Love

What a huge subject right? I think it's the ultimate message from God, the most important. I think it's the theme of the entire Bible. God IS love.

I was recently told that my church talked too much about love. I was floored. Absolutely floored. They said we focus too much on love and that we don't talk about the Bible enough. I think they go hand-in-hand. Every message we have flows from God's word. I felt attacked, they were talking about my family. But I also felt like they have missed something from all their Sunday school classes and rules and doing the "Christian" thing. Sure, obedience is important, but it flows from love. 

I just thought it would be interesting to type love into BibleGateway and see how many results came up. With the NIV alone, I got almost 700 results. 

Here are a few favorites:

Matthew 22:36-39

³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" ³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'^{b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^{c]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[c]} 

Luke 6: 32-35...

³²"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. ³⁴And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.

Ephesians 5:1-2

¹Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children ²and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

1 John 3: 18

¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 

1 John 4:8

⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Oh I could go on forever. 

I finally fixed my password!!!

Wow. I can't believe how long it's been! I completely forgot my password and what email I used. 

Well, I have a Tumblr now also. I will probably post stuff on this again too, it helps keep me in the word. Here's a link to my other bloggy thingy :-) 

http://mandolynnwinbun.tumblr.com/

The Law and How Jesus Saved Us From it

The amazing thing about the bible is that I could read the same verses 1000 times, and they would still apply to my life in a new and fresh way.

Several years ago, before I was dating my husband, my small group went to a Song of Solomon Conference. It was amazing! I learned so much about how I wanted my future marriage to be. I can't wait to go back and take my husband someday! Anyway, after I got married, I signed up to recieve their devotionals. This one wasn't particularly aimed toward marriage but I thought it was important so I wanted to write a little bit about it.

I suggest you watch this short video first. I posted the text below for your convinience. The speaker is Mark Driscoll.


John 1:14-18 (New International Version)

(14) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(15) John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " (16) From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. (17) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (18) No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

Focusing on the law aspect of these verses, I think it is important to remember what Mark Driscoll was talking about in verse 17. Doing what is "right" is not what saves us. Our faith in Jesus Christ is what saves us. Driscoll refers to the book of Galatians about a minute into the video saying that Paul tells us the law exist to show us our sin. I think almost the entire book of Galatians tells us that, but here is a verse that I thought covered it pretty well.

Galatians 2:16 (New International Version)
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

If we were saved through the law, (to be frank) we would all be screwed. We are a sinful people. Jesus Christ dying for us was COMPLETELY necessary in order for us to be with God. He is perfect and can not be around sin.

[If my thoughts get touchy, keep in mind, all of this is me thinking that devotional through (except when I quote scripture, that is God's word) and I am not passing judgment on anyone but myself]

It would be pretty easy then, to just say, "Well great, then I can go on living like I was and just have faith in Christ." But does that really show a transformation of the heart? I don't think so. If Jesus Christ is truly Lord of my life, if I truly love Him with all my heart, mind, and soul, then I would hate what he hates, love what he loves, and try my darndest to act like he would.

Romans 6
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

(1)What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (2)By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (3)Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (4)We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

(5)If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. (6)For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— (7)because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

(8)Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (9)For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. (10)The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

(11)In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (12)Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. (13)Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (14)For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.


**I know I quote a lot of scripture. That's because I am human and I don't want anyone to just take my word for anything. If anyone is going to read or hear something about God, I want to make sure it is backed up by His word.

The Direction of my blog

I named my blog, "This is me at my Darkest," I wanted to have somewhere where I could be me completely (or as completely as I can be without allowing anyone into my most intimate relationship with God or with my husband). Anyway, for anyone that doesn't know, the blog title is a line in the song, "Love Jealous One, Love" by As Cities Burn. The album is called, "Son I Loved you at your Darkest."

Love Jealous One, Love
this is me at my darkest
looking down from my tower to heaven
my reputation is what i am on the scale
in the eyes of mankind
the more i get beneath me,
the higher, and more out of reach
teacher, which of us will be the greatest

we will wear compassion
we will wear it on our chests
and sing with love at our throats
like a child, its all i know
Father, hide our hearts in you
lest we steal them back
and lay them at the feet of men
i know now that glory has not a place
near my hands or any man


So I've decided that this blog will be a record of my thoughts on scripture that I read, news that hits on my heart, and anything else that affects me spiritually. I hope that it will help me to be more consistent in the time I spend with God each day and more consistent in being an imitator or God in everything that I do. I know it may sound pitiful that I am using a blog for that, but for the time being, I think it is going to help and that is more important than looking like I can't set enough time aside for God without a computer.

YOU WILL PROBABLY SEE MY FLAWS. Everyone has them and I do not pretend to be perfect.

Thursday is Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen!!

August 7th is Miracle Treat Day! Go to your local Dairy Queen and buy a Blizzard or two! You can freeze one for later. 100% of the procedes will go to our local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. Go to their website to find a Children's Network Hospital near you. Last year 4 million dollars was raised! Let's top it this year!

Enjoy your Blizzards for a great cause!