Love God. Love Neighbor

            The two greatest commandments in the Bible are to love God and love neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39). Surprisingly though, I feel they are the most overlooked commandments in many of our Christian circles.

            John 13:34-35 states, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (NIV). This is a passage that the Holy Spirit constantly whispers to my soul.

            Jesus didn’t tell His disciples that people will know that they follow Him by their perfect church attendance or how much money they give to church. He didn’t tell them that people will be drawn to God through how many church committees they are on or even how many mission trips they have been on. Jesus didn’t tell His disciples that the lost will know that they are Christ’s disciples through their eloquent speech or prayers.

            They will be known by their love.

            Not the kind of love that we use to describe our love for chocolate or our pet dog. It’s not the kind of love that we fall into only to fall out of one day when that significant other turns out to be less than perfect and disappoints us.

            The type of love that Jesus speaks of is life-giving. His love is willing to climb on a cross and pour out His blood for a people who would never think of Him if He didn’t reveal Himself to them. His love is absolutely patient. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 to catch a glimpse of this kind of love.

            His love gives sacrificially to those in need and doesn’t care about a return. His love sees a man on the side of the road in filthy rags and really sees a man with a story waiting to be unfurled, so He feeds that man and gives Him the Bread of Life.

            Jesus’ love that will prove we are His followers and draw more people to His glorious name is a love that will do anything to give people a new life in Him.

            His love does not forsake; it heals.

            So, stop worrying about all of the “churchy” stuff such as church attendance or verse memorization as your way to show people you know God. Knowing God’s Word is essential and fellowship with other believers is as well, but if we have not love, how will people know that God loves them?

            Love God and neighbor. It’s that simple.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Elijah, a Man Like Us

            “God won’t use me like He used people in the Bible. They’re different. I’m not that good.”

            I used to think that above line a few years ago. No, I didn’t say it out loud, but inside, I felt it to be true. God seemed to use the people in the Bible differently from us today. To be used like Elijah the prophet seemed crazy, but my thinking process was entirely wrong.

            James 5:17-18 states, “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced crops” (NIV).  The first time I read this verse, I couldn’t (and still can’t) get over the line “Elijah was a man just like us.”

Elijah was a man like me? A young woman who lives in the 21^st century?   

My thoughts ran rampant through my mind, but the answer from the Holy Spirit and God’s Word was and is still clear: God can and will use me like He did Elijah. I don’t have to be a certain person or level of “goodness” because God makes me worthy to be loved and used by Him, and God counts you worthy, too.

Maybe you have fallen into the lie that you will never be used by God or that you aren’t good enough for God to use mightily. Well, as James 5:17 says, you’re just like Elijah. He was human just like you are. He struggled with doubt, fear, sin, and probably a million other things, just like you. But, God decided to use Him still because Elijah knew that God made Him worthy.

The next time you think God can’t use you, remember Elijah and James 5:17-18. No, you probably won’t make a three year drought start, but you just may help change a person’s life who has never known God before.

And one last thought, not only did Elijah have to be willing to let God use him, but he also had to be obedient to God’s leading.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Hands Wide-Open

            “If you live with your hands balled up in fists, you can only have as much as you can hold, but if you leave your hands wide-open, you’re free to have and give more.”

            An old Sunday school teacher of mine told me something like that above quote a long time ago, and recently, my heart and mind wandered back to that lesson. I remember listening to her talk about holding on to things instead of letting God give and take as He pleased. She said closing our fists was symbolic of us trying to have control over our lives instead of letting go and letting the Holy Spirit lead us.

            I agree with her.

            I’ve seen how I’ve tried to control my own life, time, money, gifts, and talents. Even though I know my ways are not as good, sometimes I let the flesh win and I attempt to live a “safe” life that in reality isn’t worth living at all. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live my life with closed fists, only being able to hold a tiny fraction of the life God has planned for me. So, I’ll stretch my fingers out and let the Spirit lead.

            My prayer is that I will learn the voice of the Spirit so well that when He says to go, I go and when He says to stay, I stay. I want to be so open that when the Holy Spirit says to give, I give no matter the cost.

            I will purposely stretch out my hands and allow the Spirit to take flight in my life. Every day I see Him move, and I know that it’s only the beginning of my story in His story.  

            Will you stretch your hands wide-open and let the Spirit lead? Freedom and life is found in surrendering your control to the One who knows you better than you know yourself. Stretch out your hands and live in freedom.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Against All Hope

            “You’re almost 100 years old with no children. Do you really think you’re going to be the father of millions when you’re basically on your deathbed?”

            I don’t know what others said to Abraham when he told them that God said he’d be the father of many nations. However, I do know that the promise God made Abraham to give him a son was impossible when it came to human capabilities. An 100 year old man having a child, raising him, and teaching him is not very likely. I actually don’t know anyone who has become a father at 100. Most people meet eternity at that age not start a new chapter in their lives, but Abraham didn’t focus on that truth. He focused on God.

            Unlike what I could imagine would go through my head, Abraham believed God and put his hope and trust in His promises. Romans 4:20-21 states that [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised” (NIV).

            Abraham didn’t kind of believe God would come through on His promises. Despite all logic and reason, Abraham believed God. He knew his skin was wrinkled, his hair was grey, his walk a little hindered, but Abraham was more certain of God’s ability to do what He said.

            And, God came through like He always does, but how many of us actually believe that?

            God has promised to work everything for the good of those who are called according to His purpose. He has promised to provide our every need, to love us, to always be with us, to protect us, and to rescue us one day. We can be certain of that.

            And, as Abraham did, we can be certain that God has the power to do what He has promised even if what He has promised goes against all hope and logic because God is a God of possibility. He makes the impossible absolutely possible. 

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Freedom in Waiting

            I used to think waiting was torture. Don’t get me wrong; I consider myself a patient person overall, but as I mentioned before, I want to know what’s going to happen next—now.

            Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that God doesn’t work that way. Yes, sometimes He does answer prayers immediately, but oftentimes, He does not, for His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not 

our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8).

            Recently, I’ve been seeking wisdom on which way to step in my life, and the answers are not entirely clear. All I can do is wait, wait, and wait some more. But, I feel like I’ve been doing that for so long now, and so I fought the waiting. In my own strength I’ve searched high and low for answers, just a glimmer of a solid pathway with my name on it.

            However, I usually found a road block or felt so out of step with my Creator, so I had to fall to my knees and let Him start over. You know that recalculating phrase that a GPS repeats over and over again? Well, I know over my four years of college, God did that. I changed my major twice, but I finally found where God wanted me, and I realized that recalculating period where I had to wait wasn’t a waste of gas or time. I learned a lot from those times of waiting, but waiting was still hard—is still hard.

            That period of waiting has resurfaced in my life, but God is teaching me a lesson: waiting on God doesn’t lead to frustration or pain or uncertainty. Waiting on God is living in freedom because when has God ever failed? Never.

            God knows the plans He has for you (Jer. 29:11), which means you don’t have to know them. He promises to work everything out for good in your life (Romans 8:28), and when has He ever failed to come through on a promise?

            God tells us not to lean on our own understanding, and I understand why a little better. Not only is our understanding flawed, but it traps us and clouds our lives with worry and chaos. His understanding is so much better than ours. Think about it: He is omniscient and lives outside of time, which means He probably has a better grasp on the future and how to work my life out that I do, and living in that knowledge is freeing.

            I don’t have to have it all together because He does.

            I don’t need all the wisdom of the world because He is the author of wisdom.

I don’t have to have life figured out because He does.  

            Today, let go of your worries. Cut the strings of control you may have on your life and free fall into the arms of Grace.

I promise that freedom is found in resting in Him.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Love Casts Out Fear

            Lately, I’ve been crippled—by the unknown and my inability to fully plan out my life.

            Fear has crept in like a thief in the night and stolen my joy, my peace. It’s done this before, but this time has been a little different—I forgot how to combat fear this time around. I neglected to take my eyes off the storm so I stayed in the boat. I decided to stay in a wooden boat being tossed about by the raging storm rather than step out onto the rocky waves that don’t even faze the One calling me out upon the waters; He walks peacefully while I cling on for dear life.     

    

           I know it sounds counter-intuitive for me to stay in a boat that could fall apart at any second, but at least it’s known, safe for now.            

Many times we stay in this figurative boat because in that space, we have control. We know that if we keep scooping the water out, the boat just might stay afloat, but in reality, we’re sinking little by little.

            The problem with staying in our boats is that we think we can control everything and that we think we’re supposed to have everything figured out on our own. This is a complete lie, and the source of this belief is, many times, fear. At least for me it is. We fear stepping out onto the waves because all we see are the crashing waves and a potential way to drown. Yes, we know that God is out there walking and pleading for us to trust Him, but our eyes get stuck to the white, raging foam billowing up from the riptide. John 10:10 states "The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, but I (Christ) have come that they may have life and have it to the full" (NIV). Fear that rips at you is not from Christ; it is from the Evil One. Christ hasn't come to cripple you but to give you life. Fear is a lie. 

            Don’t let this happen to you because as a child of God, you are loved, and perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18). When we realize who we are in Christ, we know that we are loved beyond our comprehension. No, God doesn’t love us like we love chocolate (and I love chocolate a lot!); He doesn’t love us like we love our significant other or friend. No, He doesn’t even love us as much as our parents love us or they love their children. He loves us much, much more. His love is perfect. It keeps no records of wrong; it is patient and kind. When you realize how much you are loved by God, you will leap out of the boat. No, this doesn’t mean you’ll never fail or face fear again, but the more you get to know Him and dwell in His presence the more loving and obeying Him becomes second nature—fear disappears.

            When we let God’s love wipe away our tears, our false beliefs about ourselves, our past failures, our guilt, and our shame, we begin to learn more about His heartbeat. When we let the Spirit overwhelm our lives, it is then that we see fear vanish and walking on water with Jesus much more solid than staying in a boat we really couldn’t control in the first place.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Identity Crisis

           We all find our identity somewhere.

            It could be found in our academia, friends, family, money, job, clothes, self, or even the media, but wherever you find your identity, if it’s not in Christ, you’re probably believing a lie—actually, let me rephrase that: you are believing a lie.

            Recently, I realized how I’ve fallen for the wrong identity. Being the people pleaser that I am, I discovered that I find my identity in what others say about me and what others believe about me. Through this belief, I’ve become crippled and at a loss for who I am. Am I this, that, or that? It was all so confusing, but then, God intervened and righted this wrong way of thinking.

            Here is who God reminded me that I am:

            I am loved (John 3:16)

            I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139: 13-16).

            I am fully known and yet, fully loved (Psalm 139).

            I am chosen (1 Peter 2:9).

            I am fully forgiven and therefore, can do nothing to sever my relationship with my Savior (Colossians 2:13-14).

            I am a child of God, a daughter of the King (John 1:12-13).

            I am a friend of God (John 15:15).

            I am set free from sin (Romans 6:18).

            I am a new creation and don’t have to worry or feel guilty about my past (2 Corinthians 5:17).

            I am Christ’s ambassador; He chose to use me to spread His name (2 Corinthians 5:20).

            I am His beloved and bride (Isaiah 62:3-4).

            It is refreshing to know my identity is not found in what others think about me but in what God knows about me. I am God’s creation and therefore, He knows me; He knows you.

            Today, remember where your identity comes from. Those verses are just a few examples of who we are in Christ. I encourage you to read for yourself.

            Remember: you are loved, counted worthy, a child of God, and a beautiful creation. You do not have to be perfect or successful or anything else because you are already God’s.

            Listen to Him. He calls you beloved. He calls you His own.

            Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas