I Love You Jesus Letter

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. I love that name. I really, really love that name. It is high and lifted up. Above all else, and is the source of all I do, say and think. He is the person I wake up for every morning, the person I seek first before I do anything at all. He is the most important thing I will ever consider and my very best thought each day. You are the Great I Am, the wonderful, mighty prince of peace, the Councilor and the delight of my soul. My home, and you have made your home in me. My Lover, My Father, My Helper, My friend, My love, my Authority, My peace. You sanctify me, you lift me up when I am weak, you are strength, you are the Source of all things good in my life. You are joy. You are love. You are wisdom, might, and power. You lead, you guide, you direct and you discipline, all this and more I accept from your hand. You are, you always will be, you always have been. In you there is no darkness. In you there all comfort. In you my hope is found. In you I rest. You are my resting place. You are my streams of life, my water and my food. Without you I am homeless, Fatherless, and without anything of real value. To you I am thankful. To you I owe it all. In you is freedom, grace, and forgiveness. In you is life. Abundant life. Everlasting Life. Breath. Holy Spirit blow over me! Baby Jesus, Strong and Mighty King, I bow low in the presence of the One. Nothing can snatch me from your hands. You freed me from death, and fear of death. One small child, a baby born to die. Raised to life, and now, is the victorious raining King, the Great High Priest who ever intercedes on my behalf. Who lives and breaths to make me more like Him. Who breaths His life into me, and makes me walk when I cannot stand and makes me run, when I cannot move. You are miraculous . In one tiny baby hand is the grace that saved the world, and in the other tiny baby hand is death, life and resurrection. Little chubby baby feet that would walk the streets of dust, and death, now walk the streets of peals, rubies and gold. All day long the angels surround and sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty who reigns!!!” The ALPHA, the OMEGA, my beginning, and my end. How I long to gaze into your eyes if only for a moment. Your beauty is indescribable, your glory, who can fathom? The soft kindness in your voice saying, “You are my child, remain in me…” And then you speak words of love to a crowd who spit on you sweet baby Jesus. A gorgeous, perfect child, born to be spit upon, for the sake of MY SIN. Yes Lord, what can I say but thank you. Face down in the dust I long to kiss your beautiful feet. Can I catch a glimpse of you? Just one small look? To hold me till I get to be with you for eternity. Here is my glimpse… As a mother looks into the face of a new born child, and stares into eyes full of wonder? That is my glimpse. The beauty that overwhelms the freshness of the new little life a Mother holds…you create life, you give life, you gave your life. If only I could wash your feet with my tears. I couldn’t’ bare to look in your eyes, but you tell me too! You say, “Daughter! Arise! Look at me! Fix your eyes on Jesus.” Jesus , Jesus, you’re the answer to all I’m searching for. If only I could find words to accurately describe my love for you, one day I prayed, “Oh Lord! Won’t you let me love you more?” and you did. And you did. Thank you.

Oil On His Feet

Dear Friend,
From the outpouring of the Spirit as I have prayed for you I want to say this...
From the beginning of time, the Lord has had YOUR name on His lips. He has loved you from the moment you made your first cry. When you mother looked on you for the first time, and loved you so deeply, even more HE loved you.
As you grew, and took steps on your own He let you. He said, "How I love this child..." And He watched as you learned to run. And with your gift to run, you ran back and forth, sometimes running to Him, sometimes running away from Him.
Who is HE? The God who thought you up before the foundations of the earth were laid. You were a thought in HIS mind. This God who created the heavens, and said, "This is good..." That same God created YOU...and when HE completed you He said, "This child is good!" He gazed upon your beauty and He longed to lavish His love on you. There were times where you said, "Yes Lord, I want your love..." And other times where you said, "No thanks. I'm fine."
Friend, A woman who had lived her life in complete abandonment to sin came to Jesus one day when His beautiful feet walked the earthly streets we walk today. Jesus was eating dinner with some friends and this broken figure of a woman entered into the home where He was eating. There they were, reclining around the table as was the custom, and this woman came crawling on her hands and knees, her face so low to the ground her nose became black from dragging it so low in her shame. Have you ever like this? I have. So as this woman reached Jesus, His feet were behind Him, and He felt something smooth being poured onto His feet, He heard weeping, and then droplets began to fall on His feet, and as He turned to look at what He already knew was happening, He saw the broken figure of this woman, so shamed wiping His beautiful feet with her long black hair....down around her tear stained face, now mixed with dust, her dusty nose was now streaked with black. She could not bare to lift her eyes to meet His, but she just kept weeping, and wiping His feet. Oil and tears pouring over His feet. Her sorrow wracked body shook with the shame she held on her own shoulders because of her sin. I can only imagine the look of love Jesus must have had written all over His face. One of Jesus's friends sitting at the table finally spoke up, I can only imagine the looks of shock and horror on the faces of His companions! This is not what people do! This is just not proper! She should not even have her hair down! Hair down implied bedroom activity! But in her utter abandonment of self she disregarded everything "normal" and abandoned herself in utterly and completely gone.
She then sat there at His feet, and kissed them. Those beautiful feet. Those feet I long to kiss. She kissed them over and over and over again. People just stood and stared. This friend who spoke up at last said this..."Do you know who is touching you? What kind of woman she is?"
Jesus said this "Simeon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me said Simeon."
Jesus replied.."Two men owed money to a certain moneylender, one owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which one of them loved Him more?" Simeon replied, " I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
(Luke 7:40-50)

This my friends, is what Jesus has done for us. If you feel broken beyond repair, I have news for you. If you feel shamed beyond the ability to rise, rise in His strength.
Do you want to know the end of this story? This love story of a Savior with His beloved. Jesus looked at this women, rolling around in the chains and shame the the devil wants her to stay in, and He said, "Your sins are forgiven." and..."Your faith has healed you, go in peace." vs 50

Because she took a leap of extravagant obsession towards the only one who could save her, He saw her, and said of her, "You are my beloved. I have known you from the start..."
This world is full of lies, waging war over your souls and affections. The prince of THIS world the devil wants control over you daughters and sons! This enemy wants you to be in chains, to be in bondage...but Christ wants you to lift you tear stained faces to Him, lock your eyes with His, and receive the cleansing that washes away guilt, shame, death and fear of death.
We all have a debt we cannot pay on our own. whatever it is, know this, HE can cancel it. If only you come to Him, and ask. He who has been forgiven much, loves much, and He who has been forgiven little, loves little. You feel you have done to much to be forgiven? Think again. Oh the love that He has lavished on us. That we should be called the sons and daughters of God!

As this woman rose, from her place on the dirt, she left her costly oil, her tears, and she left her SHAME at the feet of Jesus. He wanted her to leave it there. So she could walk away in freedom. And when He hung on the cross for you and me my friend, He hung this woman's shame around His neck so the shame of HER sin, died with HIM. Gone. Forever. Never to be seen again. "Go He said, leave your life of sin!" And, in this He meant, Live free in ME. Do not walk in your own way that has no understanding. But in all your ways acknowledge HIM, and HE will make your paths straight. And by straight I mean, FULL. FILLED. NOT empty. LOVED. HELD. PROTECTED. SAFE. you are HIS beloved. He thinks you are beautiful. Friend, if you are not walking in the absence of shame that I speak of, wont you lay your shame at His feet, and accept what only He can give? LIFE. Even if you don't have costly oil to pour on His feet, that's OK. Poor out your heart to Him. He's being born tomorrow into this world to save you. Wont you accept Him as your gift? And give yourself to Him as the ultimate gift is given to you. Life. Eternal life. You will never regret accepting life, over death. Someone must die for your sin, and He would rather have it be Him. He loves you so....
Sincerely,
Your Friend.

Use me up

All gone. Empty. Dry as a bone. Bottom of the barrel. Belly up. Done. Finished.

Do any of the words describe how you feel at the end of a long day, hard day of work? I feel that way right now. But it's for a good cause you know. Every day as of late when I wake up I think this..." This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice in how HE USES ME." And I am. All I can do is make everything I do, an Hallelujah. Why? As Christmas approaches I have been thinking this: A tiny little perfect, beautiful baby boy was born to a mommy, similar to myself. That mommy was young, new at being a mom, and her baby boy was perfect to her in every way. Although something was different about this baby boy. You guessed it, His name was Jesus. And this baby, was a baby born to die. He was brought into this world for one purpose, for saving me through His death. This is why I say, what I can I say? What can I do to thank Him? What can I do that will not just end up looking hollow or empty in response the magnitude of His gift to me? So what do I say? I say this: "Lord I give you my life. And everything that is in it. All that I say, think, do and walk through each day will be done as an hallelujah to my King. He literally sacrificed everything for me. His very breath. So that I could live. Who is this King of glory???? That is the King I do everything for. So it is why I say, "Lord, what is your mission for me today?" "Lord, give me my marching orders.." "Lord..I am your instrument, play whatever song you wish..." And I am delighted each and every time He assigns me with something to do for Him and His kingdom... I wish I could say I always executed every order He gives me with absolute perfection, but I am still fleshly at times, much to my sadness. But I am giving my Lord my every single moment, and when I get selfish with those moments, and take back what I long to give to Him, I say I'm sorry, and in my confession, He takes me back and builds me back up again the faith...and once again I continue on. This King, This baby King, who came to die, has stolen my heart. And I want to give Him all of me. My every single breath. My every single moment. I love Him for all He did, for how He meets in the quiet places. How when I open His words, His words FLOOD off the pages and speak in love letters to me. His words are the most beautiful I have ever heard, and all I can say is this: "Lord, use me up." I'm desperate for Him. I am lovesick. I am breathless and thankful. And my life is His. He gave me His life. Can you imagine? Picture this tiny baby.... and in His sweet baby hands nails would be driven. And when He grew up, He was so focused. Focused on the truth of His Father, speaking truth to me. He made a way for me. I am an adopted daughter...and He made me His chosen one. So what then shall I say in response to this? "Lord use me up." I hope you hear the desperate longing I have for Him in my voice. My longing for Him is beyond any longing I have the ability to quench on my own. Only His return will quench it...but until He comes back, I will live my every single moment for HIM! I thirst for more and more time with Him....if only I could sit at His feet all day...Oh Jesus. I cling to you.

As the deer pants for the water so my soul pants for you O God.

Use me up.

Undistracted devotion for only you. I don't want to talk about you like your not in the room, I want to look right at you. I want to sing right to you. - Misty Edwards, "Doves Eyes."