I love rainbows. When my husband called and said, “Step outside of your office, there’s a rainbow out there for you,” I wasn’t prepared for the beauty of seeing two of them.  I stood for a moment and just looked at them; beautiful, breathtaking, and remarkable. Now, I won’t go into all that rainbows mean to me, (just think of Noah) but I will say that as I thanked God for their beauty and wonder, I started to laugh at the thought of my extremely busy husband calling to tell me about it.   The gesture was much more meaningful than waiting until evening when we were both home to ask me if I had seen it.  He knows they are special to me and maximized that moment by sharing it.  Although the gesture was meaningful in itself, the subsequent thoughts  on marriage were equally as meaningful.  

     Not only is marriage about sharing and sacrifice but it is also about fulfilling purpose and promises; God’s, your spouses, and yours.  God created marriage and it is good.  In fact, it is designed to accomplish something in you,  in your spouse, and for the kingdom.  Yes, marriage is definitely kingdom business.  We sometimes mess it up. We start them, end them, and even start them again.  Yet the plan and purpose of God remains the same.  As a married person, you are responsible for working with God to help your spouse be or become all that God desires them to be. I not taking away individual responsibility for them to comply with God as well,  I am only saying that when you marry, you agree to be a part of the plan of God.   We must learn that ultimately in a marriage our submission is to God. 

     Another purpose of marriage is to get you closer to God.  Our thoughts, ideas, and actions towards our spouse are most effective when they support that purpose. We are able to help them move along the pathway to the Father. We can be a catalyst to their continued growth and development by helping them strengthen their connection to the Lord.   You and your spouse should be submitted to one another in such a way that even the small things you do, contribute to strengthening this connection. Moving each of you along the path towards God takes your relationship to a more fulfilling level. 

     Who would have thought that a husband, a rainbow, and a phone call, could spark such thoughts? Today, I leave you with a couple of questions.  How often do the things you do cause your spouse to remember the Lord in all his goodness?  Can you name three things that clear the pathway for your spouse to more powerfully connect with God? I challenge you to maximize your moments and work in concert with God.  You marriage will benefit from it, so will you, but most all the kingdom of God.
     
      Think about it and let me hear from you.
     
     
      Be Blessed Today and Always,
     
      MC

Arrivederci. Au revoir. Adios! Auf wiedersehen! Sayonara.

     Say goodbye to the days where intellectual Christianity is commonplace. Say goodbye to a life voidof remarkable experiences, astounding peace, and clarity of vision. Intellectual Christianity, by my definition, is to understand with the mind yet lack experiential knowledge of the truth.  This can be shaky ground because it is the truth that makes or causes us to experience freedom. 

 Intellectual Christianity is probably one of the top causes of a lack of commitment and adherence to biblical doctrines among professing believers today.  In fact, only half of the 83% of Americans who identify themselves as Christians report that they are absolutely committed to Christianity (Barna, May 07).  This is a scary thought and helps drive home the point that we are in need of change. 

Your faith walk is designed to be experiential not just intellectual. Don’t misunderstand, I am not throwing out the need for intelligence, wisdom, knowledge, or any of the other necessary attributes God blesses us with BUT I am saying there is more. Sometimes when we receive knowledge in the mind we feel we have arrived at a perfect understanding of the issue.  Yet, God has another destination, he desires that we experience the truth behind the words.  Now is the time to expand your capacity to experience the truth and the power of God. Go beyond the established norm. Raise your level of expectation.

Many people learned of God on the level of the intellect its time to renew your mind and build with the principles of the kingdom.  We need to move from knowledge alone  to experience. We should desire to have a greater experience with the word. Think of it like this, intellectual Christianity is analogous to potential energy while experiential Christianity is like kinetic energy—that which is in motion.  Do you want to live a life with a lot of  stored energy or one where energy is being activated and used consistently?
   
    There is a difference in the life, thoughts, and actions of one who is having an intellectual Christian experience and one who is experiencing the reality of God. The one who is having the intellectual experience has information but their life doesn’t manifest victory and power, they can not really understand that God is in them and so they never really access or use the power that is inside of them. The one who is truly experiencing God also has knowledge and their knowledge is being proven.  They realize that the word is in them and because of that they have abundant life, power, strength, and an expected end. They realize they can and do take action. Their faith, trust, and obedience to God are always on the increase.  Their lives demonstrate the power and presence of God.  They enjoy life on every level.  Leaving intellectual Christianity and embracing a deeper experience is a radical move.  It means not not only talk about the word but to live it.

     Are you a radical believer?  One who has decided to take the limits off of God and know him, experientially? Then refuse to accept less than a real, living, and powerful relationship with the Lord. Determine to not just talk about the word but to put it in practice, daily in all areas of your life. Join me in saying goodbye to intellectual Christianity and say hello to a richer, fuller, more profound Christian experience.  

Let’s get radical!!!!

     Today’s challenge. Think about areas in your life that you may have learned of the word, thoughts or ideas of God but you have not experienced its power. Perhaps these areas resonate with you: obedience, truth, faith, submission, love, forgiveness, trust, stewardship or even relationships.  Determine in your heart that you don’t want to live solely on the level of the intellect but you want to embrace the experience of life with God. The power behind the words. Accept that it is His desire for you. Embrace His will.

     I leave you with a scripture to consider 2 Corinthians 13:5, Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it.  Test and prove yourselves [not Christ].  Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected? (Amplified version)

Sorting through my email box, which honestly I should do more frequently, a thought came to me. What does the information in your email box say about you?
Now you are probably thinking this is not novel or even spiritual but wait…. Reviewing the subjects, senders, and responses can be a quick tool to help you assess what your energies have been focused on. For example, if you say that it is important to build your business this year but the majority or your emails have been spam, forwards, or gossiping emails —you may not be leveraging your resources to get the results you desire. Your email sent box provides you a daily, weekly, or monthly analysis about your priorities and what captures your attention. I know it’s only a part of the story but remember the old adage “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” Or even, “take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. SS 2:15.
God has given each of us a divine mission and we have a limited amount of time to accomplish it. Are you maximizing the precious resource of time?
Today, I invite you to take about 3 minutes, look at the story your email box tells about your priorities, does it tell the story you want written? Are you focused, are your actions supporting your God given goals? Or do you need to make some adjustments? If you are on target praise God. Pray that you continue on and that others who may not be able to answer yes right now may soon be doing so. If not, praise God still and thank Him for His mercies and the opportunity He has given right now to take an action step toward lining up your efforts with your priorities.

Be Blessed Today and Always.

Faithfully,

MC