Fresh Revelations of God's Love...

One thing that really hit home over the w/e was God's love. It was a constant theme in each worship session and in my quiet times I was constantly reminded about.

On the last day our last worship session was filled with a real sense of the holy spirit and the room flooded with a true sense of joy at God's love. The only thing I could keep saying and realising is how ridiculous God's love is.

It is the most ridiculous and absurd love this world will ever know.

We're so unworthy and yet this amazing God who is all powerful and incredible, loves us!? Go figure. I can't comprehend, and nor do I think any of us can. Reading Isaiah this morning-we were cut off from God because of our sin

"The Lord is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. But there is a problem - your sins have cut you off from God." Isaiah 59:1-2

So what does He do? He sends Jesus to solve that problem. Hang on? If I were in that position, being a selfish human and all, I'd just destroy the whole race-Problem Solved. But no, this amazing, compassionate, loving God sent His only son, to die the most horrendous death. Not just because it was a gruesome crucifixion, but because He bore all the pain and suffering of our sins, every impure thought, every murder, every disgusting sin was impressed onto His fragile body, until His Father could no longer even look at Him. He felt more alone than anyone will ever feel and that's to save me? Personally, I don't think I'm worth that. I'd like to see anyone try and justify that they were.

How ridiculous is that?!

A great BIG, perfect God loves me! What have I ever done for Him? Or what will I ever do that will warrant this kind of love!?

This love is so amazing, I want to be constantly reminded of it, constantly impressed by it, taken aback and have it firmly stamped on my heart. I want there to be continual moments in my day where I just have to stop 'cos I'm hit by this incredible love. Daily fresh revelations of God's love is what I'm praying for.

Quit day dreaming and start being awestruck by this incredible love that God has for you.

Student and 20's w/e away-Love:Intimacy...

So Friday 20th November, I hopped on a train back home, thoroughly excited and expectant for the following w/e with my hometown Students and 20's group. I love a good, peaceful (non-London) train journey, gives one time to reflect, get pensive and even read, if the thoughts get a little sparse!

Needless to say by the time we'd arrived I had high expectations and was very excited. To be honest it didn't meet my expectations, (by this point you're expecting me to say "it was better"-but that's cheesy) at least not in the way I expected. I purposely didn't want to limit God and expect Him to meet with us like every other meeting etc. I wanted to think as openly and vaguely as possible, because lets face it God is a great big God full of amazing creativity, so I was thinking broad-He could do anything! And not too shockingly, God surprised me! When doesn't He?! As if God could ever been labelled as predictable!

God met with us and definitely challenged me right through the day, even now as I'm back in my uni home the challenging continues. Whether it be from the pressing questions of how can I gain further intimacy with God and am I truly taking up my daily cross and if not, how can I? or whether it be from the personal challenges I'm facing.

God didn't meet with me and others like I expected, what I have found is that, everything learnt over the w/e is so relevant to my life here and that I'm actually going to see fruit from putting what I learnt into action, instead of looking back nostalgically over the weekend's experiences and living off of that. It's time to take the lessons learnt and use them, I want to see fruit, I want greater intimacy with God and I want to be publicly disgraced and mocked, so that I can be that one tiny percentage closer to being like Jesus. I feel almost like I should delete that statement, but God is my life and worth it all.

If you're going to do any self searching today or any probing, ask yourself this:

How can I gain a deeper intimacy with God?

Am I doing all I can to be like Jesus, am I picking up my cross and stepping out as far as possible?

John Piper on Prosperity Gospel

This is a short clip that you have to listen to... John Piper talks briefly on the Prosperity Gospel.

Filled with passion and challenging thoughts, give it a listen its only a few minutes long and leaves me in awe every time I hear it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s

"God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him."

Listen to it and be changed, if it doesn't change you on the first listen, listen to it until it does.

Hey there stranger...

Well, it's been a long time and there's so much to tell and and to share, but one thing that I can say is this: that one thing hasn't changed God is still faithful, God is still good and God is still amazing!

I've learnt so much over the last months about God and feel closer to God. When I feel so alone and upset with no-one else around I know that God is there and that He will never forsake me. I fail to see how people go through life without Him.

I'm currently reading Isaiah at the moment, would recommend it, it may seem scary because of the size but it definitely made me fall in love with God all over again and made me stand in awe at all the great things he's done for me!

It's only a short one, but I'll write something better next time.