Dear Dreamer

I heard a sermon the other day about using your passions to establish peace with God and others. The pastor was encouraging believers to live out their passions with a gospel focus. Sounds all good, doesn't it?

Or does it?

The more he spoke the more I started to feel uneasy. The more I felt like he was saying to all of the comfortable christians in the room to just fit God into your passions and you'll find your joy. The sermon series was called "True Joy" after all.

Are we really called to fit God into our plans and passions?

Is that what the disciples did? From what I read in the New Testament Jesus said, "Follow Me" and they dropped their plans and passions to pursue Him.

In order to follow Christ there has to be radical change in your heart.

We should be willing to lay aside all of our dreams and passions to pursue Him, so that our entire focus and heart is set on Him, not our own agenda. Then as we pursue Him, surrender ourselves to His will and let Him circumcise our hearts (cut out what doesn't belong), He will show us His dreams and passions for us.

Sometimes your passion and His passion for you will align. Praise Jesus! Sometimes they won't. Praise Jesus still.

My passion my whole growing up years was singing and acting. I wanted to be in musicals on Broadway. But that's not what the Lord had planned for me. Why? Because I have one main purpose on this Earth (as do all believers) and that is to glorify the Lord, and He must've known that I wouldn't do a very good job of that on Broadway. For whatever reason that was not the place where I would be able to be a strong reflection of Him. So in order to follow Jesus, I had to give up that dream. Even after giving it up however, I still tried to morph my dream into a new one that glorified Him: leading worship! I tried to learn guitar, only to get stuck after 3 chords. Then I also realized that no one wants to hear worship being belted out show-tune style. Poor me. My dreams had to go. 
But God is not one to take without giving back ten-fold when you choose to obey.
He is a good Father. His dreams are way better for us than we could ever dream or imagine. He made dreams come true for me that I never even knew I had! But it wasn't until I let go of mine.

So I did. About 3 years ago I let go of all of it. I surrendered everything to Him and said "Thy will be done!"

Since then I have fallen deeper in love and gratitude with my Savior. I have fallen deeper in love and gratitude with my husband as well. I have learned way more than I ever could've while being distracted trying to fit God into MY passions.

Since then God has ignited a passion in me to find beauty in all of His creation through the lens of my camera. He has driven my hand to write messages of encouragement, correction, and testimony so that others can hear the love and grace He has for them. 

God has also placed a strong desire in my heart for the hurting, desperate housewife, because I know what it felt like to be one.  He also restored my marriage and united my husband and I in a new ministry that focuses on believers being the church, being in His word, and discipling others.

I think of the dreams I had for myself and they were all about ME. The dreams HE has for me are all about glorifying HIM.

God doesn't want us to be self-centered, fake versions of what He designed us to be. He wants us to live our greatest potential in Him and to have true joy that only comes from Him. He wants us to lead others to Him by the light He magnifies in our lives. You cannot magnify His love if you are focused on yourself and your passions. It's impossible.

Matthew 16:24 says, Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me." (NLT) 

I hope this message speaks to you today. Look at your life, are you trying to fit God into what you want for yourself? Or are you willing to give all of that up in order to live His plans and passions for you?

Bring an Offering

Back in Bible times people needed to bring an offering to the Lord, or a sacrifice at the alter as a way to atone for their sins. Instead of getting put to death for their sin, a lamb or other animal was sacrificed. When Jesus came, He chose to be the final sacrificial Lamb for our sins, so that we wouldn't have to live in condemnation of sin any longer. He atoned for our sins once and for all. 
All we have to do now is accept it, and choose to spend our life learning to love and obey Him. (Notice I said "learning" to love, not "earning His love".. big difference)

As I read David's words in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36, the phrase "Bring an offering" (vs 29) kept leaping off the page to me. I underlined it and said, "Lord what are trying to tell me? An offering was already made, it was Jesus." But He kept saying "bring me an offering" and I was reminded that even though God doesn't want an animal sacrifice from us anymore, he still wants an offering. And I'm not talking about money right now. He wants an offering of whatever stands between us and Him. He wants us to offer it up. This is why you see people raising their hands sometimes during worship, they are offering up whatever they need to let go of. Or they are simply offering themselves, saying, "Here I am Lord." 

So I opened my hands and said, God I give you my fears, my insecurities, I give you the issues I am having with others who have hurt me, I give you my children, my marriage, anything I can think of Lord, I offer it to You. It's Yours. Please do with it all as You please, and help me to always desire You more than anything else. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Is there something you need to offer to the Lord today? Maybe it's a past wound, or a current one. Maybe it's something you desire more than Him, or maybe it's your own life. Whatever it is, I urge you to do it today. Begin the journey of letting go of the things that weigh you down. Learn how to truly worship the Lord, and let your life be a daily offering to Him. 

David's Song of Thanks

8 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11 Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
13 O offspring of Israel his servant,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

14 He is the Lord our God;
    his judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his sworn promise to Isaac,
17 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
18 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan,
    as your portion for an inheritance.”

19 When you were few in number,
    of little account, and sojourners in it,
20 wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
21 he allowed no one to oppress them;
    he rebuked kings on their account,
22 saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”

23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
    Tell of his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples!
25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and he is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and joy are in his place.

28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;[a]
30     tremble before him, all the earth;
    yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
    and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    let the field exult, and everything in it!
33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
    before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
34 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!

35 Say also:

“Save us, O God of our salvation,
    and gather and deliver us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.
36 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!”

Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.