So This is...Love?

This post was shared on Your Sacred Calling blog, Stacy McDonald's blog.  Please enjoy and be challenged by her daughter Jessica McDonald's post.  

Post: By Jessica McDonald
The following article was written by my precious daughter, Jessica McDonald. I am amazed and grateful to God for all that He is doing in her heart. When she told me about her recent experience with God, I was excited to hear that she was willing and eager to share her testimony with others. Please share this with the young people in your life…

It’s overwhelming.  In fact, the air is thick with it. Everywhere I look, I am bombarded by illusions of “love.” It’s in the music, the movies, the marketing—it’s even in the food. I see young people who are attracted to one another merely for their looks, or for the ego boost they get from all the attention they receive (isn’t that what flirtation is all about?).

I see it in movies where the beautiful girl falls instantly in love with the Brad Pitt look-alike. The fact that he’s a “bad boy” who she needs to make “good” only adds power and romance to the story. Or what about the song where the man croons over the girl he saw for only a moment? Without any knowledge of her character, he knows instantly that she is the one for him! The fact that he doesn’t even know her name is supposed to be proof of some “magical spark” and convince us of his deep and profound love. Easy come, easy go.

Though stories like these might appeal to our sense of romance (or maybe an amused eye roll), we need to recognize that we are being wooed by a superficial, self-focused, unrealistic, and empty view of “love.” In fact, sometimes I feel like I’m being indoctrinated by an evil fake—by a false definition of love.

Dictionary.com defines love as “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.” I think that comes naturally as a result of real love, but it doesn’t start there. The Bible defines loves in this way:

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

If a man really loves a woman, he won’t risk her heart or her purity by pursuing her in a way that is outside of God’s will. He won’t play with her emotions or tempt her affections simply to satisfy some sort of fleshly desire inside himself. In fact, if he’s acting in love, he won’t attempt to stir her affections at all, outside of the bounds of a lawful commitment.

If a young woman is truly acting in love toward her brother (yes, he is her brother), she won’t risk his heart or his purity by seeking to be pursued in a way that is outside of God’s will. She won’t play with his emotions or (by her actions, words, or dress) tempt him to think of her in an inappropriate way simply to satisfy some sort of fleshly desire inside herself.

Love is all about dying to self and putting others first. I think self-gratification may be the very opposite of love. True love is all wrapped up in humility, gentleness, truth, and long suffering. True love resembles, or mirrors, the love we receive from Christ. Love isn’t focused on the self-satisfying ideal of what someone looks like or how good they make us feel about ourselves. Love isn’t deceived by flattery.

Love is not a noun; it is a verb—an action. I think that Paul Tripp words it well in his book What Did you Expect? He says:

Love calls you to be silent when you want to speak, and to speak when would like to be silent. Love calls you to act when you would really like to wait and to wait when you would really like to act. Love calls you to stop when you really want to continue and it calls you to continue when you feel like stopping. Love requires you to lead when you really would like to follow and to follow when you really want to lead. Love again and again calls you away from your instincts and your comfort. Love always requires personal sacrifice. Love calls you to give up your life.

I recall a time when a young man showed me a lot of attention. A lot. And I don’t mean that he simply talked to me or spent a bit of time with me. I mean that he openly and constantly flirted with me—to the point where others noticed and I was strangely uncomfortable.

Still, deep down, I was flattered when he singled me out above all the other girls. He said all the right words and made me feel really good about myself—it was an exhilarating feeling. When he complimented me, I felt beautiful; when he picked me out of a crowd I felt special; when he showered me with constant attention I felt like I mattered. Though I wasn’t at all interested in him in a romantic way, the attention he gave me made me feel good about myself. In a way, I was using him.

In my soul, in my very being, I felt the desperate need to love and be loved. That longing for romance was in my heart. I wanted to matter to someone. Though I have an amazing relationship with my father, I still desired the love of a man – a man who would love only me, who would cherish and desire only me…and me alone. Don’t most of us have that desire?

But, like a sugar or caffeine high, the drug of false love causes a hard crash—and depending upon how long and to what extent we’ve entertained our flesh this way, it can be a long fall to the ground.
You see, just like I wasn’t interested in him, this young man didn’t care about me. He didn’t love me (or the other girls he treated this way) as Christ loves me. He wasn’t striving to protect my heart or my mind. No, he was casually using me to make himself feel good—to build his ego and to satisfy his fleshly, prideful desire for attention. That’s what flirtation is—a self-gratifying game of “boost the ego.”

In a surreal sort of way, it hurt to watch him suddenly lose interest and almost immediately go on to another girl. This is not because I’d given away my heart, or that I had hoped he would ask to court me. I was hurt because I felt…well, used. Like he had been leading me on for his own amusement and then dropped me when he found someone more attractive and more interesting. By not being on guard to my own flesh, I had set myself up for rejection. In my heart, even if for a moment, I had allowed a person to define my worth.

When I realized how foolish I had been, I have to admit, I cried. Not over a broken heart, because I hadn’t given my heart away in the least, but because I was insulted by the way I had been treated. I was irritated that I hadn’t recognized it right away! And I was mad at myself for stupidly (and selfishly) enjoying the attention of a fake.

You see, I think I can safely say that all of us long to be loved for who we are. We want to be loved in spite of our awkward tendencies, our imperfect body shape, or the silly things we sometimes say. We long to be cherished and desired for who we are—to be loved, protected, and valued.

There have been times in my life when I’ve wondered if there is a man out there who could ever truly love me in spite of my imperfectness. Have you ever had those thoughts? It is not like I’ve ever been desperate to be married. In fact, I love my life just as it is. It’s just that I sometimes wonder if anyone (outside my own family) will really want/love me after truly getting to know everything about me.

I think maybe, without even realizing it, this has been my secret fear for some time. Recently, after observing another group display of the idle “he likes, she likes” pattern, those melancholy thoughts of not being “good enough” somehow came upon me again.

But, at that moment, something amazing happened—in the middle of these thoughts, the Lord revealed something beautiful to me…something that spoke and ministered to me in a million different ways.

So, this is…God

It was late evening. The sky was already dark and sprinkled with numberless beautiful stars. The radio was playing softly in the background. I hadn’t really been paying attention to the music, mostly because I was too self-absorbed in discouraging thoughts—thoughts of not being “good enough,” lovable enough, pretty enough, or clever enough.

It was while these thoughts were whirling through my head that my ears perked up. The song, I Love You This Big, was being played on the radio. The song itself was sweet, but nothing all that profound. However, as usual, God took some ordinary thing and made it spectacular. As I listened to the chorus, my eyes stayed fixed on the brilliant stars that highlighted the blanket of darkness above me.

I love you this big
Eyes have never seen this big
No-one’s ever dreamed this big
And I’ll spend the rest of my life
Explaining what words cannot describe…

I realize this is written from one person to another, but as I listened, it was like God was speaking words of love to me. Here I was hurting because I felt unlovable, unattractive, and sometimes used by others, then God allowed this song to come on the radio.

I sat back and let a few tears run down my cheeks. I knew that the Lord was speaking to me. He was reminding me of what I’d already been told a million times – that man can never fill that void in me that is reserved for God alone. My God is a jealous God. I don’t need the attention of a created man to make me feel complete or loved  – I am loved by the One who created them all—and who created and chose me! As I gazed upon the stars which He made, I felt a sudden peace. It was just so, so overwhelming, and so beautiful. I wish you could have been there. I wish that I could share that beautiful moment with each of you – because in that moment I felt more loved and more wanted then I’ve ever felt before. El Roi loves me!

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:25-26)

My worth is not measured by whether or not an earthly man loves or admires me. I have been pursued by the Lover of my soul—the One in whose image I am made. The One who created me, who knows everything about me, who watches me stumble and fall – and still loves me! He loves me!

We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

The powerful, beautiful, wonderful Creator of all things loves me! He holds me, comforts me, showers me with blessings. In my clouded thinking, I seemed to almost forget. I have Someone who not only loves me, but who proved it by dying for me, in all my unloveliness!

I’m talking to all my friends here: I beg you – don’t fall for superficial love! Don’t fall into the worldly and immature “he likes her” and “she likes him” silliness. Don’t be deceived by flirtatious fickleness, or by men or women who are paying attention to you just to feed their own egos (Romans 8:1, 12:3 1 Thessalonians. 4:6).
Does that young man actively love you (by love’s true definition), or is he flattering his own ego—appealing to your flesh? Will he make a faithful, godly husband? Will he be a good father and example to your children?

Ask yourself what it is about him (really) that you find attractive?

Guys ask yourself the same thing about that girl who makes your heart skip a beat. What is it (really) that attracts you to her? Be honest with yourself. What is it that makes you think she might make a good wife or mother to your children?

Don’t let popular music, Hollywood, or pop culture deceive or define you (Romans 12:2). If you are lonely and empty, if you feel unlovable and unwanted, remember we’re all unworthy. Remember Christ’s sacrifice for you on the cross…the very picture of true love (John 15:13).

Turn to Jesus. He will fill that void—that hole in your heart that is shaped only for Him. His love never fails – and it’s not based on how cute you are, how smart you are, or how “good” you are. In fact, Jesus Himself is the one who transforms our unloveliness into something beautiful indeed. Yes…this is love.

Jessica McDonald is the daughter of James and Stacy McDonald and the 5th oldest of ten children. She is a Texan through and through, but currently lives in Central Illinois where she enjoys singing passionately, reading constantly, discussing controversial subjects, exploring history, quoting Shakespeare, and cuddling with her littlest brother. Jessica will turn 21 this fall.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! —and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, No. LXIII.

Do you know what you should be doing today?

 

We do not know what tomorrow will bring, but we do know what we should be doing. We must preach the gospel to every creature under heaven!  The Great Commission is the irrevocable command, the unrelenting passion, the magnificent obsession that keeps us on a straight course.  Let the world toss to & fro but we who stand on the Rock must set our feet & throw the lifeline of the gospel to as many souls as possible. There is too much at stake & too much glory to be gained for Christ to turn back, loose our hand from the plow, or become distracted.
-Paul Washer

Come Thou Fount- Fernando Ortega

The Hand of God is in Every Trial, Trouble and Disappointment

 

(James Smith)

Your trials, though many, painful, and tedious--are but proofs of your heavenly Father's love! They are sent in mercy--to convince you that this poor world is not your rest.
Your Father's wisdom chose them,
His love sent them, and
His mercy will sanctify them to you!

Tried believer--are you looking to Jesus? He can hush the storm, and still the tempest. He is always near in trouble. Is your eye fixed upon Him? Does your heart repose on His tender love and faithful Word?

Do you recognize your heavenly Father's hand in your trials? His hand is in them, whether you see it or not. He sends, bounds, and removes them--as He wisely desires. And it has often comforted the saint to realize that the hand of God is in every trial, trouble, and disappointment.

Do you sweetly acquiescence in God's will, in faith that whatever He permits in our life, is right and best for you?

"He is the LORD; let Him do what is good in His eyes!" 1 Samuel 3:18

Is the Fire Burning in Our Hearts?

 

 “The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”

- Lev_6:13

Keep the altar of private prayer burning. This is the very life of all piety. The sanctuary and family altars borrow their fires here, therefore let this burn well. Secret devotion is the very essence, evidence, and barometer, of vital and experimental religion.

Burn here the fat of your sacrifices. Let your closet seasons be, if possible, regular, frequent, and undisturbed. Effectual prayer availeth much. Have you nothing to pray for? Let us suggest the Church, the ministry, your own soul, your children, your relations, your neighbours, your country, and the cause of God and truth throughout the world. Let us examine ourselves on this important matter. Do we engage with lukewarmness in private devotion? Is the fire of devotion burning dimly in our hearts? Do the chariot wheels drag heavily? If so, let us be alarmed at this sign of decay. Let us go with weeping, and ask for the Spirit of grace and of supplications. Let us set apart special seasons for extraordinary prayer. For if this fire should be smothered beneath the ashes of a worldly conformity, it will dim the fire on the family altar, and lessen our influence both in the Church and in the world.

The text will also apply to the altar of the heart. This is a golden altar indeed. God loves to see the hearts of his people glowing towards himself. Let us give to God our hearts, all blazing with love, and seek his grace, that the fire may never be quenched; for it will not burn if the Lord does not keep it burning. Many foes will attempt to extinguish it; but if the unseen hand behind the wall pour thereon the sacred oil, it will blaze higher and higher. Let us use texts of Scripture as fuel for our heart’s fire, they are live coals; let us attend sermons, but above all, let us be much alone with Jesus.

~Spurgeon's Morning Devotional

God does not promise to lift the burden away

(J.R. Miller, "Intimate Letters on Personal Problems" 1914)

An old Scripture promise reads, "Cast your burden upon the Lord--and He shall sustain you." Psalm 55:22. Every burden you have, you may cast on the Lord; that is, you may lay it on Him in prayer and by faith. But notice that God does not promise to lift the burden away--all He promises is to sustain you, that is, to give you strength to do the work, to bear the burden, to meet the difficulty, to master the hindrance or the obstacle.

Fly into the bosom of Christ for refuge and safety!

(J.R. Miller, "Intimate Letters on Personal Problems" 1914)

"Whoever humbles himself like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:4

It is very sweet just to nestle down in the bosom of Christ--to be as a little child with Him. Those who come otherwise do not get near to Him--but the child-like always find a close place in His heart. So the more like children we can be in our trust and in the simplicity of our faith, in humbleness of disposition, in willingness to do His will and to learn of Him--the nearer to Him shall we get, and the more shall we enjoy of His love.

Some years ago, as I was passing along one of our streets one afternoon, I heard a fluttering of birds over my head and, looking up, saw a little bird flying wildly about in circles, chased by a hawk! The bird flew down lower and lower, and then darted into my bosom, under my coat. I cannot quite express to you, the feeling which filled my heart at that moment--that a little bird, chased by an enemy, had come to me for refuge, trusting me in time of danger. I laid my hand over the bird, which nestled as quietly and confidently under my coat, as a baby would in a mother's bosom. I carried the little thing along for several blocks until I thought the way was clear of danger, and then let it out. It flew away into the air again, but showed no fear of me. Ever since that experience, I have understood better what it is to fly into the bosom of Christ for refuge and safety in time of danger, or in time of distress.

All this helps me to understand better what it means to Jesus when we, hunted and chased by enemies, or suffering from weakness or pain--fly to Him and hide ourselves in His love.

That is all we need to do--just to creep into the bosom of Christ, and lie down there, with no fear, no anxiety, but with simple trust.

The lines of Wesley's old hymn have meant more ever since:

"Jesus, lover of my soul,
 Let me to Thy bosom fly,
 While the nearer waters roll,
 While the tempest still is high.

 Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
 Till the storm of life is past;
 Safe into the haven guide;
 Oh, receive my soul at last.

 Other refuge have I none,
 Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
 Leave, ah! leave me not alone,
 Still support and comfort me.

 All my trust on Thee is stayed,
 All my help from Thee I bring;
 Cover my defenseless head
 With the shadow of Thy wing."

Top Steps for Safer Cell Phone Use

You can help to minimize your exposure to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones and other wireless devices by heeding the following advice:

• Children Should Always Avoid Using Cell Phones: Barring a life-threatening emergency, children should not use a cell phone, or a wireless device of any type. Children's brains are far more vulnerable to cell phone radiation than adults, because of their thinner skull bones.
• Reduce Your Cell Phone Use: Turn your cell phone off more often. Reserve it for emergencies or important matters. As long as your cell phone is on, it emits radiation intermittently, even when you are not actually making a call. If you're pregnant, avoiding or reducing your cell phone use is especially important.
• Use a Land Line at Home and at Work: Although more and more people are switching to using cell phones as their exclusive phone contact, it is a dangerous trend and you can choose to opt out of the madness. SKYPE offers a portable number via your computer that can plug into any Ethernet port while traveling.
• Reduce or Eliminate Your Use of Other Wireless Devices: You would be wise to cut down your use of these devices. Just as with cell phones, it is important to ask yourself whether or not you really need to use them as often as you do. And most importantly, do not even consider having any electronic or wireless devices in the bedroom, as the electric, magnetic and microwave fields can significantly interfere with the quality of your sleep.

If you must use a portable home phone, use the older kind that operates at 900 MHz. They are not safer during calls, but at least many of them do not broadcast constantly even when no call is being made. There is a new Siemens Eco DECT phone on the market, where if only one handset is activated, it can be set to only radiate during a call as opposed to 24/7. However, since many people have multiple portable phone handsets this is not, as of yet, a practical solution. And, unless one knows to deactivate the radiation through putting the phone into Eco Mode Plus mode, it will still be continually emitting microwaves.

Note the only way to truly be sure if there is an exposure from your cordless phone is to measure with an electrosmog meter, and it must be one that goes up to the frequency of your portable phone (so old meters won't help much). As many portable phones are 5.8 Gigahertz, we recommend you look for RF meters that go up to 8 Gigahertz, the highest range now available in a meter suitable for consumers.

Alternatively you can be very careful with the base station placement as that causes the bulk of the problem since it transmits signals 24/7, even when you aren't talking. So if you can keep the base station at least three rooms away from where you spend most of your time, and especially your bedroom, they may not be as damaging to your health. Another option is to just simply turn the portable phone off, only using it when you specifically need the convenience of moving about while on a call.

Ideally it would be helpful to turn off your base station every night before you go to bed. You can find RF meters as well as remediation supplies at www.emfsafetystore.com. But you can pretty much be sure your portable phone is a problem if the technology is DECT, or digitally enhanced cordless technology, unless you are using the new Siemens Eco DECT phone, with only one handset active, and the phone set to only radiate during conversations through the Eco Mode Plus feature.

• Use Your Cell Phone Only Where Reception is Good: The weaker the reception, the more power your phone must use to transmit, and the more power it uses, the more radiation it emits, and the deeper the dangerous radio waves penetrate into your body. Ideally, you should only use your phone with full bars and good reception.
• Also Seek to Avoid Carrying Your Phone on Your Body as that merely maximizes any potential exposure. Ideally put it in your purse or carrying bag. Placing a cell phone in a shirt pocket over the heart is asking for trouble, as is placing it in a man's pocket if he seeks to preserve his fertility and sexual function.
• Don't Assume One Cell Phone is Safer Than Another: There's no such thing as a "safe" cell phone.
• Keep Your Cell Phone Away From Your Body When it is On: The most dangerous place to be, in terms of radiation exposure, is within about six inches of the emitting antenna. You do not want any part of your body within that area. Most people are surprised that cell phone manuals themselves specifically state to not place the phone against your body!
• Respect Others Who are More Sensitive: Some people who have become sensitive can feel the effects of others' cell phones in the same room, even when it is on but not being used. If you are in a meeting, on public transportation, in a courtroom or other public places, such as a doctor's office, keep your cell phone turned off out of consideration for the 'second hand radiation' effects. This would especially apply to places where reflections would be high, such as in a metal elevator, train car or automobile. Children are also more vulnerable, so please avoid using your cell phone near children.

If you are using the Pong case, which redirects the cell phone radiation away from the head and successfully lowers the SAR effect, realize that in redirecting the radiation away from your head this may be intensifying the radiation in another direction, perhaps toward the person next to you, or, if in your pocket, increasing radiation intensity toward your body. Caution is always advised in dealing with any radiation-emitting device. We recommend cell phones be kept 'Off' except for emergencies.

• Use Safer Headset Technology: Wired headsets will certainly allow you to keep the cell phone farther away from your body. However, if a wired headset is not well-shielded -- and most of them are not -- the wire itself acts as an antenna attracting ambient radio waves and transmitting radiation directly to your brain.

Make sure that the wire used to transmit the signal to your ear is shielded. The best kind of headset to use is a combination shielded wire and air-tube headset. These operate like a stethoscope, transmitting  the information to your head as an actual sound wave; although there are wires that still must be shielded, there is no wire that goes all the way up to your head.

This information was taken from an article by Dr. Mercola at Mercola.com.

Happy 4th of July!

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
(2 Corinthians 3:17)

Something to contemplate today...

The Power of True Religion!

The power of true religion is so little felt by the bulk of professing Christians.

There are four evils which mark the decaying state of Christians in general:
  their love of the world;
  their love of ease;
  their fear of man;
  their distrust of God's providence.

The New Testament believers were just the reverse of all this:
they despised the world, and its flattering allurements;
they took up the cross, and denied themselves;
they boldly confessed Christ, and suffered for His sake;
they trusted God for all things, and so took joyfully the the confiscation of your property.

And what was the blessed fruit?
They abounded in consolation;
they grew in grace;
they shone as lights in the world;
they felt joy and peace in believing. 

But now we see professing Christians, even many of whom we charitably hope well . . .
  languid in their graces,
  timid in their confession,
  afraid of consequences,
  and fearful of trusting God. 

Sad symptoms these, of spiritual decay!

~ (Thomas Reade)