Saturday, December 4, 2010

Back from Redding II

This post has some of my pre-blog thoughts from November about loving and being loved by God, and I'm compelled today and tomorrow to post this from the airplane ride back from California and other days from November.

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Nov  4, 2010 - God is good, and He's in a good mood, and He wants to do do good things today, right now.

I'm flying back from a leader's conference at Bethel Church, Redding California.  Everything I've come to believe about God's plan and purpose for us and for this planet, I saw not only being lived out, but lived out with enthusiasm, convinced of His Love and His authority.  In fact, all my "just dawned on me" thoughts have been fully developed, are in action, and being built upon. They have a vision for expanding the kingdom of God on earth. The leadership team is rock solid and believe Jesus didn't come to take sides, but to take over.  I could go on for a long time about what I saw and learned, but it all comes out of this one thing.  Coming to experience how much God loves you, and what that makes you.  Everything flows out of that, and there is a LOT to everything at Bethel!

I suddenly feel that, if I'm going to invite anyone into what I've experienced of God, that I'm not really experiencing a great relationship with God as my Father and me as his son.... What I mean is its not that Jesus hasn't washed away my sins, He has, and there is nothing like becoming a new creation in Christ.  But on a daily basis, I don't live in the love God has for me, or out of a great relationship with Him as my Father and me as his son.  In fact, I have never asked God to show me how much He loves me. To be honest, I've actually treated that subject like something you dont' really need.  But I think I really do. It may be pivotal. 

So, this is what I've decided to do, and I don't know exactly where it will end.  I'm asking God to show me how much He loves me, and who I am to Him.  I'm expecting this to be important and I wanted to use this blog to make it public.  I think God wants to be known for who He really is, and I'm asking Him to show me His love.  I have no idea where  this will lead.

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The second thing I want to do differently is to begin being generous. This is because generosity is like Love. Its just like love, you give it away... to someone.  Its going to start with paying for other people's meals when I'm at a restaurant, or for the groceries of someone behind me in line, or at the truck stop.  This is another thing that I think is going to be important so I'm also going to include it in this blog.

So, I don't think I'll have any more "just dawned on me" revelations of why the earth and man were created.  That seems settled in my mind. I've seen everything I've written about- and more- already being modeled on the streets and in emergency rooms in Redding CA (seriously- emergency rooms!).  The next step is on God.  And here is where I'll be writing about what he does with and through me...


1 John 3:1 - "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God." 
                






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3 comments:

cindy said...

Thanks, Billy. I needed that. You see, sometimes I feel God just passes by me without a second thought... how wrong is my thinking... How great is His love for us that we are called His children...

Let Love Grow said...

Amen, and Amen... Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!! It IS ALL ABOUT LOVE... HIs Love... and our loving HIm... yet we don't even KNOW HOW TO LOVE, or how to receive His love.... YET He loves us perfectly.... wow, wow, wow... He has been working on me on the "love" theme for a few years now but this past year He has UPTED the Volume... it. Is. SO. KEY.

Billy said...

...it's strangely comforting to know I'm not the only one who doesn't know how to receive God's love. I think this could be important. Let's be on the lookout, maybe we just have to learn to recognize it.