First and Greatest Commandment

I love reading Song of Songs because I love discovering different intimate ways that God wants to love us and the type of relationship He wants to have with each and everyone of us.  Recently as I was reading through this book Chapters 2 and 3 really jumped out at me.  It became an illustration of the way Jesus looks at the church, His bride, and how His bride looks at Him.  What I saw saddened me and I know I too have been guilty of what I was seeing in the scriptures.  Jesus declares His love for us, we declare our love back but when He calls us to be with Him in the secret place we make excuses until He leave us alone and we long for Him and seek Him.

I would like to share with you a little of what I saw and I hope it inspires you as well to draw close to Him and to love Him more and more.  Lets begin with the following scriptures, all from the Passion Translation, (you can find on Amazon).  Imagine Jesus saying the below to you....

Bridegroom-King
Arise my dearest.  Hurry, my darling.  Come away with me!  I have come as you have asked to draw you to my heart and lead you out.  For now is the time, my beautiful one.  The season has changed.  Arise, my love, my beautiful companion, and run with me to the higher place.  For now is the time to arise and come away with me.  How beautiful your eyes of worship and lovely your voice in prayer.  Song of Songs 2: 10-11a, 13b, 14b

Can you imagine this?  Can you hear Jesus speak this to you?  How does it make you feel?  Are you ready to arise and go with Him and be with Him?  Can you hear Him declare how beautiful, lovely, and wonderful you are?  Does it not make you feel so wonderful inside?

Now imagine how we at times have responded to this declaration of love from our God and King...

I know my lover is mine and I have everything in you for we delight ourselves in each other but until the day springs to life and the shifting shadows of fear disappear, turn around my lover and ascend to the holy mountains of separation without me.  I'll come away another time.  Song of Solomon 2:16-17

The Shulamite loved the Bridegroom-King and while she wanted to be with Him she allowed her fears and other things to keep her from the one she loved.  It was not until her bridegroom-king had left that she realized her mistake and became desperate for him.

Night after night I'm tossing and turning on my bed of travail.  Why did I let him go from me?  How my heart now aches for him but he is nowhere to be found.  So I must rise in search of him looking throughout the city seeking until I find him.  Just as I move past them, I encountered him.  I found the one I adore!  I caught him and fastened myself to him refusing to be feeble in my heart again.  3:1-2, 4

The Shulamite was overjoyed to find the one she loved, she was so overcome that she fastened herself to him and would not let him go.  The two were finally united and as the song goes reunited and it feels so good!!

Have you ever been so desperate for God that when you found Him you would not let go of Him?  Sometimes it takes a tragedy or a very hard circumstance to draw us to that place but we can long for Him at any time.  We should not wait until we desperately need Him because circumstances dictate.  How would that make you feel?  I believe if we personalized our relationship with God, if we personalized our worship towards Him our heart attitudes would begin to change.  It would change from one of maybe just giving Him lip service during a church service to one of intimacy and fellowship.  Circumstances and situations would no longer sway you or get you down because you would be so focused and in tune to the one you love.  He knows your need, you just need to share your heart with Him, let it go, and focus on His beautiful face.  And it is such a beautiful face. I have been privileged to see that face numerous times and I love gazing at His face, especially His eyes because they are so full of love towards me.  Do you know that we are all God's favorite!!!  Say that everyday, I am God's favorite!!!

I recently heard Mike Bickel, from IHOP, share a message on the first commandment, it was such a powerful message.  We can pray daily for Holy Spirits help to walk in this commandment until it becomes a reality in our life.  Again, The Passion Translation states this so beautifully...

Love the Lord your God with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, and with every thought that is within you.  Matt 22:37 TPT

Once we get the first commandment a reality in our life the second will be so easy.  We will love each other because we have first loved God and God is love!!

So lets all begin to pursue God, pursue an imitate relationship with Him.  When we seek Him, we will find Him. What I am seeing in my own walk is that when I take my step towards Him no matter how big or small Jesus takes a giant step towards me quickly closing the gap.

To go along with the Song of Songs illustration I would like to share the following song.  Take time to just soak while listening to this song and may you begin to feel God's heart towards you.

I Just Want to Worship

I just heard this song this week and it so captures my heart.  At times I have felt completely out of balance because all I want to do is sit at the feet of Jesus and worship Him and just be with Him. It is almost like He has taken me back to the garden where the two of us can be together always.  It is hard to learn how to "just be" in a world that is saying you need to do, do, do but it is possible because we really should not be doing until we have first learned to be.  It is from that place of being that we know God's heart and His purpose and design for each of us.  It is from this place of being that we learn to move and flow in His amazing love.  Think about it, before Jesus left us the command to go out and do He was first with Adam in the garden and all Adam had to do was just be with Him and worship Him.

My beloved One, You are pleasing beyond words, and so winsome!  Our resting place is anointed and flourishing like a green forest meadow bathed in light.  Song of Songs 1:16 TPT

Arise, my dearest!  Hurry my darling, come along with Me.  I have come as you have asked to draw you to my heart and lead you out!  For now is the time my beautiful one! Song of Songs 2:10 TPT

There is no better book in the bible to describe an intimate relationship with God than Song of Songs.  I have come to love reading this book to better understand the relationship God wants to have with each of us.

Take a moment to listen to this song, allow the words to wash over you and begin to give your all to Him, not just lip service but your whole being completely to Him.

Now is the time to awaken love! 

For you reach into My heart with one flash of your eyes I am undone by your love, My beloved one, My equal, My bride.  You leave me breathless - I am overcome by merely a glance from your worshiping eyes. And you have stolen My heart I'm held hostage by you love and by the graces of righteousness upon you. Your loving words are like honey to Me.  Drenched with worship your tongue releases milk and honey for I find the promised land flowing within you.  The fragrance of your worshiping love surrounds you with scented robes of white.  Song of Song 4:9,11

I just wanna worship

It’s all I wanna do

Will You fully inhabit

The song I sing to You

I just wanna worship

Lift my hands to You

Fully present in this moment

Fully given to You

For this I have been made

Locked in Your embrace

Covered in Your majesty

Here I have no need

I am truly free

Everything as it should be

Mercy

Do you ever feel like you are on a merry-go-round?  The same questions continually go through your mind over and over and over again.  You come to the point where you just want to scream let me off I have had enough!  I have been in this place.  It seems like I was always coming back to the same place and the same questions.  My mind was saying God why didn't you handle things this way or even that way.  Why did this have to happen?  Why? Why? Why? 

Finally in desperation, knowing I had to let go of the why's I cried out to God and He began showing me I needed to begin journaling.  When I write the ponderings of my soul come out of me and it is amazing they don't necessarily come out the same as they are inside of me.  They come out in the form of a prayer, an answer, a declaration of where God wants me to be.  I find a lot of strength and courage in that because God doesn't see me where I am, He sees me as He made me.  He sees me where He has designed and purposed for me to be.

I know this post is a little different than the ones I have been posting recently but I felt I needed to keep it real.  We all struggle.  We all deal with things.  It is just how we chose to deal with all that life throws us that makes the differences.

One lesson I have been learning this past year is mercy.  I have a strong sense of justice and when wrong becomes right or people get away with doing wrong with no consequences I cry "where is the justice?" Why is that person not being corrected for what they did wrong?  God in His loving kindness began showing me that I needed to become more merciful.  I needed to let go and forgive and allow room for Him to work and move.  The only person I could affect and change was myself and I would have to stand before God one day and answer the question, did you love well?

1 Cor 13 has been my plumb line for many years but recently God has been taking me new places in this chapter.  Love is not easily offended!! Love does not remember any wrongs to it.  These are not easy things to learn especially when our flesh cries out for justice but they are possible to learn with God on your side.

Together, lets learn to show mercy, love, and kindness towards all even those who have mistreated us.  May we remind ourselves, love; real love God's love in us; is not easily offended and it keeps no records of any wrongs.  In fact God's words says that love covers a multitude of sins.  So if God loves us and He forgets then we too can forget.

When I started this post I wanted to share the song You Can Have It All by Bethel but as I have been writing a different song came to my heart that I thought would fit this blog better and it is called Mercy.  The song was written by Matthew West but I love the version by Jenn Johnson the best. 

God's mercy is as endless as the sea.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy Matthew 5:7

Be blessed as as Dr Robert Cook used to say on the King's Hour "walk with the King today and be a blessing!"

Good Good Father

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us!  Just look at it - we're called children of God!  That's who we really are.  1 John 3:1 MSG

I love the song Good Good Father by Housefires.  It so perfectly describes God and his feelings toward us.

God is perfect in all of His ways.  He is good, that is who He is.  God loves us, that is who we are. We are loved by a wonderful and merciful God.

Take a few moments to just listen to the words of this song and allow the truth of these words to go deep inside of you until they are a wonderful truth that has displaced every lie you have ever believed about Daddy God.

Your daddy God is so pleased with you.  I can go on and on about how much He loves you but again that is a truth you need to get deep inside of your heart.  It cannot just be head knowledge you need to know how great a love God has for you.

God's word is a great place to discover how much He loves each of us but if you would like another source there is a book called Heaven is Real and Fun by Kim Robinson.  Kim has done an amazing job of describing not only what Heaven is like but what our relationship with God should look like. He longs for us to just be with Him, to enjoy spending time with Him.  You can find the book on Amazon.

Listen to the song and allow God to reveal to you how much He loves you.  Open your heart to receive all that He has for you.

Oh, I've heard a thousand stories
Of what they think You're like
But I've heard the tender whisper
Of love in the dead of night
And You tell me that You're pleased
And that I'm never alone


You're a good, good Father
It's who You are, it's who You are, it's who You are
And I'm loved by You
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am


Oh and I've seen many searching for answers
Far and wide
But I know we're all searching for answers
Only You provide
'Cause You know just what we need
Before we say a word


You're a good, good Father
It's who You are, it's who You are, it's who You are
And I'm loved by You
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am
You're a good, good Father
It's who You are, it's who You are, it's who You are
And I'm loved by You
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am


Because You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us
Oh, You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us


Oh this Love so undeniable
I, I can hardly speak
Peace so unexplainable
I, I can hardly think
As You call me, deeper still
As You call me deeper still
As You call me deeper still
Into love, love, love


You're a good, good Father
It's who You are, it's who You are, it's who You are
And I'm loved by You
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am
You're a good, good Father
It's who You are, it's who You are, it's who You are
And I'm loved by You
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am


Because You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us
Oh, You are perfect in all of Your ways
Oh, You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us
Oh, You are perfect in all of Your ways
So perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us (yes You are)
Always perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways
Oh, You are perfect in all of Your ways to us
It's who You are...
(You are perfect in all of Your ways)
(You are perfect in all of Your ways)
(You are perfect in all of Your ways to us)
You are never changing, You are perfect
(You are perfect in all of Your ways)
...Always've been perfect, always've been loving
(Oh, You are perfect in all of Your ways)
O-ohh-o-ohhh... (You are perfect in all of Your ways to us)
Oh, You are perfect...
You are perfect in all of Your ways
Oh, You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us
Oh, You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us

Let it all Go - Even When (IHOP)

Trust in the Lord completely, and not your own opinions, but with all your heart rely on Him to guide you and He will lead you in all the decisions you make.  Become intimate with Him in whatever you do and He'll lead you wherever you go.  Proverbs 3:5-6 TPT

If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us? Rom 8:31

Even when my eyes don't see it, You know what I need before I know I need it.
Even when I don't believe it, I know You are for me.
Even when my heart's uneasy, I'll still follow tomorrow Lord as you lead me
Even when I don't believe it, I know you are for me.

I will let go and follow, won't worry about tomorrow
I let go, I let go, I let go

This song reminds us of so many promises from God's word.  It reminds us to trust Him in all things, to let go of worry and fear and all that would hold us back from believing God through every season. This song reminds us that God is for us and if God is for us then who can be against us?

Take time to just listen to this song and then listen again and just praise God that He has it all covered, He is a loving Father.

To add a personal note to this post, I started listening to this song when I was having a very rough day.  There was a lot of chaos and confusion going on and this song helped me refocus my attention back to God, where it needed to be.  I am finding that Brandon Oaks is quickly becoming one of my favorite worship leaders at IHOP.  You too may want to check out some of his worship sets on the IHOP website, they are pretty amazing.

Unity

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yeah, they'll know we are Christians by our love.

How truly wonderful, delightful, and beautiful to see brothers and sisters living together in unity. Psalm 133:1 TPT

This post has been a difficult one to write.  I know God has been laying unity in the body on my heart for awhile now but everything I have typed and erased and retyped so far appears to come across as a rant and that is not my heart for unity.

God commands us to love Him and to love each other.  I have heard for years we cannot love each other until we first learn to love ourselves.  While I believe that to be true I do know that love is also a choice.  We need to chose to love one another, we need to stop always finding fault and judging each other because God's love believes the best of others (see 1 Cor 13).  We need to start seeing the gold and treasure in each other.  God loves all His children no matter which denomination they are a part of.

Recently I decided to stop looking at each denomination as a church and I began to start seeing them as different families in the body of Christ.  One day we will have a great big family reunion in heaven and we will worship God as one body.  That will be a glorious day

Some of my favorite times are being with other family members in the body of Christ that may not be in my immediate family (church).  I glean so much from them and enjoy our times together.  We may not always see eye to eye on all things but that is okay because we all love Jesus and want to follow Him.

God has laid two songs on my heart for this post.  The first is a new Jesus Culture Song called Make Us One and the second is by Laura Hacket called Love Makes Us Stronger.  May these songs bless you, may we learn to lift one another up and no longer tear each other own.  May we learn to allow God to bind us all together as one in love.  May we grow in our intimacy and love in our relationship with God!  Blessing

Learning to love each other

Love should always be the compass that guides us, especially for those who desire to live a life of love.  1 Corinthians 13 provides a great example in God's word of what love is and what love is not. I love to read  these verses on love in different translations because each translation provides such great insight into this scripture.  Below I have listed the passion translations version, it is one of my favorite translations and I love the imagery it provides.  The other day as I was reading these verses in the Passion Translation I had the thought, "what if verses 8-10 came first prior to verses 4-7" that talk about what love is and is not.  I just thought that by swapping the verses we see how great an emphasis God puts on love.  Not only loving Him but loving each other.  Jesus sums up the commandments in these two statements:  Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself (see Mark 12:30-31).

When we love there is no jealousy, there is no offense (love is not easily offended nor is it easily irritated), there is no self promotion because we are honoring others.  I know I am not there yet because I can get in the way, but every time I feel myself go of course I remind myself what love is and what love is not.  I pray and ask God to help me love the one in front of me because He loves them.  No matter how people treat me or what they do my desire is to become love because God is love.  A few other great scriptures that direct us to love others are; Matt 22:37-39, John 13:34-35, Rom 12:10, 1 John 4-7-8, and John 15:12-13.  I know there are more than this but this is just a start on your path to loving God and others more.  Next time you have an irritating person in front of you remember they are not only made in God's image but that He loves them. Push past the snarky comments or retorts and just breath and ask God to help you, I know He will because He continually helps me.

Love never stops loving.  It extends beyond the gift of prophecy, which eventually fades away.  It is more enduring than tongues, which will one day fall silent.  Love remains long after words of knowledge are forgotten.  Our present knowledge and our prophecies are but partial, but when love's perfection arrives, the partial will fade away.

Love is large and incredibly patient.  Love is gentle and consistently kind to all.  It refuses to be jealous  when blessing comes to someone else.  Love does not brag about one's achievements nor inflate its own importance.  Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor.  Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense.  Love joyfully celebrates honesty and fins no delight in what is wrong.  Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others.  Love never takes failure as defeat for it never gives up.

1 Cor 8-10, 4-7 TPT

Again I love how the Passion Translation reads.  I know tongues, prophecy, and words of knowledge are important and we can move and operate in each of these areas but without love it is nothing, a loud and crashing symbol.  God help us to learn to love with open arms like Yo do so we may display you well everywhere we go!!