A Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit

There is a huge weight on people of these days to strive to succeed at everything, to make themselves perfect. I gave a talk on this subject to a group of wonderful and yet overwhelmed women. I expressed my understanding that the Lord does not ask for our exhaustion, only our hearts.

I try to help Christian women every where  to see that they are good enough if they love the Lord and are trying to do good. We are good enough then because He is Excellent and through His grace we become clean and perfect. It is His work not ours; we are just along for the ride if we are humble enough to accept this generous offer.

The Only Reality.

Love. The only indestructible thing. The only wealth and the only reality. The only survival. At the end of it all there was nothing else

The Dean's Watch: Elizabeth Goudge

In the Love and Service of God: Part 2

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

These things I command you, that ye love one another

John 15: 13-14,17

 

 

We are commanded to love one another and the greatest love we can show is to lay down our lives for our friends. Jesus is commanding us to lay down our lives for each other in His command to love one another.

What does this mean? At it's simplest it means to die for one another physically if needed. But on a higher level is means to die each day to our own desires for our self in this life and to take up the 'cross of Christ' instead. The 'cross of Christ' is to do the will of the Father no matter where that will takes us or what it costs us. And it will probably cost us dearly.

 

The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

John 15:20

 

These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.

They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 

John 16:1-3

 

How shall we know the will of the Father?

 

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

John 16:13

The Lord has promised us the spirit and it will guide us is we truly seek to do the will of the Father through and in the name of the Son.

And this promise is to us today as it was to the disciples of old:

 

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

John 17: 17, 20

Always remember, who Jesus is, He is the Word and the Truth.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6

If we will search His words, truly take them to heart, and pray to understand them and do the works Jesus showed us, we will find the Lord's direction for our life.

We are not only commanded to love one another but it is why we are here.

May God bless, lead and keep you, in the Name of Jesus Christ.