Romance; God's Way

I would like to start off by congratulating my dear friends Bobby and Carla. God has been putting together a beautiful love story in which you two are the main characters. Your example has encouraged and inspired me.

Not too long ago Carla would be talking to me about Bobby and how she was really starting to like Bobby. The lingering question "does he like me back?" would leave our conversations in suspense. So as a sister in Christ I would encourage her to pray and fast about it and just seek the Lord for guidance. When a girl starts letting a boy into her heart it could be something truly beautiful, or a disaster waiting to happen.

It turns out that Bobby was facing this same dilemma :-) hehe. He was interested in courting Carla, but he kept quiet for more than a year. I admire and respect him very much for waiting. Although he had feelings for her, he didn't act upon those feelings until God put everything into place and confirmed that He approved. It is extremely rare to find a guy, even a Christian one, that puts these feelings and desires aside in order to wait for God's confirmation. He didn't have to flirt with her and use pick up lines to get her attention. He prayed for her, and God answered his prayers. She didn't have to dress provacatively and use seduction in order to get his attention. As I said before, Bobby and Carla have been an example to me.

Yesterday Bobby and Carla announced in church that they are officially courting each other. I am extremely excited and happy for them. Courting is not a very popular idea, but it's definitely what you find all throughout the Bible. If you are curious to know more about courting I recommend "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris. Simply put, courting is a process in which a man and a woman get to know each other better, with the intentions of getting engaged and eventually marrying. Deciding who we marry is one of the most important decisions in our lives; second only to accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. This is very different from dating.

Bobby and Carla understand that God has a special purpose for them as a couple. It goes beyond the way they feel about each other. There is a divine purpose in their relationship. May God use them to impact lives and to reach many many many souls with the Gospel.

God hates?

This weekend was a very special weekend in my life. Camp Arise was such a blessing. Words cannot express enough what God did in the lives of our youth.

 

In this camp our youth were able to experience a new dimension of worship. We praised God in spirit and in truth and the Holy Spirit moved powerfully. Young people were set free from oppression and delivered from self-destructive habits.

On Saturday morning we shared a devotional on God's love. To be honest, I've been Christin for thirteen years and have heard ALOT of messages on God's love. I myself have preached about God's love on many occasions; but never have I seen so clearly an aspect of God's love that He revealed to me at camp.

John 3:16 says that God so loved us... and I'm sure you know how the rest of the verse goes. He loved us so much that He gave of Himself and died on the cross for us. But God revealed a truth that pierced my heart and filled me with an even greater love and appreciation for Him.

2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This verse shows us that when He died on the cross for us He became SIN. At first that may not seem like the huge deal that it truly is.

Deuteronomy 9:18 “Then, as before, I threw myself down before the Lord for forty days and nights. I ate no bread and drank no water because of the great sin you had committed by doing what the Lord hated, provoking him to anger.

The Lord HATES sin. There is absolutely nothing about sin that the Lord approves of. Yet, He was willing to be crucified and become the very thing He hates so that we may be free from sin. His love for us is so much greater than His hatred for sin. WOW. But let's not be mistaken in thinking that because God loves us He will not punish our sin. He most certainly will, but the remarkable thing is that in His death and resurrection He provided a way out. He paid the penalty for our sins. Now that's LOVE at it's very best. How can I know and experience this truly amazing love and continue to sin against God? I can't! This is why the Gospel is so powerful. God's love is transforming and liberating. His love compels us to live for Him and do only what is pleasing in His sight.