving, and he started taking the time to notice God pursuing him every day in ways he had never noticed before.

I have been thinking a lot about that interview I read and I have really been trying to do the same. I try to notice God’s pursuit of me everyday, and stop beating myself up over the little things, like not getting a chance to send out a daily devotional.

Perhaps you need to do the same?

Do you need to stop fretting over all the things you’re not doing, and just start enjoying the things you are? Do you need to get your focus off your “to do” list and start focusing on God and all the ways He is reaching out to you each day? Perhaps you just need to stop and realize that God is so much more interested in your relationship than you are. If this is you, then know that you are not alone – I am right there with you. Perhaps together we can begin to cut ourselves some slack, and let God reach into our hectic but mundane lives and give us some passion, some peace, some excitement, some love, and some of the sweet relationship we always seem to be striving for.

God started this thing in us, let’s let Him finish it – shall we?

My Jesus

Psalm 18:1
I love you, O LORD, my strength.

My strength. My love. My life. My breath. My joy. My peace. My sanity. My purity. My time. My resource. My body. My senses. My rest. My desire. My passion. My heart. My soul.

My everything.

Happy New Year!

Hello friends and co-laborers in Christ!

I pray your Christmas was wonderful and filled with the magic of Christ. I had a delightful time up north with my family and all the snow God sent our way. There were some truly humbling, magical times, there were some comical times (generally because yours truly was acting like a goofus), and some down-right embarrassing times (see parenthesis above). I think I can speak for my whole family when I say it was one of our best Christmases ever!

I have been resting, and thoroughly enjoying the break from all things ministry (mostly). I was able to do some reading and take some time to simply seek Jesus for me and me alone. It was not nearly long enough, and yet I am ready to jump back into the action!

So, here we are on the dawn of a new year. A year full of surprises – love, loss, joy, sorrow, great elation, and utter depression. I do not know what the year holds for me or you, but I am ready to go, aren’t you? Rather than making a New Year’s Resolution, I tend to spend this time of year reflecting on the year past and all that God brought me through, all that He taught me. Was the year a success or a failure? Did I do what I felt God had for me to do? Or did I turn tail and run?

I can almost always say that I should be “further” along than I am. I’m not sure I know a single person who doesn’t hesitate ever-so-slightly at least once in a while. Yet, when my year was a good one, full of spiritual fruit and prosperity, it’s always difficult to say “good-bye” and welcome a new beginning. Now, give me a bad year and I am always ready to walk away and have a new start. And somehow, that is exactly what it feels like, doesn’t it? Like opening a new book, or starting a new journal, a new year feels like a second chance, a way to reinvigorate life, and step out a little more boldly!

I had a wonderful year – oh, it had its down times, but it was overall very good. Yet, I am glad to wave it good-bye and see what 2007 has in-store. Good or bad, I know that God has great plans for me, and I can say that He has great plans for you as well. I love the thought that I am one more year mature (I finally hit 30 this year – talk about “mature” – HA!), I have one more year of experience under my belt, one more year of hanging out with Jesus. I also love that this puts me one year closer to seeing His sweet face in-person, and one year closer to realizing His purpose for my life.

My wish for each of us this year is that we would follow God’s plans for our lives wholeheartedly, with no hesitation. I pray that we would step out boldly, passionately, no matter the risk, no matter the blackness that haunts us and tells us to turn back. I pray that you and I would simply trust the One who knows the plan, taking His hand, all while thoroughly enjoying the company!

Happy New Year!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11