Tag: amazing

the Ultimate Outreach

Karla Lees

The Word became flesh & blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish. John 1:14 MSG

God wasn’t happy until He did everything He could to reach His people, the ones He created.

He did the ultimate outreach by condensing Himself into human form to walk beside us, with us.

He knew we needed a God we could reach out and touch.

Love came down
& rescued me,
Love came down
& set me free!

A loving, generous and true God, made alive before human eyes in Jesus!

What a love He has for us! May you catch a glimpse of Jesus, this God, glory contained in humanity, and get to know Him. For that is why He came- to meet you!

This post was originally seen March 3rd 2015 at:
http://remade-ministries.org/devotion/the-ultimate-outreach/
where I am delighted to be one of their semi-regular guest contributors 🙂

investing

Karla Lees

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Invest.

Not a word we tend to think about apart from investing with our money.

I wouldn’t be here today without the investing that people, in God’s perfect timing, made in my life.

When I was at my lowest, love was poured into me.

God met me and pulled me out of the pit I had made of my life, reeling from what I had done in response to what had been done to me.

God got me. Accepted me as I was. Loved me as I was. Loved me for who I could become in His hands. Guided me towards help.

My life has been completely made over from His investment.

The transaction Jesus paid off to buy my freedom was an investment of love. Poured out to cover all I had done and will ever do. A love offering that keeps on loving in equal parts grace and mercy.

An investment in me, making me worthy; His.

I have had several mentors who came along side me when they saw I needed direction, and guided me as they poured into me. Helping me make wise choices, develop necessary skills, forgive as I needed, seek God’s face when at a crossroads.

Their investment of love allowed me to more fully live.

The life we live is impacted by those around us.

There will always be negative influences to block out with our shield of faith.  People who don’t like where you are headed as you follow God’s lead.

If God’s investment in me was worth His all, how can I respond with less than my all?

As a wife, mother, daughter, friend, coworker, God places people in my life for me to invest in.

To encourage, to love, to come alongside in times of need, to work together with, to share my hopes & dreams and encourage theirs.

It is in investing in love that we truly live.

Our purpose after loving God with all we are, is to love His people, all of them, with the love we have been shown.

An investing, overhauling, radical expression of love.

Love is the only thing that can change the world. 

In Jesus, it has, forever.

What better investment can we make with our lives than to follow His example.

Love the ones you are with, as He loves them.

PS.

I was inspired last week to use my words in a more unique way last week.

One of my coworkers was gearing up for a major licensing exam and a major sporting tournament this past weekend.

God laid it on my heart to social media bomb her with the following:
“You are amazing.”

I found some fun pics saying that phrase, and sent them to her regularly to show her I believed in her, and she could do it.

Everyone needs a word of encouragement sometime. And some times, yours may be the only one they get.

God is pleased when we invest in one another.

Take the time today to call, email, post or tweet your appreciation to someone who has invested in you.

The hash tags #YouAreAmazing & #youareamazingmarathon are available for you to use.

Imagine His smile if we set social media on fire with blessing and honoring one another with speaking the truth He speaks over us every day: “You are amazing, My child. You are a handcrafted unique one of a kind expression of My love. And I adore you!”

It doesn’t have to cost a lot to show your love. A batch of cookies, a card, flowers, cutting a neighbor’s lawn, a kind word…

As you invest in love, watch & see what God will do with it!

Care and compassion will always be on fashion.

not alone

Karla Lees

I have been “off” for the past week.

I never realized how much food, or cutting out some of what I used to eat, impacts my overall wellness. Hangry I have been used to from when I am later eating than I should, but hangry meeting fasting- I was so not prepared for.

Add a large project, technical glitches, miscommunication and a hangry partial faster together- and you get my day.

The real issue underlying it all was not my hunger.

Sure, the grumbles were annoying, but I coped.

It was not so much the technical issues, or the timing of the project.

It was even so much the need to constantly double check everything.

The real issue began to surface when i waved my daughter off on the bus for her weekend getaway, kissed my hubby goodbye for his man camp overnight, and finally saw my son head up north to visit a friend.

I realized it was going to just be me.

and tonight, after the day I had today, I wanted company.

I didn’t want to be alone.

I ran my errands, picked up dinner & finally got home to work for another hour or so.

Then God nudged me to put on a particular album.

and He reminded me, through one of my fave songs,
I AM NOT ALONE (via Kari Jobs)

When I walk through deep waters
I know that You will be with me
When I’m standing in the fire
I will not be overcome
Through the valley of the shadow
I will not fear

I am not alone
I am not alone
You will go before me
You will never leave me

In the midst of deep sorrow
I see Your light is breaking through
The dark of night will not overtake me
I am pressing into You
Lord, You fight my every battle
And I will not fear

You amaze me
Redeem me
You call me as Your own

You’re my strength
You’re my defender
You’re my refuge in the storm
Through these trials
You’ve always been faithful
You bring healing to my soul

And
my soul leaped within me
as I sang with full abandon
how grateful I am for Your love:
Always there for me.
Always with me.
Always shielding, loving, caring for me.

Despite the circumstances you may find yourself in today,
whether its your drama
or the overflow of some one else’s.

No matter how I may fail, literally,
God, You are there to pick me up again, set my feet on the solid Rock of Your Presence, and guide me into new deep waters.

You have always been more than enough each and always will.

Spirit, prompt me to keep my eyes fixed on You, no matter what my day

My He always do the same for you as wemll

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walk a thousand miles….

Karla Lees

Tonight I enjoyed hearing some of my favorite songs reintroduced with a Celtic flair at a free local concert.

And I cannot get one of the songs off my mind, despite another CD playing here at home in the background.

“(I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles” by the Proclaimers is resonating within me…but not just because its a great song.

There are only a few people I know who would give what they could if I was in need. There are several I would do what I could for in an emergency. Close friends & family.

Fewer still would I go to battle for.

The difference between supporting a friend and dying for one is love.

Love amplifies the value of the one we love.

Jesus showed us just how much He loved us by dying for us.

You don’t die for someone unless you love them.

The reality is most of us are way too selfish and protective of ourselves to think long and hard about how we would answer this question.

I would walk 500 miles, then i would walk 500 more to be the one who walked 1000 miles to fall down at your door?

Really?

The answer is once love begins to seep into the crevices of our hearts, the more likely it is for us to say yes.

For my hubby & kids, my best friends, I would go to the far corners of the earth and back.

For my God, I will lay down my life.

Yes, you read that right.

I would die for love.

The love that died for me deserves nothing less in response.

Love shows the one it loves its devotion.
Constantly.
Relentlessly.

Unstoppable love.

This is the kind of life changing love that can change the world.

In fact, it already has.

The road to the cross must have felt like 500 miles, maybe 1000 miles, yet Jesus’ love for us kept Him on that path, step after step, to lay it all down for us.

If you don’t know how much God loves you, crack open His story of love for us all, the Bible.

God has never stopped walking through human history trying to reach us with His love.

Knowing that kind of amazing love, I will walk anywhere He leads me to show Him just how grateful I am, and how much I love Him in return.

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relentless

Karla Lees

never stopping
pressing on towards the goal
focused determination
refusing to allow for defeat
Your love is relentless.

Being on the receiving end of this relentless love has led me to tears, caused me to tremble with thankfulness, quieted my anxiety and put many of my fears to death.

And still, Your love pursues me.

Relentless is an adjective that beat describes God’s heart for his creation:

incessant
persistent
constant
continuous
non-stop
never ending
unabating
incessant
unceasing
unrelenting
unending

The mercy, grace, flavour, blessing and overflowing passionately devoted love You have for me, for us, is relentless.

You will never stop reminding us You love us.

You will never cease to love us, no matter what.

Not even death couldn’t hold you back from completing your plan to reveal Your relentless love to the world.

The Bible is full of Your heart, Your love, poured out in ink and real lives lived seeking You. Actual people who lived with the questions we still ask ourselves today:
Do we matter?
Does anybody love us?
Why am I here?

You pursue us to let us know:
We were, and are, chosen.
We were made by our Creator to bring Him glory.

And He loves us.
Oh how He loves us.

I will never stop singing and proclaiming,
“Your Love is Relentless.”

PS. The song “Your Love is Relentless” by Hillsong is worth a listen. If you close your eyes, you can almost hear God’s heart beating for you, for us.

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