Child-like

One of the greatest examples we can follow in this world today is the example of a child, the raw and uninhibited love of a child.  The softness of their heart is unbelievable.  I visited a Kindergarten on Monday and God opened my eyes to what faith, trust, and love looks like.  To feel comfortable and secure all children need is a loving look, a small conversation, or a gentle touch from someone who cares.  When I walked into that kindergarten class on Monday, I had never even seen any of these kids before, but I walked in and immediately started playing with four kids: Ashton, Dillon, Trinidy, and Sherobe.  They welcomed me right away, I sat down with them and asked them what they were building.  They responded by telling me they were building a zoo and sorting the animals into groups and never questioned who I was, but immediately let me join their group and play with them.  Just amazing, in a matter of seconds they were having animals run on my head and telling me about what they did during their snow days.  I have a hard time finding many people who are this loving, trusting, and inviting.  As we grow older we often let ourselves become warn down by the world and buy into holding grudges, being self sufficient, and believing that the world revolves around us.  We are consumed with our busy schedules, what we need to do, often don't realize how petty we can become, and how hardened our hearts have become.  The warm welcome I received from the kindergarten children I didn't even know, was the warmest welcome I had received in days, full of love.

As we progressed to story time Ashton already trusted me and was laying all over me as his teacher read, and shared his questions and ideas about the book with me, he had met me 10 minutes ago, that just blows my mind.  Adults are not as trusting as little Ashton.  Jesus calls us to be childlike, like Ashton, with a humble and sincere heart and not to be childish by arguing over ridiculous petty issues that really have no meaning.  We need to have a soft heart, that is loving and welcoming and trusting in Christ regardless of what anyone has even done to us.  Love everyone unconditionally, trust Christ ruthlessly.

Jesus said:
"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven." -Matthew 18:2

So put your pride and hardened heart aside and humble yourself like a child.

Paul

"The one passion of Paul's life was to proclaim the gospel of God.  He welcomed heartbreak, disillusionment, and tribulation for only one reason - these things kept him unmovable in his devotion to the gospel of God."

This quote from a Oswald Chambers devotional, has been blowing my mind all week, I still cannot fully comprehend how trusting Paul was that he would WELCOME 'heartbreak, disillusionment, and tribulation'.  To welcome someone means to kindly greet a person who you are happy to see. Paul welcomed disaster into his life, he welcomed the unknowing, the trying, the heartbreaking.  To welcome something means to gladly invite it in, when you welcome someone you give them a hug as they enter your house, Paul welcomed disaster into his life.  To be able to welcome struggle, you must have a ruthless trust in the Lord, an undivided devotion to Jesus Christ.  A trust that escapes my understanding, yet a trust I wish I had.  This trust is so unmovable and concrete, it reminds me of the faith of the Centurion (Matthew 8:5-13). Trust and obedience are key components of your relationship with Christ and that is why Paul was so passionate about preaching the gospel because by welcoming disaster into his life he learned that the only way for him to persevere was to trust and obey the Lord, our Saviour.  The more we obey the commands of our Creator and Saviour the more we show our love (John 14:21).  Remember when disaster enters your life, when you are heartbroken that the Lord placed this in your life for you to learn more of Him and for you to grow closer to Him until your devotion and trust in him are unmovable like Paul. Read (James 1:2-4,12)

Listening As Spiritual Hospitality

"To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations.  True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known.  They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept.  Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond.  Listening is paring full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings.  The beauty of listening is that those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their true selves.  Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you."

Satisfy The Lord

Jesus said to her, ’Give Me a drink’ ” (John 4:7). How many of us are expecting Jesus Christ to quench our thirst when we should be satisfying Him! We should be pouring out our lives, investing our total beings, not drawing on Him to satisfy us. “You shall be witnesses to Me . . .” (Acts 1:8). That means lives of pure, uncompromising, and unrestrained devotion to the Lord Jesus, which will be satisfying to Him wherever He may send us.

Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?

-Oswald Chambers utmost.org

Hosea 6:1-6 Acknowledge the Lord

¹ “Come, let us return to the LORD. 
He has torn us to pieces 
   but he will heal us; 
he has injured us 
   but he will bind up our wounds. 
² After two days he will revive us; 
   on the third day he will restore us, 
   that we may live in his presence. 
³ Let us acknowledge the LORD; 
   let us press on to acknowledge him. 
As surely as the sun rises, 
   he will appear; 
he will come to us like the winter rains, 
   like the spring rains that water the earth.”

 ⁴ “What can I do with you, Ephraim?
   What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
   like the early dew that disappears.
⁵ Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
   I killed you with the words of my mouth—
   then my judgments go forth like the sun.
⁶ For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
   and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."

All God wants is for us to acknowledge Him, spend time with Him, be with Him, let Him dwell in the innermost parts of our heart. Return to Him again and again for He will appear again and again and He will heal you, He will bind your wounds, and most of all he will love you relentlessly.