The Heart of God

This evening my husband and I had the opportunity to meet with a married couple and catch up on the status of our married community group. The meeting was enjoyable. Two newlywed couples together with church leadership discussing marriage and the journey ahead. When I learned of this couples story I could not help but think to myself,

"Here is another one."

 I was listening to another story of two people with a heart for God reconciled after divorcing four years earlier. They laughed and enjoyed their newlywed status being remarried to each other in March. 

Here is another story of God doing what only he can do and that is to get right to the heart of the matter. 

If I can only love people, love my new husband like Christ loves me. Wouldn't that be something? All of us loving each other like Christ loves us.  Wouldn't that be something? Wouldn't that change the entire world? 

I don't know everything but I know this, no matter how far I've tried to run away from the truth of the gospel the message of Christ finds me. The message does not find me in some decorated building but in the lives of people He impacts. 

God, doing what only he can do - changing mans heart from stone. 

Another story. Another life changed. Another marriage saved. Another testimony revealing the heart of God.

Undeniable. 

9AM: Courageous

Life demands that you be courageous.

Courageous in your coming and going,

Courageous in your waking up and laying down,

Courageous in your eating and drinking,

Courageous in your decisions and opinions,

Courageous in your beliefs,

Courageous in the way you love,

Courageous in the way you give of yourself, your possessions, and your time.

Whatever you do be courageous in it all. 

@earlinagreen

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9AM: What We Believe Matters

What We Believe Matters

When an individual is deeply invested in their beliefs you will not win them over with reason because you are asking them to go against the very thing they believe.

Beliefs are important.

For instance, one might reason that people who call themselves lovers of the peace movement would not succumb to rhetoric that is fervently for war.  An individual who believes they are a Christ follower has certain character traits and so on.

We should pay close attention to beliefs because they dictate thoughts our thoughts steer our actions.

My question, how do you alter beliefs?

How do you and I shift the very foundation we build our entire life on? We live and die by our beliefs – even if they are wrong.

We loose the principle of truth as a foundation for our beliefs because we cannot agree absolute truth exist. My faith teaches that there is absolute truth. Truth is found in Christ, scripture, and seen through creation. 

My belief in an absolute truth lays the foundation for how I treat you, respond to hate, and live my life. But, this is my truth, and no matter how bad I want that truth to be the truth of the world, it is not.

Other belief foundations that we witness today are those around abortion and homosexuality, money, and power. It appears the foundation is centered around the belief that your life is your own and you do what you will. But I have known people who did what they will as it pertains to life, love, their body, and relationships and it has led to pain.

How do we decide on a central and absolute truth?

The place to begin would be the beginning but we would all have to agree on the starting point. We would have to agree on the starting place of our existence and creation, a beginning in which man was created.

The reason we don’t know where to look for the answers is because we have lost our starting point. Truth is subjective and our beliefs stem from the days newspaper headlines.

I hope we can come to an agreement before we harm each other further with our “beliefs”.

@earlinagreen

9AM: A Profound Truth

A Profound Truth

The rumor is that being a Christian is boring. I’ve heard people say the faith is all about rules, mandates, and consequences. People have said that life is to be lived by the heart and to follow the heart wherever it may lead. I have heard that people who believe in an all-knowing being are better off believing in aliens. 

All of this is simply not true.

I was a young woman who lived the way I wanted to in my early twenties. I followed my heart wherever it led and my life was a wreck. I entered relationships giving more of myself than I should. I lived in a high-rise condo and had all the money I needed but I was miserable.

Giving my life to Christ has not only freed me from my own hang-ups, family history, and past choices but I have better relationships with my friends, sisters, and the people I work with. I don’t sweat the small stuff and when I do I have a group of girls around me who remind me of a better way to process my emotions.

I marry my best friend in a few months and it would not be possible without first recognizing who loved me first, why he created me, and my life's objective. 

Christ pursued me.

I've been on this journey for a few years now. A journey in which I’ve turned to run away from the truth of my soul but I was pursued with love and kindness. Christ pursued me through my church community group, through the Bible, and through complete surrender of the life I wanted for myself.

That’s when it happens.

That is when life opens up. The Bible says in Matthew 16:25, “whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” You and I gain Him and the full revelation that comes with being in relation with the creator of the universe.

My life is far from boring and uninspired but free, revealed, steady, peaceful, filled with love, and hard times that are meant to further grow and define my character. I’ve realized that every occasion is an opportunity to live out the grace and love that has been given to me.

Life still isn’t easy but it’s not hard either.  

it’s worth it. It’s worth it because the life I lead is more authentic and better than the “life” I could have created for myself. It’s worth it because even when things go bad I can see the bigger picture. It’s worth it because all my striving to “be”, to exist, is now laid at the feet of Christ and he happens to be a better captain.  

It’s worth it because when death comes, I will welcome it, knowing that I ran the race with full understanding of what the sacrifice of Christ meant and how he changed my entire life. 

@earlinagreen

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9AM: Absolute Truth

We can know truth that will free us from the pain of this life and free us to live who we were meant to be.

Is there a truth so certain that we may live our entire lives by it? And if this truth exist how can it be known? Who may know it? And how will the rest of us recognize and understand it?

There are many truths that we can convince ourselves to be certain, such as love, connection, and closeness. In time these truths can reveal unexpected flaws. Is it because they are conceived out of our own desires? Our desire to be loved, respected, to feel close to others and feel connected to the world around us?

I believe absolute truth exist. I believe it is non-negotiable, infinite and eternal. I believe it existed before we were born and will live on after. I believe we can know truth if we have the desire. I believe that truth can be realized here, today, in this moment and if we are brave enough to listen the truth can free us.

The truth can free us from the lies we have been told about our future, self-image, and intelligence. Truth can teach us about the world, why there is so much pain, and injustice, and about ourselves. It can free us from the burden of our upbringing.

What about absolute truth? What are the absolute truths that exist in the world today? The certainty of sunset and sunrise can be seen as an absolute truth, gravity, and the fact that death awaits us all.

What I believe and discovered through my life experience is that the existence of God is an absolute truth. We see him in creation and through people that are in relationship with him. We see Christ as an absolute truth in life itself and our creation.

How will we find and/or confirm this truth?

I suggest we start our search for truth at the beginning. My mother taught me about an absolute truth in Jesus Christ when I was a little girl. She spoke of a faith in Christ that could move mountains and calm raging seas. She said this faith could set mans crooked paths straight and teach him how to walk upright.

Where will we find it?

We could learn from each other the truth of the gospels but we bring too much baggage into the interaction. For now, we will look directly at scripture; inspired by Christ and lived out in the world we live in today.

Will you take the journey with me? I am certain we may find what we are looking for along the way.

@earlinagreen

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9 AM: Keep Going

Remembering Christ in 2016. Verses taken from Matthew 5:1-12

Run the race. Fight the good fight. 

@earlinagreen

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