Tag: devotion

Your love language

Karla Lees

I have been leading a book study by Danny Silk for the past five weeks, which touched on the 5 Love Languages a few weeks ago.

I was struck by the truth that I need to be a student of everyone I love, to know how to best love them.

Then the lightening bolt of uber truth crashed into my brain this morning as I reread the chapter in preparation for my group tonight:

In order to love You the way You desire to be loved, I need to enroll myself in the “God study” program for the rest of my life.

Not just to know about You, learn what You have done, promise to do and Your amazing love for us all, but to discover how You like to be loved.

The Five Love Languages (as coined by Gary Chapman) are:
○Touch
○Gifts
○Quality time
○Acts of Service
○Words of Affirmation

As I read this list , I realize that each of them got their start in God
and how HE loves!

Touch:
(Lovingly touch me)

God reaches down and hold us, picking us up where He finds us. Jesus never failed to lovingly touch those in need.

Touch can also be seen through the love shining in someone’s eyes and especially His gaze, virtually loving us.

God reminds us in His Word to reach out and touch those in need, which ties closely into…

Acts of Service:
(Show me Love)

Each time we help another in need, we are not only showing God we love Him but showing those we help His love.

When our yes is yes and our no is no, we show God we are prepared to serve as He leads, and honor the One guiding us.

And each time we set time aside in our schedule to sit at His feet and meet with him? We show Him love through…

Quality Time:
(Be with me Love)

One on one time when we make Him our sole focus delights His heart.

When we deliberately carve time out to spend it with God? It also becomes a gift…

Gifts:
(Give me Love)

When we offer something that is costly to us that we know the gift’s receiver will adore, we show our love in not only the gift itself but  the thought we invested in it.

As receivers of the best gift ever, we should be seeking to offer all we are as a gift for Him and His glory.

Which leads us to the final love language….

Words of Affirmation:
(Tell me of your Love)

As the living Word, author of the Bible, we know the power and importance of words to God. Words have the power to build up, love and encourage, heal and restore.

Our words have the same ability to bless.

When we offer Him thanks for what He has done, praise for who He is and love as one of His Beloved, God receives love through our words.

As someone whose primary love language is Words of Affirmations, I am most comfortable loving my family and friends that way.

But as I was reminded working through the Love Languages that a student is supposed to study their subject, and adjust their mindset as they learn new information and put new practices into place.

God has not held back one good blessing from each of us children. His love is passionate, determined, focused, deliberate and forever.

How we love God needs to respond to Him in a way which shows Him the depth of our love, in a way which makes Him feel loved.

Invite Him to speak to you about how you express love.  As its author and inspiration, He is bound to have insight into His heart to share with you as you ask.

image

Check out the 5LoveLanguages.com to learn how you best feel love, and are likely primarily showing love to those around you.

Wanting to dive deeper into love, and connecting on purpose? Visit lovingonpurpose.com and take your love assessment.

the magnetic pull of focus

Karla Lees

One day spent in Your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I’d rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin. Psalm 84:10 MSG

I love to worship. It is the one thing I like best after spending time in His Presence, and diving into the Word.

When I get really busy, I tend to rush through my day beginning with a quick devotional instead an unrushed time at His feet, focusing solely on Him.

This quick fix mentality opens me up to selfishness, hurry, and distraction. Spend too long with that crew, and the enemy begins to make his play.

When sin comes knocking, sometimes what looks good in the moment can appear better than what we know to be true. For the enemy was an angel of light, and very beautiful in the eye of the beholder. (2 Corinthians 11:12-15)

However, beauty is only skin deep, and the truth about all things will be revealed the more time we invest in it. A handsome man or gorgeous woman isn’t always so lovely once you get to know them when their personality becomes revealed.

Sin is the same.

Just because it looks good, doesn’t mean it is good.

If it sounds too good to be true, it may just be a lie.

Only God IS good, and so are His ways.

Nothing can ever beats being His, and being with Him.

●How we live magnifies our priorities.

●What we love reveals the desires of our hearts.

●What we focus on attracts more of the same….

If we zoom in on our lack or selfish desires, our mood will become increasingly dissatisfied and depressed. If we seek Him first and His Kingdom, its standards will be reflected within us.

What most appeals to His Beloved should be the things which most appeal to Him: community, truth, holiness, being with the one you love.

Lord, may we choose to regularly worship You, and keep our gaze focused on what is good, true, wholesome and pure. (Philippians 4:8) Be the fixed point of our devotion, and ever clarify our focus so we can see you better. Let Your character magnify our vision, and replicate itself within us.

May the gift of Presence be the one we unwrap the most, and may our heart align up with Your passions the more we spend time with You, and focus on what will last a lifetime instead of a fleeting moment.

image

timeless living

Karla Lees

Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. 

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (ESV)

Stand in line at the checkout, and the intimate details of people’s lives are exposed for all to see. In this know-all world, it is refreshing to read today’s verse where God is calling us to live the opposite of what we see about us.

When I first read this scripture, I thought it was referring that we should keep to ourselves, like a hermit or a lone wolf. Upon rereading it, I spotted through His eyes that it is a reminder on how we are to be of the world and yet not in it.  

We are to be His hands and feet to those in need, yet we don’t need to know all about one another, like the tabloid at the checkout stand would suggest.  

We are to instead follow His lead to live quietly but with purpose.

We are to be dependent upon Him alone as His children, not the world and its systems.

We are to use our hands to further His call in our lives, to bless one another as we depend upon Him for everything. This dependence will attract those who don’t yet know Him, who are seeking their true Home, and looking for rest. His ways have stood the test of time and will continue to do so forever!

Pause and Apply: Evaluate where we are getting our directions. Are we first sitting at His feet and listening for His voice? He has wisdom for your life and direction for your decisions.

Prayer: Help me quiet myself to hear You over those clamouring for my attention. I desire to see Your timeless plans instead of the world’s limiting standards.

This post first appeared yesterday over at remadecommunity.org 🙂

image

Sunday Psalm: Fierce Love

Karla Lees

image

Your love?!
I can barely explain my awe and wonder at its beautiful ferocity!
Part of me shivers
at the thrill of being pursued
By such devotion
In its purest form
Passionate
All consuming
Unrelenting
Love
With me
its targeted recipient

Like a tidal wave
Crashing over me
Rushing into meet me here
Your love is fierce

The certainty
that I am the one whom You love
Hits my fear and insecurity
With such strength
And intensity
That only faith
And trust remain
As my Living Hope
Floods me with the
Ever present reminder
I am loved
By the King of kings
By the Risen Savior
By Holiness
By love which breaks down
All the borders guards
I tried to erect
Before I knew
Just how good
You are
And the magnitude
of the depths of Your love
For me
for the world

Like a hurricane
That I can’t escape
Tearing through the atmosphere
Your love is fierce

Each part of Your bride,
Your Beloved,
As treasured
As if we were each the only one
Your love
It’s fierce
In all its wonderfulness!

#SundayPsalm

☆Quoted lyrics from the single ‘Your Love is Fierce’ by Jesus Culture.

pouring it out

Karla Lees

In the Old Testament, there was a type of worship offering which has intrigued me since I first read about it in the Word.

The drink offering.

It first appears as part of Israel’s worship towards the Lord in Genesis 35:4, when Jacob sets up a stone pillar as a testimony to God meeting with him.

Part of the offerings in the temple, not only was the best of the food in meat and crops offered before the Lord, so was the fruit of the vine made into wine.

There was crushing involved in preparing the drink offering, which showed intent, determination and purpose on the part of the offerer.

And God’s response to these as part of the offerings given to Him by His people?

A pleasing aroma (Exodus 29: 41, Leviticus 23:18, Numbers 15:7)

Except when it is offered to other gods instead of the One true God. (Isaiah 57:6, Jeremiah 7:18, 19:13;) which stirs Him up to anger (Ezekiel 20:28).

What was designed to be pleasant turns His stomach and breaks His heart when it is poured out in waste.

There are two instances when there were drink offerings made in the New Testament, one made only by Jesus and one intended solely for Jesus.

In John 2, Jesus and his mother are attending a wedding.  The celebration usually starts with the best wine first, with the quality of what is served lowering over the length of the event. At this wedding, they somehow run out of wine. Embarrassing for the family and the event planner, somehow Mary finds out and asks Jesus to intervene.

Jesus sees vessels set aside for ceremonial washing, and instructs the staff to add water,  dip a serving out and offer it to the master of ceremonies.

Through the obedience of their pouring that water, Jesus takes water and transforms it into the best wine the master of ceremonies (so likely everyone!) has ever tasted.

What is simply offered becomes so much more through Him!

The first miracle Jesus performed was a drink offering for His people, and to the glory of His Father.

In Matthew 26:7 and Mark 14:3, while Jesus is reclining, sharing a meal with friends, a woman (Mary, sister to Lazarus and Martha) enters to break an expensive jar of alabaster, pouring out the perfume contained within over the feet of Jesus.

Everyone other than Jesus appears to have been taken aback, apparently forgetting the many verses in the Word referring to perfume as a pleasing aroma, and this verse from Proverbs 27:9

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart.

Mary offered the most expensive gift she had, humbly at the feet of the One she loved, in obedience to what the Father was stirring in her heart through Holy Spirit’s whispers:  Anoint Jesus.

The path Jesus was about to walk was leading Him to His death, which is why i believe Mary anointed His feet. The Father had already shown His pleasure in Jesus when Holy Spirit landed on Him like a dove at His baptism.

Now a humble servant was pouring out her devotion in the most costly way possible.

Not considering the cost to herself, she poured it all out for her King.

We too are meant to pour ourselves out for our King.

As He leads us.

If what you have to bring appears foolish in the world’s eyes, do it anyways.

Take a few moments, and ask yourself if where you are pouring yourself out is the best offering you can offer Jesus today.

May we hold nothing back, and allow Him to shape us as we learn to give Him our all, pouring it out in the sweetest acts of worship and devotion,

To give Him the pleasure of receiving our gifts of love.

image

Living Word

Karla Lees

Your courage matters: that you pray instead of panic, love instead of hate, help instead of hide. Live a sermon people are dying to hear.
-Beth Moore

In light of all the war, terrorism and natural disasters, how to you keep hopeful and courageous in the storms?

Quite honestly, left to my own devices, I wouldn’t. I’d been running around screaming and crying like a chicken with my head cut off….without Christ.

Coz that’s how I coped with intense situations before I encountered Jesus.  I panicked, looked stressed, and so bottled up my fears on the inside i couldn’t help but act out.

Nowadays, when the world seems to be bent on destroying itself, and there is nothing positive in the news?

I worship.
I pray, even if its only moans, or silent tears.
I seek comfort in His Presence.
I make time to rest, to connect with loved ones.
I ask Him for forgiveness and His healing to flow as He draws near to those in the war zones of destruction and affliction.
I continue to hold onto the One who is my eternal Hope, allowing my equilibrium, my foundation to be founded upon Him.

And equally important, I spend time soaking in the Word.

It doesn’t have to be a long section of scripture to speak to us. Sometimes a few words anointed by Holy Spirit can reignite our love for Him as we see His devotion for us more clearly.

Two such words especially shook me to my core, and have changed my view of God forever…

Jesus wept.

He is crying over His people.

Coz all people were made by Him in His image, and He adores each one whether they know Him or not.

So if you are overwhelmed to tears over a situation near and dear to your heart?

Cry.

Jesus did.

With the “me” attitude on the rise, it is refreshing to the world to see people living as Jesus did:

Serving God wherever they went as His Living Word, a sermon wrapped in flesh & bone.
Sharing His heart with those who are so fearful, their hearts are skipping a beat.
Speaking His Words of comfort and hope when all looks topsy turvy.

Today, walk out your faith.
Become the living sermon those around you need to see and hear.
Rely on Holy Spirit’s leading so deeply you will be struck by wonder at what He will do through you as you live fully dependent upon Him.

The world may not yet know how much they need Him.

But He does, and chooses to use His willing vessels to be the very Message-ers to deliver hope to hurting hearts, those who are dying inside without Him.

Go be the Living Word in action.
He is with you as you do, for it is His Presence and Word alive within us who empowers us to do so!

image

Paid in Full

Karla Lees

I’ve wiped the slate of all your wrongdoings. There’s nothing left of your sins.Come back to Me, come back. I’ve redeemed you. Isaiah 44:22 MSG

You know that list you have been keeping in secret? That running tab of all the wrongs you have done? All the things you failed at, failed to do or failed to stop yourself from doing?

It’s time to let Him wipe your tab clean.

Whereas we may keep a running total, God doesn’t work that way.

When Jesus went to the cross, ALL your sin was wiped out in the avalanche of loving grace and holy blood that was shed for our wrongdoings. All of them. Ever.

We can allow that list we are keeping—which has already been marked fully paid—to hold us back from drawing close to Him.

God reminds us in this verse that He wants nothing to keep us from Him. So much so, He cleared the way home for our return.

Run home, friend.

Allow your Father to fully embrace you and clothe you in the pure garments He has waiting for you when you trade in your list for His loving grace.

#ReturnHomeProdigals

image

This devotion first appeared at: Remade Community.

Sunday Psalm: Relentless Love

Karla Lees

You carry us, carry us
when the world gives way
You cover us, cover us
with Your endless grace
Your love is relentless!
– Hillsong United

Relentless,
You placed the entirety of Your heart into the plan
You have for bringing us
back to You.
His plan will not fail,
because His passionate pursuit
of those He adores
is never ending,
ever loving,
ever wooing,
everlasting.

Relentless
He does not give up
on His Beloved.
He continues to speak,
comfort, bless & shine
on all the world,
longing for the ones
who have not yet
understood His pursuit
nor accepted His heart
& His offering.

This relentless love
longs to keep you close
under cover,
safe in His embrace.
When you cannot keep
going, He picks you
up & carries you.

Today, God,
I receive Your relentless love
for me.
I can’t say I fully understand it,
but I accept it
as the gift I have always longed for
and will always need.

#SundayPsalm

image

love the one you’re with…literally!

Karla Lees

I have a prayer for you this Valentine’s day, actually for you every day.

It is a prayer Someone else is praying for you too:

message-of-love-from-god

YOU are the one He adores.

REALLY.

It has taken me years to grasp this truth, and years more to let it soak in to my soul and become a part of me.

But don’t take my word for it. Take His words for it.

I am sharing just a few of my favourite bible verses with you today, and a few jots & thoughts, to paint you a colour by number outline of His love for you.

HE LOVED YOU TO DEATH:

https://foodforthespiritualsoul.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/nail-punctured-hand-of-christ.jpg
https://foodforthespiritualsoul.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/nail-punctured-hand-of-christ.jpg

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

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands.   Isaiah 49:16

God not only loved you first, He demonstrated this love by giving Himself up for us, so we could draw near and receive His love.

HE IS LOVE:

God-is-LoveThe Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Psalm 103:8

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:16

Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I redeem you. Isaiah 43:4

Love is part of His very character, and He cannot be Himself without it. At the core of who God is, love is.  You can’t have one without the other, for God IS love.

YOU WERE MADE OUT OF HIS LOVE:

made with love

Oh yes, You shaped me first inside, then out;
    You formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank You, High God—You’re breathtaking!
    Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
    I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
    You know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
    how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, You watched me grow from conception to birth;
    all the stages of my life were spread out before You,
The days of my life all prepared
    before I’d even lived one day! Psalm 139:13-16

God doesn’t make junk, you may have heard.

He doesn’t.

You were made out of love, especially designed, so He could love you and be loved by you. There is only one of you, ever.
Only you can be loved by God in the ways you need to be loved, and only you can love God in the ways He made for you to express love back to Him.

His love moved Him to make you.

HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER:

image

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.  Jeremiah 31:3

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-39

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

There is nothing you can do that will change His love for you. Sure, we could disappoint Him with less than stellar behavior, but His love for you, and for me, is rock solid. God doesn’t leave when the going gets tough, His love draws closer to us to be with us through whatever comes our way. He will love us always, now and into forever, no matter what. Wow!

HIS LOVE WANTS THE BEST FOR YOU:

image

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28

He will wipe away every tear from your eyes.  Revelation 21:4

God has the best in store for us. What parent or lover really wants to give less than their best to their loved one? God tells us He has plans for our best yet to come, and He comforts us and loves up on us along the way!

HIS LOVE IS WITH US:

image

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.  Zephaniah 3:17

Song of Songs Chapters 1&2

Not only does these verses, two of my all time faves, remind us God loves us, but they reveals He is with us, rescuing us when we need it, calming with His love, and singing triumphantly over us, a proud daddy & thrilled lover all rolled into one. He is wooing us to Him as a longing lover waiting for His bride to come to Him!

So, what are you to DO about it?!
image

Here are my A-G tips on what to DO with His love:

1. Accept it. If you can, then you can begin to:

2. Believe He loves you. Truth stands the test of time. God is who He says He is.

3. Care for yourself. If you know & feel loved, you take better care of yourself, as you want to be at your best. God wants us to love ourselves well, and show our respect for His creation, us!

4. Don’t delay. Now is the time to get to know this God of love. We don’t always get another chance when we put things off. If you want to be loved beyond your imagination, God is waiting to be found.

5. Express your love and gratitude back to Him. Knowing we are loved is only half the love story. Responding to the one who loves us in return completes the love.

6. Forgive those who you have loved who have hurt you. Love can be roadblocked by walls around out heart when we have been hurt. Don’t cut off the love you need by refusing to let His love flow. When we forgive, we make room for God to expand His love within us.

7. Go spend time with Him.
Go for a walk together, chat over coffee, read His word, sing songs of praise and adoration, listen to Him. Hanging out with Him will only increase your knowledge of His love for you, and your desire to love Him in return!

image

Hey, thanks for reading my 514th blog post….very fitting on Feb 14th 🙂

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.

image