Operation Love: How are you operating?

How can one love Jesus without loving one another on earth? God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. Now in my opinion that is true love. Throughout the Bible many of us stumble upon this word love. I have learned that there are four different types of love according to C.S. Lewis. The first is storage- the affection love; between family members or people who have otherwise found themselves together by chance. The second is philia-the friendship love; a weak bond existing between people who share common interest or activity. The third is Eros- the romance love; love in the sense of 'being in love. Last but not least is the agape love. This is in fact the greatest love. It is unconditional, the very love that brings forth caring and compassion regardless of circumstances. I don’t know about you but I would love to truly love everyone with agape love. Of course I don’t expect to change the way I love others right away. Just like Christianity, changing the way you love others is a process. I believe I would first have to change the way I view others. Instead of being oblivious to the hurt people around me I will pray and ask God to open my eyes to the things unseen. I believe that God will allow me to see broken people and guide me to love on them unconditionally. It’s so amazing how God loves us in spite of. I am so thankful for that. I know sometimes people can be a bit much, or what others may see as over board. But I truly believe that God will change our hearts. I believe that even in tough situations and even conflicts God will allow us to love with agape love, using us as a vessel so that we may inspire others to see God in us by our actions and even reactions. Romans 12:10-11 tells us to “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Throughout 1 Corinthians 13, God’s word goes into detail about what love does not do, guiding us by a standard of loving. 1 Corinthians 13:

 ¹ If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. It’s your choice. How will you love today?

Sleepless in Seattle?

I believe many of you may be familiar with the movie title "Sleepless in Seattle." When I think about being sleepless I relate to it on a personal level. Sometimes we encounter so many things in our daily lives we forget the most important thing to encounter and that is God. We as people tend to let small things like doubt, worry, and burdens turn into something big and cause us to stress. This stress eventually leads us to have sleepless nights. I remember each night, tossing and turning. I even cried out to God and asked Him how come I couldn’t sleep. I know what you may be thinking, how dare I question God right? As I lye silently in bed, I began to read the bible on my phone. It was weird because I couldn’t understand why the passages I was reading were relevant to anything going on in my life. But you know how that may go, because our thoughts are definitely not like the thoughts of God. Even nights after that, I still began to toss and turn hoping to get some rest. One morning as I was alone with God, I began to pour out everything that had been bottled up inside of me weighing me down as burdens often do. It wasn’t until then that everything around me became so clear. Don’t you just love it when things become so vivid? It’s sort of like when you misplace something, you look high and low to find what you were looking for in the very place that you least expected. Giving everything to God is so refreshing. I’m so thankful that God is so loving and merciful even when we know we don’t deserve it. I then decided to step away from the cell phone bible and grab the good ole good book…LOL. As I turned pages in my bible I came across Psalm 4:8 in peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. After reading this I could have seriously slapped myself. All I had to do was wait on the Lord, pick up His word and read as He ministered to me trough His word. It’s times like these that I believe the Lord sits in Heaven and laugh from a good healthy place. I absolutely love my NIV bible. Inside there are love notes from God speaking directly to you from Him in Heaven. I would like to share a note to each of you today because in God’s word it is said that what He does for one He will definitely do for another.

            My child,

            Next time you spend the night tossing and turning, remember this: You are safe   

            with me. Close your eyes. Find rest and peace in me. Sweet Dreams!

-Your Heavenly Father

Maturity

Four years ago I received a word from my pastor about “maturity.” This is a word that no one wants to face yet cannot get around. Well let’s face it we all have to take a step toward maturity. This is a place that we come to in life and have faith to believe there has to be something better than this. This is also a place of understanding, a point where you need to confront who you are as a person. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Reaching maturity you may realize that something needs to change. Change is a good thing. Many people fear new things, forgetting that “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” 2 Timothy 1:7. For some, changing their behavior or removing things or even people may be easy. While others may have to go through a crisis just to surrender all to God. Trust me I know, I was that person who had to go through a crisis. Place yourself around positive people, those who will be there in the long run when you’re down and out without a doubt headed straight toward destruction. You’ll need that Godly counsel to get you back on the right track. Remember these three factors, you must mature- change the things you can, surrender all to God-remember once you give it to him let it go don’t try to pick it back up, and vision prosperity for yourself- you can make it as long as God is the lead of your life. But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today~ Deuteronomy 8:18

“Each season is temporary, learn what you can”

© 2011 JoelStorm

Selfishness

I cannot believe your selfishness

A lose-lose situation

No one around here shows true dedication

She works long hour’s everyday

But you don’t care, you look out for yourself

Now look that woman is sleeping in a chair

I cannot believe your selfishness

She’s a taxi cab by day and a loving mother by night

Still there are days when none of us not even me treat her right

Well aren’t you just a delight, you delight in yourself

Long her don’t care, some think good looks will bring you wealth

I cannot believe your selfishness

You tried to break me, I admit you almost did

I went to sleep calling out the name Jesus

Then my emotions were at peace as my eyes were hid

I cannot believe your selfishness

I woke up this morning and saw her in that chair

I don’t have a bed of my own to offer her

So I just gave her sweet words of good morning along with a blank stare

© 2011 Joel Storm

My Eyes, Your Eyes, Their Eyes

Shut tightly they remain

As they open nothing is ever the same

The constant flow of the blood on the brain

Longing for a state of reality of the midnight train

Ordained, ordained this lingers around the soul

Whoever knows what the soul will behold?

Shut tightly they remain

The sand man could not even contain

The feeling is plain, as the day break the darkness falls once again

They shut as though they’re a hut in the great plains of an Indian tribe

The time to prevail comes, yet they do not know why the fluid runs like deep rivers up a stream

Shut tightly they remain

Opening briefly to capture beautiful things

Who knows what they have seen

Shielding images that pierce through the soul

Holding on like a dog and his bone

Opening wide, not wanting to miss the things that shall be captured

It’s never about the size, color, or stature

But rather matters of the heart

How you feel on the inside will somehow show

They will seep through, letting a little light enter

Finally being able to see the world that was once blind

They are no longer tightly shut but flutter with intent to see what shall be loved so much

The scenery of trees and the grass lands appear

Calming the soul while holding back the tears

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Everything and everyone is beautiful depending on who you ask.

© JoelStorm 2011