A few friends have asked for me to write some of my more personal experiences here on the blog. I agree that I don't just want this blog to be a "what-I-did-today" blog, and would like to let you see a little more of what the Lord has been teaching me...
About Himself:
In many ways, I was regarding God as judgmental and unforgiving. He was not a loving, kind, and merciful God in my eyes. A lot of times, I didn't believe that He wanted me to be happy or to have good things. And that perspective needed to change!
To illustrate how the old mindset affected me: I wanted to wake up early this morning to go to the 24 hour prayer house to have devotional time with the Lord. A valiant goal, and one which I was sure the Lord would bless. Then I ended up snoozing my alarm and didn't wake until ten o clock! I woke up feeling guilty and shamed. Condemned. I am fairly unforgiving of myself (maybe the side effect of being the oldest child, perfectionist, and people-pleaser). And for some reason, I viewed God that way as well!
Here are a few verses for myself and YOU if you are dealing with the same thing:
"Now there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus." - Romans 8:1
The first 18 verses of Romans speak about life and freedom in the Spirit. :) It's awesome!
"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him." - Lamentations 3:22-25
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” - Zephaniah 3:17
Whenever you feel that familiar condemnation that is NOT from God, remind yourself of these verses and get a NEW VIEW of who God is and how much He loves you! My friend, Jenna, reminded me yesterday that I am (and YOU are) God's happy thought! When He thinks about YOU, he laughs and loves you so deeply!!
About love:
"...true love germinates in the soil of sacrifice, sprouts in the garden of surrender, and matures in a matrimony of servanthood. Love is not love unless it has cost you something to give it away." - from Purity, by Kris Valloton
Stay tuned for the next installment, including About myself and About my dreams!
Love,
Jessica
