Lost in Love

       
 It was 1979 and Air Supply was at the height of their game. Their song “Lost in Love,” was an instant hit, and it seemed everyone was hooked. At the time, I could not comprehend what being “Lost in Love” was all about. Sure, it was a great song and for many still is, but the fact that I would have to let every guard down in my system scared me. Perhaps, it was the macho in me which did not allow me to expose my heart and feelings in such a way. As men, most of us are not reared to feel this way and to allow experiences like these to penetrate us. I thought I needed to slay dragons and rescue damsels in distress, not lose myself in love.

In a similar way, as Christian men, some of us have difficulty relating to Jesus, our Savior, and allowing ourselves to be “lost in love” with Him. How can we, Knights of the Round Table, allow this to happen? Sure, we love to worship, pray, go on missions, preach, and anything in between; but surrendering? It is subversively foreign to us. Fairy tale books tell us that we live happily ever after, not loving and surrendering ever after. It is at this point that we have to submit to the Holy Spirit to efficiently do His job in us, in teaching us to be softened. It is like having an open-heart surgery experience with Christ. Salvation is just the beginning of the adventure. We need to allow its course to continue changing us from our old self to the new creation He desires us to be.

Jeremy Riddle, in his song, Sweetly Broken, captures this “lost in love” experience, not with a woman, but with Christ, Himself.

“At the Cross,

You beckon me

You draw me gently to my knees,

and I am Lost for words,

so Lost in love,

I’m sweetly broken,

wholly surrendered”

So many of us men are so afraid to be sweetly broken, to be lost in love and surrendered to a Jesus who wants to capture who He is in us. Perhaps, we think this is going to chip off our armor and take away part of that knighthood that we so dearly protect.  But in doing so, we allow a pure and untainted love to overwhelm and cleanse us; and define who and what we are destined to be. I know it's not easy to get to this point when time is the last thing you may have. Monday Night Football, your friends, your work, Twitter, Facebook, of course your wife or girlfriend, and finally the kids, if any, demand your time. So, time to fall in love with Christ, although it may be our desire, is the least to get your precious time. Know this; everything or anyone is going to vie for your time. If you do the Christ thing first, you may end up having more time than you know.  

Are you ready to prioritize your time and 

fall in love with your King?

_____________________________________________________________

This was a guest post by Rick Cubas! 

Rick is the director of the SkyWay Leadership Group in Texas.

Things Not Seen

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

This is a verse we frequently use as Christians when we are hoping for things to work out for our best or even to encourage others as they hope. But, how do we get to this point of hoping and having the faith that the book of Hebrews is talking about? It does not say that whatever it is we are hopeful for is going to happen. It just says, have faith and hope. I believe that usually it isn’t until “the hay hits the fan” that we tap into that kind of faith. When there is nothing left to pull from, we find ourselves at a decisive moment in our lives where we will have to make a choice: do I believe that I can have that kind of faith, or is it time to run for the nearest exit? Faith has to become us...Let me tell you a story to illustrate.

A few years back our family went through a very rough patch. The company I was working for decided to discontinue my position, and I needed to find a job as soon as possible. Out of the blue, my safe-secure rug had been pulled right from under me. I had a family to to provide for and bills to pay, but our bank account was shot. I applied to as many jobs as I could, but nothing seemed promising. At this point, I could hear those voices in my mind saying things like, “Why didn’t you save any money or how can you put your family in this position?” I had heard people “standing” on the Hebrews 11:1 verse, but I never knew what it was like to be there - until now.

The choice had to be made. I chose to believe that God knew I was going to be let go from my job and by knowing He also had a solution. As much as I did not want to be in that position, I needed to go through the process of developing my faith. The kind of faith that trusted “all things work together for the good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). Part of our human nature leads us to think that at certain points we have to take over. You know, as men,we are used to being the one to make things happen, but I had come to the point that I realized I needed to allow the Holy Spirit to work in me. Let me point out that this is not about bad things happening to good people. It’s about submitting our human mindset to the Heavenly Kingdom mindset in Matthew 6:33 as Jesus instructs. Faith doesn’t happen overnight. Faith is the result of a relentless pursuit of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Whether we get what we hope for, as Hebrews conveys, in this pursuit, we are bound to discover that we truly have received everything as we put our trust in Him.

_______________________________________

As men, are you striving to get the things you are hoping for, or are you trying to develop a faith that will sustain you through the tough times? 

__________________

This was a guest post by Rick Cubas! 

Rick is the director of the SkyWay Leadership Group in Texas.

God Forbid, I Joined A Church...

I recently told a good friend of mine that I was attending a Baptist church. His first words were, “But they don’t believe so many things.” You have to understand that I am a full fledged charismatic/ Pentecostal born again man. To make matters more interesting for him, I shared that at one of the services, a lady heard me signing during the praise and worship service, and thought that I had an angel’s voice.  It turned out that she was the choir director and lovingly persuaded me to join their choir. By the time I was finished talking to him, he didn't know what to say. See, I was the guy who lifted up his hands during worship, spoke in tongues, and even occasionally ran down the aisle. Get the picture? Reflecting on this friend’s reaction inspired this post.

“And He said to them, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:15-16.

When Christ told his disciples to preach the gospel, He never said anything about going to preach to dudes because they will be baptized with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus never said, “ And their denomination shall be called...”. Nowadays, we have segregated ourselves into so many man-made doctrines, and it appears that many of us have forgotten the simplicity of the love story of Jesus Christ.

When I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I did it alone. I heard no voice saying, “Go ye join the Pentecostal, Baptist, Charismatic, Lutheran and so forth movements.” No, I was redeemed, and the angels in heaven threw a party for me. The angels were not concerned about what denomination I would gravitate towards. They were parading and rejoicing about my decision. Let me be very clear that there is nothing wrong with any these man-made doctrines. It boils down to personal preference.

If you look at history, you will find out that many wars were started by Christians factions, not unbelievers. Fighting for power or whose perspective they thought was best to follow.  Nowadays, our wars are more subtle since we have become so civilized and educated. We see even in the church, we have become so politically correct. Some of us are fighting against ourselves all the way to the chapel because of doctrinal ideologies. When we present ourselves before the Lord, He is not going to ask you what doctrine you followed. He is indeed going to ask you, did you know my Son as your Savior.  The enemy does not have to spend any effort here since we have now become his biggest ally.

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4: 4-6

This is a fact, all “Christian” doctrines point in one direction, Jesus as the only Savior. Our command is to love one another, not to separate ourselves into so many different entities. We are supposed to be One Body.  There really is no time for anything else, but to cheer each other on through the best race there is.

So are you still stuck following 
doctrines and ideologies or Jesus? 
Share in the comments below.

________________________________________________

This is a guest post by Rick Cubas. He is a wild at heart kind of guy who is married to a wonderful woman and is a father to three beautiful little girls. He owns a Farmers Insurance Agency in Houston, TX.  He is a changed and redeemed man, who had an ocean for a backyard as a child and never imagined he’d grow up to become a friend of God. Check out his other posts here!