This may be the most important blog I have ever posted. What will you do with it?

How long does it take to write a blog post? After writing about a thousand. I don’t know. Sometimes the thoughts just kinda ripen with age. Other times they pop out of the microwave. This post is one that has been ripening with age. I’m not even sure what to write….

A few weeks back, a friend named Mike came in my tiny janitor’s office and began sharing about God’s love. It was one of several times our paths have intersected and we have talked about God’s love. I appreciate his passion. It’s not difficult for you that know Mike to figure out who I am talking about, when you put the word Mike and passion together. They fit.

Keep love in the forefront of your mind, but for a minute ask yourself the question: “Why love?” Consider from the beginning of time and before there was mankind. God was God and He likely did a pretty good job of being God. What was He thinking when he created you and me? For what purpose was the idea of mankind birthed?

The answer comes to me in a struggle. I have become aware that I do not know how to adequately express my appreciation for who and what God is. I believe my praise of God is inadequate. I want to tell God thank you for all His creations, but it doesn’t seem like that is enough. My inadequate expression of praise for the creator brought me back to my friends passion for God’s love.

I believe in a very limited way of understanding the makeup of God, that in the beginning of time and before mankind, God must have been bursting at the seams with love. He was like a balloon totally filled with love and stretched to the max. Love was the most important part of who He was. It was the essence of His being. He was bursting with Love and so passionately wanted to share in His experience. Even the rocks would cry out, but that wasn’t enough. It was time to give birth.

It was time for God to create mankind in His image. How else would His creation be able to experience the Love He so desperately wanted to share? Do you get it? God had this incredible thing called Love that He wants you to experience! It likely was the very reason you were created.

There is nothing more important in life than Love! Think on it. Dwell on it. Don’t just flippantly click to the next blog. You for a moment have been brought to a place at the feet of God and have been offered the opportunity to experience God’s greatest gift, Love. What will you do with it?

For me, Love answers a question. I now know the missing component to my praise of the Holy Father. Love.

surf to: http://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…

God Spot Verified

From my friend Faith.  What a great name!

My Thoughts:
Jeremiah 10:6
No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.

So…most of you know that this last week was pretty intense for my family. I received the call Friday evening from my parents telling me that my mom had been having chest pains, had been to a cardiologist, and that she would have a heart catheterization (with stints or bypass) on Monday. My entire family rushed to Missouri to be with my mom and dad. My mom was having all the symptoms of a heart attack on Sunday and was taking nitroglycerin. On Monday, the doctor told us that my mom had some anomalies (defects) and 2 clogged and calcified coronary arteries. He told us that he was pretty sure that she was going to have a triple bypass. We rallied, prayed, and hoped for the best.

An hour passed and the doctor came out with a perplexed expression on his face. He said, “She’s fine. Actually she is better than fine. Her arteries have zero plague and no calcification. Being 65, she should have some but she doesn’t. Not only is she plague free, but the abnormalities on the CAT scan just aren’t there anymore. I cannot explain it, and I called 3 other doctors in to look…God must have performed a miracle.”

My mom went home that evening and has had no chest pain or any symptoms. My mom says that all her symptoms went away shortly before they wheeled her into the procedure room and that it was fascinating to watch the doctors freaking out because they didn’t see what they thought they would. They even checked to make sure they had the right CAT scan.

I am praising God because I truly believe He healed my mom…a mighty demonstration of His power. As you pray and listen to God this week, what is God demonstrating to you?

I Could Command, but…

“As Christ’s ambassador and now a prisoner for him, I wouldn’t hesitate to command this if I thought it necessary, but I’d rather make it a personal request.

If he damaged anything or owes you anything, chalk it up to my account. This is my personal signature—Paul—and I stand behind it. (I don’t need to remind you, do I, that you owe your very life to me?) Do me this big favor, friend. You’ll be doing it for Christ, but it will also do my heart good.”  Paul

It seems Paul had the authority to command this or that to be done.  He chose to allow those who “owed him” the opportunity to do based on their love for him.  He reminded them of the debt, but much preferred they exceed his expectations out of love.

That is much like the relationship we have with Christ.  God created man.  He is in authority over us because He created us.  God has certain expectations of us.  He could command us to do this or that.  Sometimes, I think He does.  But you know, He much prefers we exceed His expectations out of love.

Creation alone is enough justification for authority and the right to tell us what to do, but when God suffered even as His Son suffered on the cross His authority was further authenticated.  As Paul said, “… you owe your life to me”.  As believers, we owe God our life because He created us and doubly owe Him our life as He saved us from eternal Hell and gave us eternal life.

This prompts me to consider: What command has God directed to you and I, that He much prefer we do out of love and exceed His expectations?  I wonder if it is even possible to exceed God’s expectations?