by Donya Dunlap | Jun 1, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
Yesterday we ended with this thought… (If you missed it, click here.)
Jesus loves me with 100% of His being just as the Father loves Jesus with 100% of His being. But just knowing that fact doesn’t do us any good. We must be obedient to the rest of the verse.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
Today, I want to dig a little more into this verse.
Dictionary.com says the word “abide” means to remain, or to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.
Jesus is encouraging us, to live our lives in the abundance of His love. Instead of trying to fill our hearts and minds with the things of this worldly kingdom in which we live for now, we must choose to turn our attentions toward Christ. We are not abiding in Christ’s love if all we enjoy of it is an hour or two on Sunday and five minutes reading a chapter of the Bible before bedtime. We must devote time and energy to our relationship with Christ, but in order to do that properly, we must come to a better understanding of how much He truly loves us.
I challenge you to take some time today to get alone with God. Meditate on God’s love for Jesus and then think about how Jesus demonstrated His love for you by setting aside His heavenly kingdom, to be reduced to a single cell implanted in a young woman’s womb, to grow in wisdom and knowledge, to suffer persecution and ridicule by those He came to save to finally die on a cross to pay the penalty of your sin. I encourage you to really think about that today. And don’t let these truths stop at the precipice of your mind. Allow them to infiltrate your heart. Let the power of Christ’s love root out your bitterness, your insecurities and your passions for worldly pleasures.
Consider these additional truths from Scripture in your meditation as well.
You are valued.
You are a one-of-a-kind creation that He designed to bring glory to Himself. You are a product of Jesus’ incredible creativity. Psalm 139:13-15 says, “For thou has possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise the; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” The ESV says “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. Verse 15, “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.” You were not an accident. You were not a mistake. You are a collector’s item! A highly prized, carefully crafted, individual created down to the tiniest detail by the Master Weaver who knitted all of the parts together to create a beautiful treasure.
Jesus thinks about you all the time.
Psalm 139:17-18 says How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand. Picture each individual grain of sand contained in one little Styrofoam cup. You could never count them all! Then multiply that by all the sand on all the beaches, in all the oceans and in every little child’s sandbox all around the world. That’s how much Jesus thinks about you and MORE! And he isn’t thinking bad thoughts. It says his thoughts are precious. Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the thoughts (plans) that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). He has a plan for your life-a future full of hope.
Jesus wants the very best for you.
James 1:16-17 says Do not err (or do not be deceived), my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (meaning change), neither shadow of turning. If there is something in your life that you desire but God hasn’t seen fit to provide for you, you have to trust that it isn’t a good thing for you at this point in your life.
This verse is also a good test to determine if the things in your life are truly from God or if you are headed down a path for you that is unwise. It says that all good things come from the Father of lights. When God is involved in some part of your life it will bring joy to your heart and the light of his spirit will shine through you to others. If you are involved in something questionable, your natural instinct will be to hide it. To keep to the shadows. Satan is the prince of darkness. He thrives in things done in secret. If you are involved in anything that you would be ashamed for others to know about, something that you are trying to hide, then it’s not a good thing and it is not from God.
Click here for Part 3 in the series.
Photo credit: VinothChandar / Foter.com / CC BY
by Donya Dunlap | May 31, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
Do you love Jesus?
If I asked you that question face to face you would most likely respond, “Of course! Yes!” Now…tell me why?
Do you love Jesus for what He has done for you,
or for who He is?
Don’t respond quickly. Think about that for a minute. Imagine you are a single woman and a young man knelt before you tonight and said,
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love you because you make me look really good in front of my friends. Because you laugh at my jokes and you make me feel good about myself. Because you are impressed with my rugged good looks, you make me chocolate chip cookies once a week, and you send me get well cards when I’m sick. I also look forward to you doing other things too, like cleaning my bathroom and doing my laundry. Will you marry me?”
What would you say to that young man? If you’re smart, you would say a loud and hearty NO! I won’t marry you. If all you care about is what I do for you, you don’t really love me.
Now, think about this.
We call ourselves Christians and we sing songs like “Oh, How I love Jesus”, but do we really? We are happy that He died for us and that He’s promised us a home in heaven someday. We are thankful that He answers our prayers when we’re in a pinch and that He provides for us when we need something, but do we love HIM? If we are really honest with ourselves, many, if not all of us would have to say no.
The good news is that Jesus’ love for us isn’t dependent on ours for Him.
Jesus is madly in love with you.
He’s is absolutely crazy about you. Why? Because He is love. It’s His nature. He can’t help Himself. He said in John 15:9, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.”
Do you believe that?
The love of God the Father for Jesus Christ His Son is beyond our imaginations. Those of you that are mothers know a little bit about this, but it is far greater than we can understand in our fallen human natures. It is perfect, complete, and unbounded. And here Jesus says that with that same love He loves us…perfectly, completely and without restraint.
I know this, but even so, I often act as if His love is based on my goodness or the level of my spirituality that day. And on a good day, if I had to put a percentage on Jesus’ love for me compared to His Father, I would probably say 10%. Yes, He loves me, but surely not THAT much. According to this verse, that kind of thinking is thoroughly faulty. Jesus loves me with 100% of His being just as the Father loves Jesus with 100% of His being. But just knowing that fact doesn’t do us any good. We must be obedient to the rest of the verse.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
(To be continued…)
Click here to read Part 2
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by Donya Dunlap | May 26, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
Today at Citylight, Pastor Brian talked in part about the faith of Stephen. Stephen was one of the first deacons of the early church and from what is mentioned in the Bible, the first to be murdered for his faith after the crucifixion of Jesus. Luke records for us this description of Stephen in Acts 6:5 and 8:
And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit…And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
In the span of four verses, Stephen is referred to twice as being a man “full of faith” or faithful. That’s quite a reputation.
But what does it really mean to be faithful? Some would say dependable, trustworthy, a believer. Those things are all true. But while I was listening this morning, the Lord reminded me of something my high school Bible teacher drilled into our heads over and over again:
Faith is the bridge between knowing and doing.
(Yes, Mr. Swain. I really was listening.) I didn’t fully understand what he meant by that at the time, but now I realize what he was trying to communicate. I can be full of knowledge about something or someone, but until I act on that knowledge, I don’t really have faith.
For example, I can know that losing weight requires diet and exercise, but no matter how badly I want to lose weight, nothing is going to happen until I actually do the work of eating right and sweatin’ to the oldies. Doing the work is proof of my faith in how God created the human body to function.
James, the half-brother of Jesus, said it this way:
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. – James 1:22-25
This is something God has really been speaking to me about lately. I have been blessed with a solid foundation in knowledge of God and the Bible. I consider that such a huge privilege and I am very thankful for it. But knowing about the Bible isn’t enough. I must have faith. I must cross the bridge from the land of knowing into the land of doing.
I have to pray, and then act upon my prayers as God directs, believing that He is going to do what He promised. I have to choose to stop believing self-deceit and other lies of Satan and renew my mind with truths of who God says that I am in Jesus…and then act accordingly. I am a child of God. What princess do you know that walks around in shame, guilt and fear? As God’s child who has been cleansed and set free through the blood of my big brother, Jesus, I should be in a continual state of rejoicing, grace-filled living, excited to share what I have with others. To not live that way is to not be faith-ful.
I want to go out like Stephen. No, not in a storm of rocks being thrown at my head by an angry mob—with a smile on my face, looking up at Jesus standing in Heaven to welcome me home. I want to hear Him say, “well done my good, and faithful servant.” But I know, that in order for that to be true of me, I have some things to change in my life.
How about you?
I’m choosing this week to add one new thing to my schedule to take a step across the bridge of faith. Feel free to ask me how I’m doing! Accountability is a good thing. If you would like to join me, leave a comment below. We can pray for each other as we move forward in becoming “full of faith.”
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by Donya Dunlap | May 16, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
Today the inevitable happened. I was made aware of my first (to my knowledge) negative feedback on Forgetting the Fairy Tale. I knew it was coming. I knew before I was finished with writing it that this day would come. I prayed that God would guide my words and hoped to avoid what I knew was bound to happen, but alas, it happened.
When my friend read the words to me, my first reaction was, “That’s it? That’s the worst she could say? That’s not that bad.”
Then the words started to sink in. I must confess—after an hour of trying to let it go, I was strongly tempted to post the following on my Facebook wall:
Would any of you that have read my book and thought it was wonderful kindly make your way to xyz.com and tell this girl that she’s an idiot? Thanks.
(I know, I know. No super-Christian award for me.)
Thankfully, the Holy Spirit called an intervention and hasn’t stopped talking since. And He’s made some very good points. I decided that instead of starting an “I hate haters” fan page I would share what He has reminded me of today. Perhaps someone reading this will benefit from my struggle with the flesh and get that super-Christian award that is now up for grabs.
- Someone outside of my circle of family and friends has read my book. This is awesome news.
- It’s been said that you aren’t a real author until someone disagrees with you, so woohoo for that confirmation!
- At least until the point in the book where I offended this girl, she was exposed to God’s Word and He has promised that His Word will never return void.
- If my source of joy, satisfaction, or self-worth comes from what others say about me, I am destined to live a miserable and stress-filled life. My identity is not what I do or how people perceive me. My identity comes from the sacrificial gift of Jesus that has made me a child of the Almighty, All-Loving, All-Wise God who understands me completely and loves me anyway.
- I am not perfect. My words are not perfect. I need to be open to correction. I need to be willing to hear it—not argue with it—but hear it and do my best to glean from it whatever truth is there so that I can become a better person, and in this case, a better writer.
- My heart is a liar that tells me I am much more awesome than I am. If all I ever do is surround myself with people that love me and shower compliments on me, I will be consumed with pride and I won’t grow. I need friends who are willing to say hard things that I don’t want to hear. I need people to write bad reviews to remind me that I can always improve my communication skills. I need the book signings where no one shows up. These things are thermometers for my heart. They tell me if I am truly living for the glory of God or if I’m trying to steal His glory for myself.
So to you, reviewer-who-shall-remain-nameless…thank you. Thank you for taking time out of your life to read my book and for sharing your thoughts. Thank you for reminding me of who I really am and for pointing out the pride I was allowing to reign in my heart. I am indebted to you. Truly.
Photo credit: Kalexanderson / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA
by Donya Dunlap | May 13, 2013 | Guest Posts, The Spiritual Life
Today, I invited a friend, pastor’s wife, and brand new author to share with us. Leah has been a great encouragement to me through the modern miracle of social media. I am thrilled about her book, Expecting Grace, and I am so glad she has taken the time to share her heart with us. If you like what you read here, visit her blog at embracingrace.com or click over to Amazon and get her e-book for only $3.99!
Sunday morning, in the church foyer, two little girls chattered. Like magnets, Tiny Daughter and “new girl” had found each other and had stayed together all morning.
I listened in as Tiny Daughter’s voice chirped out a phrase of friendship: “You can be my new sister!” she pronounced with gusto. She didn’t even know her name yet.
New Girl smiled. Tiny Daughter went on, “You can come to my house with your mommy, and your mommy and my mommy can be friends. You can even stay in my room. You can be my new sister!” She proclaimed her intentions loudly, and I marveled.
Marveled at how easily Tiny Daughter makes friends…how she reaches out to other little people she doesn’t even know. No walls in her heart; she doesn’t know that people are “supposed” to have walls. (I’m so glad) I watch my little one and realize that she found the door in this other little person’s heart.
She goes farther than “hello,” skips over “how are you, I’m fine,” races past “will you be my friend?” and goes right to “you can be my sister.”
In 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul writes about the deep care he had for the folks in the church at Thessalonica, “But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.”
Isn’t that a beautiful picture of the encouragement we could be to each other as women?! So many soft words in those verses: gentle, affectionate, cherish, willing, dear. My heart is often heavy for women everywhere who are hurting. As a pastor’s wife, I see the situations. I do the counseling. I hear the stories. My heart breaks with each one. Women suffer heartbreak from many different sources, and they desperately need gentle soul care.
We are called to give our very souls to each other through earnest prayer and encouraging, edifying words. If we’re looking for them, we’ll find many opportunities to be affectionate toward each other in meeting practical needs (this means we have to take the time to find out what the needs are!). In truth, everyone needs a soul sister.
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
God understands the heartbreak of the people He created. He wants to meet you in your pain. Pour in oil and soothe the hurt. He wants to use other people to help you heal, and He wants to use YOU to help others heal. God put us on the earth together for a reason- because we NEED each other.
Today and every day, minister intentionally to other women. Reach out to perfect strangers that God brings across your path. Sometimes a simple smile or kind word can revolutionize a person’s whole demeanor. God can use even the tiniest things to open doors of further opportunity to build friendships and to share the Gospel. And while you’re looking for those “appointments,” celebrate with fellow believers the blessings of being women of God. Share Scripture with them, build them up, write notes to them, hug them, cry with them, laugh with them, pray with them. Infuse encouragement into them. You know the God Who heals, so let Him use you to be a balm in someone’s soul.
The precious part? While you’re reaching out, God will be healing the wounds in your own heart.
You will be amazed.
Leah Highfill accepted Christ as her Saviour and became a child of God at the age of 18. A United States transplant to Canada almost 8 years ago, she enjoys serving in full time ministry as a pastor’s wife and a mom to two medical miracles. She homeschools her 6 year old and teaches private piano lessons on the side. When she’s not involved with family or church, she can be found writing/blogging, playing the piano, or ice skating. She considers her life to be an ongoing testimony of God’s incredible grace! Leah has a passion to inspire and encourage women in their walk with God, to reach out to other pastor’s wives, and to support women who are facing difficult pregnancies. Her first book, Expecting Grace, has just been published. Expecting Grace is the story of Leah’s experience and survival of a life threatening pregnancy, and of many miracles along the way. Join her journey at Embracingrace.com.
