character

If Only …..

/ SurrenderedHeartWorship / 4 Comments

If Only …..

If only we could be loved straight through all of our highs and lows. The ups as well as the downs.  If we could be accepted not only when we do something to please others. Or say only those things they agree wholeheartedly with. Or act and respond in the way they want us to respond and act in any given situation.

If only we could be loved fully with grace and compassion. What does that kind of love look like?  What does it feel like?  I only ask, because I don’t see it very often. Sadly not even in the church; a place I would totally expect and hope to find it.  Sure, I don’t expect to see it in the world. That’s because it is our job to show it to them. But do we?

See, Jesus didn’t wait to love you until you had it all together. He loved you before you could ever be cognizant of your actions. And He continues to love us with an everlasting love. Straight through all of our messes and hang ups.

So why can’t we love each other that way? Or maybe a better question is: Why won’t we?  I believe we can!  We can love, because He first loved us!  We can love others first, too. Before they impress us. Before they give us something we value. Before we get so easily offended at what the enemy knows is the pettiest thing in light of eternity. And bigger still, after we’ve been offended. I’d love to see THAT kind of mature love in action! Wouldn’t you?

We are to love like Jesus because He modeled love both in life, and death.  How He was moved to compassion by the very people who crucified him is mind boggling to me. But He asked God to forgive them!  And He personally asks us to love and forgive others the way He has loved and forgiven us. Love with compassion. Love with grace. Love without demanding our own way. Love straight through the disagreements. Love beyond the disappointments. Give others a love that bears all things. Hopes all things. A love that endures all things. Faith, hope, and love remain… but the greatest of these is, and always will be, LOVE.

What could happen if we stopped making excuses as to why we cannot love another person in this way?  If we cannot, it is solely because we have chosen to love only as far as our flesh will allow, negating the power of the Holy Spirit. He never asked us to love sin. We can hate that because it hurts people. But He does encourage us to love the sinner. He Himself chooses to love us despite our sin, too. I keep thinking of the woman caught in adultery in John, Chapter 8:1-11. Read or re-read it if you get a chance.

… Why would we make a conscious choice or decision not to follow in Jesus’ example when it comes to loving and forgiving others?  Why would we choose to live beneath His power, when we have been told that our love will show the world that we are His children? Here is the goal:  This year, I encourage you to mature in your capacity and ability to love and forgive others. This is my heart’s desire going forward, too. When it begins in you, it will begin with you!

Love, -Cindy Magsig

Scripture References for Further Study:

“We love each other because he loved us first. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:19-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:7-13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:9-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:4-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.”
‭‭2 John‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What is Your Pattern?

/ SurrenderedHeartWorship / 2 Comments

As we look to begin a new year, many of us will be making resolutions that almost never seem to make it past the first six months. Wanting to “do better” is great, but I think there is something we can look at that might prove even more valuable/worthwhile to us as we chart our course, and head into the future.

This year, for me, has been one of the most self-revealing years ever. Mainly because I have wanted it to be so. I have searched deeper within myself with the resolve to get more honest with myself than I’ve ever been. Trust me when I say, when you make a decision to “see” yourself as you really are -you will.

It’s not all been a pretty sight. But just as I was uncovering these layers of life, a close friend asked me if I saw any patterns in my decision making that were my “go to” when things got tough. Can you guess what the answer was? Yep! …It was a resounding, yes.

Well, it got me thinking: we all have “patterns” or modes of operating that become familiar to us when we are faced with crisis, questions, uncertainties, turning points, or big impending transitions in our lives. We don’t always take chances and try new methods when it comes to seeking solutions.

I’m convinced our patterns reveal something about our character. With this in mind, what do your patterns say about you? When we look in the Bible, we can see glimpses of people’s patterns:

Jonah was really good at running away
Gideon was good at second-guessing
Thomas was good at doubting….

Those “patterns” were the very things God dealt with in each of their cases. And the same holds true for us. Fortunately, God’s power is greater than our patterns. That is, IF we are submitting ourselves to His lordship in our lives. Would you agree that sometimes our patterns of behavior are unhealthy? If so, what are some of the patterns in your life that have proved this to be true?

To gain a better understanding of your personal patterns, go back to one of your most recent crisis, or seasons of transition. What are the things you did to cope/deal with it? Do you tend to run away from the crisis? Do you retreat or isolate yourself? Do you do the opposite and talk people’s heads off about it? Do you eat more? Shop more? Sleep more? You get the idea. You “do” something, and it’s usually the same pattern for the next crisis, and so forth.

Let’s pause to look at the bright side, though. It must be stated; there are also GOOD patterns in our lives. I certainly don’t want to overlook those. And neither should you. The fact is: we can choose good patterns over bad ones if we so desire. However, we will never up-root the bad patterns if we refuse to become aware of them, and how damaging they can be to us, as well as to those we love.

I’ll close with this challenge: Look at your 2013 patterns of behavior. Which ones are worth keeping? Which ones are worth up-rooting? Which ones do you see God bringing up again and again in an effort to get you to allow Him to renovate your character? He wants the very best for you. And it’s o.k. for you to want the very best for you, too.

Love & Blessings!
-Cindy Magsig

Scriptures:
Philippians 3:17 “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.” (NLT)
Ephesians 5:15-20