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Be Intentional About Loving People

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My family and I had a 20 minute conversation about love yesterday morning. Why did we take the time to have this discussion? Because we want to be a family that is intentional about loving people.

The thing that started us talking is that we’re getting ready to spend the next two weeks at JUMP Camp at our church. Steve and I are volunteering together the first week and the girls and I will be there again the second week.

Of course, JUMP Camp is going to be a blast and we are really looking forward to it, but we wanted to have a conversation beforehand to discuss, as a family, how we could be intentional about walking in love with others and with each other these next two weeks.

What we talked about as a family not only applies to our family or to JUMP Camp week, but to each of us in our everyday lives. This is why I decided to share our conversation about love with you!

As we each opened up and contributed to the conversation, these were the main points we covered.

Be Realistic

To start the conversation we discussed the fact that even though we are going to have a blast at camp, there will also be times when we get tired and there may even be moments when we feel exhausted. I personally think this was a very important part of our conversation that will help us be mentally prepared  to respond to others and to each other in love, when that happens.

I’m not saying we can’t believe God for an increase in energy over these next two weeks. We will believe for this and I believe we will have it, but when the sun is beating down on you and the noise level is continuously loud, the truth of the matter is, it can cause fatigue –  mentally, physically and emotionally.

Our family went to Six Flags several weeks ago. We have season passes this year and have these special bring-a-friend-free coupons that we can use a number of times during the season. We brought some friends of ours and had a really great time.

Six Flags is a place I spent a decent amount of time at growing up; therefore, I got so excited about our day of fun that I kept saying to everyone at the beginning of the day, “let’s stay all day, until the park closes.” (10pm) That sounded great until about 5 or 6pm when exhaustion seemed to hit every one of us at the same time! It wasn’t near as much fun after we got tired!

So…what do we do at JUMP Camp or in our everyday lives when we become physically, mentally or emotionally exhausted? The answers I’ll be sharing with you in this post apply to both.

1.) Remember why you’re doing what you’re doing

In our family discussion yesterday, we were reminding ourselves that we want to be a walking in love type of family. We talked about how we want to be a blessing in other people’s lives. We discussed how we want to be the light that Jesus said we are.

Of the 6000+ kids coming to JUMP Camp, a decent percentage of those kids haven’t ever heard the Gospel, nor do they go to church. You see how this one fact right here could change our whole perspective. This opportunity is much more than a camp – it’s a missions trip and God has given our family the opportunity to be change agents in the lives of these children.

Although Angel and Starr are not volunteering this year because this is their last year of being in camp, they can be all the things we talked about to their own friends over these next two weeks. They can be a blessing. They can walk in love. They can be an example. They can be a light. They can be change agents in the lives of their current friends and in the lives of the new 8th graders they’ll meet over the next two weeks.

2.) Constantly receive God’s love for yourself

Another aspect of our conversation was talking about the fact that we can, at any given moment, receive God’s love in a very personal way. Steve, my husband, suggested to all of us, “If we’re tired, we can close our eyes for a moment (when the time is convenient) and receive God’s love all over again.”

Since we’re there to extend God’s love to others, we talked about how we would only be able to do this if we are first receiving His love for ourselves.

After all…

1 John 4:19 says, 

We love each other because He loved us first. (NLT)

Receiving from God is one of the most important things we can spend our time doing, but I also believe receiving is one of the most overlooked things in the lives of many Christians. If we’re not careful we can spend all of our mental energy thinking about what we need to be doing for God and forget to receive from Him the wisdom, strength and ability we need to fulfill what He’s called us to.

3.) Become more rooted and grounded in knowing who you are in Christ

My husband Steve and I have been talking a lot lately about the amazing results we get from knowing who we are in Christ – from understanding that our true identity comes from being God’s child and also understanding that our worth and value is 100% wrapped up in the person we are in Christ Jesus. You know what I mean, the things the Bible talks about like: we’re new, complete , alive, holy, God’s workmanship, more than conquerors, overcomers, and forgiven in Him. And I’ve just barely gotten started with this short list compared to all the Biblical promises in God’s Word of everything we are in Christ.

Please do yourself a favor and search this phrase on google sometime soon: Who I am in Christ. Biblical promise after Biblical promise after Biblical promise will come up and if you’ll read them and remember them, you’ll see such an increase in your confidence level that this will in turn change your marriage, your relationships with your kids, your business, your personal life, and the list goes on.

I guarantee you that just the one fact alone that I am so much more convinced of who I am in Christ than the old Sandra was will make these two weeks at JUMP Camp and the fact that God has asked me to do everything I do in a spirit of love so much more than a possibility… as long as I keep the truth of God’s Word ever before me!

4.) Take care of yourself by exercising, getting enough sleep, eating healthy and drinking lots of water

Recently I had to take 3 months off from CrossFit in order to allow some physical symptoms I was having to subside. When I returned a month ago I noticed right away that my energy increased from working out again.

My Mom also started a walking program over a year ago. She walks 5 miles or more almost every day and her energy level is off the charts. She actually said she was praying for God to give her more energy and He gave her a desire to walk. She has enjoyed the walking and the results from the walking so much that she never wants to miss her walks!

Thinking of exercise this way – that it actually increases our energy – can give us a whole new perspective about it. After all, it’s kind of difficult to get the things done in our lives that God has called us to do if we are tired all the time. It’s also difficult to walk in love consistently if we are tired all the time. This is precisely why I’m planning to go to CrossFit after being at camp all day long to continue my workouts this week. I won’t have to go everyday after camp, maybe 2 of the 4 days and I’ve already talked to the coach and told him I probably won’t be able to work as hard as everyone else because I’ll be in the sun a lot during the day, but I can still go and do a good workout. If I do, I bet it will give me more energy for JUMP camp week!

Am I going to feel like going to CrossFit after camp. Probably not. This is exactly why I am making an intentional decision ahead of time. I’ll also use wisdom with it. For instance, I usually workout 4 days a week and I may only be able to do 3 days a week for the next two weeks, but I’m not going to mentally set myself up to not go at all.

My husband Steve also works out very consistently. He frequently reads articles about the benefits of exercise and we talk about them. We encourage each other in this area because we have seen the results, far too often, of people who have neglected exercise their entire life and now they’re totally dependent on others to care for them. We don’t want that to be us so we have decided to be intentional in the area of exercise…whether we feel like it or not!

Now, getting enough sleep is an area I could use a little more intentionality in! I do good for a period of time and then I get off course, but our family has been talking for several weeks now about how we will all be needing 8 hours of sleep these next two weeks for sure because we don’t want to go to JUMP Camp tired. That would not be a good recipe for treating others with love.

These two weeks are going to force me to get in bed at 8pm since I will be getting up at 4am. That sounds crazy to some people, but I love getting up early. My days just go better when I get up early, but I am a morning person. I’m believing these next two weeks of being forced to keep this schedule will help me get back into this habit in my everyday life because I admit, this is an area I need to receive God’s grace in to form a better habit, more consistently.

Now, I do want to say I am a very energetic person. I always have been, but especially the new and improved Sandra who doesn’t get bogged down with guilt and condemnation, but instead spends her time receiving and living by God’s grace. So I may not even need 8 hours of sleep every single night, but I need to give my body the opportunity to get 8 hours of sleep in case it does need it.

In regards to eating healthy, for me that means taking the time to prepare healthy food each week and carrying a cooler with me everywhere I go to keep my blood sugar from dipping too low since I’ve had low blood sugar issues all my life. It’s totally manageable and isn’t even a problem if I eat right and eat often enough, but if I don’t, it can get whacked out for days.

In fact, right now I’m starting to get hungry and one of the times I despise stopping to eat the most is when I’m writing. I’m going to town here, typing away and don’t want to stop and then have to take the time to get refocused and get Back in the flow again when I return; but if I want to feel my best and if I want to be able to react to others in love on a more consistent basis, I don’t have a choice. So I’ll be back in about 15 minutes ok?

I’m back, and stopping to take the time to eat was so worth it. I feel wonderful now that my blood sugar is level again.

Regarding the food at JUMP Camp, part of the fun is the fun food; therefore, we have been talking to our girls for several weeks now about what they’ll be allowed to eat at JUMP Camp. There is actually nothing they can’t eat and they will have snow cones available every day and, in addition, Wednesday is ice cream day. We told them they could have 1 snow cone per day and the ice cream in addition on Wednesday. We are also letting them have certain things in their lunches that we don’t give them often like chips and white bread, BUT we made an agreement with them that they will need to eat healthy the rest of the week at every meal. This way they can enjoy the same things the other kids are getting to enjoy at JUMP Camp and not feel left out, but not end up sick afterwords either.

Finally, speaking of the importance of water consumption, the average adult human body is 50-65% water. Our cells must have water to live and our vital organs contain 65-85% water, depending on the organ. It always inspires me to drink more water when I read facts like this.

I am blessed that I actually really like the taste of water. It’s all I drink, but I know lots of people can’t stand water. That has to be hard, but I will say (as a way of encouragement) that there have been numerous times when I have gotten out of the the habit of drinking enough water and when I got back on track, I found the more I drank it  the more I wanted it.

To help myself drink the amount of water I need each day I recently purchased 3 water bottles and placed them different places in my home – my bedroom, my office and the kitchen!

 1 Corinthians 13 says, 

Love Is the Greatest

13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. (NLT)

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

God’s Treasure Chest – Romans 10

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Here are some of the treasures I discovered while reading and studying Romans chapter 10. I hope you’re encouraged!

Romans 10:5 says,
For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. (NLT) 

This verse right here proves how impossible it would be for us to attempt to be justified by keeping the law. It also proves why there’s a whole bunch of frustrated Christians out there. I used to be one of them. It’s a dead end road.

Here are Andrew Wommack’s Living Commentary notes on this verse. You’re gonna love this. It will help you understand grace better.

“In Romans 10:5-9, Paul contrasted those who seek righteousness by the Law with those who seek the righteousness of God as a gift. Those who seek to earn righteousness through keeping the Law are consumed with “doing” (this verse), while those who receive righteousness by faith are simply confessing what has already been done (Romans 10:9).

This is a simple yet profound difference. If we are still “doing” acts of holiness to get God to move in our lives, then we are still operating under a “Law” mentality that is not faith (Galatians 3:12). When we simply believe and confess what has already been provided through Christ, that’s grace.

Those who are living under the Law and those who are living under grace should have very similar actions of holiness, but their motivations are completely opposite. Legalists have their attention on what they must do, while those living by faith have their attention on what Christ has already done for them.

For instance, the Scriptures teach us to confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts and we will receive from God (Romans 10:9-10 and Mark 11:23-24). Legalists think that means they can get God to heal them by confessing that by His stripes, they are healed. However, those who understand God’s grace will not confess the Word to get healed. They will confess that by His stripes, they are healed, because they really believe it has already been done.

Analyzing our mindsets is the simplest way of discerning whether we are operating in true Bible faith or a legalistic counterfeit. If the motive for our actions is to be accepted by God, then that’s legalism. If we live holy out of faith and gratefulness for what God has already done, then that’s grace.”

Referring back to paragraph #4 here in Andrew’s notes, I was one of those people who had made confession (confessing God’s Word) into a work.

I was taught the importance of confessing God’s Word growing up and it wasn’t taught to me in a legalistic way, but because of my own personality I approached almost everything in my life from a ‘works’ standpoint. I turned almost everything into a law.

As a result of this, I recall that during the beginning of my grace journey 3.5 years ago God had to show me that I had actually gotten into fear in this area of confession and had been wrongly believing that if I didn’t confess the Word (speak my confessions) everyday, I was not going to be blessed. 

Again, I DEFINITELY believe in the power of confessing God’s Word and I have a list of declarations that I speak, but now I speak them when the Holy Spirit prompts me to speak them and I don’t feel like if I miss a day, or a week, that my life is going to fall apart. 

As Andrew stated above, when a person is caught up in legalism, their motive for doing what they do is totally different.

Now that I live my life by God’s awesome grace, I actually find myself speaking God’s Word on a regular basis in addition to speaking out my list of declarations when the Spirit prompts me to do so, but there is no fear involved at all of something bad happening or me not being blessed because I haven’t confessed God’s Word today.

Here’s what made the difference for me. When I really grasped the truth that God’s grace is His unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor I stopped believing for His favor only when I had done all the right things or based on my good works (such as confessing the Word) and began to believe for and receive His grace (unmerited favor) solely based on what Jesus has already done for me through His finished work. I finally got the revelation that grace is based on Him, not me. 

This my friend, is why I have fallen so deeply in love with Jesus that I now work harder for Him (do more good works) than I ever did while trying to live my Christian life under the law. This is why I spend practically every waking moment receiving His grace afresh for myself and why I love helping others (including my own kids) understand how His grace works, practically, in their everyday lives… if they will only receive it!

Romans 10:13 says,
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”  (NLT)  

I just LOVE this verse! That all!

Romans 10:14 says,
But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?  (NLT) 

Do you know that there are many people who go to church every Sunday that aren’t hearing the true gospel – the gospel of grace. I just had a girl tell me yesterday how frustrating it is that she cannot seem to find a church in her little town. There are plenty of churches there, but the ones that she has visited are all steeped in religion (rules and regulations).

She hasn’t had success finding one yet where the pastor simply preaches Jesus and how having a living, vibrant relationship with Jesus can transform her life. She said all the churches that she has visited have strong religious mindsets and she feels judged by so many within those circles. I felt so sorry for her and reminded her that this is not how Jesus is. I am also agreeing with her in prayer that she will find just the right church that she can call home, where Jesus is exalted and where the pastor sets her eyes on Jesus every single week instead of giving her a list of 10 new rules to follow.  

Romans 10:15 says,
And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (NLT)  

Notice, the scriptures do not say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring bad news.’ It says this is true of those who bring good news. 

It doesn’t even say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who mix bad news with good news in an effort to be balanced.’ (and this goes for all of us because we are all called to be bearers of this amazingly good news)

The true gospel, which is the gospel of grace, doesn’t need to be balanced. It’s the gospel. It’s about Jesus. It’s Jesus plus nothing. It’s the good news because when we really understand it and believe it, we fall in love with Jesus so deeply that we then end up doing everything else we should be doing as a Christian out of a spirit of love rather than works. Of course this doesn’t mean we’re going to be perfect in our actions because this Christian walk is a journey, but as we continue to grow in God’s grace, right actions follow.

Look at this:

Romans 13:10 says,
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (NASB) 

Yes, yes, yes! This is what happens when a person is taught the true gospel of grace and they come to understand that, in fact, Jesus is grace. He is God’s grace personified. When they come to the revelation that it’s all Jesus, this amazing Grace changes their heart from the inside out and they begin to walk in love and do what they do out of love for people like never before. I am a witness to this and I know that many of you are too.

Every person I come in contact with who has really grasped a revelation of God’s grace cannot be quiet about it. It’s impossible. They simply cannot stop talking about Jesus and they want everyone, everywhere to know this good news!

Romans 10:17 says,
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. (NLT)

See here, we have to be hearing the good news about Jesus for faith to come. This is why it is critically important for people to find a church where the pastor sets their eyes on Jesus and what He has already done for them through His finsihed work on the cross instead of focusing their attention on themselves and what they need to do. Their doing (good works) will naturally flow from their right believing about Christ!

Next God’s Treasure Chest post will be on Romans 11.

To find all my other God’s Treasure Chest posts just click here on My Grace Journey and then scroll down to the topic that says God’s Treasure Chest!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished working the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

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