Month: July 2009

Tonight I had a burst of ambition and thought I’d make hummus instead of buying it.  Knowing I have placed each ingredient into something gives me a certain peace of mind.  Lately, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had that luxury.  So, I looked up a recipe, bought the ingredients, and began.   Somewhere in this process of “pulsing” there was slightly bigger pulse.  I withdrew the wooden spoon that was assisting me in the process, and well, a chunk of wood had vanished into the somewhat blended chickpeas.  Hmph….  Intentions.

Honestly, I find this in life sometimes.  I pursue the things that appear to be the best.  But somewhere along the way I loose a piece of something, there’s a bump in the road, or things just fall apart.  The enemy loves this.  He’s on the situation before I even have the time to count my losses, and quickly I feel lost in a sea of doubts.

This week in the Discipleship Training School I am staffing we are studying the character of God.  I’m finding His character is the very thing that I must cling to in these moments where my best intentions seem to turn sour.  Deuteronomy 23:5 boast of Him, by saying, “the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you.” Wow!  I find rest in this passage because I think ,” if He is in the business of  turning a curses into a blessings, these little disappointments have nothing on my Heavenly Father!”

Look up my friends, because He cares for us!  “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Last night, I stood in prayer chapel as a new student belted out How He Loves from her tiny body.  I think her guitar might be bigger than she is?  As I stood there, I felt the presence of the Lord, so sweet, so near.  Tears began to run down my checks.  Wow, this Jesus, He loves.  I mean He really loves.  I felt convicted for running to other loves, when this love awaits me.  This jealous indescribable love that gave up everything for me.  How can I stand Him up?  How could I leave Him waiting?  He is a jealous lover.  He continues to strip away even the seemingly good things in my life that subtly steal away my time with Him.

“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealously unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.”

Song of Solomon 8:6

“Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden.  For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

Deuteronomy 4:23-24

“He is jealous for me,

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.”

-exert from John Mark McMillan’s How He Loves

One more cool thing about Jesus. (A sure sign of love is when you brag about the person right?)  Well, as I sat down to write this blog the radio is gently playing in the background.  Guess what song came on immediately when I began?

How He Loves

Hmm… He loves me.  And He loves you too.

Awaken us Lord to you incomparably great love for us!!