Lisa Notes: To do or to be? Yes

To do or to be? Yes

If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2 (Message)

It’s been four months since I started with this One Word 2013: Jesus thing.

On the outside, I added an extra layer of Gospel reading to my regular Bible reading schedule. I’ve learned more of how Jesus shows up in the Hebrew scriptures as well as in the New Testament stories in Jesus: A Theography; more about the culture of his time in Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus; more about how to converse about him in ordinary ways in Speaking of Jesus.

I’ve experimented with different spiritual practices of Jesus, like paying attention and wearing skin and observing a Sabbath. I’m learning how to surrender more to him with a weekly Centering Prayer group. I’m trying to take more risks in loving others like I think he would.

And doing this and that and the other and
. . . blah, blah, blah.

While those things are fine—and I’ve benefited from each of them and pray I continue—those are only things I am DOING.

The more important question is:
Who am I BEING?

We all know this truth: Without love, I am nothing.
If not for Jesus, I am empty.
The goal isn’t just to DO differently; it’s to BE different.

I can’t make love happen on my own. I can mimic it on the outside through loving actions, but I can’t melt my own heart. For love to be alive, I need it to crawl inside me and live outward from there (Galatians 2:20).

And Jesus does.
Because Jesus is.

Inside, he’s working to get my BE right, so my DO will be richer, deeper, stronger. More real. More loving. More like him.

So I’ll try to keep DOING: learning and serving and praying.
But it’s the BEING I’m really after.

Because I don’t only want to DO like Jesus (not that I’ll ever get there either!), I want to BE like Jesus.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
1 Corinthians 13:3 (Message)

* * *

It’s our one word 2013 monthly check-in. What are you learning from your one word 2013?

Comments (13)

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nancyhsturm 17p · 624 weeks ago

I love your distinction between "doing" and "being." That is so very important. May God continue to work on us, inside out. Thanks for the post!
My recent post The Ice Storm

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beezworthy 33p · 624 weeks ago

I want my pursuit of Christ to be who and whose I am, but I still struggle to let Christ flow through me--that surrendered faith that is God being in us. I'm such a nuts and bolts kind of gal, and the "belng", apart from what I do, always seems to elude me.

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Jody Lee Collins · 624 weeks ago

Oh, Lisa, I loved these lines:
"Inside, he’s working to get my BE right, so my DO will be richer, deeper, stronger. More real. More loving. More like him."
Excellent word!
My recent post April 15th (Just for Fun)

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Mia · 624 weeks ago

Dear Lisa
Oh, yes, dear friend, we can so easily do all these things and think we will grow closer to our Lord through all these spiritual practices, yet, our Lord only invited us to come to Him and abide in Him, allowing Him to be our life in us, through us and as us!!
Much love and a blessed week to you, dear friend
Mia

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Lynn Severance · 624 weeks ago

Lisa - what it comes down to ( in my opinion ) is finding a balance between using our left brain functioning ( the learning through reading, even Scripture and the memorizing of it, thought some of the spiritual disciplines that require a lot of doing ) to resting with our right brain functioning that is where the emotions, feeling, can somewhat be let go from the "trying" to learn so much.

It is somewhat akin to the exhortation to "cease from striving" so that He can soak in and just be with us - and with his being and his being with us ( and our not striving ), the being becomes stronger and the doing is a natural overflow from time spent in peace with the author of Peace.
My recent post Reasons for Rejoicing - Easter, 2013

2 replies · active 624 weeks ago

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Lisa notes 103p · 624 weeks ago

Well said, Lynn. We definitely need balance. The doing and the being feed off each other. I'm reminded of saved by faith, yet faith without works is dead. We need both that right and left brain functioning together. I've done so much left brain religion in my life that I'm overdue for more right brain soaking. :-) Praying your dizziness is better!
My recent post To do or to be? Yes

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Lynn Severance · 624 weeks ago

Thanks for your prayers, Lisa. I wrote a devotional about what is currently going on with my vertigo. I was trying to work on it during the beginnings of this new form that "hit" and even writing about it was having me "live it twice". ugh. BUT - it is completed now, was posted by RM on April 15 but I also transferred it on to my blog with a good introduction of some further insights.

I think you are signed up to get my blog notices and that will give you an update. Very slight improvements - but enough to give me hope. My step-sis was in Seattle ( lives in California ) and spent two days and I now have a full freezer of amazing food that will help me spend energy on healing - not putting my body through too much exertion to fix meals.

So "better" is relative but I can say there are levels of "better" and for that I am grateful. Your prayers have helped get me to this place! This "now" place of "being". Love - L.

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floyd 60p · 624 weeks ago

Great post, Lisa. If acting made us good people Hollywood would look a lot different and be a lot different for that matter. It is a matter of the heart which is so easy for us to fail at because we don't know the exact moment we cross the line between the heart and the senses of the flesh... but our Father does...

I also think you might have gone a smidgen too far with the blatant showing off of your writing skills with that now almost famous line that brings all the runners on base home with a grand slam homerun... "Blah, blah, blah..." Gotta love it!
My recent post UNDER THE HOOD

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beverleyhirst63 50p · 624 weeks ago

I am often intrigued that when i turn to the King James version of the Bible that just the changing of a word or two can sometimes give the verse more power.

'Though i have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and though i have all faith, so that i could remove mountains and have not charity, i am nothing.' 1 Cor 13:2

I love this verse. When i taught the new testament a few years ago i think i had thing going for Paul. I grew to love every word that he spoke. He tells me that even if i had the power to know all the mysteries of God and even faith enough to move a mountain without love i am nothing.

My recent post Taking the shot

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beersohana 1p · 624 weeks ago

Me too! Do-ing and Be-ing have been roaming around my heart for a few years now. So glad to know I'm not alone. {Found you through Only a Breath}
My recent post Be-Loved April {Love Day}

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Pamela · 624 weeks ago

This brought the words of a Casting Crowns song to mind.
So love them like Jesus, love them like Jesus
You don't need the answers to all of life's questions
Just know that He loves them and stay by their side
Love them like Jesus
Love them like Jesus

I, too, want to be...

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Laura · 624 weeks ago

Yes. I really get this, Lisa. Sometimes, in the midst of the doing, I need to stop and sit at His feet a while to remind me why--or Who--I do for. And then He fills me with such a love....
My recent post Playdates with God: Haircut