James 3.13-17 (go read the whole chapter, or better yet... the whole book...)
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Truths:
Humility comes from wisdom.
There is fake wisdom that is earthly, unspiritual and from the devil.
Envy and selfishness lead to disorder and evil.
There is true wisdom that comes from heaven.
True discernment leads to peace, submissiveness, mercy, and more....
Is our 'wisdom' earthly, unspiritual, and from the devil?
OR
Is our wisdom pure? Is it peace-loving? Is it considerate? Is it submissive? Is it merciful? Is it fruitful? Is it impartial? Is it sincere?
We often seek wisdom and discernment, but what if we are seeking it incorrectly? What if we are seeking worldly wisdom?
When trying to make a decision, when trying to do what's best, we can present these things before YHWH and ask: Is this pure? Is this sincere? Is it merciful? This may not solve all our problems or answer all our questions, but it will put us on a correct and right path.
May we be wise, understanding, and discerning as we follow...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
A Sign of God's Grace and Goodness
After an intense season of hardship and waiting and even some depression, God showered me with even more grace than he has already given me: He lifted my spirit. His changing my heart is almost impossible to explain; I don't know what it was or when exactly that it happened. But I know that He did it and He alone. And I cannot begin to explain how grateful I am. His grace was offered to me when He lifted my countenance and restored my joy. This grace, this restoration of joy, played out in several ways. One of those ways is David. David is a sign of God's goodness and grace to me. He will always stand as a marker of a work that He did in my life.
From the very beginning of our relationship, David has taught me about patience. I remember hearing about people messing with him, and even me, about how we were not moving faster... it was one of those things where it was clear that we liked each other, but we didn't jump into this dating world automatically. I so appreciated David's pace; it is one of the first things that struck me about him. David cared about me enough to be willing to wait to ask for my phone number, to wait to ask me for coffee, to wait to ask me to be his girlfriend. He didn't rush anything, and we are better for it.
I had lunch at Pei Wei the other day and my fortune said "The pleasure of what we enjoy is lost by wanting more." There is something to be said for enjoying the moment, living in the present, and embracing the fullness of what is, and not cheapening it by thinking about what will be or rushing towards it. David inspires me to do this.
He's taught me that by waiting for things we place a significance and importance on them. If we were to rush ahead and spoil things immediately, we lose part of the pleasure. If we wait, and fully experience something when it is good and right, it will be all the better than had we rushed ahead.
Paul is always encouraging the church to be content with what is. We would do good to heed these words. (*Don't get me wrong, I think it is good to hope things, but it should not overtake us so much that we do not enjoy now... )
At the beginning our relationship David spoke about how he wanted our love and our care for each other to be selfless. David spoke clearly about this conviction, and I was grateful for a man who wanted to love me for my sake and not his own. Even though this is at the root of the idea of love, this is still revolutionary to me. Because of this, we are able to step back and think about our motives, for everything we do and say. Am I doing this because it is an overflow of my care for David? Or am I doing it for me? And if I am, how can I change my heart to better care for him? What if everything we did was out of love and a desire to serve, to better the other person? We would be more like Christ, and we would all be better for it (not to mention, YHWH would get more glory out of this...)
I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be in relationship with a man who has thought about these things. I will never forget this lesson about love. I can apply it to anyone that I come in contact with.
David is fiercely loyal. He is supportive of me as I wonder about going to school in another city. He tells me that I will be his, where I live is just a detail. He doesn't drop me as soon as things become inconvenient. He is standing by my side, and I have never been so happy. I only hope that I can be as loyal as a friend as this...
David wants the best for people. Even though he tells me that he wants me to stay next year, he tells me that more importantly he wants me to do what is right, even if it is hard. He is willing to deny himself to better others (Just for the record, I'm not saying that my being away from David is for my better :) I'm pretty sure its not... I feel confident that anybody is better off the closer they are to David!!!) He is sacrificial.
David is bold and strong in his convictions. When I am tempted to blur the line, or let things slide, David wants to stand strong in what he believes to be good and right, even when it is difficult, and perhaps, especially when it is difficult.
David is an honorable and good man. He inspires me daily.
From the very beginning of our relationship, David has taught me about patience. I remember hearing about people messing with him, and even me, about how we were not moving faster... it was one of those things where it was clear that we liked each other, but we didn't jump into this dating world automatically. I so appreciated David's pace; it is one of the first things that struck me about him. David cared about me enough to be willing to wait to ask for my phone number, to wait to ask me for coffee, to wait to ask me to be his girlfriend. He didn't rush anything, and we are better for it.
I had lunch at Pei Wei the other day and my fortune said "The pleasure of what we enjoy is lost by wanting more." There is something to be said for enjoying the moment, living in the present, and embracing the fullness of what is, and not cheapening it by thinking about what will be or rushing towards it. David inspires me to do this.
He's taught me that by waiting for things we place a significance and importance on them. If we were to rush ahead and spoil things immediately, we lose part of the pleasure. If we wait, and fully experience something when it is good and right, it will be all the better than had we rushed ahead.
Paul is always encouraging the church to be content with what is. We would do good to heed these words. (*Don't get me wrong, I think it is good to hope things, but it should not overtake us so much that we do not enjoy now... )
At the beginning our relationship David spoke about how he wanted our love and our care for each other to be selfless. David spoke clearly about this conviction, and I was grateful for a man who wanted to love me for my sake and not his own. Even though this is at the root of the idea of love, this is still revolutionary to me. Because of this, we are able to step back and think about our motives, for everything we do and say. Am I doing this because it is an overflow of my care for David? Or am I doing it for me? And if I am, how can I change my heart to better care for him? What if everything we did was out of love and a desire to serve, to better the other person? We would be more like Christ, and we would all be better for it (not to mention, YHWH would get more glory out of this...)
I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be in relationship with a man who has thought about these things. I will never forget this lesson about love. I can apply it to anyone that I come in contact with.
David is fiercely loyal. He is supportive of me as I wonder about going to school in another city. He tells me that I will be his, where I live is just a detail. He doesn't drop me as soon as things become inconvenient. He is standing by my side, and I have never been so happy. I only hope that I can be as loyal as a friend as this...
David wants the best for people. Even though he tells me that he wants me to stay next year, he tells me that more importantly he wants me to do what is right, even if it is hard. He is willing to deny himself to better others (Just for the record, I'm not saying that my being away from David is for my better :) I'm pretty sure its not... I feel confident that anybody is better off the closer they are to David!!!) He is sacrificial.
David is bold and strong in his convictions. When I am tempted to blur the line, or let things slide, David wants to stand strong in what he believes to be good and right, even when it is difficult, and perhaps, especially when it is difficult.
David is an honorable and good man. He inspires me daily.
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