abandoned to Christ.

“I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls... Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial alter of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.”
~2 Cor 12:15a, Philippians 2:17

Do I spend my life for the faith of others or am I mostly concerned with my own purity? Do I spend my time in faithful and fervent prayer for others, or do I merely seek to improve and enjoy my own life? Am I willing to give everything I have for the sake of another knowing Christ, or for the one who already believes; to exhort them further in their faith? Am I a spiritual hog, hoarding all spiritual blessings for myself, and living off the faith of others, or am I working out my own salvation with fear and trembling, pouring myself out for Christ my God and those He came to save?

Am I lost in myself or hid in Christ?

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
~Philippians 2:12-13

Just like being a physical hog is unhealthy, so is being a spiritual hog. When all we do is feed our bodies, but never work out and use what we've taking in, then we become lethargic, weak, self-absorbed and often, depressed. Always looking for the next thing that will make us feel good momentarily, but nothing that will actually make us good eternally

A life can only be balanced and healthy when it is hidden in Christ. When we abide in Christ, we cannot abide in ourselves, our circumstances or that of others. Rather we are set upon the Rock and cannot be shaken (Acts 2:25, 2 Cor 4:16-18). You can't live your old life with your old desires set upon your dead flesh filled with sin and also live your new life in Christ. You will love the one and hate the other.

If we merely go to church, listen to sermons live or online, read Christian books, visit with and be edified by other saints in Christ and do nothing but soak up all spiritual blessings for ourselves so that our lives may be comfortable, then we have become spiritual hogs who are weak and will most certainly crumble when something painful or fearful comes our way.

Live a life balanced in Christ. It's never too late! Start today!

Spend time daily with Him. Rise early to seek His counsel through His word (Psalm 1:1-3, 92:1-2) and to worship, praise and adore Him! Then meditate on His word all day from what He taught you in the morning. Pray that God open the eyes of your heart so that you might see every opportunity He's given you to live out what He has taught and prepared you for (Eph 2:10). And in the evening, before you sleep, search His word again, that you may end your day giving thanks and glory to God for all that He has graciously worked in and through you. For God's words are not dead letters on a page with no life, but they are living and active (Hebrews 4:12-13). God is life! Everything from Him and of Him has life!

"So Jesus again said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.'"
~John 10:7-11

Jesus died to give you what you could never gain for yourself or what no one else could ever provide you -- eternal life, abundant joy, freedom from the sin that enslaves and weighs us down. Jesus said His sheep hear His voice and obey it (John 10:27). If you are truly His sheep, prove it by living a life of love; which to God is obedience (1 John 5:3).

If you don't know Jesus and are not known by Him (Matt 7:22-23), then repent and fully trust in Him today. If you do know Christ; live as if you do. Seek Him daily and follow hard after Him, so that the word of God may not be maligned.

"so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."
~Colossians 1:10

Death.

Not something most people want to think or talk about. For those who don't know Christ, I can certainly understand why. But for fellow disciples of Christ, I must admit, I'm a bit bewildered when I discover death is not a daily consideration. We often read in Scripture that we must die to self and live our new lives in Christ (Gal 2:20). We are commanded by God to live as those who know that our days our numbered and our time here on earth is only a short journey (Psalm 90:12, Eph 5:15-17). Keeping this in mind, we press on toward our heavenly call God has given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord (Philippians 3:14).

Having been blessed by God to live the life I've lived for the past 42 years, death is something that's often on the forethought of my mind. The LORD mercifully endured me through 13 years of abuse and persecution, many bouts of diseases and disorders that threatened my life as well as nearly dying giving birth to my first son. For the past 7 years I've been blessed by our good and gracious Heavenly Father to persevere through chronic illness that has included 2 surgeries, countless procedures, a collection of more specialists than there are colors in the rainbow and daily reminders that I am weak; something I gladly boast about (2 Cor 12:9-10).

Death is often on my mind, as I constantly realize that I'm not guaranteed my next breath. I know how fleeting my life is—like grass that is here today and gone tomorrow. It may sound depressing to say that I think about death often, but if you look at it in the light of eternity, it's not. For a Christian, death is the end of a tough journey, and a passage way to the glorious eternal life Jesus suffered, died and rose to give us! So I live daily, for the day I will die. Just like my Jesus: We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:4-5).

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

~Ephesians 5:15-17

How will I be remembered?

I want to be remembered as someone who loved others well, rather than be remembered as someone who was well loved by others.

Why?

Because though it could reveal a bit about how I lived my life, it really says more about the other people God graciously put around me. If I am remembered as someone who was well loved, that could mean I was a kind person. It could mean that I did nice things, or made people feel good. But then again, it could also mean that I was a self-centered, selfish, falsely humble, arrogant person who lived and believed my own press. As we all know, there are many celebrities, whether in Hollywood, or in the sports arena who are well loved. And though they are well loved by fans and others around them, if we're honest, we'll admit that their character and how they choose to live their lives proves self-love rather than their love for others.

Unfortunately, those of us in the Church are not immune to this hypocritical "love". I personally know people who are very well loved, but they themselves rarely look for opportunities to extend God's love to others (Rom 12:13, Gal 6:10). How does this happen? Well, sometimes it's due to our own insecurities that we befriend people and shower them with "love"—a bribe for friendship. Other times it's due to peer pressure. We feel like we have to "love" someone, do good to them, be seen with them, etc. only because others around us esteem them. We don't love them because we see the life of Christ manifested in their lives, but we "love" them because they are Pastors, Elders, Deacons or have some other title of prominence within the Church and we simply flow with the stream of admirers who don't really know these people, but we all "love" them simply for who we think they are.

But being remembered as someone who loved well...now that says everything about the person, and nothing about the people around them! We can think of many people we've all known personally and from afar who loved others well. And we marvel at how they've done that considering some of the people they love well are people who are quite unlovable by anyone's standards. We've seen the love of Christ in sons, daughters and sons-in-laws as well as daughters-in-laws as they tenderly care for sick and/or aging parents who are bitter, ungrateful, arrogant and abusive in multiple ways. We've seen parents do the same for their wayward children or other relatives or friends who desire the ways of this world rather than God. We've also seen people love well, those who are ungrateful and sometimes deluded into believing they are deserving of love, charity or anything good given to them. They become angry and spiteful when they don't feel they're receiving all the good they intensely feel they deserve. The people who love well, the bitter, self-absorbed, thoughtless, ungrateful and abusive takers of this world, are the people who truly exhibit the love of God (Lk 6:35-36). And it's not by their might that they love so well. It is only by the power of Christ that they do not grow weary, or inconsistent in their sincere and holy love, for the unholy and unlovable (Lk 6:27-31).

It's only by the grace of God any of us are able to love as Christ—to give to others what God says is good and loving, whether or not the recipients love or hate us for it (1 Tim 1:5, 1 Pet 1:22-25). Because though it feels good when others return our love, and is extremely painful when they don't, we know that they are not receiving or rejecting our love. We know that they are receiving or rejecting God's love (Lk 10:16). And this is why we pray and thank God both for the joy of love returned, and the heartache of love rejected. For both results are of the Lord, and His ways are always perfect.

Therefore, I want to be remembered as someone who loved as Christ. Someone who loved others not because they loved me well—if at all. I don't want to be remembered as someone who only "loved" people based on how they made me feel or what they could do for me. I want to be remembered as someone who loved others well because Jesus Christ loved me first and put His Spirit in me. I want to be remembered as someone who's foundation and example for loving others is Christ and not people. If this is truly how I love, then there is nothing people can say or do to make me love them more or love them less. My love for them will not be dependent on them, but on Jesus, who alone is faithful. I want to be remembered as someone who loves because I see all things from God's perspective and no one else's. I want to be remembered as someone who loved others well and gave my life away, keeping nothing for myself; for this is what my awesome Savior has done for me, and has therefore, called and equipped me to as well (Phil 2:17).

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

~John 15:13

I only want my life to be defined by Jesus Christ and Him alone.

What about you? How would you like to be remembered—as someone who was well loved or loved well?

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And WALK IN LOVE, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

~Ephesians 5:1-2

As Mother's Day fast approaches, my heart is heavy for the many who cannot celebrate with the joy and festivities that are often marked by this day: a special corsage for mom, adorned with mini-flowers representing every precious babe she has born. A special dress or hat, perhaps gloves or a sash. Breakfast in bed; a splendid day at church together; then off to a deliciously prepared lunch with all her favorites. Dinner out, if she desires, at her favorite restaurant, and of course, a scrumptious dessert follows.

The entire day is spent with the sweet affection of her loved ones all around her, celebrating her tender, faithful, loving, sacrificial and gentle godly character. Her children and husband rise up and call her blessed (Prov 31:28-29) for her deeds and words prove she's a woman who, above all things, loves and fears the LORD God Almighty (Prov 31:30).

Ahhh...isn't this just the picture perfect day? It's brimming with love and overflowing with God's grace and mercy displayed in one beautiful life; the life of a godly mother. Though she's not perfect, her life exudes the aroma of Christ and is a cherished blessing to her husband, her children and others close to her.

But this picturesque vision of a mother is not true for everyone. Some of us grew up in homes with parents who were atheists, agnostics, followers of false religions, or even worse...some of you were raised in homes with mothers who professed to be a Christian, but neither her living nor teachings were in accord with God's word and she defiled your mind and polluted your heart with the vulgar, self-centered, and obscene things of this world.

The ideal mother, the kind that many will celebrate and will thank God for this Sunday, is best described by these verses:

"An excellent [warrior strong] wife, who can find?

She is far more precious than jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life.

"She opens her hand to the poor

and reaches out her hands to the needy.

"Strength and dignity are her clothing,

and she laughs at the time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She looks well to the ways of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women have done excellently,

but you surpass them all."

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the gates."

~Proverbs 31:10-12, 20, 25-31 (ESV)

But not all of us were raised by mothers like this one described in this beautiful chapter of God's Word. Rather, some of us were raised by mothers whose character is best portrayed by this passage:

For among them are those who creep into households, and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at the knowledge of the truth."

~2 Timothy 3:6-7 (ESV)

I wasn't raised in a Christian household and was never close to my parents due to our diverse outlooks on life: mine was based on God and His Word, and theirs was based on the futile ideologies of this world. Though the Lord has been so gracious to reconcile us to some degree, there is always a great divide between those who've been washed by the blood of Christ and those who haven't. I continually pray for their salvation, for what greater gift can a child desire for their mother whom God chose for them?

Those of you who weren't raised by godly mothers painstakingly look for cards that share a godly and loving sentiment, without all the gush of how wonderfully she raised you, or the fond memories you have of her sacrificial love for you and others, or how she taught and lived out God's word for you. You just wish those card companies would make a nice and simple, "I love you and am praying for you Mom" card. Something that's pretty, perhaps even a bit elegant so that somehow you can share how you care for her without lying to her with flattering words that simply are not true of her character.

For years, I've struggled to find a card for my mother because they all seem to take you down memory lane. And as I just shared, the memories of my childhood were not so memorable...at least not the kind that make one smile and wish for more. But I was so delighted to find several cards that I could honestly give my mother this year. One that shares our love for her and our hopes for God's goodness in her life; namely, salvation found only in Christ Jesus.

But many of you don't have a reconciled, honest, trusting and loving relationship with your mother or mother-in-law and may be wondering how you can share God's love without the deceit and emptiness of flattery.

Here are some suggestions on how you too can join in this blessed celebration with God's truth, grace and love:

Prepare your heart by seeking God's truth in His word on how to love others (1 John 3:18);
Love your mother (or mother-in-law) as she really is, not as you'd like her to be (Rom 12:9);
Be honest with your expressions of love, being careful you aren't enabling her to sin by flattering her with words that do not describe her true character (Proverbs 27:5-6, 28:23);
Say/write kind words of love that are true and exhort her with God's words (Eph 4:29);
If you can't find a card that cannot truthfully convey her character and your love for her, then make one yourself—be sure to take time to make it lovely (Proverbs 31:26);
Purchase a thoughtful gift (within your budget) that rightly conveys your love for her, or make a simple, considerate gift if you can't afford to purchase one (Proverbs 31:16, 20);
Then bathe the card and gift in prayer and if she is a unbeliever or false convert (someone who thinks they are saved because they said a prayer one day, yet there is no fruit to prove she is attached to the Vine), pray the Lord will continue to give you courage to speak the truth of His Gospel with great love and care to her with every opportunity you get—Mother's Day is one of them (1 Cor 9:16-19)!

The most important part of expressing love to an ungodly mother or mother-in-law is to love them in God's truth so that you may keep from getting angry or offended because she doesn't receive your gifts well. She may resent, belittle or even reject your gifts of true love as God defines love. If she is an arrogant unbeliever or false convert, she may despise you for lovingly expressing your deep concern for her eternal salvation. Do not be dismayed; press on and love her the way God expresses love and never be bullied into loving her the way the world defines love; something that only makes you feel warm and fuzzy for a while, yet has no eternal value (Mk 8:36).

If you're going to be deemed a fool, let it be in her eyes and in the eyes of others, but never the LORD's.

"It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools."

~Ecclesiastes 7:5 (ESV)

**NOTE: If you have bitterness or any unresolved issues with your mother or mother-in-law, it may benefit you to read: Never react to people. Always respond to God. and When and how to forgive.

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