Thursday, October 18, 2012

Faith, Hope and Love Series {Love}

Love. What is love? Lets see what the dictionary says love is...


LOVE: noun, verb, loved, lov·ing
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. 
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual passion or desire.
4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person;sweetheart.
Now lets see how the bible describes it...

People (including me) say they love food, this new movie, this band, and then they say they love God and their family. But is it the same? Loving food and loving your family? I dont think so. We say we love food and we say we love your family. 
How can we love two things that are soo different? How can we love something thats not even alive? I dont know. Anyways what is love? 
Well lets start at the beginning.
 Love is patient 
Patience: the quality of being patient as the bearing of provocation,annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without 
complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
Love is kind.
Kind: having a friendly or generous nature or attitude
Love does not envy. 
Envy: feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard toanother's advantages, success, possessions, etc.
Love does not boast.
Boast: to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride, especiallyabout oneself.
Love is not proud.
Proud: feeling pleasure or satisfaction over something regarded ashighly honorable or creditable to oneself
Love is not rude.
Rude: discourteous or impolite, especially in a deliberate way
Love is not self-seeking. 
Self-Seeking: the seeking of one's own interest or selfish ends.
Love is not easily angered.
Angered: a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence
Love keeps no recored of wrongs. 
Wrongs: not in accordance with what is morally right or good
Love does not delight in evil doings
Evil: morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked
Love rejoices with the truth
Truth: the true or actual state of a matter
Love always protects
Protect: to defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss, annoyance,insult
Love always trusts
Trust: reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety
Love always hopes
Hopes: the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best
Love always preserves 
Preserve: to keep alive or in existence; make lasting
Love never fails.
Fail: to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved

Love. Never. Fails.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
-1st Corinthians 13:13-

Now on a funny note watch and enjoy...


(all definitions from dictionary.com) 

Monday, October 15, 2012

Faith, Hope, + Love Series///Love {By Madison}


        So, I know that this series is about love, faith, and hope. However, this post is going to be about purity. Aren't I breaking the rules??? Haha, technically; yes. But think about this. Why do we strive to be pure? Out of our love for Christ.  So it is actually a "footprint of love". This is so very important if we want to walk rightly with God; so I thought it best to start here. 
Let's start with a story! I love me a good story. :)
Once upon a time, on a hot day in September, we had to run into town. (Ugh!) First we picked up a coffee at Wood’s (of course) then headed off to TJ-MAX to search out a present for my Grandma. The place was CROWDED. And you probably know from experience that heat and bodies don't mix. We were rushing through, trying to be as quick and decisive as we could, when this beautiful lady walked through with her husband. Wedges, a (very) short skirt, toned legs. A man on my left was waiting as his wife picked through the racks. He immediately scanned those beautiful legs, in a complete daze- staring and drooling as she turned the corner. 
"Ready to go?" his wife innocently stated. 
"Uh, yeah.." -half mesmerized.
They walked off, the short little woman displaying her finds to her semi-listening husband.
(not a very good story, I know.)
The whole scenario just broke my heart. How could he stand right beside his wife and so blatantly lust after another woman? And not even consider the fact that the woman was already taken?
       Well, she was asking for it- I thought to myself. But then again, he was really lacking in the self control area.. Didn't he notice the ring?
I stopped dead in my tracks. How many times had I looked at a guy and thought, He's pretty cute. Or only looked at them as "husband material"? I am taken by my Lord and Savior, by Jesus who calls me His own. His daughter, his treasured one. Anyways, God had planned for me (and every man and woman) a spouse since before the beginning of time. In reality, every time I look at a man and think, "gosh, he sure is good-looking" I am lusting after SOMEONE ELSE'S FUTURE HUSBAND.
I am just as guilty as that man. 
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman [or man] lustfully has already committed adultery with her [/him] in his [/her] heart” (Matthew 5:28, NIV).
And what about when I create a fairytale in my mind about some "crush" of mine? ‘And then he'll embrace me, and we'll ride into the sunset on his gleaming white Ferrar- ...I mean horse--’ 
I could be dreaming up a scene with my best friend's future husband. What would I say 10 years from now as I sit with my husband and she sits with my "fantasy man" as I tell them what I had dreamed up when I was 15 years old? What does God think about it right now? He knows when I lie down, and when I rise up. He counts the hairs on my head. Surely he knows what I'm doing as I sit and daydream about Harry, with his dashing good looks and flirty eyes. Does it glorify Him? For the chief end of man is to glorify God in all things (first catechism) and enjoy Him forever. When I partake in this sin of mine, am I glorifying God, or man? Am I taking enjoyment in Him, or in the love of lust? 
It is easy for us as girls to fall into the sin of letting our heart fall to too many places. The new boy in band. That adorable neighbor you’ve been crushing on for simply years. A cute pizza delivery guy. And, yes, even that sweet twenty-something from church that always opens the door for you. I fall into this, too... don’t get me wrong. For men, the lust is visionary. For us girls, it’s mental. We like to dream up that perfect scene with the cute neighbor. We like to picture ourselves as his girlfriend (someday, at least...). 
        But when I get myself into this kind of thinking, I have to check my heart. One, could I ever marry all the guys I’m fantasizing with? Unless you’ve got some freaky future, no. Second, is it right to lust after these men who are actually my brothers in Christ.. to ruin the beautiful plans God has for them? To scar my purity, too? Of course not. It never has been. Never will be, no matter how godly and G-rated your fantasies are. 
Well, you might be thinking, I’ve only ever liked one guy. I’ll only ever like him. Again, you must check your heart. Is this what I want to be doing to my heart? Do I want to put it through these shredders over and over again until there is not even one morsel left for my eventual husband? 
Does this thinking glorify God? We all know in our hearts right from wrong. Nobody can deny the weight of our consciences after wrongdoing. From our minds can stem evil things, even if they disguise themselves as perfectly innocent daydreams. 
Now, through all of this, I am not trying to condemn you. Of course not! The goal of this series is to bring us closer to God and His ways; this is my goal. How awesome is it to have more sisters in Christ to cheer on the Christian way? TOTALLY AWESOME. I want you to feel free by reading this post.. not condemned.
So, I can’t deny it. I have fallen over and over again (x20) into this sin. What can I do about it? Sometimes we feel as though we have fallen too far. Best to just throw in the towel and keep on sinnin’, right? No. I am saved by Christ. He died for my sin, the sin I will forever fall into without Him. If I repent, I will be forgiven. Is is easy? No.. It feels good to fantasize about all those cute guys, even with the guilt that follows. Sin does, every time. But it is pulling us away from Christ, the one we should be striving for. So I have to go against the core of my creature and think on the good, pure things. Think on Christ, and His Awesomeness. Focus on His Saving Grace. Don’t stop repenting, even when it feels better to lust and think about those ripped arms and One-Direction hair. 
We keep pure for Christ, because He always has us in mind. 

Sweetly Broken, 
| Madi



Madison Shoemake lives in Lynden, WA and is passionate about Christ, Family, and peach tea. You may visit her photography blog at madisonmariephoto.blogspot.com








[all images {except last} sourced from photobucket]