Tag: King

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No More Lonely Charades

Dear sister,

I have oftentimes felt lonely during certain seasons of my life. I have felt like I couldn’t be my true self because I was convinced that those I most wanted to be accepted by would reject me. This view of others was not a biblical one; it was not even a realistic one! It was only a fear that I allowed to be developed within my own heart.

In the summer of 2010, I spent two months away from home at a summer training program in Pigeon Forge, TN. I was with a group of like-minded believers from schools all over the southeast. There were lots of new faces and I felt lost among them. I felt like they wouldn’t accept me because I was raised differently, went to a different kind of church, and wasn’t as cool and comfortable around new people as others seemed to be. At that time, I was shy and very much NOT comfortable in my own skin. Now add to that an already introverted personality and you’ve got the recipe for feelings of loneliness.

I feared rejection and feared letting these new people into my life. As a result I tried wearing a mask that showed I was cool and confident, secure in Christ and ready for any adventure. It worked for a while, but by the end of the first six weeks (and , were only eight) I was weary of the charade.

In Genesis 2:18, God declares, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” Up until this point, everything that God had made he had declared good but it was not good that Adam had no companion. So God brought the creatures to Adam to have him name them but “there was not found a helper fit for him.” (Gen. 2:20) As humans, we need more than just a dog or a cat to keep loneliness at bay; we need to be experiencing intimate relationships with other human beings.

That summer was a breakthrough for me in that the Lord became my confidence and Christ became my identity. I no longer had to fear what people thought of me because I knew I was accepted by Christ—and isn’t that all that really matters when you have eternity in view?

Dear sister, if you are struggling with loneliness, take these truths to heart. You are accepted by the King and He loves you intimately. He loves you so much that He gave up His only Son for you so that He could claim you as His own. You are 100% secure in Christ and you cannot be lost. Never let fear of rejection or feelings of inadequacy triumph over this truly amazing love that Christ has for you. He will not give you up.

Under His wing,

Kayla

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Feeding Our Joy

It’s hard maintaining joy in the Lord. My dear sister, you’re not alone when your heart grows cold toward the Lord, when you’re spiritually dry, when the fire only smolders—when the joy is gone. You are not alone.

But to comfort you, sweet friend, it’s not enough to say you’re not alone. Misery might love company, but company can’t change misery. I write to encourage and exhort you to find your joy again…by looking in the right places.

No one goes to McDonald’s to order fillet mignon. Yet this is what we do when we look for joy in the fleeting things of this world. Are you like me? Do you try to find joy in the comforts of life, in food, in silly distractions, in achievements, in the recognition of others, etc., etc.? I beg you to remember, sister, that joy is not found here. Let’s get out of McDonald’s.

What were we doing there anyway? We are daughters of the King! Our Father can afford to give us the best. And he already has. He has given us his only Son. We already possess the Living Water, the Bread of Life; everything else is just an imitation.

Your soul, oh beloved daughter of the King, refuses to be satisfied by the cheap junk food of worldly pleasures. The Spirit within you, the Spirit of Christ, craves the weighty, the transcendent, the beautiful, the true. You’re only truly satisfied by eternal things. Why is this so? Because you are a new creation and, like Christ, you’re deepest desire is for God. The weighty, the transcendent, the beautiful, the true, these all point us to God.

So sister, will you join me? Let’s stop this childish game of hide and seek; we know where joy isn’t found, so let’s stop looking there. Let’s stop gratifying our cravings for worldly pleasures. I’m sure you’ve noticed that giving in only creates a vicious cycle of stronger cravings, more frequent sin, and eventually, joylessness. Instead, let’s gratify the cravings of the Spirit within us for the things of God. I’m sure you’ve also noticed that this creates a happy cycle of stronger cravings, righteousness, and joyfulness.

Only feeding on Christ, only abiding in him can satisfy these cravings. John 15 tells us that abiding in Christ means depending on him for everything (including our joy) and obeying his commandments. We become satisfied and joyful when we feed on the food he’s given us for our soul. Oh sister, go head, please gratify your desires for the Word, for fellowship, for corporate worship, for time with the Lord, for good teaching, for good works. Trade in your junk food for real food and you will find joy.

And always remember, my dear sister, trust not in your own efforts to pull yourself out of the pit of joylessness. Humble yourself before the Lord. Admit you have not the joy he commands. Your faithful and loving Savior stands ready to embrace you in his arms, ready to draw you into his intimate presence and give you the joy you so long for. He is the very source of our joy, and he can never be taken away from us. His promises and steadfast love endure forever.

In Him,
your sis, Sarah

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Majesty’s Mercy

My Dear Sister,

Recently my Bible study took me to the book of Hebrews where I read from chapter one, in particular from verses 2-4.  How wonderful it was to take some time and to move the focus off of myself (my needs) and to instead gaze into the wonder of who my Jesus Christ is.  Let me share it with you:

(God) “…has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds: who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power; when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Sometimes I am forgetful of how great and majestic our Holy God is.  Just now admitting that caused my heart to lurch with sadness.  Because, I have also found that when I prayerfully consider how great and awesome God the Father is I am humbled by the Truth that the One True Living God, who created all things and upholds them (keeps them in place) and that includes every soul which has ever been created; I am unashamedly in awe of His mercy towards me!!!  These truths of how great and Majestic God is and how small and in need I am gives me a greater perspective which in turn causes my heart to tremble.  I want to fall before my King with a grateful heart that He who is so great would bestow upon me who is so lowly His Majesty’s Mercy.  Sister, it gets even better.  He does not just dribble a little bit of mercy my way as  I pass quickly by with the masses.  No, He has and continues to pour out His mercy towards me everyday and He knows my name and He calls be me by my name until my heart overflows with joy.

David understood this perspective which is why he so often wrote about the greatness of God, His loving kindnesses and our need for Him.  I am in awe of how the above passage speaks of how great and beautiful Jesus is and yet He is at the right hand of “Majesty”.  Majesty being God and Jesus is the express image of God, the brightness of His glory! Wow! Again, I can feel my knees trembling.  God has chosen me to be His own, He has called me and justified me and He is sanctifying me.(Romans 8:29)  Why? If I continue on in the book of Romans it says that it is because He wants to conform me into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.  But Jesus Christ is the express image of God!!? Whoa!  I become speechless, except to say; Mercy me!

So, I am writing to you today to encourage you to take the time to prayerfully consider the Beauty and the Holiness of our God.  So that in turn your heart would recognize His Majesty’s Mercy toward you and that praises would fill your heart today for your Wonderful Savior by which ALL of this is possible. Do not miss this opportunity dear sister!  Here are some passages that will help you consider your Father in heaven (Majesty) and His mercy:

Psalms 19; 21;23;24;29

My prayer for you is that upon this consideration that you will rejoice with Thanksgiving and that His mercy will overflow from your heart into the lives of those around you.  Be blessed by the knowledge of His mercy, and go bless another along the way today (after all when it is received it is required to be given as Kayla and Colleen wrote to us about)! May His goodness and Mercy follow you all the days of your life (Psalm 23).

Blessings upon blessings from our King,

Susan