"...but Christ is all, and in all." - Colossians 3:11
"For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." - Colossians 1:16
"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." - 2 Corinthians 5:14
all.
On my heart: He is all i need, in all i do, therefore i can do all things through Christ who is in me and and strengthens me, for His glory. this has brought me to realize that Christ doesn't do anything halfheartedly or incompletely. the work on the cross was finished, the tomb was sealed, the rock was rolled away, the graveclothes were totally empty, the ascent was totally final, and the sin was completely removed. For He who began a good work in you will carry it on to the day of completion. If Christ creates things in completion and is in the business of creating, wouldn't He want His created to be about the same work.
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your might." - Deuteronomy 6:5
someday i pray to have a husband to have my heart and some children to call my very own. may it never be said of me that i didn't love them with all my heart and all my life. but also may it never be said of me that i didn't love my Lord as much as i loved them. if Christ Is all and In all than He will be my mission, my ministry, my marriage, and my must. a sweet guy told me recently that i need to embrace and accept the dark spots and corners of my heart that i have grown to hate and hide from. i have wrestled with this until i realized that if Christ is in my heart then i am in Him and as He was restored to the throne than there i am also. He created the fibers of my being and He knit them together. He dwells in all parts of our hearts, willing to bring light to consume the darkness.
this week there was a light that went out of our city. Billy was a member of my church (true north church of anchorage) I only saw him three times, but it was enough. His life added to the body of believers that makes our city, and world wide movement. The words that describe this life: accepting. seeking. loving. homeless. hurting.
This week Billy died sitting against a fence on 34th ave. Consumed by alcohol and the freezing temperatures of the alaska night. The church is still reeling from this loss. Drugs, abuse, crime, alcohol, and desire is rampant in this city. Its a place darkened by sin, but Alaska is very much apart of the all that Christ is in. Billy was very much apart of the all. We each have a place in the all. Not one is forgotten, not one is excluded. May we embrace the all as our calling. This is nothing new to you. This is simply a battle cry. The call to the abandoned life. Nothing is halfhearted for our God, He is our example. For me this needs to be played out in the way that I interact with people. My words need to be overtaken by Christ, I want my daily interactions to be saturated with kindness, tenderness, grace, and compassion. This is only possible through Christ, out of Him we cannot go.
Yes. this world is very corrupt. but if the corrupter is humans, well....there is hope in that because He created, loves, and died for humans. if the corrupter is sin, well....there is hope in that because He took it at the Cross. if the corrupter is satan, well.....there is hope in that as well because the battle is already won and satan is on a leash. so you see, there is hope. there will always be hope. this is the commission: to live for him fully, to love Him wholly, to find joy in Him always, to worship Him only, and to pursue and accept Him daily.
all.