So here's something that popped into in head tonight: winning. As I've said and as almost everyone knows about me, I'm pretty hyper-competitive, and I like to win. Ok, gross understatement...I despise losing. I'm competitive with pretty much everything I do, whether it's sports or video games or board games. Even air hockey. Seriously, challenge me at air hockey, I DARE you...you'll lose (Nate Nichols, don't say a WORD, haha). But when I think about these, none of it really "matters" if I win or lose. Sure, you can play for a trophy or money, or even just glory. But in a sense, none of this really matters, per se. What are the battles that are actually worth winning? Well...
I'll be honest, I'm never really sure where to start with some of these notes. Most of them are pretty spontaneous, and this one's no different. But, I'll start with an excerpt from our Sunday School lesson today. We've been doing a series on Jesus' parables for the past, like...forever. And today we studied the parable of the lost sheep, found in Luke 15:1-7. The parable is that a shepherd has 100 sheep, and one of them goes astray. The shepherd leaves the 99 to go find the one that went missing. Upon finding it, he rejoices and slings the little guy over his shoulder and brings it back to the rest of the flock. Jesus used this parable in defense of his ministry, when being accused of dining with "undesirable folk" by the religious Pharisees of the day. Jesus responds in verse 7 by saying, "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." In other words, God's already happy that there are 99 saved people, but MAN does he rejoice over just ONE new person that comes to know Him!!!
Now this is a battle worth fighting. And everything we do should tie into this in some way. Well, I have another battle to mention, and one that is almost always on the forefront of my mind. And granted, I'm writing this from strictly a male perspective, so ladies bear with me through it. But I'm talking about the battle for a woman's heart. I've never truly experienced it, but it must be the greatest feeling in the world to win that battle. One of my favorite quotes from my favorite book (Wild at Heart) is "Nothing worth having comes without some sort of fight" - Bruce Cockburn. I believe the heart of a woman is a treasure, and should be treated as one would treat the hope diamond, with gentleness and care. And it should be guarded with strength and a sense of security. Think about it...ask a lady what they value in a man or husband. I can pretty much guarantee most women would say that one of their values is safety. When they're with their husband/boyfriend, they feel safe. And I believe that's how it should me. Quoting Demi Moore in A Few Good Men when asked why she respected Marines, "Because they stand on a wall. And they say 'Nothin's gonna hurt you tonight. Not on my watch'". If only this could be the motto of all men...nothing's gonna hurt you tonight, not on my watch.
But what happens when the woman's heart is won? Is that...it? No more battling, no more struggle? Yep, slapped a ring on her finger, things should be easy now...now be a good girl and make me a sammich. Oh, to break the jaw of the man that says that. A woman's heart deserves to be won every day, there's no quitting! I see husbands all the time that just seem so passive and careless in regards to their lady...whatever happened to us? So when the "love" fades, then what? One thing that I really hate is divorce, and I know God hates it more. God hates it because *gasp* He's been through it! Israel is his bride...how many times did Israel leave His care to go worship a piece of wood shaped like a goat? And how many times do WE leave His care to go do the same thing? Oops. But divorce is forbidden. Think about it..."for this reason, a man will leave his mother and father, and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." One flesh. Not literal, obviously, but they are now one unit. It's ridiculous to think that one flesh can become two fleshes again, it just doesn't work. No, if you're married and things are bad, you work at it. Love isn't a feeling, it's a job, and some have it harder than others. But when a relationship is on the rocks, and the husband and wife battle together to work through it, ah what a beautiful sight it is.
And like I said before, I never know where to start with these posts and I never know where they're going to go. So bringing it back, there's the battle of the woman's heart, and the battle of bringing others to Christ...now how do we win? Well, this whole thing all came after I read a quote from Desire by John Eldredge. "The time has come for us to quite playing chess with God over our lives. We cannot win, but we can delay the victory, dragging on the pain of grasping and the poison of possessing. You see, there are two kinds of losses in life. The first is shared by all mankind - the losses that come to us. Call them what you will - accidents, fate, acts of God. The point is that we have no control over them. We do not determine when, where, what, or even how. There is no predictin these losses; they happen to us. We choose only how we respond. The second kind is known only to the pilgrim. The are losses that we choose. A chosen loss if different from repentance, when we give up something that was never ours to have. With a chosen loss, we place on the altar something very dear to us, something innocent, whose only danger is in its goodness, that we might come to love it too much. It is the act of consecration, where little by little or all at once, we give over our lives to the only One who can truly keep them." So wait...losing? Yep, surrender. That's how these battles are won. How are others won to Christ? Well, not in our power. We're not the ones who do the saving, since we need just as much to be saved. The Holy Spirit is the only thing that convicts others to come to God. I have plenty of people I'm thinking of right now that I would love to see in a better place in their lives. The best I can do is tell them what I believe and live a God-honoring life...I can't save them. So to Christians, keep planting seeds, let God do the harvesting.
And the battle for a woman's heart...I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't one I had my eyes on. And I am certainly taking a shot of my own advice through this note. But there's only one way to win a battle like that. Pastor Crews said it best this morning when talking about marriages, that God's blueprint of marriage isn't one party submitting to the other, but when the husband and wife go hand-in-hand together in submission to God. I know God knows the desires of my heart, but there's another encouraging section from Desire: "True surrender is not an easy out, calling it quits early in the game. This kind of surrender comes only after the night of wrestling. It comes only after we open our hearts to care deeply. Then we choose to surrender, or give over, our deepest desires to God. And with them we give over our hearts, our deepest selves. The freedom and beauty and rest that follow are among the greatest of all surprises." Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. - Matthew 11:29.
I didn't want this to turn into a story of my own battle, but this is the main point I'm trying to make. The main battle on my mind is that of the lady's heart, but everyone else has different of life's battles that they're trying to win. Surrendering to God is the only way to win. He's more capable of handling all of our problems. Read through pretty much any of the Psalms, they're chock full of praises of God's love and strength. "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." - Psalm 86:15. "For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone." - verse 10 of that same chapter. And I've heard it said that people don't want to pray because they feel some sense of guilt with coming to God with petty problems. Well, in Hebrews 4:15-16, the writer says "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." God wants us to surrender ALL, because He can handle it and WANTS to handle it! The rest that follows is pretty amazing. Tonight I'll be praying for those in all sorts of battles, as I'll be praying for my own. But we have to take our own action too. Friends, surrender to God. I've done it before, and it hurts. But the things I regret are the things I continue to try to hold on to, rather than surrendering. Pray to God, and from one desperate sinner to another, surrender that which is most valuable to you to God.
I'll be honest, I'm never really sure where to start with some of these notes. Most of them are pretty spontaneous, and this one's no different. But, I'll start with an excerpt from our Sunday School lesson today. We've been doing a series on Jesus' parables for the past, like...forever. And today we studied the parable of the lost sheep, found in Luke 15:1-7. The parable is that a shepherd has 100 sheep, and one of them goes astray. The shepherd leaves the 99 to go find the one that went missing. Upon finding it, he rejoices and slings the little guy over his shoulder and brings it back to the rest of the flock. Jesus used this parable in defense of his ministry, when being accused of dining with "undesirable folk" by the religious Pharisees of the day. Jesus responds in verse 7 by saying, "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." In other words, God's already happy that there are 99 saved people, but MAN does he rejoice over just ONE new person that comes to know Him!!!
Now this is a battle worth fighting. And everything we do should tie into this in some way. Well, I have another battle to mention, and one that is almost always on the forefront of my mind. And granted, I'm writing this from strictly a male perspective, so ladies bear with me through it. But I'm talking about the battle for a woman's heart. I've never truly experienced it, but it must be the greatest feeling in the world to win that battle. One of my favorite quotes from my favorite book (Wild at Heart) is "Nothing worth having comes without some sort of fight" - Bruce Cockburn. I believe the heart of a woman is a treasure, and should be treated as one would treat the hope diamond, with gentleness and care. And it should be guarded with strength and a sense of security. Think about it...ask a lady what they value in a man or husband. I can pretty much guarantee most women would say that one of their values is safety. When they're with their husband/boyfriend, they feel safe. And I believe that's how it should me. Quoting Demi Moore in A Few Good Men when asked why she respected Marines, "Because they stand on a wall. And they say 'Nothin's gonna hurt you tonight. Not on my watch'". If only this could be the motto of all men...nothing's gonna hurt you tonight, not on my watch.
But what happens when the woman's heart is won? Is that...it? No more battling, no more struggle? Yep, slapped a ring on her finger, things should be easy now...now be a good girl and make me a sammich. Oh, to break the jaw of the man that says that. A woman's heart deserves to be won every day, there's no quitting! I see husbands all the time that just seem so passive and careless in regards to their lady...whatever happened to us? So when the "love" fades, then what? One thing that I really hate is divorce, and I know God hates it more. God hates it because *gasp* He's been through it! Israel is his bride...how many times did Israel leave His care to go worship a piece of wood shaped like a goat? And how many times do WE leave His care to go do the same thing? Oops. But divorce is forbidden. Think about it..."for this reason, a man will leave his mother and father, and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." One flesh. Not literal, obviously, but they are now one unit. It's ridiculous to think that one flesh can become two fleshes again, it just doesn't work. No, if you're married and things are bad, you work at it. Love isn't a feeling, it's a job, and some have it harder than others. But when a relationship is on the rocks, and the husband and wife battle together to work through it, ah what a beautiful sight it is.
And like I said before, I never know where to start with these posts and I never know where they're going to go. So bringing it back, there's the battle of the woman's heart, and the battle of bringing others to Christ...now how do we win? Well, this whole thing all came after I read a quote from Desire by John Eldredge. "The time has come for us to quite playing chess with God over our lives. We cannot win, but we can delay the victory, dragging on the pain of grasping and the poison of possessing. You see, there are two kinds of losses in life. The first is shared by all mankind - the losses that come to us. Call them what you will - accidents, fate, acts of God. The point is that we have no control over them. We do not determine when, where, what, or even how. There is no predictin these losses; they happen to us. We choose only how we respond. The second kind is known only to the pilgrim. The are losses that we choose. A chosen loss if different from repentance, when we give up something that was never ours to have. With a chosen loss, we place on the altar something very dear to us, something innocent, whose only danger is in its goodness, that we might come to love it too much. It is the act of consecration, where little by little or all at once, we give over our lives to the only One who can truly keep them." So wait...losing? Yep, surrender. That's how these battles are won. How are others won to Christ? Well, not in our power. We're not the ones who do the saving, since we need just as much to be saved. The Holy Spirit is the only thing that convicts others to come to God. I have plenty of people I'm thinking of right now that I would love to see in a better place in their lives. The best I can do is tell them what I believe and live a God-honoring life...I can't save them. So to Christians, keep planting seeds, let God do the harvesting.
And the battle for a woman's heart...I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't one I had my eyes on. And I am certainly taking a shot of my own advice through this note. But there's only one way to win a battle like that. Pastor Crews said it best this morning when talking about marriages, that God's blueprint of marriage isn't one party submitting to the other, but when the husband and wife go hand-in-hand together in submission to God. I know God knows the desires of my heart, but there's another encouraging section from Desire: "True surrender is not an easy out, calling it quits early in the game. This kind of surrender comes only after the night of wrestling. It comes only after we open our hearts to care deeply. Then we choose to surrender, or give over, our deepest desires to God. And with them we give over our hearts, our deepest selves. The freedom and beauty and rest that follow are among the greatest of all surprises." Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. - Matthew 11:29.
I didn't want this to turn into a story of my own battle, but this is the main point I'm trying to make. The main battle on my mind is that of the lady's heart, but everyone else has different of life's battles that they're trying to win. Surrendering to God is the only way to win. He's more capable of handling all of our problems. Read through pretty much any of the Psalms, they're chock full of praises of God's love and strength. "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." - Psalm 86:15. "For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone." - verse 10 of that same chapter. And I've heard it said that people don't want to pray because they feel some sense of guilt with coming to God with petty problems. Well, in Hebrews 4:15-16, the writer says "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." God wants us to surrender ALL, because He can handle it and WANTS to handle it! The rest that follows is pretty amazing. Tonight I'll be praying for those in all sorts of battles, as I'll be praying for my own. But we have to take our own action too. Friends, surrender to God. I've done it before, and it hurts. But the things I regret are the things I continue to try to hold on to, rather than surrendering. Pray to God, and from one desperate sinner to another, surrender that which is most valuable to you to God.
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