Wanting.

There's a theme presented throughout Paul's epistles that keeps shouting out to me.

We were created not to be idle or timid or weak-willed; we were made children and heirs of the light and became bearers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to testify about our Holy Father.

The idea is holiness.

God is preparing a people to be sanctified, holy, prepared to do every good work. We were commissioned not to be still but to go forth, to be set apart, to spread the Good News!

II Timothy 1:6-7, "...I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."

II Timothy 1:8-9, "...join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace..."

II Timothy 2:15, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

II Timothy 2:20-21, "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."

II Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Titus 2:11-13, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good."

Titus 3:4-8, "...when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life... so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good."

 

I was walking along today, and I had a peculiar thought.

My walk wasn't for more than 5 minutes, just across intersections at Willow & Nees to begin work this evening, but it was a very provocative 5 minutes.

My string of thoughts began with a question, 'what would I feel about my life if I died today?'

My answer shook me to my foundations, "I haven't loved enough. My love isn't complete; I feel like there's more for me to give in love."

Essentially, I told myself I wouldn't be content if I died this very day. That is a very hard reality, an even more difficult truth to behold.

But the beauty always has been God placing such thoughts on our hearts..., for when conviction and passion combine, powerful change can take form.

Being given this understanding of myself, I am challenged with the opportunity to spread love from all that's inside. My heart urges, it groans and desires to love greater!

It's like God's creation calling out, in fact, my heart is God's own creation! He designed it for love, he created it to worship! And what higher form of worship than bestowing the love God has given us unto others.

My answer brought along a second question, which precluded another answer, "How do I measure my life?"

"I measure my life by the amount of love I create."

Whether this love is the love I have for others, or the spark I set aflame in another shone by my light, which' God's light inside of me. It could mean me learning to love greater and greater, and it could mean me having such an impact that another gains more love of his or her own.

The only way I see myself impacting another to increase in love, is truly only through increasing in my own love for others...,

It takes knowing God, who is love, to truly know the life that is really life.

I want to leave you with these passages to conclude, they've brought me so far since I first begged the question, "what would I feel about my life if I died today?":

I John 4:11-19, "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us."

Creation told in Genesis (GREEK: Γένεσις, "birth","origin") was an interesting time..., it's such a surreal and intimate telling of how our LORD and Savior so loves us. I consider this account the beginning of the greatest love story of all time.

The intricacies set by God into every detail of our universe and our creation are beyond conceiving... far wider, broader, deeper, larger than we are capable of truly or fully comprehending.

And that our beloved Father chose with this first day, the very first day, to build a home for you & for me, what would become His proudest creation, is so precious and divine.

On that note, I always found this translation interesting in Genesis 1:6-7, "And God said, 'Let there be an expanse between the waters to seperate water from water.' So God made the expanse and seperated the water under the expanse from the water above it..."

Genesis 1:8, "God called the expanse 'sky'..."

The water above the sky.

That, in my mind, is a magnificient picture. God's poeticism cannot be rivaled; He Is, after all, the Author and Perfector of Love.

Stars were once described as "little holes in the floor of heaven".

That too is a magnificient picture.

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It's funny how God Is. You know that I named this site Scio Cui Credidi which means, "I know in whom I have believed" whose words are the Apostle Paul's.

I drew the inspiring words of "scio cui credidi" not from the word of Paul, however, but from a miracle story I read about.

I've been binging on wikipedia over the past couple weeks (I'm an addict), researching on figures or persons I've found inspirational throughout my lifetime.

One such figure is Blaise Pascal, you'll recognize him from the Pascal's Triangle in mathematics. This man only lived to be 39, he is mostly famous for being a mathematician, but what most don't know is that late in his life he abandoned his mathematics and scientific research and took up His cross after a mystical experience where he learned about the nature and character of Christ and the Lord God.

To the point, i want you to read the section entitled, "Miracle", on Blaises' wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_pascal

Okay! Great! Now that you've read Miracle, you've discovered where I originally found this inspiration. Wicked cool, right?

Now to complete the story,

I began with saying how funny God Is. The reason I said that is today, on the first day writing on ScioCuiCredidi,
I landed on the very chapter where Paul writes "I know in whom I have believed" when I opened my bible. By mistake! I couldn't at all recollect where Paul had written it.

God doesn't create 'coincedence', only providence; I don't acknowledge coincedence, only God.

Coincedence? Nada. DIO? Si.

2 Timothy 1:12, "THAT is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day."

I began the passage at the "that" because I want to encourage you to read for yourself the teaser as to where the "that" is coming from.

Your choice,

thank you for being a part of my devotions,

May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.

In His name, peace & love to you Solus Christus (by Christ Alone),

and my dear affection too,

Hunter

This webblog will be to further my devotionals with my Lord & Savior: Jesus Christ, Father God, & His Holy Spirit.

365 days of daily musings on living the Christlike example through and through as best as I'm capable of.

I am, after all, human.

Grace, peace, and love from the Father,

-Hunter