Guest Blogger: Changed By His Love

Jesus has changed my life. Period. It's plain and simple.

Love has taken over every area, every aspect of my life and, for the first time, I don't want it back. The Bible says in Luke 9:23-25, "And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interest, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living if need be, in dying also.] For whoever would preserve his life and save it will lose it and destroy it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he will preserve and save it [from the penalty of eternal death].

This verse holds so much truth and depth. At the age of 23, I have finally grasped hold of and began to understand that my life is not my own, but the Lord’s. I have lived selfishly; in search of my own comfort and satisfaction. However, in the midst of living for my own comfort, I quickly began to realize that I was hardly comfortable at all. In fact, I was hurt, uncomfortable, and couldn't figure out why my self-made plans were failing.

For so long, I made my own plans. I made my own agenda and asked the Lord to "bless" it, but something I now understand is that God doesn't just want to "rubber stamp" our plans with His approval. HE wants to write our plans, for HE is the author and perfector of our faith. He desires for us to abandon our own plans for our life and to pick up the ordained & God-appointed plans HE has for our life. For God's plans are always greater than ours; for His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. While He can do immeasurably more than we could ever think or imagine, why is it that we still try to plan our own future, relationships, occupation, etc.? Do we fail to remember that God is the God of this universe? A God who is all-knowing and all-powerful?

It wasn't until I began to grasp this idea that I truly began to live. Friends, the Lord has called us to deny ourselves, to lose sight of our plans and follow Him steadfastly [firmly established, unswerving to the Faith we profess in Him]. To conform wholly to His example in life, love, prayer, worship and complete surrender to the Father. Jesus came to this earth to fulfill the will of the Father; to give himself as a ransom for you and for me. Likewise, let’s worship the Lord with our lives and fulfill the will of the Father for our lives by wholly surrendering and conforming to the life of Christ. Let’s lose our lives for Christ, like Luke said, so that we, for Christ’s sake, we will find it!

I charge you to dive into the word like never before, to commune with the Father who deeply desires YOU, wholly and unreserved. It is in these moments that God will transform your life and will do immeasurably more than you could ever think or imagine. Let’s get to the place that the LORD is all that we desire, morning, afternoon, and night. When we allow Christ to be our sole purpose for living, the LORD will so satisfy you that nothing in this life will matter. It is in the moments of true surrender and devotion that you will find Him and the will He has for your life. What great beauty!

Richard J. Foster in Celebration of Discipline wrote, “To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God, the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to Christ.”

Do you want to experience the Lord? Do you want to live and walk in His will for your life? Do you desire to linger longer in His presence? Do you desire to learn great and unsearchable things he wants to teach you? Do you desire joy, peace, patience, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge? Do you desire Him? I sure do!

Let’s press into God. Let us not abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic in our lives, but let’s embrace prayer. Let’s embrace God’s presence; for one moment in God’s presence can change your life forever! Let’s embrace His love, worship and his constant pursuit of us.

Let’s live a life that is passionate and unreserved for Jesus Christ. I truly believe that when we do, He will reveal himself to us like never before and our lives will be changed & ever consumed.

Katherine Metcalf