Love
Beyond the Ordinary
by Felicia T. Scott
Love is the true hallmark of the Christian life and extraordinary
living. Extraordinary living is about learning to live a
life that is based on God's love. It approaches each person
with the thought, "How can I reveal God's love to you?"
It is focused on service rather than an attitude of elitism.
Life's dilemmas and challenges are tackled with the question,
"How can I grow from this?" Extraordinary vision
recognizes that God always acts in our best interest. In
his plans to prosper us, He has already factored in our
mistakes, setbacks and sins. It is easy to be distracted
as we deal with life's daily pressures. The world is filled
with broken and hurting people who can only seem to reproduce
their pains in their relationships. Many of us still fight
against the temptations to become cold hearted and withdrawn.
To experience extraordinary living, we must be perfected
in God's love. His love tempers the fears that cause us
to accept mediocrity. Lacking purpose and direction, some
live as slaves to the fear of failure, disappointment and
rejection. As long as you fear death in any of its forms,
you will live a reactive life. Pain avoidance, rather than
obedience will be the driving force of your actions. Living
in the extraordinary requires that you understand the purpose
of pain. God's greatest miracles are birthed through adversity.
The courage to live in spite of the pain will only come
through understanding the love that works in your favor
every single moment of your life. Indeed, the future should
be faced with positive expectation.
As Christians, we should be expecting. We should be pregnant
with the mission of the Kingdom. The mission can be miscarried,
however, if we allow our negative experiences to consume
our expectations. Some are pregnant with a vision for things
- a new car, a new home or a larger sanctuary. Could it
be that God is more concerned about His promises being manifested
in our character, than in our external circumstances?
Extraordinary living can only be found in an intimate relationship
with the person, character and nature of Christ. Dare to
live in the extraordinary! Pursue God with your whole heart
and passion. Submit your gifts, talents and wisdom to Him.
Live your life in the knowledge that your very existence
is a response to a need in the world around you. Knowing
this will remind you that despite what comes against you
- you are destined to win! Living the winning life - now
that is extraordinary living!
Journaling Exercises:
1. How do you define extraordinary living?
2. What is stopping you from living in the extraordinary?
Scripture Keys: Jeremiah 29:11-14
Please send your questions or comments to fscott@butterflyworks.net.
