I'm Talking about Jesus Again...

A woman I've recently gotten to know spoke truth into my life last night. She's not the first person to say these things to me, but for some reason (God) last I heard them - really heard them- and took note. She told me that the beauty of obedience is Christ walking with me through my fears. That if I choose to wait until the fears are gone, for peace and contentment, for assurance on all sides, for angels to start singing (you get the picture) I might wait forever because God's Word never ever says the only time He is blessing something is when everything feels right. It may never feel right. And I might miss out on the greatest adventure in my walk with Christ if I sit around waiting for a feeling.

Jesus didn't feel right about dying on the cross. He didn't have warm fuzzies and high fives from his friends and family. He asked his father to spare him.

But then, I imagine, he took a deep breath and bravely - while feeling completely isolated and perhaps a twinge of fear- handed his life over to God, so that His will would be done.

Even Jesus, Jesus- who I claim I want to be just like, surrendered his desires for the desires of the Father.

----pausing for reflection------

------------------------

-------------------------- still reflecting----------------

So.

What does this mean for my life?

What does this mean for our family?

1 John 4:16-18 says."So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."

Perfect love casts out fear. I think she was also saying that when I choose to obey and love, even though I'm afraid, God's love covers that fear, and uses me in my obedience.

Verse 19 says, "We love because he first loved us."

I choose to fiercely love, what ever that looks like right here and now, because he fiercely loved first. And his love looked like death on a cross, and I'm pretty sure the way he is asking me to love looks a lot different than that.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Your post (beautifully written, I might add) comes at a very interesting time for me, Sarah. We are praying right now for God to be very clear about a move date for our ministry to Colorado. We are realizing He may ask us to take a step of faith and leave before our support raising is 100% complete. Thank you for giving me something else to think on--for reminding me that sometimes being obedient is hard, but it is still right.
3:01 PM
Anonymous said…
You rock Ms Sarah my new friend!
4:18 PM
Anonymous said…
great sermon for me, Sarah! I love you. dad
9:00 PM
Nathan said…
There is fear, and then there is stress. Fear, according to your citation of St. John there, is opposed to confidence and undermines a relationship (or love). Stress might be seen in relation to circumstances. Even though we are urged to have perfect confidence (faith) we still are allowed--or even compelled--to face uncomfortable circumstances. Christ felt much more than a "twinge" of stress; he sweated blood! But the confidence he held in his Father led him to be assured (and to assure others) in the midst of his trials that he would again be in Paradise.

For my part, the most stressful component of seeking God's love is the use of reason. Make your faith falsifiable and actively investigate those criterion. Talk about the stress of no net! But proceed with the confidence (not dogmatism) of the Holy Spirit. This is what I am in the middle of so I can't tell you how it ends (or that it does). Just that it is scary...er..stressful.
7:56 PM
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