Steadfast part 3
Logan asked me what I was going to Rant about. I told him, "Being steadfast." He said, "What's that?" I said, "Standing strong no matter what." He said, "Oh, cool. I like that. I like that." And I hope he likes it because he's seen it. I hope he likes it because he's experienced it. A consistent love that never fails. from a steadfast God who will never leave us nor forsake us. That's what gives us faith. Faith isn't about getting something, or making something happen. Faith is about believing and trusting in what has already happened. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word (which is Jesus, which is love) of God. Knowing that in this world we will have tribulation, but we can be of good cheer because Jesus has overcome the world. Knowing that even on our darkest days... we are the light of the world because HE is the light of the world. And we live in Him. As He lives in us. We dwell and abide in Him, and He dwells and abides in us. I try to use James 1:24 as often as I can. Mostly because I never hear it preached, or even referenced. "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." He can keep us from falling. LOVE can keep us from falling. And did you catch that last part? With exceeding joy. His joy... and OUR joy! It's His divine pleasure to hold us up. And what could that do BUT make us happy? Being held up, I mean. Knowing that no matter what... our heavenly Father has our back. Knowing that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. Even when we mess up. We can't be disqualified. We can't be cast out. I like to say it like this: Revelation 21:3 in the Message Bible, "I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God." God has moved into the neighborhood and He's never moving out! He's right where He needs to be, and right where He wants to be! So rather than running around like chickens with our heads cut off, we can simply be still and know that He is God. He can keep us from falling, and all we have to do is stand strong in Him. Stand strong in LOVE! Let love lead us and guide us and direct us and protect us. Let the love of God fill us up to overflowing and come out of us. Naturally. It's a flow. From God. We love because He first loved us. We love Him back by loving each other with the love that He has loved us with. We let what's already inside come out by knowing and believing that it's in there. Not by trying to get it, but by trusting that we have it! Not by trying to earn it, but by receiving it and releasing it! Letting it flow through us as we let God love the hell out of us and then love Him back by loving the hell out of each other. He is steadfast in His love for us. He can keep us from falling. And that means we can be steadfast in our love for each other. We can keep each other from falling. Hold each other up. Edify and support and love each other no matter what. We can live that life of love by letting Jesus live it in us, and through us, and as us!