Paralyzing Fear

Fear. 

What scares you? Think about it.
For a few months or so fear was controlling me. Worry and anxiety gripped me. In God's word He tells me: Fear not. Yet, fear I did.
Fear paralyzes. Fear controls. Fear hurts. Fear betrays. Fear lies.
Fear handicaps. Fear ruins. Fear keeps you from God.

Psalm 121

I lift my eyes to the hills. 

From where does my help come? 

My help comes from the Lord. 

He made heaven and earth. 

He will not let your foot be moved. 

He who keeps you will not slumber. 

Behold, He who keeps Israel will 

neither slumber nor sleep. 

The Lord is your keeper.

The Lord is your shade on your right hand. 

The sun shall not strike you by day 

nor the moon by night. 

The Lord will keep you from all evil; 

He will keep your life. 

The Lord will keep your going out 

and your coming in from this time 

forth and forevermore. 

The Lord is your keeper.
The Lord is MY Keeper.
I prayed: "Lord, I need to know you are with me" on July 2nd. On July 2nd, directly after I prayed those words I opened my bible and it fell to this Psalm.

Instead of fear keeping you from God allow God to keep you from fear.

I began to memorize this Psalm while I was en route to Romania with my church. On the airplane, saying goodbye to Kaleb, in the mornings, at night...I read it over and over. I prayed: "Lord, let me know you as my keeper. Let me see that this applies to ME. Let this soak into my heart. Not my head."

Do you know when He proved Himself as Keeper to me?
When I stepped out in faith. When I did something that scared me. When I relinquished control fear could no longer paralyze me. Instead of allowing fear to keep me from God I followed His call and HE kept fear from me.

He proved Himself as Keeper to me when I DID something that made me afraid. 
How can He show you He will keep you if you stay inside?
If you stay in the safe, comfortable box you've constructed you can't know Him as your Keeper.
You'll only end up living afraid in your own box.
It's ironic.
The worlds we construct to keep us safe and comfortable provide neither.

In the airplane, I was high above the ground. I wasn't in control of the plane. I couldn't see the pilot. I couldn't see my husband. I couldn't see my home. For nine days I was away from all that is familiar to me.
But...I was as close to God as I could be.
There is no safer place than God's will.

When I was most afraid God was most able to show Himself as my Keeper.
I didn't just read Psalm 121.
In stepping out of my box I got to experience its truth. 

I had so much fun in Romania. I made so many wonderful friends and we got to worship God and proclaim his Gospel to hundreds of people. I think it's pretty cool that on a trip where there are 135+ people He taught us each something personal.
In my small little world He showed Himself as Keeper. He kept me.
I would have missed SO MUCH had I not gone.

I pray you step out and let Him keep you, too.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; 

He will keep your life. 

The Lord will keep your going out 

and your coming in from this time 

forth and forevermore.
Psalm 121:8

Look at the beautiful view I would have missed! 

The Giver and His gifts

" I am in the process of understanding the immense reward of God. Simply God. Apart from all He can do or give." 

Kelly Minter 

No gift that God has given me is so good that if it were taken away, I wouldn't make it. As long as I still have the Giver I'm going to be okay. The Giver Himself is all-together sufficient and satisfying. I don't NEED His gifts. I need HIM. His gifts are graces. Little mercies. A drop compared to the ocean. His gifts are the moon but He is the Sun. Just as the moon reflects the glory and light of the sun so do gifts reflect the glory and light of the Giver.

The Giver is always greater than His gifts. 

If you, like me, live in fear of certain gifts being "taken away" (I put the phrase in quotes for a reason) we should think through our answers to these questions: Where does our greatest affection lie? Our greatest joy? Our greatest contentment? Does it lie in the Giver or in His gifts?

Would we even want God without all of His gifts? 

One of my greatest (and most irrational) fears is Kaleb dying. If he dies I feel like I would die. How would I continue? How would I keep going? And those feelings are legitimate. I think it goes without saying that it's not a bad thing that I don't want my husband to die. There is a point though, where it crosses over into idolatry. (Idolatry=equating the gifts to the esteem of the Giver or placing the gifts above the Giver) This is when it becomes: "God, if my husband dies, I don't believe You will take care of me. I won't make it. You won't sustain me enough or satisfy me enough and I...I just don't believe that if he were taken away, You would be enough for me." That's really what we are saying, isn't it?

"If I do not have             then God, You aren't enough for me. So I am going to cling to             with tight fists and not let it go because without             I won't make it." 

"I won't make it without               " translates into:
God, You alone are not enough for me.

The crazy thing is this: the way my gift (my husband) loves me is MINUSCULE compared to the way God loves me. MINUSCULE. There is NO comparison. Kaleb's love for me is a drop while God's love for me is greater than the ocean. GOD IS GREATER THAN HIS GIFTS. As much as I love my husband he is still (and always will be) the lesser gift. Furthermore, I can love Kaleb so much better when I live acknowledging him as the lesser gift. It is too much pressure on a person to put them in place of the Giver. Kaleb could never live up to those standards or expectations.

We don't need to live in fear of the gifts God has given us being "taken away" because His gifts aren't sustaining, sufficient, or even eternal. They are good, yes. We love them more than words can say, yes. They are some of the most important things/people in our lives, yes. But only God in Himself is truly sustaining, sufficient, and eternal. We were created to need Him. And we do.

When God gave Adam a helper, He was still greater.
When God gave Abraham a son, He was still greater.
When God gave Jacob his beloved, Rachel, He was still greater.
When God gave Israel the promised land, He was still greater.
When God gave Hannah Samuel, He was still greater.
When God gave David the throne, He was still greater.
When God gave Solomon tremendous wisdom, He was still greater.
When God gave physical safety to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, He was still greater.
When God turned water into wine, He was still greater.
When God healed the sick and the lame, He was still greater.
When God multiplied fish and bread, He was still greater.
When God raised Lazarus from the dead, He was still greater.

But when God gave us Himself, He gave us the GREATEST. 

Ultimately, God gave us a greater gift than any gift He had given us before. The greatest gift of all: Himself. As a baby in a manger, a boy in a temple, and a man on a Cross. Sacrificing for His kingdom and for our hearts....God gave us Himself.

The Giver gave Himself to us as a gift.
Mind-blowing. We are so undeserving. 

The irony, the beauty, the grace in all of this is: Out of all of the gifts the Giver gives, HE is the greatest one of all. The Giver is the ULTIMATE gift. Do we really, deep down in our hearts, believe this truth?

For the Jesus-follower, our peace is this: Everything will be made good in the end.

Why?
Because in the end, no matter what gifts we have or don't have, we will ALWAYS have God. Our Father. Our Savior. Our Redeemer. Our Friend. Our ever present help in time of trouble. Our Refuge. Our Strength. Our greatest gift.

 Our greatest gift is the Giver of all good gifts and He will never leave us or forsake us.
Every gift lost, every pain, every tear, every trial...ALL will be made good in the end because God is there. 

He was, He is, and He will be. 

As you know we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. James 5:11

Exciting News...

The choir and orchestra from Johnson Ferry Baptist Church are traveling to Romania in July to put on a few concerts as well as minister to the people there (through children's ministry, local churches, etc)...and...I'm going with them!

Kaleb and I joined Johnson Ferry sometime in August, and I joined the choir sometime in September (I think). Singing in the choir has been an absolute joy for me. Mark, our music minister, mentioned the plans for a potential mission trip to Romania at rehearsal one night. I was thrilled at the idea of going but didn't think it would be possible since I am taking classes this summer. More to that later...

A bit of my testimony for background:

I grew up in church. The Church has always been my second home. I am comfortable there. I went to children’s camps and youth camps. I was in GA’s and Awana’s. I went to all the
retreats and conferences. I read tons of books and did countless bible studies. Studying scripture managed to be fun for me. My “christian resume” looked good! I met all of the requirements and had all of the knowledge. I attended all of the right events and heard all of the right speakers. Despite all of this, throughout my years as a christian I doubted my faith. I doubted my relationship with God. I worked so hard to be good but I didn’t see Him working in me like I saw Him working in others. I put so much effort into my own sanctification. I tried so hard to be a good christian. I tried to check the boxes. I tried to believe more. I tried everything there was to try, but nothing worked. Nothing satisfied me. I wanted something more out of my relationship with God but I could not figure out what it was. What was I missing? I saw God’s power in the lives of other people... but where was His power in mine? I didn’t feel very special to God and He sure wasn’t using me to do anything special for Him.

One summer in Ellenwood, GA it clicked:

God does not intend for me to die and appear before Him saying, “Here, God! Here is all of the knowledge I stored up about you. Here are all of the verses I memorized and songs I know. Here are all of the bible studies I did. Here are the gifts you gave me.” 

I believe He would then ask me: “Jordan, where are the people? Where are the people I intended for you to love, disciple, and care for? Jordan, I gave you that knowledge to share with people. I gave you those bible studies so you could know Me better and share Me with people. I gave you the gifts to make me more known among the people. Jordan, Where are My people?”

God has blessed me solely to bless. He has given me much and He expects much of me. I am to take what He gives me and pour it right back out into someone else. He taught me that if I want to experience His power I must pray and minister to His people.
Before that summer I was so self-centered. My faith was all about me. God was all about me. Life was all about me. (Of course, still working through this. Probably will be until I die.) Don't get me wrong: God IS for me. He loves me and wants me to enjoy Him but His call on my life didn't end with my salvation. It goes beyond that. He has a greater plan. I am to enjoy Him and out of the overflow I receive I GIVE! The same joy and love He has for me He has for COUNTLESS others and I am His chosen vessel to share so! I struggled so much in my relationship with God because I was neglecting one of His greatest commands: GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES. I was pouring so much into MYSELF that I was neglecting others.

Over the past month I have been even more burdened for those who don't know the love Jesus has for them and the Gospel that will turn their lives upside down... My friends, my classmates, the waiter or waitress, the lady who checks me out at the grocery store...and the people in Romania.

I could write for hours how in the past month God has set the lost in the forefront of my mind. I was content to stay here and follow His leading but He saw it fit to allow me to travel to Romania and share His love there.

However, I was still concerned about my summer classes. I emailed my summer professors and one remarkably responded, "The two days you will miss class are the two days I planned for the class to meet online. You'll be fine as long as you do the work." Seriously? Out of the entire summer semester (May-July) the exact two days I will be gone to Romania are the exact two days she had planned for the class to NOT meet in person?


So, Romania here I come!! I am so, so excited and can't wait to see what God does through our team AND the people in Romania. It'd be silly to think we are going only to impact them. I know they will have just as great of an impact on us.

If you would consider doing two things:
1. Poor Kaleb agreed wholeheartedly to my going without even first asking the cost. (Trust me, he asked quickly after.)
But there is a cost.
If you feel led to give, I welcome any donation. You can email me at jordanblackburn6@gmail.com. I have a GoFundMe account set up (click hyperlink to be taken there)! However, my accountant husband isn't so fond of the site taking 5% of whatever donation is made.  If you don't mind the fee of 5%, by all means, donate through the site. If, however, you aren't comfortable with that just send me an email and we can go from there. :)
Kaleb and I will pay whatever we don't raise. Johnson Ferry is so gracious to pay half of the actual cost. God will provide and I trust Him.
2. Whether you feel led to give or not, please pray. This trip will be pointless if we aren't plugged into our Power Source. Your prayers are absolutely vital to us. I will post specific prayer requests as they come.

I love you guys. I'm really thankful that you read these posts. :)
Please let me know if you have any questions or want any extra details. I didn't want to make the post terribly long, but I'll be sharing more in the coming days.

Jordan

Snippets of Truth.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with all God is showing and teaching you at certain times in your life?

[Disclaimer: For those of you who may be in one of those times where you feel like you are grasping for God but can't seem to find Him...don't let the question I just asked push you further into despair. I'm just coming out of one those "Okay God, I know You're here but WHERE?" seasons. I hate them but they serve a purpose. They refine and strengthen my faith like no other season can. (Still, though, I hate them.)]

So I am going to write some quick thoughts and truths God has been showing me lately. Partly because all of them are spread out in my prayer journal and my bible study book and my brain. I think it will be clarifying and helpful to have them written down all together somewhere. It kind of helps me process and piece the puzzle together. It's important to make note of what God is doing in our lives. We forget so easily.

Maybe it will flow. Maybe it won't. Maybe one truth will really resonate with you and the rest will be a mystery. Maybe this is just for me.

Here we go in no particular order:

1. Pray scripture. It helps. It works.

2. God gives us passions. Pursue the passion He gave YOU and don't worry about the passions He gives others. We are the body and we work together. We can't all be the same. The structure wouldn't work that way.

3. God's plans exceed our dreams.

4. On January 8th I felt "unplugged" from God (wrote it directly in my journal). On January 18th God gave me this huge realization and allowed me to feel His presence in a way I can't describe. He truly lifted a burden off of me. I felt lighter. (Wrote that in my journal, too.) Anyone can endure 10 days of misery knowing a light, a revelation, Jesus is coming.

5. Always pray to BELIEVE the Gospel. Sometimes this can be the hardest part. BELIEVING the Gospel. We say we believe it and then we act like we don't. Forget the law, the duty, the perfection. The Gospel fulfills and transforms all of those things.

6. Thanking God for my husband makes me thankful for my husband.

7. Cling to Scripture when there is nothing else to cling to.

8. Cling to Scripture when there is everything else to cling to.

9. Trust that God hears your prayers and is working even when you can't see it. He sees the bigger picture. He sees what we can't see.

10. God has a plan for what we could never plan for.

11. Pray for salvation for those God has not yet redeemed.

12. Pray for your church and your pastor.

13. Religion and routine leave you desperate for more and too exhausted to try. Seek Jesus and friendship with Him, instead.

14. Studying scripture without applying scripture is useless. We need to do both. If not, both are in vain.

15. God cares about the little things you pray for just as much as He cares about the big things you pray for.

16. God not only cares about the little things but He also takes care of the little things. He is the God of Provision in ALL areas.

17. Bumpy days don't take God by surprise. Surrender them to Jesus and let peace reign in your heart and mind. (Easier said than done, still working on this one.)

18. Thank God for the little things just as much as you thank Him for the big things.

19. Be faithful in the little.

20. Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER trust your feelings/emotions. Always take them to Christ and ask Him to refine them.

21. Do not compare your gifts to others; just use the ones God gave you. This is faithfulness and good stewardship.

22. Choose to be content in whatever season you may find yourself in.

23. Don't miss the opportunity to learn and mature and grow because you are too busy wishing you were somewhere else.

24. Don't ask for "more" out of discontent for what you do not have. You may not "have" because you aren't doing #19.

25. Pray for God to shatter your twisted view of Him and replace it with who He really is. Chances are we are always wrong and God is always right. :)

26. Choose to trust God's ability and God's goodness DESPITE your circumstances.

27. God is more concerned with the state of your heart than anything else. You can hide a lot of things from people but you cannot hide your heart from God.

28. Nothing I do will make God love me more and nothing I do will make God love me less. (These aren't my words, I heard it somewhere, can't remember where or who.)

29. God's goal is not my happiness.

30. My goal should not be my happiness.

31. Pray for the people in your life.

32. Believe God even though you can't comprehend Him.

33. God is beautiful in ALL of His ways. (Bethel music)

34. Trust that God is not only good but He is good to you. 

35. He's got the whole world in His hands.

36. Self-sufficiency is death to the Christian. (John 15:5) Abide in the Vine. Revelations from God aren't the Vine. Feelings aren't the Vine. Your family/friends/boyfriend/wife/husband/girlfriend isn't the Vine. Your happiness isn't the Vine. GOD is the Vine.

37. Seek God's approval not man's.

38. Seek first the Kingdom.

39. God fills in the gaps.

40. God is able, no other God can save like ours can. (Daniel 3)

41. God won't let sin win.

42. IF you are a child of God you are no longer defined by your sin but by God's Son.

43. Pray for the Persecuted.

44. God places us where we need to be, when we need to be there, for reasons He may or may not reveal to us.

45. Sin is disrespect to God. He willingly sent His son to die for His glory and our good. How dare we profane His sacrifice?

46. Do. Not. Compromise.

47. God's glory must be our deepest desire.

48. We may be in exile but God still claims us. We are His.

49. God is the Giver of all good gifts. There is really no room for pride.

50. Be confident enough in God to remain humble.

51. The world really doesn't ever satisfy.

52. God is faithful. God blesses obedience.

53. Scripture is TRUE.

54. Everything that happens is the unfolding of God's great plan for Rescue.

55. God gives us each-other (community) for a reason. We can't do it alone.

56. Let trials refine you not define you. (bible study teacher, Holly)

57. Prayer is knowing I have NO control but I am connected to the One with ULTIMATE control.

58. God knows exactly what He is doing. Our job is to trust Him not question Him.

59. "For a time". When all hope seems lost it is only "for a time".

60. We serve a "full-circle" God.

61. The need to "control" everything is a clear indication that we don't trust God.

62. Satan's people will always oppose God's people. It shouldn't surprise us.

63. Don't get caught up in being "too legalistic" or "too liberal". Just seek to honor God and pursue His holiness. Pray for discernment and conviction and obey God. Live in obedience to His word and the convictions He places on your heart.

64. Love transforms DUTY into DELIGHT.

65. God is WITH US in our pain and our sufferings.

Some passages of Scripture that have deeply spoken to me over the past month or so:

John 15:5 (#36)
Isaiah 43:1-2 (#26, #34, #40, #65)
Daniel 3:16-18 (#40, #41)
Matthew 25:14-30 (#21)
Mark 12:41-43 (#19)

SIN

I hate the dark.
My mind will run w i l d in a dark room.
I hate coming home to a dark house.
I hate walking across my apartment parking lot at night.
I just hate the dark.
One of my favorite feelings is when I am in the dark and then all of a sudden... light breaks through.

In those moments in the dark, when my mind is racing...what am I longing for?
LIGHT. I long for light.
Once I turn on the light instantly all my fears are gone.
Why?
Because I am not so much afraid of the dark as I am afraid of what's IN the dark.
You see, the light exposes whatever is hiding in darkness.

Spiritual darkness works the same way. But we don't really like to talk about it...
I wish I always longed for the light to expose my darkness, my sin.
Rather than judgement, I wish we prayed earnestly on behalf of others' weaknesses.
I wish I was as scared of my spiritual darkness as I am of physical darkness.
I wish I longed for the Light to shine upon me and chase out my sin. Just as light chases darkness out of a room.

I used to try and bury my sin. Hide it away. Tuck it away where no one could see it or find it.
I clung to my spiritual darkness. As ironic and untrue as it is, I felt safer in the dark because no one could see me. Except of course, the only One who matters.
In a very humbling way, a few years ago, God finally exposed the sin I had been struggling with.
Although at first the light blinded me and the exposure was absolutely terrifying I quickly realized how much I had been longing for light all along.
As light began to pierce my darkness, I found the sin to be much less daunting and conquering than before. The light choked it. Sucked the life out of it.
Since I had been exposed I figured I might as well seek accountability.
As I sought this accountability do you know what I found?
Judgement? Hatred? Claims of hypocrisy?
Yes. From some.
But from others? Prayer. Understanding. Love. Wisdom. Encouragement.
Ultimately: I found God's power in my weakness. I found God's grace in my faults.

I think the devil is (temporarily) succeeding in many churches. I think he is succeeding in convincing God's people to bury our sin deeper and deeper and fight the war alone. God has shown me through His discipline how dangerous this "burying" is.
Nothing gets better unless you let Light in.

Don't listen to the lies of the enemy. I know he is pleading you to stay silent. I know he is telling you to fight your battles alone. I know he is whispering judgement in your ears.
They will never accept you. They will reject you. God will reject you. You won't be welcome, anymore. You won't have friends, anymore.
It isn't true. It just is NOT true.
Some will walk away. But some won't. Some will fight with you. I know. I've been there.
And even if everyone does walk away...God won't. God is fighting for His glory and your holiness. You are never too far.

The longer we bury our sin and refuse to deal with it the greater our sin becomes. 

While you think you are burying it deeper and deeper into the ground, covering it up with your shovel and dirt, your sin is spreading like wildfire and will soon sprout up where all can see. Sin grows as you allow it to linger. It doesn't stay the same size. It doesn't go away. It GROWS.

Not to mention-- your sin doesn't only hurt you.
You think you are handling it and it's under your control and no one else is suffering, right? That's. not. true. Someone else is suffering because your sin doesn't only affect you.

I think if we would quit faking perfection more people would see Jesus.
What if we stopped coming to God under false pretenses and instead allowed His light to flood into the dark places of our hearts?

I think if we quit burying our sin and started confessing it, God would be greatly glorified and we would be deeply sanctified.

God sees through whatever facade we are putting out there. He sees through it and He loves us enough to expose it.



Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Matthew 23:27-28 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Comparison, Weddings, God's Glory, Contentment....

Contentment is the arch-enemy of comparison.
I wish I could say I have mastered the art of not comparing myself to others... but I haven't.
Social media doesn't help the situation.
Neither does planning a wedding.

I never make New Year's Resolutions. It's not that I think there's anything wrong with them. I've just never gotten into it.
This new year I decided to do something different.
As I was spending time in confession I noticed a pattern... (and I'm just being transparent here.)
I realized that 100% of the sin in my life boiled down to one tragic decision:

I was fighting for my glory- not God's.

I had to confess and repent of fighting for my glory, for my approval, and for my pride. 

If in every area of my life I fought for God's glory instead of my own, my sin would die because the urge to gratify myself would die. The urge to seek my own glory would die.

It was this day I decided to have a prayer for 2014. 

My prayer is to fight for God's glory in absolutely every area of my life. 

If I can do this...I will have joy incomparable. Satisfaction undeniable. Contentment unshakable.

So what does this have to do with a wedding? 

It's really easy to compare my future wedding with everyone else's. 

It's easy to second guess the location, the time, the colors, the reception, the decor (everything but my Groom). 

It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the decisions, to-do lists, and costs.
The funny thing is... I only get overwhelmed when I am comparing myself to others.  

The moment I find myself doing so I must stop and fight for God's glory. 

I must stop comparing myself and focus on the rich ways in which God has blessed me. 

Comparison is a joy-stealer. Contentment is a joy-giver.

You see, when I become overwhelmed with wedding details, I am not fighting for the glory of God. I'm fighting for the glory of Jordan.
I am letting small things outshine the one great thing: Jesus.

I want to be overwhelmed with God's grace in giving Kaleb and I the gift of marriage. 

I want to be overwhelmed with the joy of sharing a special day with people we love. 

I want to be overwhelmed at the picture Kaleb and I will paint of the Church. 

I'm over having a wedding centered around me.

I'm over a wedding centered around MY glory. 

Because at the end of the day, I will undoubtedly be disappointing.
More of "me" leads not to joy, satisfaction or contentment. 

I don't think it is a coincidence I am planning a wedding in 2014 and God specifically led me to fight for His glory in 2014... (not that I shouldn't always but I feel it's a major theme this go-around.)

My prayer is that first and foremost I will fight for God's glory on my wedding day. 

It is one of the best pictures of the Church we have. 

A beautiful gift centered around the most important thing: The Gospel.

Marrying another sinner and seeking their gain... writing off their wrongs and celebrating their rights...

I do not want to cloud such an occasion with my selfishness.

God is holy, pure, beautiful, righteous and worthy of all worship. 

I pray THAT is what people see on "my" wedding day. 

He must increase, I must decrease. John 3:30
It's not about me.

Love thy _________ neighbor.

This may be a controversial picture but apparently Jesus can be a controversial topic sooooo....

What if we loved like this?

I often wish we would stop pointing fingers.

If Jesus pointed fingers (which He doesn't) but if He did, His finger would justly be pointing at EACH of us. 

It is silly then for us to attempt to judge or point our finger at others. 

"When two people are standing next to Mount Everest they don't argue over who is tallest."

For lack of better terms, Jesus is the Mount Everest of Holiness. 

We are mere humans condemning other mere humans. What good does it do?
Neither of us are the standard of measurement. 

Whenever I survey our world and see all of the brokenness... it does hurt. 

I hurt when I see people so lost and trapped in the pits of sin.
But you know what makes me really hurt on behalf of the lost?

When we, the supposed Ambassadors of Christ tighten their chains. 

Church, we are held to a higher standard. 

"And that servant who knew his master's will and didn't prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. But the one who did not know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.  

Luke 12:47-48

In a sermon I listened to recently JD Grear stated, "The Gospel's secret is that grace is the most powerful change-agent in the world."

The Gospel uses grace to change people. 
Do we? Or do we use condemnation, superiority, and disdain?

A quote I read recently: "[God] loves us the way we are if we never changed. But, that kind of love changes us!" Bobby Capps

The Gospel gives out grace and love abundantly. 

If we are allowing the Gospel to saturate every area of our lives... then why aren't we giving out grace and love abundantly, too?

Why aren't we loving people so much they want what we have?

Why aren't we loving people with no conditions?
When Jesus says to love your neighbor as yourself in Matthew 22:39 or Mark 12:31 I see no exceptions. It just says to love your neighbor.

Tim Keller writes in Gospel in Life, "The person who knows he has received mercy while an underserving enemy of God will have a heart of love for (and especially!) the most ungrateful and difficult persons." He continues, "When a Christian sees prostitutes, alcoholics, prisoners, drug addicts, unwed mothers, the homeless, the refugees, he knows that he is looking in a mirror." 

We are no better. 
We were once spiritually dead.

I genuinely believe our world would change if we as Christians began to truly love our neighbors. 

"Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread."
We are all beggars in light of who Jesus is! 

"Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets depend on these two commands."
Matthew 22:36-10

The first step in loving our neighbors is loving Jesus with all we have. 

Once we do that the love for our neighbors will overflow.

My mission: Love more. Give grace more. 

Gospel, Grace, Overflow.