It's been two weeks since we were
home to Alberta for the “Go Conference” and I can't shake the words spoken from
Brad Stanley, “Jesus is worth losing your life for”.
Who is that Jesus and do I love Him
enough to give up my life? Mathew 16:25 says, “For
whoever wants to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it". Jesus poses the
paradox that losing one’s life bodes the finding of a different one. This promise
from Christ appears to claim there is infinitely greater life to be found when
we die to ourselves through the wholehearted love of God. And so I found myself
asking, do I love God wholeheartedly and I am willing to die to myself?
Brad Stanley proposed that to love God
and serve Him wholeheartedly we must become addicted to what brings Him Joy. He
visited The Parable of the Lost Coin, and highlighted Luke 15:10, “just so, I
tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Brad suggested the joy in this passage is coming from God who sits before
the angels. With that in mind, what would it be like to witness God getting joy
from one sinner who repents or even from the heart that searches to wholeheartedly
know God! Imagine that even while I may
not yet know the fullness of Christ, He get's joy when I desire to change my
selfish ways! As Brad Stanley said, the Greek translation of the word joy in
Luke 15:10 means under the influence of
violent emotion, meaning God throws Himself into a demonstrative
celebration when we desire to change for him! We bring God joy when we love
Him, when we simply love him!
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| Go Conference 2013 |
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| Rosy and Niki |
Brad Stanley challenged us to ask
God to reveal to us each day what brings Him joy. When we stop to hear God tell
us what brings Him joy, we will be so overwhelmed with fullness of life that we
will want to live to bring God joy over and over again.
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| Who knew our street was famous - coined "Fall on Fire" |
Shortly before the Go Conference it
happened that Nathan and I were contemplating whether or not to go on outreach
with the DTS as a family or if it would be easier for him to go alone. God and
I had been talking extensively about what it would mean for our entire family
to go on outreach. I was heavily on the fence as the trip was far outside my
comfortable and familiar world with the girls. During the way home from the Go
Conference I decided to put into practice Brad Stanley’s challenge and ask God
what would bring Him joy, the answer was not surprising; one word came to mind,
Thailand. He never told me we all should go but He spoke clearly and revealed
to me that He would do far more than I could ever ask or imagine if I granted
Him my trust to take care of us. Given the choice to give God joy, knowing he
would be celebrating under the influence of violent emotion before the angels
in heaven my decision became so clear and simple – give God joy! Wholehearted love
is not a feeling but a choice, one choice at a time and my choice was to trust.
The joy of the Lord is my strength and dying to myself, is life abundant!!
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| Life Abundant! |
Ephesians 3
14 For this reason I
bow my knees before the Father,15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He
would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with
power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith; and that you,
being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all
the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to
know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to
all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that
we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.
Blessings,
Jenny
Blessings,
Jenny
