CHRIST above all others!

One thing I have learned in my walk with our Lord is this. He plants a fire in your heart. A real deep, burning fire.

I remember, years ago, when someone had said that we must love HIM before all others. My reaction was defiant. I didn't understand what it meant. How can I love anyone more than my husband and children? That is impossible. And HEY, what about ME? I am to be first loved by my husband and children.


Funny how the Lord took all those defiant feelings away. And I didn't even notice the change. He put a fire so strong in me that I pray I do nothing to have it extinguished.

Will I end up a hypocrite? I pray not! For I have felt HIM. I have been lifted off the ground in prayer and giggled non-stop from the tremendous joy for what seemed like hours afterwards. I have felt HIM, when I have begged for Him to release me from my torments....yet was told By Him to carry the cross, and with joy too! (Ouch...that is the toughest one!)

HE has taught me true love. I thought I knew it. I still feel I don't know it in the truest sense of the word. But in HIM, I am IN LOVE! And not in the worldly sense of the statement. IN LOVE! My heart explodes when I think upon Him! Words I should write for my husband, I write for HIM....and then look to my husband and see......HIM! That is the beauty of it all. When we love our Lord, no matter what we deal with in our families, we can look at them, in all our anger moments, and stop and see HIM inside each of them....taking all that anger away.
For People will always disappoint....Christ is all faithful! WE, as humans must learn to be AS faithful as CHRIST is to US! Once we experience HIS love, the Love of our Father and the tugging of the Holy Spirit within us, the movement within our lives......the understanding of loving CHRIST before all others becomes a simple truth. Praise GOD for HIS truth, HIS life, and HIS WAY!!!!!!!!! We serve a MIGHTY God! AMEN!

About a year ago I experienced Gods love through my wifes cousins daughter. She was six months old and God broke my heart with love for her. Then I began to see the Kingdom of God in children and my life. I seen how God looks at us as we look at a child. He has unconditional love for us but will discipline us when we do wrong. He will remove everything out of the way that gets in my way with Him.
Then the other day, I picked up the little girl and God spoke to me. He said, "I'm just this little girl when I look at you. I love you just as you are. Pure love".
You can't beat Gods love. It is better than anything and it is completely satisfying. I am experiencing the living water from the well that never runs dry. And it does spring up.
Who can satisfy my soul like You? Who on earth can comfort me and love me like You do? Who could ever be so faithful and true? It is no one but You.
Thanks,
TT

When you make that deep down personal choice to be his completely, the joy is unspeakable and full of glory. I was of the opinion that once born again I could have such oh so good feelings. But theres more to it than that, you'll say, sure Jesus your my Savior and I love you, he answers, but do you love me enough to give me your all? If your answer to that is, let me think about it, you my friends are in for a big surprise. I like surprises, but I wasn't prepared for what came next. He says, O.k. have it your way, go back out there and "really" get a taste of what life is like.

Don't make that choice, to go back that is, because if you do the suffering is, well, lets just say its bad, all bad. I'm in a wheel chair today and I firmly believe its because I made the wrong choice. Today, all is well, I'm an evangelist for him and loving it, all of it, Alleluiah!

In Christ my rock,
Lee

Thats what Jesus does for us, as an example.

http://www.greatdanepro.com/Dear%20Jesus/index.htm

In Christ,
Lee

Its Sunday morning*

There are those that go to him grudgingly, if that be the case don't go at all. First examine yourselves to see if your offereing is aceptable and pleasing, nothing worse than a grump going to God. If you do go in this attire expect a nudge from God

Put on the proper attire your attire be in your attitude. Don't let it be one of these; hey honey it's time for church "again" oh my aching back, besides, it's no big deal theres always next week.

No, go this way,"HEY HONEY" let's go, we haven't seen our brothers and sisters in a week, come on we'll be late.

Hem... and how do we go?

In Christ,
Lee

But most important of all is Jesus standing there with those wonderful loving arms*



Psalm 16


Michtam of David.
1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore

Everready, well said! I especially loved the first paragraph!

Amen!

Everlastinglife....We all go through our pity parties...they stink, don't they???!!!!

I admit, I must go through them more than half the day.

BUT...with that said...I am nothing without the thought of our Lord and what He would think of me during some of these moments. Such as lately.

But, God is soooooooooo good, that He always gives a little nudge that brings us back into focus. Some in some pretty fierce ways, and some, so gentle and coersive.

Once it dawns on us that it is not GOD that is allowing certain things, and that we were created for HIS purpose....solely for HIS purpose, and get off our rebelliousness...our little satan's inside us that challenge that thought....we realize just how great He is! Christ came to us for a reason.....we must learn to understand that reason without pride, arrogance and selfishness....which is so difficult sometimes!

Being polished sure can hurt sometimes, (Sometimes the rubbing of the sticky muck stuck on us can burn) but how beautifully we will shine once it is all finished!

When we get the slightest feeling that our thoughts are about to be taken captive, our thoughts themselves begin to scamper about,


II Corintians 10:5

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowlege of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

In Chris,
Lee

Oh I love this thread!! Amen to everything!

I remember when I first became a Christian, a couple of girls from my university invited me to a worship service. I went there, and was surprised..the people there had so much joy! Worship meant nothing to me...I couldn't understand why people do it...and when they sang songs of love to God I could tell they meant it. And when they sang about God's glory, holiness, the Cross, etc, I couldn't understand why they seemed to care so much. To me it was mere doctrine, but I didn't feel thankful or joyful or repentant or anything..

So after that, I began to pray that God would help me love Him...that He would allow me to put Him first...and after some time I noticed a change. Suddenly I just felt a love for Him that I've never had before...I wanted to know God better, I wanted more of Him. I started attending worship services and praying more, reading the Bible...and just trying to surrender more of myself to Him in my life. I got opportunities to do so...all I had to do was turn to Him in times of temptation, worry, doubt, fear, insecurity, etc. The Holy Spirit convicted me of sin and lead me to repentance..I "discovered" sins I've never noticed before! Sometimes He told me to give things up for Him or to allow me to be used in some way. Every time I obeyed, I felt my relationship with God growing, and I just prayed for more. I found that I could worship from the heart, I felt that I was given more faith...before, I used to doubt if God exists, but that stopped too. What really encouraged - and surprised me - throughout all this is that I felt extremely loved. I still do, more than ever! Sometimes I feel His presence, and I know it's Him because of the 'fruits of the Spirit' and because I recognize Him. I can't explain that really well...but I have NEVER felt this much love or this much joy in my life!!! I'm soo thankful! Now, I just want to obey Him better...to give Him ALL of me...I mean seriously, NOTHING compares to Jesus. I just pray I would live for HIS glory. I have no idea how all this happened...lol!! I have so many friends who don't believe in God...and I used to be just like that...I'm a sinner! And for some reason, He called me into this relationship with Him, and showed me more love than I've ever known before. I love Jesus so much, and I pray I would love Him more and more...

Before, I couldnt understand what it meant to love God above all else...God was just a theory to me....but now He's a Person, and loving Him first is something I just want more of. Praise God! That was all His doing!

God Bless you! He must ALWAYS be on TOP!!!

Love the bumppers!!! So cute!