Manna Monday

Love.

I have been trying to wrap my mind around that word.

Trying to imagine how a God could so fully and completely love me, despite everything I really am.

I've been going back to the basics.

Just ruminating on the fact that God, with the power of just His words, spoke life and created everything that surrounds us;

The God that designed each animal, each and every plant;

The God that thought up how far away the sun had to be from earth that it would provide warmth and energy, but not singe us;

The God that created the night sky with its many different galaxies and stars;

The God that designed the intricate and complex inner workings of the human body;

Could care enough to send His son to die just for me.

And for you.

Why would He do that?

What type of intense love would cause Him to do that?

It is amazing to think about.

I have been trying to allow that Truth to wash over me.

During the times that I doubt myself.

During the times that I am not sure of anything,

I know there is a God who has a PERFECT love for us.

And made the ultimate sacrifice, just so that we could again be reunited with Him for eternity.

And the simplest thing we have to do??

Choose.

Choose Him.

Wow.

He DIED for us.

And all we have to do is choose?

That is some incredible love.

And I need that love.

Every.

Single.

Day.

A love that I know will never desert me.

A love that cares for me enough to not let me stay the same broken way that I am.

A love that is perfect.

And when I look into the faces of the people I serve each day?

I know that that same perfect love is extended to them too.

If they would only choose.

I see the brokenness, I see the pain.

I see the rawness in their emotions in their speech.

I feel like I just need to shout from the rooftops that even though they feel like no one loves them?

Their Creator, The One who designed every detail about them down to how many hairs they would have on their head, is so desperately in love with them.

That they don’t have to feel the intense loneliness anymore.

They don’t have to allow the excruciating pain from their past (or even present) to have rule in their life.

Instead, they can allow love to rule.

And that is really the message for all of us.

We can allow love to rule in our life.

We can choose to allow the pure and perfect love of a God who adores us to wash over us.

And speak Truth to our souls…

But we first have to choose.




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Manna Monday

So welcome to a segment I would like to call Manna Mondays. It is where I share some of what God is teaching me.

Last Sunday at church, our pastor really had a phenomenal sermon where I truly felt convicted and inspired. Hopefully you too will enjoy what he shared. Here were my notes:

It was entitled: “Full of God’s Purpose” and was based upon Ephesians 3:20.

Ephesians 3: 20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

#1. We are asking too small! We limit what God desires to do through our life because we are asking too small. Often times our prayers consist of “Lord, just help me get through this day.” Ok, well if He is a God who can do exceedingly more than that, but that is all we are asking??? What if we started to pray bigger dreams and more powerful prayers. For me, this might look like this:
-“Lord, bring me an opportunity to lead at least one person to Christ Every. Single. Day.” Or

-“Lord, will you raise up a revival in the United States so that the spirit of apathy and unbelief will be extinguished.”

-“Lord God, allow me to be your servant every day by sacrificing myself to bring glory to your name.”

- “Jesus, give me a heart for the nations. May I bring your gospel to nations that have never heard your name before.”

-“God, will you revive the inner cities of America! Empower me to meet the physical needs but to bring the message of salvation to those living there!”

-“Jesus, burn up everything unclean inside me. Make me into a new creation that looks more like YOU every day.”

#2 We think too small! This is among the same point. We envision the plan for our life as so insignificant in comparison to what He desires for us! After all, are we not here on this earth for HIS purpose???? We need to start dreaming bigger and allowing Him to lead us in the direction we need to go…

#3 God’s power is working in us as Christians because the Holy Spirit is alive on the inside. We must never forget that we are coming to the KING of kings! All power in all of the earth is His! However, God’s plan is possible only by the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to be willing to submit to that power.

#4God’s Plan is all for God’s glory. If we are to dream bigger, and ask bigger, we need to be increasingly aware that it is all for His glory that we do any of it! Allowing pride to creep in will surely stop us in our tracks. Instead, we need to start each day without putting ourselves first. We can never think that we deserve any glory---all glory belongs to Him because it was He who gave us talents, abilities, resources, etc.


Even as I type this sermon, I get convicted again. There is so much that I hope to do for Christ, but I need to start praying more radical prayers. My faith needs to grow exponentially! After all, if we ask, the door will be opened, if we are seeking, we will find, …we simply need to ask!