Friday, January 27, 2006
Swan Wood Springs United Methodist Church - Amy's other home church. I've attended a few times and I love the people there. We are the youngest attendees there by 30+ years :) and they love having younger blood as part of their worship services. They have such a contageous passion for Jesus. They love Him and are so intentional about sharing Him with others. 
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgements are like a great deep.
Oh Lord, You preserve man and beast, how precious is Your lovingkindess, O God; and the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house and You give them to drink of the river of You delights; for with You is the fountain of life. In Your Light we see light.
Oh continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You; and Your righteousness to the upright in heart. (Psalm 36:5-10)
Oh Lord, You preserve man and beast, how precious is Your lovingkindess, O God; and the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house and You give them to drink of the river of You delights; for with You is the fountain of life. In Your Light we see light.
Oh continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You; and Your righteousness to the upright in heart. (Psalm 36:5-10)
Hosea is my favorite book of the Bible (well, next to the Psalms) ....
"... I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her ... she will sing there as in the days of her youth ..." (3:14,15)
Youth With A Mission is my wilderness. I've known it for a while, expecting this year to be a time of solitude with God; for Him to speak. I've never been terribly great at listening and I'm trusting that will change.
When God speaks of Hosea's prostitute wife (the image of Israel) He promises the wilderness not as a time of punishment, as it once was, but a time of renewal, of intimacy, of wooing and winning again a wayward bride back to Himself.
It shames me that what I most often expect from God are harsh words, pain and punishment - not the faithful lovingkindness He promises over and over. But He waits to have compassion on His children, to speak tenderly to them and to woo them again unto Himself.
I'm expecting God to break into my world. I've loved Him for the most of my life as best as I've known how ... but I know there's more. Much more. There's a growing, living, breathing intimacy He promises for the taking if we'll accept it. And I want it. More than anything. I guess I'm just not really sure how to get there.
I know for every question He has an answer .... and is excited to show us Truth. So this is my assurance - God aggressively pursues those He loves. And as I learn His character, I will learn how to pursue Him in return.
"I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord." (Hosea 2:19,20)
"... I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her ... she will sing there as in the days of her youth ..." (3:14,15)
Youth With A Mission is my wilderness. I've known it for a while, expecting this year to be a time of solitude with God; for Him to speak. I've never been terribly great at listening and I'm trusting that will change.
When God speaks of Hosea's prostitute wife (the image of Israel) He promises the wilderness not as a time of punishment, as it once was, but a time of renewal, of intimacy, of wooing and winning again a wayward bride back to Himself.
It shames me that what I most often expect from God are harsh words, pain and punishment - not the faithful lovingkindness He promises over and over. But He waits to have compassion on His children, to speak tenderly to them and to woo them again unto Himself.
I'm expecting God to break into my world. I've loved Him for the most of my life as best as I've known how ... but I know there's more. Much more. There's a growing, living, breathing intimacy He promises for the taking if we'll accept it. And I want it. More than anything. I guess I'm just not really sure how to get there.
I know for every question He has an answer .... and is excited to show us Truth. So this is my assurance - God aggressively pursues those He loves. And as I learn His character, I will learn how to pursue Him in return.
"I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord." (Hosea 2:19,20)
Friday, January 20, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)