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THE BEAUTY OF GOD'S LOVE

4/3/2020

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“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”
​C. S. Lewis

​There are three core truths about God that are critical to our freedom. The first is that God is good. The second that God is loving. And finally, that God is in control. All three of these truths are intertwined, and without one the others fall short. If God is good, he must also, therefore, be loving. But if He is not in control, how can He really be good? And if He is not loving, He certainly cannot be good. 

Today I want to talk with you about the reality of God’s love.

I think for the most part we all have a general understanding of the fact that God is loving. We all know John 3:16, and we often tell each other “God loves you!” But the question I want to challenge you with today is this: How is the reality of God’s love impacting your daily living? 

While we may find ourselves familiar with the fact that God loves us, we may not necessarily have a full understanding of what that love looks like, which leads us to feeling, and subsequently living, as though God does not love us. The sad fact is that many of us struggle with looking at what’s happening in our lives and in our world and find ourselves wrestling with the question of God’s love. 
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THE CHALLENGE OF LOVE

To fully grasp the love of God, we need to take a step back and redefine love. The first problem we encounter when it comes to God’s love is that we have a misconception of what love is, what it looks like, and how it acts.

Scripture talks about three primary types of love: romantic/sexual love, brotherly/friendship love, and sacrificial love. The love that God has for us is sacrificial love – which, by the way, is the same love that He ultimately calls all us to strive to have for each other.

Part of our problem in defining love is that we resort to feelings over actions. We struggle to apply the truth of whether or not God loves us simply based on how we feel, rather than evaluating His love based on what actions He has taken towards us. 
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LIVING LIKE GOD IS GOOD: THE FREEDOM OF FAITH

3/27/2020

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Yesterday we looked at  our struggle to believe that God is good. 
​To read the previous post, click here.

HOW DO WE GET BACK?

When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
And afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
 I will tell of all your deeds.
-Psalm 73:16-17, 21-28
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STEP 1: THE RIGHT FOCus

Asaph doubted God’s goodness when he looked around him. He failed when he compared his life to the lives of others. He became discouraged when he let his emotions fuel his perspective. But when he lifted his eyes to God, he found hope.

When we go through times of pain and suffering, having the right focus is critical. 
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“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
-Isaiah 55:8


We need to take a step back and see the bigger picture. Not the bigger picture of our circumstances, but the bigger picture of God and who He has proven Himself to be in Scripture and in our own lives. 

Instead of focusing on our circumstances, which constantly change, we need to focus on God, who never changes. Has God been faithful before? He will be faithful again.

​God created us to glorify Him, and He gets glory through being good to us! Our problem is that we tend to forget that God knows more than we do, and so we question His method, forgetting that His thoughts and His ways are so much higher than ours.
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STEP 2: THE RIGHT EXPECTATION

Instead of expecting God to make us happy, we need to expect God to make us holy – and then we will discover that joy is byproduct of holiness. Unfortunately for us, growth can only come through trials; that’s why Peter wrote that our suffering comes for a purpose:  


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LIVING LIKE GOD IS GOOD: THE STRUGGLE WE ALL FACE

3/27/2020

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Anger. Bitterness. Resentment. Doubt. Accusations. Isolation.
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How did we get here? 
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the truth about god​

A. W. Tozer once said that what we believe about God is the most important thing about us.

Hannah Whitall Smith explained this idea further in her book, The Unselfishness of God, where she wrote:

“Everything in your spiritual life depends on the sort of God you worship.
Because the character of the worshiper will always be molded
by the character of what he worships: If it is a cruel and revengeful God,
the worshiper will be the same, but if it is a loving, tender, forgiving,
unselfish God, the worshiper will be transformed slowly,
wonderfully, into this likeness.”


What we believe about God is the cornerstone in the foundation of our lives. If we believe things that are not true about God, it will affect everything else we think and believe in life; however, when we believe the truth about God, it becomes a beautiful lens through which we can properly see ourselves and the world around us.

There are five major areas of concern when it comes to what we believe about God:  Is God really good?  Does God really love me? Is God really enough for me? Are God’s laws really that important – or even relevant? Is God really in control? 
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HITTING THE RESET BUTTON

I think it’s safe to say that no one intentionally chooses to believe that God is not good, that He is unloving, that He’s not enough for us, that His commands are meaningless, and that He’s not really in control. However, many of us are living as though those things are true. Subtle lies have crept into our thinking and have begun to affect the way we live. Therefore it’s necessary for us to take a step back and look at the evidence in our lives, look at God’s word, and ask Him reveal what’s true about Him and about us.

Our starting point is God’s goodness. If God is not good, everything else in scripture crumbles to pieces. If God is not good, our lives are meaningless. If God is not good, we have no hope in life, or in death. Everything hinges on this one truth of God’s goodness.

Instead of assuming that you already know and believe this truth, I would caution you and challenge you to consider if it’s possible that you have unintentionally fallen into the belief that God isn’t really good – or maybe that He isn’t really good to you.

You may not be in outright rebellion against God, but is it possible you find yourself struggling with resentment in your prayers, or even have stopped praying altogether?

​You may not be openly arguing and accusing God, but is it possible you’re afraid of God – afraid of getting your hopes up, afraid He will hurt you if you ask for what you need and want?
 
You may not be quitting church or Christian fellowship, but is it possible you avoid certain people or topics because you find yourself envious of how God is working in their lives while you feel neglected by God?
 

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THE POWER OF DESIRE

3/20/2020

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What do you want your life to look like a year from now?

Sometimes when I ask someone what they want in life, they instead tell me what they don’t want.
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               “I don’t want to be depressed.”
               “I don’t want to be fearful.”
               “I don’t want to be alone.”
               “I don’t want to be addicted.”
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It’s often easier to identify what we don’t want than what we do want. Why is this? 
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THE PROBLEM WITH CHANGE

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.
We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition
when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on
making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant
​by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
 – CS Lewis
​
What a shocking truth to discover.
 
How do we end up alone?
How do we end up addicted?
How do we end up unstable?
How do we end up in misery?
How do we end up in bondage?

Our desires are too weak.
 
We want to be healthy, but aren’t willing to change our diet and exercise.
We want a godly marriage, but aren’t willing to put in the effort.
We want to be at peace, but aren’t willing to take our thoughts captive.
We want to have good relationships, but aren’t willing to invest the time necessary.
We want to be respected, but aren’t willing to do the hard things.
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We want to be free, but aren’t willing to do what it takes to experience freedom. 
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CLAIMING THE TRUTH

3/14/2020

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​It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves
be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
-GALATIANS 5:1


​Now that we’ve talked about how we fall for lies, it’s time to take a look at what it takes to root those lies out of our lives and replace them with the truth. On the surface, it sounds easy – after all, it’s just 3 things. But these 3 things require a lot of time, prayer, and commitment to see them through.
​
Let’s dig in: 
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STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR BONDAGE


The first step in experiencing change to identify what needs to be changed. If you’re not sure what yours is, start by asking God to show you areas in your life where you are not experiencing freedom. If you know the areas already, then it’s important to take some time to identify what the specific sins are that are keeping you in bondage.

It’s also helpful to point out that there are two types of sin. The first is a sin of commission. These are the things we are not supposed to do that we do. For example: lying, stealing, or misusing God’s name. The second is a sin of omission. These are the things that we ought to do but don’t. For example: tithing, evangelizing, or praying. 

​Once we recognize the sin that’s prevailing in our lives, we can then trace it to the root in our hearts: 

STEP 2: IDENTIFY THE LIE AT THE ROOT OF YOUR BONDAGe


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HOW TO BELIEVE ANYTHING

3/7/2020

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Did you know that if you say “green beans” very slowly it sounds like “gullible?”

Okay, so that’s not exactly true, even though it can be a little funny if someone falls for it. To some people it’s obviously false, but others just have to try to it to know for themselves. If they do, they quickly realize the trick and, though perhaps feeling a bit foolish, laugh along with no real harm done.
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If only deception in life were so easily detected and easily overcome. 


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THE TRUTH ABOUT DECEPTION

2/29/2020

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A few days ago my husband and I were running errands and I played a podcast to help pass the time. Normally it’s a light-hearted and fun show to listen to, but occasionally they get into some deeper topics, and this was one of those times. During the course of the conversation about struggling with your relationship with God, one of the hosts made an interesting comment. The gist of it was this: “It’s crazy how things can be going just fine and all of a sudden you wake up and realize you’re far from God.”

Interesting thought.

“All of a sudden… far from God.”

Is that really possible? Is it really that simple? Is it really that… sudden? I’d dare say it’s not.

In fact, I’d say quite the opposite.

It’s crazy how one little step turns into another, which turns into another, and yet another, until suddenly you realize you are a hundred steps away from God.
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The only thing sudden about finding ourselves far from God is the actual moment of revelation that we’re not as good as we think we are. The process itself is not so sudden; in fact, it’s a slow, gradual process that contains not giant leaps or huge falls, but little compromises here and there. 
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THE TRUTH ABOUT FREEDOM

2/22/2020

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“Ah, freedom.”

The thought that runs through our heads when we’re finally alone. When the project is finally finished. When we’re finally off work. When we’re finally on vacation. When we’re finally able to do what we want.  For different people, different circumstances cause us to breathe out that sigh of relief.  

Each of us has our own ideas about freedom. If you’re anything like me, in spite of the short-term instances of relief you occasionally experience, freedom is an elusive dream that you’re always chasing.

If I can just get through one more week, I’ll be free.

If I could just find a different job, then I’d be at peace.

If I could just break this one habit, I’d be okay.

If I could just have this relationship squared away, then I’d feel better.

If I can somehow find a way to make more money, I’ll be set.  

But the week comes and goes, and I still feel restless, the new job has its own set of problems, the habit just won’t go away, the relationship is never perfect, and the money is never enough.


​LIFE TO THE FULL

JOHN 10:10
​The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.


The imagery Jesus uses when He speaks these words is vivid – “life to the full.” Abundant life. Life that has richness. He’s not speaking about life in a biological term – He’s speaking of a quality of life that is higher than we are able to experience on our own because it comes only from Him.

Many of us would use words like frazzled, frustrated, overwhelmed, stuck, defeated, fearful, insecure, lonely, confused, burned-out, or discouraged to describe our lives. I know I’ve used those words many times, even in the last few months. In contrast, Jesus offers us abundant life. Life that could be described as peaceful, contented, gracious, loving, joyful, and free.  

​As you consider your current season of life, which list most resonates with you? Are you experiencing the abundant life and freedom that Jesus came to offer? Or is it possible that, like me, you’ve been attaching your peace and freedom to the wrong things and as a result, are experiencing discouragement over joy, frustration over peace, and bondage over freedom?

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Love. Honor. Harris.

12/20/2018

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September 29, 2018 was the beginning of a brand new adventure as I became the wife of Cameron Harris. We were married in a small ceremony surrounded by close family and friends, and we couldn't have asked for a better day. 
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It was a beautiful day in every sense of the word. Everything went so smoothly, in large part thanks to all of our family and friends who went above and beyond. And when my brand new necklace broke, my makeup artist ran home to get one of her own for me to borrow. How amazing is she? The weather was gorgeous, the flowers perfect, the food delicious, the cake to die for, and though everyone warned us we'd not remember much, we actually remember quite a bit, and I'm thankful. There were so many special touches and meaningful moments - I could talk about them forever. But for the sake of time and space, I'll simply share with you our vows and some of our favorite photos:

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Mary: A Praying Woman

11/8/2018

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Mary sets a subtle yet striking example in her devotion to prayer. As a matter of fact, her prayers are the bookends of her story: in Luke 1, she pours out a prayer of thanksgiving for God choosing her and sending Jesus to be her Messiah, and in Acts 1, she joins the other believers in praying for the Holy Spirit to come, and ultimately, for revival to come. 

Prayer is so easy to talk about - but often hard to actually do. I think most of us would say we believe that God answers prayer, but how many of us actually pray like we believe it? I love this quote by E. M. Bounds: "What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use -- men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men, men of prayer." 

Our families need our prayers. Our churches need our prayers. Our neighborhoods need our prayers. Our country needs our prayers. Let's be determined to be the ones who cry out to God to intervene, to send His Holy Spirit, and to bring revival - and let's ask Him to start with us. ​

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    bethany HARRIS

    In a word: passionate.
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