Some Day, My Prince Will Come...

He was so romantic, I could not resist

Some day my prince will come
Some day we'll meet again
And away to his castle we'll go
To be happy forever I know

Some day when spring is here
We'll find our love anew
And the birds will sing
And wedding bells will ring
Some day when my dreams come true

*I randomly came upon GregLaurie's blog this afternoon and I was so moved by his post that I had to expand on His revelation by re-applying this into my blog and my life.. posting just this song made me feel a bit cheesy so I decided to expand on how it related to me. hahaha anyways.

So, today I wrapped up finishing up Love, The More Excellent Way by Chuck Smith that has uplifted my faith, gave me hope to endure and expanded the capacity of my love to love the way He does, the supernatural love that comes through Jesus. Being able to love my friends, difficult people and my enemies, just as Jesus did during his 33 years on earth. While finishing up the book, I actually had to put it aside many times because when I'm reading a good book & growing through it, I always like to take it little by little so that I don't skip any of the good parts. But as I finished up the book I knew from the moment I picked it up that the Lord was going to do work within me through it. And surely, He did. The way the Holy Spirit moved through the words, left me amazed and in awe of his reverent glory. I cried, I pleaded, I learned and I grew through this book and now I'm left more motivated and much more eager, expecting the Lord to show me how much more he loves me with a deep everlasting love, "That is the heart of the Bible's message. The Bible is God's revelation of Himself to human kind, and the aspect of His nature that He wishes to display above all others is love." -Chuck Smith

So bringing everything together. As Greg Laurie ends his blog entry by saying, "We will indeed “live happily ever after!” I was moved when Pastor Chuck wrapped up this book by saying, "still you know the end of the story- they lived happily ever after. And so you have no fear of the eternal future, because you know you're going to be with Him, world without end" WORLD WITHOUT END?! I never even thought about heaven in that context, so this realization really sparked even more eager expectation for not just my "prince charming" here on earth but my "prince charming" who will come and take us (the church) to his castle (heaven) and until that day I sing along with Snow White saying, "Some day, my prince will come~"

"Perhaps that longing of the little girl’s heart, for a knight in shining armor, is a longing for a “greater prince:” the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords Himself.... I believe it is."

-Greg Laurie

-Live Productively

The Valley Song

You have led me to the sadness
I have carried this pain
On a back bruised, nearly broken
I'm crying out to you

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

When death like a Gypsy
Comes to steal what I love
I will still look to the heavens
I will still seek your face

But I fear you aren't listening
Because there are no words
Just the stillness and the hunger
For a faith that assures

While we wait for rescue
With our eyes tightly shut
Face to the ground using our hands
To cover the fatal cut

And though the pain is an ocean
Tossing us around, around, around
You have calmed greater waters
Higher mountains have come down

-Jars of Clay

I will sing of Your mercy

That leads me through valleys of sorrow, To rivers of joy

-Live Productively

What can I do?

When I see the beauty of a sunset's glory,
amazing artistry across the evening sky
When I feel the mystery of a distant galaxy
It awes and humbles me to be loved by a God so high

What can I do but thank You,
what can I do but give my life to You
Halle- lu- jah, hallelujah
What can I do but praise You,
everyday make everything I do a hallelu - jah
A hallelujah, hallelu - jah

When I hear the story of a God of mercy
Who shared humanity and suffered by our side
Of the cross they nailed You to, that could not hold You
Now You're making all things new
by the power of Your risen life

-Paul Baloche

Praise You, Jesus! I thank you today, Lord, for life.

-Live Productively

No Matter What, I Will Praise The Lord

"But I am like an olive tree

flourishing in the house of God;

trust in God's unfailing love

for ever and ever.

I will praise you forever

for what you have done;

in your name I will hope,

for your name is good.

I will praise you

in the presence of your saints."

Psalm 52:8,9

-Live Productively

The Finger of God at Work

My blog has been in such a fruitful season these days. I guess it goes to show the reflection of my heart, my self and my spiritual life that doesn't meet the eye but is clear to God. Last night as I was driving I had another life altering epiphany. (These have been coming quite frequently and with fervor nowadays) It's in these moments of solitude with God that he questions me and tests my heart. I love it but I hate it. So anyways, last night he showed me what true freedom means in Christ. Living day by day and finding the true meaning of "following" after Jesus is really just that, a day to day, moment by moment walking in Faith. In this freedom, Christ claims every area of fear and worry, in which I just don't know why I cling on so tightly. I know that I'm taken care of in every way because Christ loves me that much BUT I still have a tendency to (OVER) worry about this thing not getting taken care of to the next bill that hasn't been paid for or that person that needs my help. It's like I can't let go of Worry's hand and I drag him with me through life. Then there's fear that's a demeanor of the enemy that lurks around me. I know Fear and I can already distinguish when Fear is near me. "Jesus I know and Paul I Know but WHO ARE YOU?" (Acts 19:15) kind of a thing. So back to my epiphany about true freedom in Christ. I guess he really enlightened the verse: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt 6:33) in a new light..

There are moments/circumstance/times of my life in the past that I am quite ashamed, guilty and condemned for, not really by people per say but by myself. It's like the prostitute woman in John 8:1-11. I am constantly referred back to this story of this woman over and over, time and time again through devotionals, sermons and prayer times. And the story doesn't change but every time I hear/read/think about this woman my perspectives of myself start to change but the message never does, it goes something like this:

The story starts off with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who go and find a woman who was "caught IN THE ACT of adultery." (vs 3) They basically drag her out probably half nakedly clothed and bring her into this crowd in front of Jesus, in the exact why they found her. Can you imagine how ashamed, guilty and brutally embarrassed this woman must have been to be thrown like that in the midst of all these "religious" people and right front to be "condemned" by Jesus Christ! my goodness, it gets me everytime! The teachers and Pharisees didn't really have anything against this woman but they just wanted to use her as a means to accuse Jesus saying, ""Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" (vs 5) They kept questioning Him as if they were putting him into a trap but Jesus confidently replies, ""If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." (vs7) A pastor mentioned in a sermon that in those days the oldest person there would be the first to stone a person, the oldest to the youngest, what's amazing is that one by one rocks fell out of the hands of each person until "only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there" (vs 9) And it's at that moment that Jesus straightened up and looks at her with compassion as he looks at me and asks us, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" As we reply, "No one..." and freedom comes through His next reply, "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. (vs11)

"Go now and leave your life of sin."

When Jesus first spoke these words of truth over my life, I immediately departed my life of sins outwardly as well as inwardly and sought to seek after Christ in the things of Him. But there are still moments in my life (now) where the enemy will bring up specific times of my life that still haunt me with guilt, shame and embarrassment at the life I once used to live and the person I once used to be. In the daily, I have to gear my focus and attention to the truth of the matter that, it's only Jesus who can heal me and bring freedom into my life. No matter how hard I try to free myself from the past guilt, shame and condemnation, its that true freedom that comes only when I,

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness,

and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt 6:33)

And when I'm able to look back, from where I am, and see the fingerprints of God at work through my past life to be redeemed through Jesus in my present life as a testimony of how he saves sinners like me, it's then that little by little, one area after another becomes claimed in the Name above all names, Jesus Christ.

"Relying on God has to begin all over again,

Every Day, as if nothing had yet been done"

-C.S. Lewis

-Live Productively

From my heart to His

"Teach me your way, O Lord,

and I will walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear your name.

I will praise you, O Lord my God,

with all my heart;

I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your love toward me..."

Psalm 86:11

-Live Productively

Is your heart divided?

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matt 6:21

Every day as I seek after the face of God, to have an undivided devotion to Him alone, I am brought to a place where I have to continually examine my heart and ask the Lord to search me inside to see if there is anything hindering my purity from seeing Him. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matt 5:8) Normally it's a dangerous prayer to ask because I know that the Lord will then take pieces of my weaknesses, my past mistakes and even things that I start idolizing and I'll trip out at first trying to hide but then the Lord then calms me with His peace saying, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!" (Romans 8:1) But at that moment when he allows the filth to be filtered it must be claimed in the name of Jesus or else you'll end up just digging yourself in a hole that you just dug up yourself. But this is the hard part... having an undivided singleness of heart for the Lord. Many of us, myself included, will have times of division towards the things and pleasures of this world as well as a heart that is being pulled by the Lord.. I've been going through a book called: LOVE the more excellent way by Pastor Chuck Smith and he explains more thoroughly about this division of heart that I'd like to quote, he says,

"The Lord cannot tolerate a lukewarm spiritual condition. He doesn't want a divided heart. He doesn't ask to be just a part of your life. He doesn't want you to include Him among the other gods you worship. He desires that you give Him your whole heart, soul, mind and body- everything! You cannot live after the spirit and walk after the flesh at the same time. It simply does not work that way. These are mutually exclusive. You have to choose one or the other."

Lukewarm water occurs when you turn on both hot and cold taps, it's a mixture of the two. So I leave you with this question: What is taking the place of your heart today? Is it wholly devoted to the Lord or is it seeking for something more within the world of materialism, idolizing a person, a trend, a lifestyle that has nothing to do with God? Or are you divided like the people of Hosea's era? Going to church Sundays, lip servicing the right songs, looking like a good Christian on Sundays but during the week having nothing to do with God because your hearts are occupied with the many other gods you've set up on the altar of your heart. Yeah, we don't have wooden idols as the old testament times but we do have idols nonetheless. It happens ALL the time and divided hearts are always left: uncommitted, unsure of who he/she is, lukewarm and miserable.... Why put yourself through that kind of misery by living a double lifestyle? Choose today in whom you will serve....! Choose God, he "loves you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3)

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Matt 6:24)

Although you may be able to fool people and even yourself with words, but you can NEVER use them to fool God.

-Live Productively