Words fascinate me. How they look, feel, and roll off the tongue. They’re like buried treasure, just waiting to be dug up, polished and put on display. I tuck them away in my brain for future reference and sometimes make lists so I don’t forget a fav.
People collect all kinds of things. I collect words. Yeah, I’m weird.
I so appreciate that Paul, Marsha, and Dawn often give Greek and Hebrew definitions when they teach. It helps me understand scripture better and I’m always amazed at how often what I thought was being said wasn’t even close to the intended meaning. Like a few weeks ago when we were talking about love.
Our text was from Matthew 22.37-39: You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. (NLT)
It’s pretty obvious that God wants us to love. Love Him with heart, soul, and mind. And equally important, love others. Love’s a big deal. But do we really understand it?
A simple Google search nets a gazillion results on the subject. A few of the basics include:
Eros- Sensual or romantic love
Storge- Family love
Philia- Deep emotional bond of friendships.
Agape- God's love for humankind.
I’ll admit to tossing around the concept recklessly. I’ve blurted it out in regards to everything from electronics to chocolate to my furbaby, Toby. We love shopping (for most women-I'm just not one of them), our children, and plush carpet.
What's not to love?
But in order to answer the burning question of how to love God and others, Paul shared the Greek meaning in this passage. It’s the word agapao, (a VERY cool sounding word) and is the verb form of agape. It means to love dearly, in large quantity. To treat with high value. With affection.
So how do we agapao God with heart, soul, and mind?
By turning to Him. Drawing near in order to come closer. Learning to depend on Him.
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. James 4.8 NLT
Turning to Him is a choice. God is a gentleman. He doesn’t foist himself upon us and allows us free-will to make decisions. It's up to us. But the good news is the promise: That if we come close to Him, He will come close to us.
So. . .
I can choose to consult Him on my plans—instead of asking Him to bless what I’ve already put into place.
I can learn to take a pause and ask Him what HE would have me do. Otherwise, I'm running ahead, bent on getting my own way.
I can make prayer my first response as opposed to my last resort so I will learn to depend on Him instead of myself.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell
God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will
experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His
peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4.6-7 NLT
Here's another promise: Turning to Him will bring us peace, something we all could use more of.
Then the heart will take action, stimulated by peaceful feelings. It can't be conjured but will naturally grow as a consequence of humble submission and obedience to Him.
We are a God-driven church, hosting His presence and seeking His will in everything we do. As God restores and equips us, we will be enabled to walk in wholeness and fulfill His destiny for us.
Jamestown Church Mission Statement
We often talk about God’s destiny and His plans for our lives. We each have a tailor-made assignment and He enables us to serve Him in obedience by responding to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
But moving forward into His plans often causes me to struggle. I yearn to forge ahead yet stubbornly cling to the familiar. I want to walk in wholeness but am paralyzed by fear.
I want to be part of His mission yet sometimes it feels. . . impossible.
I used to watch Mission Impossible with my dad. Who could forget that music. The lit fuse. An ominous voice, “. . .this tape will self-destruct in five seconds. . .”
And “Your mission, if you choose to accept it. . .”
Sometime I think God asks me the same thing.
Not very spiritual, I know, but it does lead me to question: Am I willing to step into His destiny for me? To make a choice to accept His assignment? Or will I run the other way into self-destruction?
I'd hope my answer would be a resounding, “I’m in.” But before I rush to Walmart to buy a stealthy black outfit, there’s work to be done.
Restored and Equipped
Training and preparation is mandatory for any mission. For believers, it involves restoration and equipping.
Restoration includes dealing with sin, stuff that weighs us down, attitudes. Things we’d rather not look at but must. It's about anything that might get in the way of the ultimate goal of moving into our assignment.
The process allows God to heal us from the inside out--not by our own strength. Philippians 2.13 says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (NLT). This will return us to what He originally intended (before sin entered the world) and equip us for our destiny. But we must do our part and cooperate. Work with Him--not against.
We need to turn and submit to His authority. Trust Him to point out our flaws and address the issues as we confront our inner-uglies. Change our ways. Change our thoughts. Change our minds. Resistance will delay our destiny so we must face ourselves.
Being stripped down and exposed isn’t easy. It’s an on-going process involving sequential steps as opposed to a one and done. It is part of our journey—not the destination.
Restoration: It's a journey. . .not a destination
Fulfilling His Destiny and Plans
But as He chips away at the stony places in our hearts, amazing things begin to happen.
We become equipped for our mission, changed and transformed to move into our destiny, according to His purpose. (Romans 8.28)
So we move out. Dive in. Or cautiously take a step. Maybe several. We're like, "Okay, I got this. Here we go. . ."
Then it all goes sideways.
Suddenly, the path gets rough and bumps in the road shake our resolve. Things don't come as easily and we begin to question. We're left bewildered and confused. Unsure. And frightened.
Or maybe some of those issues we dealt with (or thought we had) come back to haunt us. We lose our temper. Make bad decisions. Or find ourselves acting independently of God, taking off on our own and leaving Him in the dust.
Abraham had some of the same problems.
Genesis 15 tells us that the Lord counted him righteous because of his faith even though he struggled with doubt, fear, and unbelief. God even made a covenant with him that he would be the father of many nations. His destiny was set. All he had to do was trust and obey, submit to the transformation and equipping process, and move forward.
Then things got messy.
Along the way, Abraham got sidetracked and sometimes took matters into his own hands. He ended up in sticky situations by lying that Sarah was his sister (when she was actually his wife) and snickered when God said he would have a son in his old age.
Abraham allowed the enemy to distract and bully him into bad choices. His obedience lagged and he went off on his own instead of trusting God to direct him. His lapses in judgment could’ve jeopardized his destiny.
But God came through.
With infinite patience, Abraham was picked up and put back on the right path. Sometimes he had to circle around the same mountain but he always came out the other side.
God does the same for us.
Abraham may have thought his situation impossible at times. He made bad choices and often suffered the consequences of taking matters into his own hands. His restoration and equipping process was slow at times.
But with strength and courage, he pushed through.and became a great man of faith, able to withstand and fulfill his destiny.
Abraham figured out that his mission was NOT impossible.
And so can we.
Lord, make me more than I am-your work in me, not mine. As I surrender, change me.
