Welcome to Hank’s Place in 2022
Last message I passed along a word of admonishment from the book of Jude: that we build up our faith — Jude explains by praying in the spirit – that’s a topic for another day – and to keep ourselves in the love of God. That’s for today. I want to share with you from Hank and Mary’s experiences in keeping ourselves in the love of God.
Mary: I fell out of the love of God when I didn’t go to Jesus and tell Him how I felt when someone stabbed me in the back, ridiculed me, ignored me, rejected me. In pretending everything was ok, with those hurts buried in my heart, I was shutting myself off from God’s love.
Unlike David in the Psalms where he told God exactly how he felt and expressed his emotions when his enemies were triumphing over him, I was not allowing myself – to be real – God wants us to be real with Him. I was not being honest. I was pretending to be a victorious Christian woman.
If we tell Him how we feel and ask for the way out – you know what I found? Jesus WILL show us the way out!
Hank: I’ve had many bad/sad/disappointing experiences both in the church, in the secular workplace – and most everywhere. Just like you. There was a common thread: the spirit of rejection. Being rejected in some way, and pressuring me to believe God was rejecting me too. I would feel judged as lacking, simply not good enough. And even if I did really well, there were the driving words to not only keep it up but do better next time. There was such pressure to depart from living in the love of God, and get on a performance bandwagon of trying to please God.
I would overcome only when going to Jesus, quietly usually, and baring my heart. Or loudly, almost angry, well, angry – shouting – or crying. But being REAL with Him and how I felt inside.
My friend, TELL JESUS something — even if in the pain of the moment you can only whisper, JESUS – then whisper JESUS – He’ll come running to you and lift you up. He’s faithful. Really.
Mary: What has helped me many times, and this may be personal to me because I love Handel’s Messiah, was listening to the song from Isaiah 53. It’s about 12 minutes long and begins, “He was despised and rejected” – He was – JESUS WAS — so all of us could be accepted in the Beloved….
That we — could COME ALIVE!
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