I wasn't sure which series to put this post in, so I decided to start a new series covering events from this past summer, which will basically be documentation of the moments that God specifically moves my heart. I often call moments such as these Pink Bubble Moments. They're the moments of sweet bliss or revitalization, and they're my favorite.This summer, I have been blessed with the opportunity to intern at my church from back home, Altamesa Church of Christ. Along with playing games of laser-tag (of which I'm truly the worst), braving lock-ins, and hanging out with some of the coolest kids on the planet, I am leading a girls bible study with the seventh through tenth graders on Sunday evenings. Our study, beginning this upcoming Sunday, will be over the book of James, which, if you haven't read it, is about how to practically and prayerfully live the sort of life that Jesus calls every Christian to. I couldn't be more excited to explore the sweet commands of love our Savior has given us in His Word with these precious ones.
This past Sunday I had all of the girls in the youth group, as our female youth minister has been in Honduras for the past week. Not wanting to start the study over James quite yet, as the eleventh and twelfth graders would be studying another lesson after that night on the following Sundays, I prayerfully planned a study over a concept that too often we forget: we are loved. It doesn't sound terribly complex, and when I asked the question of why we should live for Christ, a sweet girl in the group answered, 'because God loves us'. Yes. We are loved.
It may sound easy to understand, but do we truly know the depth of this statement? Can we actually comprehend how high and how wide and how deep and long the love of Christ is? To open the devotional time, I simply emphasized this, using a metaphorical story of adoption to represent how we are adopted. Our Heavenly Father has adopted us, giving us a new name and a new life-in love, through love, and for love. I asked the question of why-why are we loved? Of course, the Lord loves us because He loves us and not in response to anything that we have done, but He has also loved us for a purpose. We are redeemed to love others. We are saved so that we may serve our brothers and sisters, and in that, we are serving the Lord.
The book of James is about how to love, and so for the first Sunday night girls' bible study we dwelled on why to love-because God first loved us, and He sent His perfect Son-His perfect and blameless Son-to live and die for me, and for you, and for everyone, so that He could rise up in three days and give me and whoever believes in Him everlasting and present life, in it's truest form-in every form. Jesus Christ gives spiritual, emotional, physical, mental, and every other sort of healing. In Him there is life.
After we had small group discussion for a bit we went into a time of what is often called 'soaking', or taking in the presence of the Lord. Three stations were set up: the first had a couch surrounded by bibles for whoever felt called to go and pray, sit and read scripture or to sit and listen to the Lord's voice. Two precious girls in the youth group were seated at station two leading worship for everyone in the room, and at the third station was a canvas I painted earlier that week with a deep purple background and the word 'Agape' in the top left corner. Agape is the Greek word for unconditional love-the kind of love described as God's love for His people. It is this love that saves. It's this love that has been given freely to every person, and it's this love that, because it has been given to me, is able to be extended to other people through the work of the Holy Spirit in me. It is completely from and of the Lord, and it's beautiful. Surrounding the canvas were a multitude of paint colors and brushes, and whoever felt called to could go and add to the painting.
As we began this time, I simply sat and prayed for a bit. I have been praying for these girls and for this ministry this summer to be one hundred percent led by the Holy Spirit-that He would guide and revitalize our hearts-the leaders and the kids-for Him and that we would be obedient to His voice and movements in our hearts, and as I looked at the room, I was overwhelmed by what I saw: girls all over the room dwelling on the Lord's love. Some were sitting deep in prayer, others were singing praises to their Father, and still others were knelt far over the canvas adding words and pictures to the painting-even singing and painting at the same time. It was truly a glorious sight. At the end of the time, the canvas displayed words such as 'His', 'Full of Purpose', 'True Love', and 'My King Almighty'. This all happened on Father's Day, and it was more than appropriate that we were thanking our Ultimate Father and spending time in His presence.
I think sometimes we need moments of simply dwelling on the promises of the Lord. Oftentimes I forget His faithfulness. There have been many times when I forget I am His child. When the world labels me, I often turn from the names that my Dad calls me-the only names that truly matter. Thankfully, He is gracious to remind me. He binds my wandering heart to Him. Sometimes, when I make biblical decisions or strive to live as Christ wants me to, I forget my motivation behind it all, and when that happens it becomes too easy to fall into complacency or sin. I need to spend time with the Lord to cherish my relationship with Him. When I receive His love actively and intentionally, I am able to pour that love onto others through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Spend time with your first love today. He loves you. Allow yourself to be loved!
It may sound easy to understand, but do we truly know the depth of this statement? Can we actually comprehend how high and how wide and how deep and long the love of Christ is? To open the devotional time, I simply emphasized this, using a metaphorical story of adoption to represent how we are adopted. Our Heavenly Father has adopted us, giving us a new name and a new life-in love, through love, and for love. I asked the question of why-why are we loved? Of course, the Lord loves us because He loves us and not in response to anything that we have done, but He has also loved us for a purpose. We are redeemed to love others. We are saved so that we may serve our brothers and sisters, and in that, we are serving the Lord.
The book of James is about how to love, and so for the first Sunday night girls' bible study we dwelled on why to love-because God first loved us, and He sent His perfect Son-His perfect and blameless Son-to live and die for me, and for you, and for everyone, so that He could rise up in three days and give me and whoever believes in Him everlasting and present life, in it's truest form-in every form. Jesus Christ gives spiritual, emotional, physical, mental, and every other sort of healing. In Him there is life.
After we had small group discussion for a bit we went into a time of what is often called 'soaking', or taking in the presence of the Lord. Three stations were set up: the first had a couch surrounded by bibles for whoever felt called to go and pray, sit and read scripture or to sit and listen to the Lord's voice. Two precious girls in the youth group were seated at station two leading worship for everyone in the room, and at the third station was a canvas I painted earlier that week with a deep purple background and the word 'Agape' in the top left corner. Agape is the Greek word for unconditional love-the kind of love described as God's love for His people. It is this love that saves. It's this love that has been given freely to every person, and it's this love that, because it has been given to me, is able to be extended to other people through the work of the Holy Spirit in me. It is completely from and of the Lord, and it's beautiful. Surrounding the canvas were a multitude of paint colors and brushes, and whoever felt called to could go and add to the painting.
As we began this time, I simply sat and prayed for a bit. I have been praying for these girls and for this ministry this summer to be one hundred percent led by the Holy Spirit-that He would guide and revitalize our hearts-the leaders and the kids-for Him and that we would be obedient to His voice and movements in our hearts, and as I looked at the room, I was overwhelmed by what I saw: girls all over the room dwelling on the Lord's love. Some were sitting deep in prayer, others were singing praises to their Father, and still others were knelt far over the canvas adding words and pictures to the painting-even singing and painting at the same time. It was truly a glorious sight. At the end of the time, the canvas displayed words such as 'His', 'Full of Purpose', 'True Love', and 'My King Almighty'. This all happened on Father's Day, and it was more than appropriate that we were thanking our Ultimate Father and spending time in His presence.
I think sometimes we need moments of simply dwelling on the promises of the Lord. Oftentimes I forget His faithfulness. There have been many times when I forget I am His child. When the world labels me, I often turn from the names that my Dad calls me-the only names that truly matter. Thankfully, He is gracious to remind me. He binds my wandering heart to Him. Sometimes, when I make biblical decisions or strive to live as Christ wants me to, I forget my motivation behind it all, and when that happens it becomes too easy to fall into complacency or sin. I need to spend time with the Lord to cherish my relationship with Him. When I receive His love actively and intentionally, I am able to pour that love onto others through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Spend time with your first love today. He loves you. Allow yourself to be loved!
