Gratitud - Dos Parte

During church this morning, it struck me that we, the individuals which make up the bride of Christ, can tell if we have love from ego or love from the heart.

Am I grateful for Jesus love? Am I overwhelmed that God chose to use Jesus so he could share life together with me?

I must admit, I often think about what God has done for me and what awaits. I too often think it is about me. I want to be overwhelmed with what God chose to do in order to share life with me. I want to be grateful from deep within my heart. I want to be so humbled, it brings tears of joy.

Gratitude

From Donald Miller's book To Own a Dragon

The chapter is about girls. Miller's friend asked him if he felt he deserved to be in a relationship with a female. Miller thought it a strange question and explained so in his hilariously quirky way!

His friend went on to say that he had concluded that he didn't deserve his wife. He found it incredible that she chose to spend the rest of her life with him. His friend said he was grateful.

Miller's friend went on to say that often we use other people and romantic stuff to validate ourselves. True love involves gratitude and being overwhelmed that another person chose to share life together.

Miller summed up the chapter by wondering if love from ego versus love from the heart signalled a transition to maturity.

I began to tell Danna about what I felt was this incredible insight from the book. I started to get choked up! As I explained the words I wrote above, I began to cry and I made her cry. It is incredibly humbling to realize she chose to share life with me. I don't deserve my Angel. I call her that because she is an Angel. Yes, we have our struggles but she loves me in spite of myself. I am in awe of our relationship.

I also told her that it is so much different than my previous marriage, thankfully!! Anybody that has heard me talk about that phase of my life has heard me readily admit I made many mistakes. One big one was being too immature to get married in the first place. I was mature from a worldly, having my goals which drove me, point of view. I didn't have the maturity or the humility to know I needed God. Life was about me. I wasn't grateful.

God saw me through my immaturity. I haven't arrived, by any means. However, he has blessed me tremendously with a wonderful woman who is truly my Angel!!

After we both cried for awhile, I said a line I have said a lot. "I have become my Mom!!" I was puzzled as a kid why she cried when she was happy. It made no sense to me at all!! Now, it DOES!!!!

Burned Up Stuff or Burned Up Self?

I Corinthians 3:10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Matthew 25:31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Are the works discussed in I Corinthians similar to the works in Matthew 25? Do you notice that in Matthew 25, the cursed call him Lord as well? Do you think they were baptized? Do you think they asked Jesus into their hearts? However or whenever you think someone is saved, does the cross and the grace of the cross cover over ignoring the people described in Matthew 25?

Are these passages talking about different people?

Is my stuff, my works going to get burned up or am I going to get burned up?

Somedays I do OK with having good works and occasionally I help a person like mentioned in Matthew 25. Will God's grace cover 5o times? 40 times? 30 times? 20 times? 10 times? 1 time? No times?