Love is a Choice

Hey readers, yes, the topic is about love this time. But don't worry it won't get mushy gushy. 

Myth: "I just fell in love."

Well, no, you didn't. You choose to love.

I firmly believe this. People do not just miraculously fall in love. Love and gravity are nothing alike. Love is fantastic don't get me wrong- but it is a choice. When we embrace it- it's the best thing that ever came to this dark world.

Yes- I said came, no mistake.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."

Jesus came to Earth to save our hell-ridden butts. No doubt about it, I needed a Savior, you needed a Savior, I still need a Savior and so do you. God made a way. By sending Christ (Jesus), we had the only perfect, holy being punished because we were/are/will not. It didn't end there- then it would just be a tragedy. Jesus rose from the dead. We have a way to spend of our lives with Him. How fantastic! Praise God! Just as Jesus rose from the dead- we are too. Awaken! Die to ourselves, and come to life through Him!

Now... why in the french toast would God come in save a bunch of nasty, awful people such as ourselves. Selfish, greedy, lustful, prideful, angry, judgmental, cruel people that we are, God still wanted us. He desired us. I try to relate, I think about people that come to mind that fall into one or more of those categories, including myself, and frankly, I hesitate to be their friend. Just as people hesitate to be my friend. Why would any of us want to be around any given one of us? It is a choice.

God made a choice. The most ultimate being wants to be our friend. Even while we were scum He came, dang. 

Romans 5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

There is nothing we could possibly do to convince Him to let us through the gates of Heaven. He made the way before we even took our first breaths. We don't deserve His love- but He gave it to us anyway.

So when I go back to thinking about myself and the people I surround myself with. They chose to love me by hanging out with me, supporting me, enjoying life with me, and praising God with me. I am so glad they made that choice. Not all my friends are perfect, but I choose to love them anyway. Why? Because God chose to love me and you.

What's comforting is that this love doesn't come from within myself. I'll hit ya with more of God's word and then some math lingo. ;)

1 John 7:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

That last piece is what I think about a lot. God is love. The love that I have to offer comes from God (transitivity property - math is fun). I can love anybody because this love is not from me- it is from God. I have just chosen to let others feel it too. 

Now, I'll touch on that myth again in respect to relationships. I've fallen victim to the myth. Oh I just fell in love with him... mmmm. no. Like I stated before, I chose to love, and then I chose to walk away from it. I discovered that I wasn't loving myself, him, nor God the way I was made to. It was a bad place for me. As a side note: Anytime I put my heart out there again, it may make rejection 1000000x worse. 

If you are in love, then you made that decision at some point. I fought the concept for awhile and you may to, but just mediate on the grace of God. God didn't just fall in love with me, I am unlovable in that sense. God chose to love me- I did nothing. 

I cry thinking about it because it just makes the gift of salvation so incredible.  (Yes, I'm crying as I write this.) 

He sees me as beautiful.

He sees me as wonderful.

He sees me as a masterpiece.

He sees my heart.

He sees my need.

He sees my life.

He sees me as white as snow.

He sees me.

I am just so blessed and grateful for His love.

I've placed my heart in His hands. All my love comes from Him. My future prince will understand this and will go through Him to get a piece of my heart.

God loves us. So, so, so much. Don't you see. He wants your heart too.

God Bless!

Ephesians 2:4-5 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved-"

1 John 4:9-11 "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." (This verse makes my heart jump, makes me chuckle, and makes me cry too.)

1 John 3:1 "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."

John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Psalm 136:26 "Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever."

My Jesus by Todd Agnew <3

Unconnected in a Connected World

First I am going to start by taking an inventory of the electronics/technology that I own (please don't come rob me):
-cell phone (no, it is not a smart phone)
-mp3 player (no, its not an iPod)
-television
-dvd player
-laptop
-GPS

Now, I am going to say that in terms of this society, I don't have the latest stuff nor do I have a lot (when I compare myself to others). I don't have the smartphone. I don't have an iTouch or an iPhone or whatever. Reasons 1) I am too frugal for that nonsense and 2) I just don't care.

Yet, I still disgust myself.

Secondly, I'm going to spit a few facts.
83% of American adults own some sort of cell phone
51% of adult cell phone owners used their phone for information they needed right away
42% of cell phone owners used phone for entertainment when they were bored
20% of cell phone owners got frustrated when their phone was taking too long to do something
13% of cell phone owners pretended to use their phone in order to avoid interacting with the people around them
(Survey was conducted on 2,277 adults in the spring of 2011)

Now, I pray just about daily that God breaks my heart for what breaks His. Since this has been on my heart for a LOONNNNNGGGG time, I'm thinking it disgusts Him too. Then when I think about disgusting God, I become even more disgusted with myself. 

Now, I'm really only going to focus on cellphones and laptops. Honestly, the laptop isn't the problem it is the internet. 

To take it another step, its not the cellphone's fault or the internet's. It is mine. I'm not living in denial.

When I am bored, I get on facebook, twitter, or I text a friend. When I have better things to do, I get on facebook, twitter, or I text a friend. When I should be going to bed, I get on facebook, twitter, or I text a friend. Are you getting the idea? Now I know some of you may not have this problem, props to you. What do you do with your free time then?

Anyways.

To overcome, like I have stated before, I fasted from my phone from 8am-10pm. And it was minimally amazing! :) Now you may ask, why would it be amazing? I built better relationships with the people around me. I connected with my fellow counselors and I built better bonds with the kids I worked with. (I was a counselor for a Christian youth camp over the summer.) I had less headaches. The best part, I felt more connected to what God was trying to teach me this summer! :D

Facebook consequently fell in the fast as well since I didn't have access to the internet elsewhere than my phone. I didn't miss a thing.

I have tried deleting my facebook before but then return saying things like "I get to stay connected with old friends," "Its my only way to communicate with people that I don't have their number," "I need to update organization members with stuff and advertise events," and "nahhh." Lol.

Well, the first two excuses are invalid. The third is fairly helpful. And the fourth is just me being stubborn. (Which I am fantastic at by the way.)

More facts:
More than half of all Americans 12+ are now on Facebook
78 million Americans age 18+ say they used Facebook mobile about 7.3 hours on average per month
160 million Americans use Facebook (web) an average of 6.5 hours per month


Now, why does this disgust me so much? (If the stats don't make it obvious)

Technology is supposed to help us reach information faster and communicate with each other easier. Well, we reach information so fast that we are now creeps. We communicate with each other so quickly that we don't know how to communicate with each other face to face anymore.

People are so rude to each other. If we don't get a response from someone right away, we flip out. If we don't want to deal with someone anymore, we delete them on facebook- what about when you see them in passing? We are still people. I mean we get on Facebook or our phones to ignore others... yikes.

I had better relationships and a better attitude when I unconnected myself from the social network. 

The point I am trying to make is that this so called Connected World is so very unconnected. Kind of an oxymoron an Unconnected Connected World. 

Now, I don't think God hates technology. I just think He frowns upon how I am using it. 

Mark 12:31 "The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Now I am going to speak for myself...

I can't honestly say that I am genuinely loving others by the way I use facebook and my cellphone. 

Now if I have any doubts about my choice then more often than not, it is a sin. 

So, the way I am using Facebook and my cell phone is a sin. Yup, disgusted feeling yet again.

A change must be made.
People don't get a better view of my heart by the way I use Facebook, usually. People don't know that I care about them by the way I use Facebook. People aren't my friend just because it is FBO.

I am going to make a new effort that when I get on Facebook... If I find myself not loving others by the way I used Facebook then I going to ground myself. If I think God would be disappointed then I get off right away and ground myself. Sounds silly, I know. But I have been being silly for years.

I want to make Him smile. But I am boring Him and I am breaking His heart. I don't want to do that. EVER!

I need to be a better friend. I need to get off facebook. I need to get rid of this disgusted belly ache. I need to love others.

How are you doing? (I'm boring and disgusting.) How is the spiritual community doing? (Weak.) How are your relationships doing? (Need major improvement.)

One last thought: If Christ came back and you were creepin' on Facebook or doing some other nonsense, meaningless activity would you be embarrassed? I would be.

God Bless!