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Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

A Lesson from Life

All of my life I have been keeping a buffer zone between me and the people that surround me. People thought that they knew me, but when in reality they didn't. People knew who I was at the most basic of levels, but never at a level deeper than that. My world was rocked just the other day when someone finally broke into the buffer zone. To be honest I was completely freaked out, absolutely speechless. How had someone finally broke into this zone, they were treading into unchartered territory. For the first time in my life I felt like I was truly out there, completely vulnerable, and I was scared. However, there is a great lesson that I have been taught through all of this, It's Good. I know your thinking It's Good sound like nothing, but hear me out and I think that you will be blessed in just the same way that I was through this.

Look at the Apostle Paul when he was on the Road to Damascus. He was walking along the road on the way to gather up believers in Damascus and his life was changed forever. God himself came into Paul's life and asked him Acts 9:4 "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" God himself confronted Saul and asked him what he was doing, he told Saul exactly what he was doing. He entered unchartered territory in Saul's life. Just like I was Saul felt vulneable, scared, and amazed Acts 9:6 "So he, trembling and astonished..." Amidst all of these emotions that were going on and the astonishment that Saul was facing, he knew it was time to let go, time to change. V. 6 "Lord what do you want me to do?" The the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." Saul knew it was time to change his ways so he obeyed and went, the rest is history. He received the Holy Spirit, his named was changed to Paul, and he became the greatest of all of the Apostles. Why? Because he was willing to accept what happened when someone came into that unchartered territory. Instead of run into a shell and hide he choose to come out and completely change. He went from Saul to Paul, from Christian killer to soul winner.

Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose." I believe that everything that happens in life happens for our good, despite how we feel in the current moment. I feel that in those moments God is trying to teach us something, just like I feel he is trying to teach me something in this moment. What is he trying to teach me? He is teaching me that in order to completely show other people his love, the buffer zone has to break. In order to completely serve him the way that I want to serve him, I can't be afraid to put myself out there. I can't be afraid to love. Why? 1 John 4:8-9 " He who does not love does not know God, for GOD IS LOVE. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." We love because 1. God is love. and 2. He showed us his love by nailing Jesus to the cross. Not loving is simply not an option. Is is scary loving people? Dang straight it is. Could you get hurt? Most certaintly you can. The only way that you can truly love others is to first love God, and the let go of all of your fears, all of your walls, all of your what ifs and start loving. Is it going to be scary? Yes. Could you get hurt? Yes. But its worth it.

1 John 4: 18-19 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We Love him because He first loved us."

Listen to this Song by My Boys the Sidewalk Prophets- It's Good (Love's not safe)

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