No Substitutes

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your patience :) Finals are here once again, and so I have been with my blog in spirit for these past weeks- but today I check in!

I trust that you are all enjoying the season that God has placed you in. What a crazy bunch of weeks these have been! God has truly been doing some amazing things in this past month, and once again- this topic of love, singleness and marriage has floated to the surface of many discussions. I have been pondering many things lately; thoughts, experiences and revelations from past, present and dare I say- future lol! So, this may be your cup of tea, and if not, pass it on- but please share the truth. You never know who needs to hear it.

I think as women we "get" Christ faster because we know what it is to be 
wanted, loved, rescued, redeemed, sanctified and made whole. We are created to be saved, rescued, fought for, loved and adored. We want to belong to someone and are created to partner with them in a vision to extend God's Kingdom. It's so built-in to our being, our hard-drive. Love us right and you will have a Worshiper, Warrior and Wow-Man! for life :)

Christ also empowers women. In every encounter He had with them He sets them free emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, and even financially. There is not one woman that left the presence of Jesus the same way!!!

Jesus continually washes us with the water of His Word- Ephesians 5:26.
His Love is Amazing! He Loves us into Perfection. He covers our Sins. He Redeems Us. His Love makes us Beautiful. In His arms we become the women we've always dreamed we would be:
Incredible! Irresistible! Unstoppable!

We also learn how to submit to HIM, walk in obedience- trust Him to lead us....
Stuff, we will need for marriage right? I would think so.

So, in essence- our ability and obedience as single women to follow Christ enables us to understand God's plan for marriage- (which is in essence- merely a blueprint for Christ and the Church.)

So, how do men respond to Christ? In their manliness I presume. They relate to Jesus as a man, a mentor and an example. And they should.

Ephesians 5:25-28 says " A husband should love his wife as much as Christ loved the church and have his life for it. He made the church holy by the power of His word, and He made it pure by washing it with water.

Christ did this, so that He would have a glorious and holy church, without faults or spots or wrinkles or any other flaws. In the same way a husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself. A husband who loves his wife shows that he loves himself. " 

Verse 33 goes on to say, "so each husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself, and each wife should respect her husband."

So the bottom line ladies is: Can He love you like Christ Does?

See, I think us woman got this "Love" thing down: The sacrifice, the adoration, the commitment, the putting him first etc. The desire to love is in-built within us. After all, God made Eve for Adam. So, once we think Adam sees us we like go into that "mode" of "I'm going to be all you need!!!"
Am I right? Lol!

Guess I'm calling it out tonight! Ooh now. I touched a nerve.

Ladies,[Allison], sisters- let's just rest in the Lord. If Mr Perfect walks in the door tomorrow (please Lord haha!) the one thing on my mind and heart should be:


Will he love me like Christ does? 

That's the standard right there.
#NoSubstitutes

Until then...

Keep Becoming His Best

For His Glory
 
© 2012 Allison Pillay

Love is a Fruit

I love journals. Seriously I do. 

It is always so encouraging to go back to old posts, protests and prayers and witness just how the hand of God has carried you through time. And some entries are just timeless. I was encouraged by one such entry from a while back.

"There is ultimately no loss in Love, for by opening up your heart to another- you can only grow. Love is the antithesis of all commodities, because when you choose to give it away, it always comes back- in one form or another. The economics of Love is that it is always in demand, and our most reliable supplier- God- never runs out! By being connected to Divine Love we are made innately aware of new things. For even when love is not reciprocated, love in its truest essence and noblest intentions is never wasted. In the end- when all has fallen away and everything has been shaken- Love will still be standing. 

"This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain."                         Hebrews12:27

The challenge in each day should thus not be merely to succeed, attain or overcome, but to love divinely. We find the key in Jesus. Love (not merely the idea of it) is practical not theoretical. They say: " Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?" Yet, love is not a trade- off or barter. Love in its purest form is a willing sacrifice. It says, " I have weighed up the options and I choose to put you first". Like Jesus who basically said, " though I have to die- I give my life for you to live." Love is a Choice.

See, when flutterings falter, looks fade, cash flow slows, attraction dies and chemistry fizzles out, Love says: " I will still choose you". Think about it, Jesus knew exactly how many times we would mess up, fail Him and yet still chose to die for and love us every single day! That's amazing! How can we love like that?

Love says: "Regardless of what I can get from you, I will seek your face and not just your hand. I will seek your heart and not just your wallet. I will seek your good and not just my gain."

Thus, there is ultimately no loss in Love because it is always a choice. A choice to believe that anything is possible. Love is the greatest adventure. There are no winners or losers in Love because it's never a game. 
It's a fruit, so cultivate it, eat it, share it and in doing so- learn from the Master Himself."

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

                                                                                          John 15:13

Till then, 

Keep Becoming His Best...

 
© 2012 Allison Pillay