A Heavenly Viewpoint

Posted on by stevenlucht1

Squished against a couple of strangers, as you share the immediate space around you for two hours, doesn’t really appeal to most people. In fact, I really don’t think it really appeals to anyone! Most of the time, I would rather drive than fly in those conditions. However, recently flying has put an amazing perspective on life.

Whenever you fly, you can oversee miles of landscape. Whether that be the majestic mountains, the open plains, the beautiful canyons you can see some amazing sights. You look down upon the twists and turns of the roads, the fields and towns. You are able to see a completely different viewpoint of the earths topography that you wouldn’t be able to see as well on the ground. This really put into perspective how God looks upon our lives for me. He oversees everything. Scripture teaches that God knows even when a sparrow falls to the earth. He knows the hairs upon your head, and ultimately, He knows what is best for you.

So, What do you we with that kind of viewpoint? Well, I’m glade you asked.

Trust. We get so uptight and concerned of what’s around the next corner that we soon forget that God has all things under His sovereign control.  I so often look upon my life and believe that right after the bend in the road is going to be a broken down bridge that will bring me to my falling and I have no way of slowing down or stopping. Failing/falling to whatever problem that came about. Ultimately, it goes straight to overthinking. Overthinking is completely taking your trust away from the Lord and trying to take control of whatever situation you are going through alone. Personally, I hate being alone and I know full well what happens when I try to take control by myself. We all know that doesn’t end well.  God knows what’s around the corner. He deeply desires that we trust in HIM!

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
~Proverbs 3:5-6

God knows what we need and what is good for us. He knows you better than you know yourself! That broken bridge may not be there at all but a beautiful time that God has planned for us. Our minds get so wrapped up into what might happen and lose sight of what God truly has in plan for us.

When you devote your life to Christ you make a huge decision in God, you are not going to know what is around the next corner. Why should you?! If you knew absolutely everything that was going to happen to you in this life, would you really be trusting God? NO, of course not! You would be trusting in your own deity. .A deity that truly doesn’t know what you need. GOD DOES! He knows what is good for you and He desires to give you the things that are good in life. We need to learn to put our trust into our heavenly father.

Is this easy? No. If anyone tells you that trusting God is easy they’re lying. Trusting the Lord takes time and an enormous amount of prayer. You will know the direction that you are to go by the answer to prayers. If God is leading you are answering those deep prayers in a manner that you should keep following that path, you obviously should continue down this road. He has planned something great for you even though in the beginning of this road it may seem difficult. God is working this beautiful story for you!

I had someone not too long ago remind me that just because we want something in life and pray dearly about it doesn’t mean that’s what God desires to give you. How will we know the difference? Through those prayers. Like before, If  the prayers are leading you close down the road, keep going. However, if doors feel like they are continuously being closed, seek after the Lord and guidance in what you should do. Trust. Always know that God desires to give you what is good and maybe what is good is a different road than you are going.

In Romans 8 it explains that we don’t even know how to pray as we should so the Spirit is interceding for us. It goes on to say that Jesus is interceding for us. He want’s what is good for us. Anything that is good comes from above! (James 1:17) When you truly see God working to bring things together, be patient. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but the blessing that overwhelm when you are giving your trust to the Lord will overflow your heart. It’s something that I’m truly learning now and know will continue throughout my life. When you have something that you can’t help see God placing in your life that is good, make sure you give it right back to Him. He is the one that rains down the blessings and He is the one that deserves all the credit and glory.

When we practice this level of trust in God, true joy will come upon you. Divine happiness and contentment. Paul expressed in his letter to the Philippians that he has learned to be content in all circumstances. In the good and the bad we ought to always give everything to Him through prayer and supplication. You will find that to be closest to God comes when we are on our knees giving Him our requests and desires.

Philippians four teaches that we ought to let our request be known to God. An all knowing God wants you to tell Him what He already knows. Seems kind of pointless, doesn’t it? Of course not! He wants that communication. He wants that connection with us. How amazing! God wants you! Trust in Him that He will provide and guide you down this road in life. Cling to what is good! For it comes from above!

“Delight yourself in the Lord
And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
~Psalms 37:4

Keep remembering the viewpoint that God has on your life.

The Conversation of a Lifetime

Posted on by stevenlucht1

What if I told you that I recently got off the phone with Aaron Rogers, 21 Pilots, Billy Graham, Donald Trump, or any famous person out that you really want to meet? Let’s say we were catching up on life and try to call each other every other week. You would be fairly impressed, or even have some kind of desire to be able to talk with that person also. I feel like most of us, if not all, are willing to admit that we would get pretty excited if we had the opportunity to sit down with someone we really look up to in the “famous realm”. Whether that is someone in the music industry, sports area, or in the mission field we all have someone that we would really like to meet.

Here is the interesting predicament that I find. We would do so much to be able to have that conversation with that famous person and get all giggly or excited about it, but have little affect over our personal conversation with God Himself. “Wait, hold on a minute….” you may be thinking, “I definitely value my conversation with God more than I would with a famous person.” Now, let me challenge this thought. Are we the type of people that mention our relationship with God or would you boast to your coworkers and friends that you were able to talk/be a close friend with a famous person. Think about this for a minute. When is the last time you mentioned to anyone how God answered your prayer, small or big? When’s the last time you even expressed your relationship with God to any nonbeliever? Now if you had the opportunity to talk with Aaron Rogers, whether you like him or not, I almost guarantee you that you will be telling others about that conversation.

When is the last time you really thought about who you are talking to when you pray? The Almighty God, the I AM, the All Knowing, the Lover of your Soul. He is actually listening to what you are saying! Even thinking about this should get you excited! I AM!!! There is no greater comfort knowing that we have the opportunity to reach out to the Almighty God!

“Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”
~Corrie Ten Boom~

Open God’s Word to I Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without Ceasing” (ESV). It’s an incredibly short verse that packs a mountain of meaning. Praying shouldn’t be something you feel you HAVE to do, it should be a passion and desire. Keep in mind the One that you are talking to. Here’s something that might throw you off. If you don’t want to pray… DON’T. However, you are going to miss out on one of the most incredible relationships you could ever be involved with.

So, How DOES God answer prayer? Well, we will touch on what I see the three most common answers: No, Yes, and Wait.

No: This is by far one of the hardest answers. Whether this involves a huge opportunity/”door” closing, or a change in careers. The answer spans to all kinds of areas of life. The majority of the time this is not the answer that we desire from God. However, it’s one of the greatest teaching moments that God can bring you closer to Him. He always knows what is best for us and “no” might turn into the biggest life-changer that you needed. The verse that I always try and keep in mind when I feel God has told me no is I Thessalonians 5:18:

“Give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (ESV)

Yes: Now I Thessalonians 5:18 is really easy to practice in this answer. “Yes” can give you absolute joy, depending on the situation. The warning I give when this is the answer God gives you is give the praise right back to God. He has allowed whatever circumstance to happen and He is the one to get the praise. Don’t be going off boasting about how you did whatever to get that new job, promotion, or dating relationship. It was God’s hand that guided and helped you along and He is the one to get the praise.

Wait: For some, myself included, this can be the most challenging answer. What am I suppose to do in this wait??? “Wait” never means to stop praying. I find the waiting period to be the most growing and challenging. Whether that’s praying for a beloved friend or family to deeply desire God more than this world, or waiting to be in that relationship you desire to be in, or even that next step in your career path. Wait is the time you spend all the more time in prayer. Luke 18 expresses this well.

“And he told them a parable
to the effect that they ought to always pray and not lose heart.” (ESV)
~Luke 18:1~

One of my favorite activities to get alone with God is going for a walk. Some people call me nuts, but I love going for looong walks. Recently, I went for a 20 mile walk. There was a specific area of my life that needed deepened prayer. It forces me to get away from the distractions that may pull me away from my time of prayer at home and focuses me on why I am walking. Sometimes it’s to focus on a person struggling or asked for prayer, or to pray about different areas of life (either present or future.) Prayer is one of the greatest parts of our relationship with God.

Now, we have looked into how great prayer is. Why is prayer so important? Why is it something that I need to set time aside for and to practice praying more often?

You have an open communication with God, and you abuse that communication. He desires so deeply to have a personal relationship with you!

“Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving
let our requests be made known to God” (ESV)
~Philippians 4:6~

Why should we let our request be known to God? Isn’t God all-knowing? I’m glad you asked! I see this as a deepening desire between God toward us. He desires to have a personal relationship with you and wants the best for you. He wants your attention! Are you giving it to Him?

What if someone you desire to be in a relationship or someone you are in a relationship with never talked to you or barely talked to you. The relationship isn’t really going to be healthy. There is no communication. How can you grow towards someone when you don’t communicate. God communicates to us through the Word of God and through our day to day lives. We need to be spending some serious time in prayer and in reading the Bible.

First, I suggest getting a prayer book and write down prayer requests. Leave some space by the prayer request so that when time comes you can see (and write down) how God provided and answered for that prayer request.

Second, Get people in your life that you trust to send prayer requests to. I have a few people in my life that when life is getting hard or something is really tearing me apart, I send them a quick text to pray. It has helped incredibly in my walk with Christ.

In conclusion, You may have a once in a lifetime opportunity to talk to a famous person. Whoever that person would be for you. Just remember, that you have an opportunity to always have a deep and incredible communication through prayer to the God of the universe.

That Inevitable Question

Posted on by stevenlucht1

The inevitable question that all single guy or gal is bound to hear when you greet someone they haven’t seen in some time. “So, are you seeing someone” or “Is there anyone special in your life?” Now don’t get me wrong, I believe it’s nice when a person comes into your life and they show a special interest toward your life and how you are doing. However, why does this questioning have such a high priority in our conversations?

I have heard plenty of sermons that taught being single is a gift from God. When we approach each other and start questioning if there is someone special in that persons life, you partly take away the importance of this gift of singleness. I visited an old church not too long ago and within five to ten minutes I was questioned whether I was in a relationship with someone or if I was interested in someone by at least six different individuals. No, it’s not offensive by any means, but where are our priorities?

If we are teaching youth and the body of Christ that singleness is a good thing, why do we keep asking whether one is in a relationship? It seems quite contrary what we should be practicing. Paul teaches in I Corinthians 7:8:

“To the unmarried and the widows
I say that it is good for them to remain single
as I am.” (ESV)

It’s a GOOD thing to be single. Our society teaches that one is weak or inferior to others if they are single. How ridiculous! This couldn’t be further from the truth. The other part is that so many singles believe they will be fulfilled once they are in a relationship with someone else.

There is only relationship that will ever fulfill you and so much more. This relationship comes above all else in life. This is your relationship with God. We neglect this relationship so often. Our conversations should move away from where one is in getting into a relationship with another person and into the pursuit of ones relationship with God. If you know me by any means, I love asking the question, “How’s your relationship with God.” I don’t care how many people say that you have a strong relationship with God. My desire is that you keep pursuing Christ in all that you do. He is the ultimate source of fulfillment.

“If Christ is not all to you He is nothing to you. He will never go into partnership as a part Savior of men. If he be something He must be everything, and if He be not everything He is nothing to you.” ~C.H. Spurgeon.

Push for asking others how their relationship with God is doing and what God is teaching them. That is incredibly more important than asking whether they are interested in someone. Never assume that ones relationship with God is going well. Always pursue into someones life in how you can encourage and grow them in their personal growth in Christ.

“Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.”
~Proverbs 27:17 (ESV)~

If you really want to get to know someone that is walking with the Lord, ask them about that very walk. We need to be more encouraging toward singles in their relationship with Christ. I, like many others, have a desire to some day be in a relationship. However, this desire will never get in the way of my pursuit toward Christ. The more we rely on Christ and His love the more He reveals the beauty of life and what He has in store for our lives. I can not even begin to express all the areas of life God has blessed and I know will continue to bless in my life.

Patience is a Virtue

Posted on by stevenlucht1

When I was little boy, I would sit at the top of the stairs, in complete anticipation. I waited for my dad to walk through the door when he was done with work. Before he came through the door, I would quickly put his slippers, aligned just right, on the stairs. All my dad had to do was slip right into the slippers and walk right up the stairs to greet me. He would pick me up with his large arms and always have the best greeting.  This was the best time of the day.

Waiting for my dad to get home was the hardest. I would keep looking out the window right around five o’clock to see if he had pulled in yet.

My family loves to go camping, and each year we would go camping at the same lake for years. As soon as we got there, I would ask my parents right away if we could get the boat in the water to do some water skiing or tubing. I would usually get the response to “just wait” or “be patient”. This didn’t really sit well with me.

As a young kid, I was always a “go, go, go” type person. Just ask my parents…. wait…. no, don’t ask them. Even so, I loved to explore and keep moving to the next fun activity or project.

…Our society lives off of this mentality…

We always want to create something to make our job go faster so we can work on the next project, and then have that go faster. It’s almost always about speed. Now don’t get me wrong, this can come with plenty of benefits, however, it can cause quite a strain in life too. We transfer this mentality into our daily lives.

“Be patient!” I don’t know about you, but I heard that plenty of times growing up. Patience, for the most part, does not come to us naturally. If you were to look up the word “patient” in the ESV bible, you would find 21 verses. The Bible expresses plenty of times on the importance of being patient.

  • Romans 8:25
  • II Corinthians 6:6
  • Galatians 5:22
  • Ephesians 4:1-2

Look them up! Don’t just skip reading the word of God. He teaches us that it is a good thing to wait. We may not see it, but it is!

How many times have you shown patience and good things come from it?  Almost always! Then, why don’t we actually practice this? We want what we desire ten minutes ago. We have no patience to wait for things in life. Whether it is with a relationship, a new job, moving or just that next step in life. We have a hard time waiting days, weeks, months, and sometimes even years until we know fully that good things will happen, if we wait.

I am currently seeing impatience ruin families, relationships, and ones relationship with God. We don’t like the idea that we have to wait, so we take our own initiative to rush our lives.

So then, what are we supposed to do when we wait? Isn’t it obvious? PRAY! God wants us to go to Him and express what is on our hearts.

God is trying to teach me right now to be patient. It hasn’t been easy. I have to pray that God gives me patience each day. If I don’t pray for patience, I end up over-thinking different areas of life and I tend to lose trust in God.

At the very beginning of each day, take and make time to spend at least five to ten minutes in prayer. Ask God for patience in specific areas of your life. Have people in your life that can encourage and strengthen you in being patient. Don’t fight your desires on your own.

Above all, focus on the One
who loves you beyond life itself.
He WILL bless you in being patient on His will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The End of the Beginning

Posted on by stevenlucht1

Next week is it… It’s the official start of the summer with the kids. My excitement is growing in anticipation for them to be here. At the same time, my heart turns when I think about where these kids are coming from. It pains me knowing that some of the kids that will be here for the first kid’s camp have not heard of the beauty of our Savior, knowing that the some of the kids are coming from very rough backgrounds. I ask that you join me in prayer for those kids, and the kids that do come from good homes.

This past week has been very long. It seems that every time that my heart starts really getting excited and pumped up for the kids to come, Satan decides that he is going to throw a curve ball and distract me from the reasoning that  I am here. It has been quite the lesson to have to endure. Thankfully God is the one in control and taking over. It is absolutely amazing when we truly give things to the Lord that He WILL take over. The catch is that we need to truly give whatever is on our mind to Him (Easier said than done.)

As summer staff, we have gone through quite of bit of training. We have been trained in TAC elements (Team Adventure Challenge), archery, paintball, various nature times, the tower, swing, and the tree climb. Writing it out makes it sound like we just have been playing this whole time. However, these days have become very long with a lot of training. We obviously have been having an incredible time, but it does seem like we’ve been here for at least a month when we only have been here for a little over a week. I can definitely say that I am more than ready for the kids to come.

It’s incredible that God can use us for His work and for His glory. Please pray for us summer staff that we keep in the mindset that we are here to give glory to God and none of it comes to us. It’s too easy for us to get prideful and forget what we truly are here for. God is so good and we are so excited to see what He is going to do and impact this summer.

Matthew 10:13-16 explains how Jesus let the children come to Him. I am so ready for these kids to come so that we can pour out our hearts to them. My desperation to want to share the love of God to them is beyond all measure. Wednesday morning I will be teaching at the chapel time. For approximately six months, God has laid it upon my heart for this message. My biggest prayer is that it is all God speaking through me and not anything of my own accord.

All this said; please pray dearly for my fellow summer staff and our walks with Christ. I have been more encouraged this year than ever in my walk with Christ and being challenged in my own growth. We have a healthy and strong bond with each other and get together each night to spend some time in prayer. We couldn’t do this without God’s help. It truly is amazing what God has been providing already in this summer year.

 

Time Well Spent

Posted on by stevenlucht1

Where is it? Where are we spending our time?

There is a jealous God waiting for us to spend time with Him. Oh too often I neglect my personal time with God, time set aside that I build myself closer to Him. A relationship takes time and effort.

Time:
While looking at several different articles, the average American spends approximately five hours watching television. That’s JUST watching television and not including how much time we are on our phone or computers…etc. Fairly ridiculous if you ask me.

We are completely wasting our time! There God is waiting for us to start talking with us. Personally, if I were to be in a relationship, I would get quite jealous if she spent the majority of her day wasting her time and neglecting conversations and time with each other. That is exactly what we are doing to God when we neglect spending time with Him. He’s jealous of us. The Bible speaks about this several times. (Exodus 20:5, 34:14, Deuteronomy 4:24, Joshua 24:19)

Why would we not want to talk with God and have our own personal time with Him?! It just shows that God just wants to have this personal relationship with us. He wants us! I don’t know about you but that definitely pushes me to invest more into my personal time with Him.

So many people say that they don’t have time, or it’s hard to work around their schedule to spend devoted time with God. Some even say that Sunday church should be good enough. Personally, Sunday is wonderful but I most definitely need to be fed so much more spiritual insight and guidance other than 45 minutes on a Sunday morning. Make time. I would struggle to say someone has a strong personal relationship with God and neglects personal time with Him. It’s like saying that I’m a really strong person, yet I only work out once a week for just an hour. Sure, you may be able to do a couple of push-ups, but don’t expect me to come to you for exercise advice.

Make time. It’s that simple. He made time for you, it’s your turn to make time for Him. If you have accepted Christ into your life then you have this relationship that you need to invest into.

 

Effort:
As it’s said, it takes effort to make something work. This relationship that we have for God takes a lot of effort. Those days that we are just too tired to set time aside and all we want to do is sit back in the lazy boy and relax are those very days we need to get into the Word of God all the more.

I very much enjoy my time of listening to messages online through trusted pastors that really challenge me and help me get into my Bible during the message. Most times after I listen to a message and look over my notes, I spend some time in prayer.

My weekends I try to be all the more into my relationship with God. I have thoroughly enjoyed putting different messages on my phone to listen to. When I work on the weekends I enjoy playing those messages and keeping myself encouraged while working. If I don’t work on Sunday afternoon that is when I take a nice long walk. Most of those walks last for four or more hours, but it’s valuable time spent with God.

Never let anything, and I mean anything, get in the way of you spending personal time with God. It is one of THE most important times that is very well spent. I can not describe the love I have for God on my walks. Everything in life seems to dwindle while my relationship with God goes to an entire new level.

Now, I will say, it takes a lot of effort some days. Today it started to rain and at first really didn’t want to go. However, it didn’t take so long for me to have that desire to want to have some personal time with God.

Find a place that you will not be distracted from your time with God. Preferably a place that doesn’t have any kind of electronic device. If that’s too much to ask then I highly suggest turning them off and putting them away for the time being. It’s way too easy to get distracted whether by the internet or communication with others.

 

All this said, I pray that we make it more of a priority in our lives to have a time each day to spend alone with God. Even if it means to say no to some activities we would have done otherwise. We have lost the importance in our alone time with God. It’s time we changed that and bring our relationship with God to a new personal level.

Redeemed…

Posted on by stevenlucht1

Being that other day was valentines day, I feel like this post will be quite appropriate.I’ve also been thinking about writing about this for a couple of weeks now.

So many of us single guys and gals can get so caught up in this time of year in not having that special somebody to spoil or be with. I’ll be the first to admit that those thoughts have came across my mind. We so quickly want a love from this earth to fulfill our hearts when there is  a love from God that no person could ever come close to.

…Redeemed…

What does it mean to be redeemed?

“The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.”
~C.H. Spurgeon~

When I looked up the definition most dictionaries stated that it had to do with a payment that was cleared by a price. Thought that was pretty cool considering that we have been redeemed by God Himself.

I’ve had the opportunity to ponder this thought a lot lately. Being that I haven’t really moved away from my own bed, having been sick… It’s been a good reminder that He loves me. To sit back and just think that God loves me so much that he came to redeem me.

“In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.”
~Ephesians 1:7~

I’ve really enjoyed looking at this verse, even now when I am writing this. A key word that really sticks out to me is not only redemption but also LAVISHED. God has LAVISHED His love upon us. What an amazing thought.

LAVISHED!

I don’t know about you but I absolutely love the thought that God lavishes his love and grace upon us.

“waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
~Titus 2:13-14~

There is so much in those two verses. The phrase that really sticks out to me in these verses is “who gave himself for us”. It wasn’t a half-heart gift that God gave us, it was all of Him. My mind can’t even comprehend this kind of love. It completely blows me away. This whole concept that He came to this earth to give himself up for us.

“even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to sever,
and to give his life as a ransom for many”
~Matthew 20:28~

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all,
which is the testimony given at the proper time.”
~ 1 Timothy 2:5-6

Honestly, it’s amazing how much we forget the love of God, and what Christ has done for us. So often, our minds wander to the things of this world and what we desire for ourselves. One verse that meant a lot to me these past few months is Psalms 37:4.

“Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
~Psalms 37:4

This verse implies that if you are walking and delighting yourself in the Lord that the things that you desire will be what God wants you to have. Now for most people they see this verse toward that special person that means a lot to you, but it could also mean that job or that place you want to move to. If we keep this kind of love and desire that God has designed and has for us on our center focus, I do believe that he will provide with these desires in our hearts. We so quickly get discouraged as young adults that we don’t have a girlfriend or boyfriend, and we think that no one could love us. (Been there thought that.) However, we have this love that is burning inside of us. I kind of love that was bought with a price.

This Love is JESUS!

Let us never forget that we have this love from God that overflows into us. There are times that I get so in love with God that I just start to sing as loud as I can. That same kind of feeling that you get when you are around that person that makes your heart skip a beat and you just want to jump for joy because you were able to talk with each other. Yeah, it’s one of the most amazing emotions that I have ever felt, and only God can truly fill that emotion.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble.”
~Psalms 107:1-2

You see on facebook all the time, when someone gets in a relationship it’s posted all over the place. People are excited for them and they write messages back and forth to each other so that everyone can see that they love each other. (Personally I think it’s the worst place to put that information) Nonetheless they are publicly proclaiming that they love that person. I know personally, that when I am in a relationship I want people to know that I love her. (Not through facebook)

In the same way we need to publicly proclaim that we have this love in Jesus. That God has redeemed us!!!! My heart skips for joy knowing that I have this love within me. That I don’t have to wait to get married to feel this kind of love. We already have it through Christ. HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER! Let’s keep that in mind each day and I know for a fact that life will get so much more exciting. (It needs constant reminder.)

His kind of Love

Posted on by stevenlucht1

This poem is, by far, one of my favorite poems that I have ever heard in transferring our relationship with Christ and relate it to a relationship here on earth. I hope you enjoy the read as much as I do.

Crucifixion Type Love Poem by Brent Rice

My biggest prayer is to love her right. I want to love her like Christ loved the Church, love her like her Father in heaven loves her, love her like the Holy Spirit loves her soul and love her like she was created to be loved but sometimes, sometimes my flesh tries to intimidate me with that kind of love. It’s like my spirit can rise from the depths of this corrupted prison with the voice of Abel screaming that ‘I have not yet loved her to the extent that Christ loves the church” see; I want a crucifixion type love.Every time I hug her I want my arms to be spread out on the cross and I want to die to my childish ways. And every time I look into her eyes I want a crown of thorns to be placed upon my head so that I will surrender my thought life to her honor. And I want the walls to be taken apart to be nail driven into my feet so that they would lead her with the authority of Moses, see; I want a crucifixion type love. I want my side to be pierced every time that we laugh together so that ill always remember that she is my rib. And every time I sleep and dream of her I want my back to be beaten with a cat o nine tail so that ill always carry her burdens for her. And every time I’m not with her I want to stand before Pilot and stand true to my relationship with her, see, I want those who have seen me to have seen her in me when we are apart. I want a crucifixion type love.

I want a love that will cause dead men to rise. When people gaze on us I want them to know who is this Christ that we speak of. And every time she falls I want to take her in my arms like my cross and carry her up to Calvary. I want men to mark me for not wanting to be like them, for not wanting to squander my love on various women but to have the passion to pour out my love onto one soul for all of eternity. I want a crucifixion type love.

I want a love that was pre-destined before eternity. I want a love that was birthed in my mother’s womb. I want a love that is willing to give up this world for her. I want a love that is immaculate. I want a love that makes angels wish they were in our shoes. I want a love that will make me pray to God and say who am I that you are mindful of me to bless me with her. I want a crucifixion type love.

I want a love that bleeds purity. I want a love that people will lie on us just to see us split apart. I want a love that will make me run away to a far village build a mansion for you with my bare hands and send you love letters every day reminding you of me, letters that you can keep in a book and spend time reading them every day. I want a love that will make my spirit pray for you. I want a love that will make me walk on water in the middle of the most dangerous storm for you, see; I want a crucifixion type love.

I want a love that my friends will betray me cause of my affection for you. I want a love that after we’re gone that for centuries to come men will aim to follow in our legacy. And every time I rise in the morning I want it to be my cross being raised up right for you, to stand up on the hill of my life and portray a beautiful sacrifice. I want to be placed in the tomb of your heart, the tomb that your mother and father built. I want a love that will rise with all power over adversity. I want a love that people will flock to see if it’s real. I want a crucifixion type love.

I want a love that shows my yearning for you. I want a love that even when we argue I still have a burning passion and desire to be with you. I want a love that heals, the kind of love that covers the wounds that were dug deep by the knives of infidelity and insecurity. I want a love that makes God get up and dance around his throne every time he sets His eyes on us. I want a crucifixion type love.

So, with all of that said…

Lord please give me the strength to love her like you love me. Like the way you didn’t consider being equal with the father, a thing to be grasped, but you came and gave up your throne for the filth of this world, and out of love you serve and in the same way let me serve her unconditionally, infinitely. So, let me man up and quite wasting time playing games and pursue her like you pursue your church because you have chosen me to be entrusted with her heart. So, let me cherish it like a jeweler cherishes a diamond, let me examine it and find out every minute detail about her worth, see, I want to love her

Like Abraham loved Sarah,
Like Isaac loved Rebecca,
Like Jacob loved Rachel,
Like Moses loved Ruth,
Like Solomon loved his queen,
I want a crucifixion type love.

So, into your hands I commend this relationship because I want to love her like you love your church. I want a crucifixion type love.

Head Over Heals in Love

Posted on by stevenlucht1

Honestly, I really don’t even know where to begin with this… this is focused more on the single men and women struggling to find what’s already waiting for them.

My disappointment and frustrations with people who call themselves “Christians” is beyond me. I’m sure I’ll get some criticism with this, but hear me out. I’m using examples throughout my day to day life and what I have been reading a lot of on social media.

Since when is it okay?? Since when is it okay to be in a relationship with Christ and think you need more. If you are truly and completely in love with Christ then you don’t need anything else.

Yes, I am definitely in favor of being married as God has given me that passion within me. However, why would I focus my being on finding a future wife when I could be growing in my relationship with God? We rush into relationships with people but don’t push to have a relationship with God Himself!

We are losing this emotion of falling in love with GOD! I want nothing else in this world besides Him.

I really enjoy asking young people how much they get into the bible. Most of the answers I get are “not too much” or “a couple times a week”. How is it okay if we are suppose to have a personal relationship with God, yet neglect reading his love letter to us!?! It blows my mind!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am far from being perfect. However, I have finally understood that I am already in a relationship. And if I truly want to be a man of God I best get in His book and be in CONSTANT prayer to Him.

“pray without ceasing”
~1 Thessalonians 5:17

Did you know that if you have accepted the love of God into your life and are a follower of Him you are dead to sin and alive in Christ?

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.”
~Ephesians 1:7-8~

Look up the word lavished in the English dictionary… yeah it’s pretty amazing. Skip down a little bit:

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
~Ephesians 2:4-6~

These verses aren’t in the Bible so that you can just underline them and look at them once in a  while! There actually meant to live out! We should be challenged daily to have a BURNING passion to live for Christ.

Now I am no relationship expert, but I can see pretty well that when we truly follow Christ and keep Him (and only Him) at our center and to call in love with him on a daily basis He will provide a future spouse for us. So why fret over wanting to be in a relationship when you are already in one!?

Now I have nothing against this certain individual, but I saw this post on facebook where it quoted one of my favorite chapters in the bible:

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude/ It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all tings, endures all things.”
~1 Corinthians 13:4-7~

With this post the individual posted that they wanted a love like this. Well, we already do! God has lavished His love upon us.

I always liked looking at our hearts as having a hole in it. Now we can fill this hole with a lot of different worldly desires such as alcohol, drugs, pornography and relationships. Now for a very short time these instant gratifying desires satisfy this hole but will never fill it. The only thing that could ever fill that hole is the love of God. He desires to fill it and fill it with passion and love we could never imagine on our own.

Now maybe you’re sitting here reading this and saying to yourself “well duh, I already know all this stuff” but are you TRULY living it in your day to day life. It’s a constant challenge for myself. Is the last thought I go to bed to and the first thought that I wake up to showing my desire to be closer to God and want to strengthen my relationship with Him?

It’s time we fell in love with our Savior all over again.

When’s the last time you felt completely in love with God? When’s the last time that you couldn’t go to bed without reading the Bible or having a long conversation with God? When’s the last time you actually took time out of your day to have some personal time with God?

I’m not talking about ten or fifteen minutes. I’m talking about taking an hour out of your day and truly spend alone time with God. If the first thought that came through your mind was “I don’t have that kind of time” then you need to make that kind of time. He’s waiting…

I sit here and I can feel this overwhelming feeling as if someone is wrapping their arms around me. I feel God’s love flowing through my veins. I would never write this to condemn people but to want people to feel these same feelings. It’s that head over heals in love for Christ. I couldn’t be happier.

Let’s strive to love God with our entire being. I can guarantee that job that you can’t stand and the person that drives you nuts will dwindle away once you truly engulf your life with sharing Christ’s love.