John 7:7
The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.

Jesus was constantly losing followers and having people turn on him because of what he said. People sought him out because of his incredible love, and then abandoned him because of the truth he spoke. I don't think I should seek to ostracize people or blow them up needlessly or anything like that. 
But man, Jesus had less friends than most people, and less followers than most preachers, and I don't think that's a coincidence.  
If Jesus was around today how many Christians would follow him as he is telling them to sell everything they have, pick up their cross, and follow him? Would I?

Mediocrity and Effort

Make every effort, Peter says.
The Spirit of God is in us to change and control us, but we also have to make every effort. God draws near to us when we draw near to him.
How much time is spent just twiddling my thumbs waiting for God to change me, meanwhile I do nothing for him. I don't pray fervently, I don't read with a burning desire to know him, I don't assume he will use every minute of every day, I don't believe him for much of anything or grab a hold of his promises with all I have banking on his word being true, even true for me.
Its clear from the bible that God didn't save me to be mediocre and accomplish little, yet I accomplish little. He wants me to decrease so he can increase. He wants Tyler to die so Christ can live through me.
He has joined me with him in death on the cross, that much is done.
But I spend much time holding onto the last bastions of myself instead of just purposing to lose the war, and surrender every encampment that waves my own flag.

Glory and Obedience

I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. - John 17

Jesus didn't glorify God by being satisfied or content in him. In Gethsemene he was worlds away from contentment. Not to say there weren't mixed emotions, it says "for the joy set before him he endured the cross." 

But often I think of the Christian life in terms of learning more about the grace of God and that will propel me into obedience, as Paul says that the love of Christ is what compels us. I don't believe, however, that you reach a magic day where Christ's goodness overwhelms you to the point that you are a puppet and his mercy the puppeteer; all things obedience now coming as naturally as breathing, for even Christ was tempted in all manner as we are today. 

But when you think on the grace and love of God it spurns you on to decide to obey. And then, during the times of difficulty and blindness even to God's goodness, you are able to go on because you remember your commitment and you remember the times you looked on the face of God and laughed, incredulous at his delight in you. 

Anyway isn't it a two way street? Love and obedience? Doesn't John 15 say that we will experience the love of God as we obey, obedience being loving one another?

I think God is excited and delighted as a father when we are delighting in him. But he gains no extra glory from it. Rather, the world sees his glory (thus "he is glorified") when we obey. But not only obey because that's not all Christ says. He says, "having accomplished". 

Not starting the work of God and then running out of steam, but finishing to the end; completing the course marked out for you, as Paul did. Christian men talk a lot and discuss and debate, instead of putting their nose to the grindstone of really loving people. Spurgeon says to let the sinners be damned only with our arms wrapped around their knees, bathed in our prayers, with us proverbially blocking the path to hell as best we can. 

But what do we do about it? "My life is the gospel to this dying world." And then in parenthesis, "so I don't need to open my mouth, or spend real time loving and meeting people where they are at, I have sermons to listen to. After all, I can't encourage someone else if I myself aren't encouraged."

Prayer

Why do I not think of what deserves to be asked for, before even beginning to pray?
Should I go into a store, as Spurgeon says, without having in mind what it is I need?
And why do I pray halfheartedly for a thing, and without it being resolved, move on to the next?
I must learn to stop and fervently pray for someone until I'm convinced God will save or deliver or mature them, until moving on to the next.
When I hear stories about people praying through the night and getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep, because they count prayer as immensely more valuable... I look at my own schedule and know that things have to change.
My heart and attitudes toward people have been affected by my prayer life, most of all my heart toward God.

Heaven

Reading Revelation it is interesting to see how Jesus speaks to the churches in the first few chapters.
There is a discussion of what is going well, or what is going poorly, or both, and then an encouragement to "conquer" and then the promise of a reward.
Sometimes the thing to conquer was persecution, and other times just their own fleshly desires.
I find with myself that persecution definitely has come and gone in my life, though it has been very mild. Mostly the thing that needs conquered in my life are my fleshly desires. 
It is comforting to know that Jesus is compassionate and that he loves us and rewards us even for the obedience we offer that he himself works in us. Like the hymn says, "why should I gain from his reward, I can not give an answer".

If God looks at me like I look at you

I was holding my 9 day old Emmylou this morning before work for about an hour.
I had already read a few chapters of the bible and was thinking about it and praying as I held her when the above thought came to mind.
I hate leaving Chrissy and her to go to work, even though I am thankful I have a job and get to provide for Chrissy to stay home with Emmy. It still kills me to see her there sleeping and know that I can't be with her all day and I am going to miss so much of her development over time, just being at work, not to mention all the time I spend hanging out with people from church (when she can't come with me anyway).
Its comforting to know that God longs to spend time with us, so much so that he came to live inside of us. Psalm 139 says he thinks about us as much as there are grains of sand. I think about Emmylou a lot, but not that much. I get distracted and annoyed and proud and selfish, God doesn't. He just looks at us, and muses about us, longs for the day we are united eternally with him.
I'm thankful God is a better father to me than even I long to be with her. He will never fail us, never stop loving us, never get too tired or annoyed. He always wants to hold us near to him and is interested in every movement we make.
As a flawed, not-good human, I love Emmylou and only want whats best for her. I want to comfort her when she is crying and I want to clean her when she makes a mess. God loves us much more than we will ever love anything.

Emmylou June Johnson

Emmylou was born last night at 6:48. Is 6lbs 8oz, 20 inches and perfect. The scariest moment of my life was when I saw her for the first time. She had the cord wrapped around her neck 3 times and the doctor looked really nervous. But they cut it off of her and she has been fine ever since. 

After that Chrissy and I and Emmylou had to go to the hallway because of a tornado warning, this happened twice. The a huge rainbow appeared in the sky and we figured there probably wouldn't be a tornado today, and I made a joke about how this might be God telling us she is gonna have the soul of a tortured artist. 

Everything we prayed for has come true. From the nurses we got, to the health of our baby and that she is able to nurse, to Chrissy delivering drug free and getting the room we wanted and even which facial features would be mine and which Chrissy's. 

When Chrissy was in the bathroom I told Emmylou that I would always love her because the grace of God would help me to do so. Chrissy and I read Psalm 139 together and keep reminding each other that this baby is Jesus's, and he has entrusted her to us. That being the case, we have an obligation to be wise, loving, kind, and thoughtful about how we raise her and pray for her. 

It's hard to read and pray with her around so far but I know that the best way to love her is for me to keep pursuing Christ and his love for me. Please pray that Chrissy and I's love for God would increase and not decrease.