LOVE

"The average Christian is the most piercing critical individual known."-Oswald Chambers, My Upmost For His Highest



Ouch.



I have struggled with this all my life. Criticising others, criticising myself, but why? Doesn't God teach us to walk in love and not judgement? Aren't we supposed give others grace, mercy and forgiveness?

Then why as "christian's" have we failed so miserably in this area? I find myself to be more critical, more unforgiving, judgemental and harsh during the times that I am not in fellowship with God. When I am not seeking Him face to face. It's hard to stop and remember that every wrong I see in someone else, God also sees in me. Criticism serves to make you harsh and cruel, giving you the charming idea that you are somehow superior to others. As followers of Christ, we have got to get rid of this "holier than thou" attitude we have adopted over time.

1 John 2:6
"Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did"

We keep claiming to live for God, yet our actions toward other people say otherwise. I am including myself in this category as well. Jesus did not walk this earth to place judgement on others and look at them with eyes full of superiority and cruelty. Jesus came to be with people, to walk among them and alongside them. To share in their joy, to experience their pain and to be a healer.

How are we being like Jesus? Are we casting a judgemental stare at others? Or are we coming alongside each other and "doing life" together no matter what the circumstance, loving and cherishing each other every step of the way?

Too often I find myself in one boat and Jesus in another. I find myself judging others and wanting to feel that false sense of superiority. We must realize that this is not how we are called to live our lives. We are called to love. Simple as that.

Remember 1 John 2:6. Be still and allow for God to teach you something today.

Love,
Shea

Psalm 46:10

My heart is heavy with worry. Almost as if someone opened it up and shoved it full of lead, and all I can do to make it lighter is pray. Prayer can be a funny thing. Sometimes you feel as if you are talking to thin air. Talking to nothing and no one. Sometimes you just have to believe that there is someone caring enough about your hurts and loving you enough to sit down and actually hear you. I heard a pastor say once, "When was the last time you got into your chair, face to face, knee to knee, toe to toe and actually talked with God?"

For me, I can't remember the last time I sat down to really converse with God. My day is filled with short, flittering prayers that can be so selfish. "God help me to pass this test" or even (and you might get a laugh out of this) "Please let me win some money on this lottery ticket". After examining my prayer life, I have come to the conclusion that I have a give/take relationship with God. He does the giving and I do the taking. What happened to giving Him all of me? Giving Him everything in my life? Instead I pick and choose what He can have, and keep asking for more. Selfish.

In the state of worry that I am currently in, I feel guilty coming to God. It is the common trend of Christian's to forget about God during the good times, and run back to him faster than we have ever run before as soon as trouble hits. I have fallen into that trend time and time again. He has become a God of convenience to us. I know that he has become convenient to me. I believe that this is the plague of Christianity.

Convenience has plagued our whole society. We have forgotten what it takes to build and maintain relationships because of text messaging, facebook and e-mail. For some of us, we have never known any different. Not only does this bleed into our relationships with our friends, family etc. but also into our relationship with God. All of these other things that we fill our life with become more appealing than sitting down with our creator and getting to know Him through His word, and talking to him like we would talk to our best friend. Allowing Him the opportunity to hear our hearts, share our joys and comfort our pain.

So in my time of worry I am going to get face to face, knee to knee and toe to toe with a God who is so much more deserving of a title of Holy, Mighty, Awesome and Amazing God rather than "convenient" God. I will sit in my chair with all my worry and a promise to spend time with the God I love, and to be still and listen to what He has for me. I will sit with a promise to give more than I take and to be a follower of Jesus Christ, not a follower of everything else that is "life".

"Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10

Be still and allow for God to teach you something today.

Love,
Shea