My Jesus I love thee!

Two weeks ago I was sitting in my Gospels class with Dr. Brown (my new hero!)
In devotions that morning she was telling us about how she remembered Jesus growing up in the church. How they portrayed Jesus as a blonde lighter skinned man. I sat in church and looked at the Jesus in the stained glass behind my pastor yesterday. He was not blonde but he did not look very middle eastern either. My professor went on to read to us from Time magazine 2008 future revolution ideas that stated Re-Judaizing Jesus as one of them. The reason why I write (ok type) this is because tonight someone asked me to summarize my two weeks. Oddly it was something one of the graduates mentioned at our communion service last Friday. For most of my life I put Jesus in a box. I let Jesus operate in the small box I put him in. I knew the Bible stories about Jesus. I knew how to pray. I had scripture memorized. I went to church twice on Sunday. I did the “Christian” thing. All of those things I let Jesus stay in the small box I put him in. Since going to Seminary almost two years ago my box keeps getting larger and larger. The answer to Who is Jesus has changed for me. I sat in Global and Contextual as my first class as was amazed at the passion of Dr. Magnuson and his passion for Muslims. My box grew in love for Muslims. As I sat in Hermeneutics I was in awe that I actually knew what that word meant and at the seeing the big picture and not jumping into the spirals. As I took Systematic Theology Dr. Lawrence and his presentation of community through the Trinity blew me away. I could go on and on about each of the classes at Bethel. Each time I leave I process. Each time I process my box gets bigger. The box does not just get bigger but so much better. I pray God continues to widen my box and open my eyes to the glory of new things.

The song that comes to my mind is one I learned and had memorized as a little girl.
My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign;
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I love Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree;
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
(Oh my Saviour) If ever I love Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

It is now (if ever I love my Saviour, 'tis now etc)
It is now (if ever I love my Saviour, 'tis now)

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I'll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow,
If ever I love Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

Lenten Worship

This past week in my Discipleship in Community class we started off the week looking at the early church in Acts 2:42-47. In verse 46- 47 it states, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” What a beautiful picture of worship. One of the reasons we go to worship is stir ourselves to praise. Worship is a corporate confession of sin. This is not to say that we are confessing through other people. Corporate confession is followers of Christ gather together to worship in their total fallen state and with out Christ cannot make it. So as I worshipped this morning I was joyful and thankful because I know without this Via Dolorosa or the Way of Sorrow that Jesus walked down my worship would be that of tears and sorrow. Instead as he walked to the cross I can worship with joy in the faithfulness of God’s covenant to send a Messiah to save us. The worship of joy strikes down any pride that has welled within me and has me humble crawling to God through Jesus grace. Through Jesus and his sacrifice of blood God can look at me with eyes of love, forgiveness, and mercy.

This morning as I went to church and worshipped I was screaming on the inside,

“My sin-oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! --My sin not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more; praise the Lord, praise, the Lord, O my soul!”

As we go to worship may we honestly confess our sins to God. In our confession have joy in the Lord and delight in His salvation. As I leave I will say I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you.

That is something to Give thanks and be joyful about!

According to HIM!

I got this in my email today. I just had to share it! So good.

Question: What rock ‘n’ roll chica has the rare combination of one of the most unique names in musical history and *mad* guitar skills?

If the name Miley Cyrus came to mind, please dismiss that thought immediately…you’re fired.

Ladies and Gentlemen, her name is Orianthi Panagaris, her eco-friendly guitar is named “Pepper,” and you probably know her as “that blond chick that sings‘According to You.’”

According to you
I’m stupid
I’m useless
I can’t do anything right
According to you
I’m difficult
hard to please
forever changing my mind
I’m a mess in a dress
can’t show up on time
even if it would save my life
According to you, according to you

Who is “you”? Apparently it’s the guy she was dating who obviously didn’t have a lot of good things to say to her:

According to you
I’m boring
I’m moody
and you can’t take me any place

Can anyone out there relate to Orianthi and her unhealthy relationship? I would bet that there are a few voices in your world that would fall under the category of “According to You”…that cause you to feel “stupid” and “useless,” and any other number of things, making you wonder if you mean anything to anyone.

Sometimes it’s our parents, teachers, coaches, or even the images and expectations we get from the media that make us feel worthless. But ultimately, those messages come from the one that the Bible calls the enemy of our souls, “the accuser” Satan.

Satan accuses you of being worthless, unlovable, incompetent, and hopeless…why? Because if you have trusted Christ, you are God’s child, which means Satan wants nothing more than to steal the joy out of your life, kill your dreams, and destroy your hope of finding God’s amazing plan for your life.

In the song “According to You,” Orianthi discovers another voice which she refers to as “According to him”:

But according to him
I’m beautiful
incredible
he can’t get me out of his head
According to him
I’m funny
irresistible
everything he ever wanted

Aren’t those the words we all want to hear? Wouldn’t it be amazing if we had a person in our lives who believed in us and saw the best in us even through our flaws?

You do have Someone like that. There is a heavenly song playing for all believers in Jesus Christ that started even before the universe existed called “According to Him” - and here are just a few of the lyrics:

According to Him*

I love you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

According to Him

I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

According to Him

No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what He has prepared
for those who love him.

According to Him

His unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

According to Him

He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
He is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

Are you picking up on how God feels about His children? In Christ, we are way beyond “beautiful, incredible”…in fact, according to Him, He chose to die rather than live without us.

So now, like Orianthi, you have a choice between two voices. Don’t listen to the accusations of the devil and the world. Instead, tune your soul into the melody of heaven that assures you for eternity that you have the unfailing love of your Father, the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

And just like you would pass along a link to an amazing video on YouTube to your friends, get the word out about the Bible’s version of “According to Him.” You have friends that are trapped in the world of negative messages but you have the voice of the gospel that will allow them to choose a different perspective – that they are loved by God the Father when they put their faith and trust in Christ.

According to Him… He made you, He loves you, He died for you.

Got Love?

When I was growing up I collected all the different God Milk ads from magazines. They would have famous people with a milk mustache. I still posters of them in local high schools. I recently read a devotional entitled Got Love? Here is my own take of the idea Got Love?

I look at my day and I can say I got Love. I have fallen in love with so many people in my short life. I take a look at my family pictures sitting around my house and I see love. I see love a grandma and grandpa and aunt and uncle who are far off. I see the love in a picture of the whole family smashed in the living room at grandma’s to take a picture this picture totally 25. I have pictures of friends around the house on walls and in places I will smile when I see them. Today I had 22 students tell me that I should tell my professors I am not allowed to leave for 2 weeks to go to class because they will miss me. Students who insist I make a binder with their pictures on them and a paper they sign just so I do not forget them in the two weeks I am gone. I cannot tell you the random hugs, notes, and encouragement I get from teenagers on a daily basis. The thing I realized reading the devotional is that not that I do not have love but it actually has me. I do not crank out love to please people or win them or even to manipulate them. God gives it to me everyday. Each day when I receive it from God it pous over onto (and hopefully into) others. This love does not come into my life stay a while and leave. When it is God’s love it comes, finds me, and it stays. There are days when I have a bad connection, interruptions, and huge pauses in my locve. There are days like my own life where there are no prom dates, dates, or all those things girls dream of when they watch the Bachelor. Love brings people together in little, gentle, lasting ways. When God is the author love always find a way and the rewards are amazing. I have been disappointed and annoyed with love and those that I love. But, I always have the Lover of my soul Jesus Christ who helps me grow and deepen me more in Him in the rough patches. The few years I have never felt more loved by Christ. Through his love I have plenty to go around. I am amazed at the people who love me back even when I am unlovable. I pray people will blossom in the warmth of my love. In this I feel satisfied. So this year I am going to be a valentine everyday of the year and share love to everyone I teach, know, and meet. Ask yourself Got Love?