LOVE - How Closely Will We Look At Love?

I have previously done my own study on all of the questions that Jesus asked in the Bible. I take those questions and I write them out as though Jesus were asking me personally. I have started doing this powerful study again knowing that a few years have gone by since the last time I've done this study, and knowing that my answers will be different now from years past.

I started this study again today...

I have highlighted every single verse in my Bible with a blue highlighter so that I can see each of the questions that Jesus asked.

The very first question that Jesus poses to me is in Matthew chapter 5:46-47 and it would be easier to answer the first question all by itself, but He asks several questions all at once, without even taking a breath between asking... So I know that they all must be asked of me at once, as Jesus is obviously making a point here.

Here is the passage: "IF YOU LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE YOU, WHAT REWARD WILL YOU GET? ARE NOT EVEN THE TAX COLLECTORS DOING THAT? AND IF YOU GREET ONLY YOUR BROTHERS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING MORE THAN OTHERS? DO NOT EVEN PAGANS DO THAT?"

How closely do I want to look at this series of questions? The first question is "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?" is one when posed all by itself is so easy to answer, feels so good in what the answer would be! The rewards would be wonderful, love would be overflowing in all of my relationships, love would be deeply felt, and would be the ruling factor at all times. If we were to view all of our relationships only through the lens of love at all times, knowing that there is amazing rewards for doing so, we all would be doing life on such I higer level of consciousness! So to me this question posed all by itself is an awesome question! It makes me realize that I want to view love as the reward, ss the holy outcome of all that I do. I love this question! It all by itself is powerful and life changing for me, it truly is as I ponder more deeply the REWARDS of LOVE. I could go on and on about this but let's go ahead and move on to the rest... Let's look closer as Jesus really wants us to.

BUT! As I look at this passage even closer, because that's what our Lord really wants us to do, He wants us to dig deeper...

One of the points that He wants us to get here is that it's much easier to love those that we like, but what about those that we don't really like? If I rely on myself to love those that I don't really even like it seems so hard to do. I have the full awareness that in this case, I truly need to die to myself and all the power of the Spirit, living and dwelling within me to do it for me. This is the power that we actually have residing in us that is amazing! Let us learn to live in the power of ths Spirit more and more, He makes things easy for us, actually doing those things for us! We can only imagine the rewards that we should experience by doing so, by loving the way that God calls us to. It's pretty cool!


Let us look closely at those things that are right on the end of our noses that God really does want us to see! Let's look deeply into the questions that God has for us, He's asking us good questions, questions that we need to answer with our lives turned over to Him.

Looking, Listening and Learning,
Kathryn

CREATIVE PRAYER

A time for Sacred Order in our lives is a time for us to reflect on those things that take up space in our lives. Spiritually, physically, and emotionally we all have things that can get in the way of the Sacred and the Orderly.

I've keep the intention of holding a Sacred time each day to be able to spend with God. Keeping my mind open to the Creative Sacred Orders of the day, with an openness to what the Spirit would lead me to do during that time. Though it an Orderly time, it is not rigid. I have been discovering movement in many ways to be with God. It's been interesting for me to allow myself to be open, rather than thinking that I have to be with God in one set way.

Some of the ways that I have invited Sacred Order into my life is to paint the way that the Spirit leads me to. I've never been a painter; in fact I have been the one to always say "I can't even draw a stick figure" and have believed that because I have said it. BUT I have started painting... Elementary it might be... but it takes me to the Sacred places with God! 

What we say, think about the things that you say and give "life" to in our life. Recognize that God has given us the power to renew our minds, gives us power in The Spoken Word. He created us this way, to tear down, or build up - ourselves as well as others with words. It's one of His ways in which He has created Sacred Order.

I am renewing my mind, speaking new words around my ability to create, to paint, to live out my time with God in the Sacred and Orderly moments.

I have also opened the doors of more creative praying, and have found that in this creative space this is an order as well as sacredness to it… My mind doesn’t drift in my prayer time, but seems to remain focused on who and what I am praying for.

Here is a view of the way I am starting to do this… In my prayers for my family, for Bruce and I, the church, the ministries in my life, the people in my life… This is a picture of praying through 1 Corinthians 13 for Bruce & I. I want to be a 1 Corinthians kind of wife, we had this read at our wedding in 1989 and it still moves me to new heights each time I read it and apply it to my life…

Here’s to new and creative ways of Sacred Order in your life…

SACRED LISTENING WOMAN

I painted my "SACRED LISTENING WOMAN" and I don't know if you can see it in this photo or not but I also painted two muted trees "underneath" her face symbolizing New Life and Growth. Her eyelashes are sacred wings...

This is my very first painting using acrylics and I must confess that I didn't feel "ready" to paint on my precious canvas, still needing to learn the way the paint brushes feel, how much to use... etc... so I used my big water color tablet :) Felt safer to start that way for me. In the end I took my Iridescent Gold and washed the entire painting with it. I might have muted the painting too much in doing so. I didn't realize how it would mute it, I thought it would make it more sparkely and shiny. But here it is! :)

ROOTED & FREE

MY VERY first watercolor painting ever.
It's elementary... but I love it... I like the trunk of the tree... Like the colors... I was at peace in the painting of it... thinking of my friend since 4th grade, Karen's sister Debbie who just passed on to be with God. Thoughts for her as I painted... she's with our God now... I felt like I painted her Spirit in the painting as I painted with the blues...

"SPIRITCLOUD"

God had prompted me to do a study of all the Scriptures regarding CLOUDS and it is truly amazing how God shows up in the clouds! He is amazing! He was a Pillar of Cloud during the day and a Pillar of Fire by night, at the baptism of Jesus out of a cloud came the voice of God announcing to all those who where there "This is my son, whom I'm well pleased, LISTEN to Him" [emphasis mine], and that the clouds are the dust beneath His feet... The list of the majesty of the clouds goes on and on... This is my painting depicting the sky, the waters, the light and the clouds are filled with His awesome presence.

GOD IS LOVE

This painting is my 2nd one to do ever I call it "GOD IS LOVE" from 1 John 4:8,16.

SPIRITWALKING

This is one of my first paintings, and I have given it the title "SPIRITWALKING" from my life verse "If we live by the Spirit, let us walk by the Spirit." Galatians 5:25

Allowing for Creativity to be welcomed into my life... enjoy... bringing peace and bliss and movement and peace and....