Dancing With God

I recently read the following on a friend's blog. I thought it was too good to keep to myself.

Dancing With God
When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for you in your life,
please share this message with someone else.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Pray We All Dance Today
~ Author unknown

"It Pleases God to make us Strong"

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation.
They exult in your righteousness.
You are their glorious strength.
It pleases you to make us strong.
Ps 89:15-17

I read this today as I prepare to walk in obedience in a way that will be very uncomfortable for me. God has challenged me to step out in faith in a way that scares me. It's easy to obey God when it doesn't take us out of our comfort zone, but that is not how battles are won. The real battles of life take courage, humility, and God's strength. I love this truth that God finds pleasure in making me strong! Bring on the strength Father!!!

I will share more about this step of obedience soon...

Here are a few more verses that I am praying through as I get ready to move in obedience:

2 Cor 12:9-10
9 Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Josh 1:6-9NKJV
6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

I like Jesus...

I was thinking recently about how much I like Jesus. I know it may seem a little plain, simple, or even shallow to simply say “I like Jesus”. I mean there are so many other words that could and should be used to describe my affection for my savior. Statements like I love Jesus, I worship Jesus, I serve Jesus, and I honor Jesus, all seem to have more power than a simple “I like Jesus”. While these are all true, and I am typically known for making several consecutive statements that need an explanation point at the end, and potentially overstating my point, I am also cool with a simple “I like Jesus”. Now, before you get all super-spiritual on me, just track with me here for a few minutes.

Let’s look at the difference between Like & Love. Remember when you were a kid and you had crush on someone. There seemed to be this natural progression that went from “like” to “love”. I even remember having a girl who had a crush on me send her friend across the playground to ask me if I “loved” her friend or if I simply ‘liked” her. Although it seems silly now, at the time my answer carried a lot of weight. I mean this girl whose name I can’t even remember today, was asking me to “define the relationship”. Like and Love were obviously two very different things to this 5th grade girl. “Like” was one thing, but she wanted me to take it to another level with the power word “Love”! Following this line of thinking it would surely be more appropriate to say that “I love Jesus”, than to say that I simply “like” Him. Again, for the record, I do “love Jesus”, but I like Jesus just as much. Now that we are grown, and childhood crushes are distant memories, let’s revisit this ‘Love” & “Like” thing.

Here is my thought process now. The Bible says that I am to love my enemies, but it doesn’t say that I need to “Like” them. Love is a moral imperative. It has biblical implications, and is part of the Greatest Commandment. We are to love the Lord our God with everything we have, and we are to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. Now, before I veer off into a message on love, let me get back to my point here. While I am commanded to even love my enemies, there is no command given regarding the word “Like”. While I must love my enemy, I certainly don’t have to “like” them. Do you see my point? While I certainly love Jesus, I also really “Like” Jesus. “Like’ is a personal preference, and for that reason I think that makes “I like Jesus” powerful on a whole other level.

A few years ago Mary and I started making this distinction in our affection for each other. We’ve been married since 1988 and we certainly love each other very much. Truth be told, we are passionate about each other! Not a day goes by that we don’t call each other multiple times throughout the day or text little coded messages to each other. It was in the midst of this daily flirtation that we began to use this word “Like”. The funny thing was that we used it to sort of take the word “Love” to another level. It went kind of like this… “I not only “Love” you, but I really “Like” you to!” There was fire in those statements, and the power of "personal preference". Okay, that is enough about my romantic life… :-) "Personal Preference" is what I am really talking about. I personally prefer Jesus! When I look at the way Jesus valued people it amazes me! From the little children, to the blind man, from the woman at the well, to the woman caught in adultery, from Nicodemus to Zacchaeus, Jesus revealed the love of the Father to people. When He confronted sin, He did it with such passion, strength, and purity that you can't help but see His love for people in that as well! I really like Jesus! Jesus is the expression of God's heart for us. He is the demonstration of all consuming love. I love reading the Gospels and just trying learn from Him, to try to pick up His attributes, and maybe even begin to see with His eyes. As has been stated by authors, preachers, and the bands...Jesus showed us "a new to be human", and I want to become that kind of human. Yes, I love Jesus, but I also really like Jesus.