As a minister I believe the only true way to study is to look at verses in the context of which they were written. These HJD messages and the scriptures are done for that purpose. Each verse listed is a link to the whole chapter. Simply click on the verse and you will be taken to the whole chapter for further reading. I chose the translation “The Message” as it is in the language of today so we can relate. I encourage you to study with passion each verse in many translations. Enjoy and I pray this blesses you over and over.
Perry
May 28th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Climb The Mountain
Do you ever have a week… or two… or five… where you wonder what went wrong? Did the moon and stars forget to orbit? Was there a shift in the balance of nature that caused everything to go haywire? My last two months I have felt as though satan is punching me in the head. Then I turn around and he kicks me in the crotch. I also come to realize the change in my attitude as this happens. What drives us to reach further and grow stronger? What produces in us the ability to think outside the box and embrace the love of God? Time in the valley? Hardship? Challenges and times of despair? Then and only then, do we turn to our better selves, we turn to God to bring the energy and tenacity we so desperately need. If we continue to climb, and strive to move forward, we will reach a place where the valley turns into the mountain. It’s so easy to forget that he is there. To forget that he cares and that his ways are bigger than ours. As humans our first inclination is to wallow in self pity. To think “why me”. Did I do something wrong? Has the sin in my life finally caught up with me? Our father does not punish us because we sin. He does not rain on our parade because he is disappointed. He carries! He holds our hand! He wipes away the tears! So keep on climbing. Reach for the mountain. You will discover that God is already there and he has been holding your hand thru the entire season.
Christ brought us together through his death on the cross. The Cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.
Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”
And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
May 21st, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Morning Prayer!
Father today, use me, until you can’t use me any longer. All I have to give, is my life in service to you. I lift up my hands and I praise you… again and again. I feel so weak, and so inadequate to be your child. I struggle daily to understand the path… the reason… the world. I want nothing more than to reflect your love and kindness to those around me. Give me the wisdom, the knowledge, and the tenacity, to stand for your love, regardless of what the world thinks. Give me the strength to be a rock in this crazy storm called life. A rock that is secure in your never ending love, when so much hatred abounds. Give me strength to share your message of love for all, when so many seem to not understand. Allow me to have the courage to stand against hatred, prejudice, and all kinds of tyranny against your children. Open my eyes to the injustice that so many of your children show to each other. Place in me the strength and faith of Peter, to stand up for those who can not stand up for themselves. I fall at your feet, and I offer my knowledge and my resources, when I know in my heart all you really desire is my love. Allow my love for you to grow to new heights, and new depths. I ask that you allow that love to grow to the point, that loving others is as natural as the breath I take. Most of all allow your light to shine from my life.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn’t come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don’t toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment.
“But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I’m completely in the dark about what will happen when I get there. I do know that it won’t be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know repeatedly and clearly that there are hard times and imprisonment ahead. But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love. Be ready with a meal or a bed when it’s needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it! Regard prisoners as if you were in prison with them. Look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you. Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex.
May 14th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Fixing Christianity!
Day to day I see people, who call themselves Christ followers, doing everything but reflecting the heart of Jesus. As my day progresses I think: Everything I do… everything I say… the way I conduct business… the way I treat others… is a direct reflection on the one I follow. When I wear the name Christian. When I profess to follow Christ. Others look to me to see what HE is like. Do I truly understand his heart? Do others see him in me? Since 1974 I have walked side by side with Jesus. So close that I long to be by his side. I have been involved in churches and even as a worship pastor. I deal daily with church leaders who are deceitful… hurtful… and self-serving… Is that Christ? I work with Christian schools who claim to teach our children in the ways of Christ then turn around and throw the golden rule out the window. I was asked by a fellow pastor “what needs to happen to fix the brokenness of Christianity”. My answer was: “there are 4,000 religions world wide. Basically divided into five groups. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism. I have studied and read most of the books of each religion and I find one common theme. The Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. If we lived by that one simple law. Practiced that one simple idea. How things would change. It has to start now. It has to start with Christ and his people.
“Our lives begin to end, the day we become silent about things that matter”. – Dr. King.
“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.
Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish plotting. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.
Rejoicing Together
What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I’m separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.
Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing.
Even if I am executed here and now, I’ll rejoice in being an element in the offering of your faith that you make on Christ’s altar, a part of your rejoicing. But turnabout’s fair play—you must join me in my rejoicing. Whatever you do, don’t feel sorry for me.
May 7,2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Respect!
As his children… born in his image… we have in our DNA the ability to love and respect everyone around us. Regardless of our differing views, differing beliefs or differing lifestyles, respect and love should always go hand in hand. Certain situations deserve, in fact demand, ultimate respect. As I stood in the Lincoln Memorial I was appalled at the lack of respect for the monument, and for the meaning it holds. People laughing and yelling. Others letting their kids run around uncontrolled. Still others sitting on parts of the monument not intended for human contact. I was trying my best to let the full meaning of his existence sink in. As I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving for God sharing him with us, I thought of the disrespect that is given to our God. When you disrespect others. When you call names. When you degrade someone, you are really disrespecting their maker. You are disrespecting the image of God that is in them. Every human deserves ultimate respect and kindness. You may not agree with their lifestyle. You may not agree with their actions, but God lives in them, so things said in hatred reflect on the God that made us. When you disrespect by talking when you should be silent. Ignoring when you should be attentive. All these things create a barrier to love for the children of God. I will return to the Lincoln Memorial one day. I pray others will come to the understanding of the importance of his presence. And thru God they will see the respect we all deserve. Ephesians 5:21
Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.
And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
April 30th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Rules!
We have come to believe that the “rules” in scripture are for God. The rules have to be followed in order to please God, to create salvation. Wars and certainly arguments among Christians seem to breakout daily, based on different interpretations of the rules. Could it be that the rules we find in scripture are for us, and not for God? Could it be that the directions of life he laid down, are for our benefit and not his? God and Christ do not need us to perform, in order to be pleasing!Their love for us could not be increased by anything we do! The guidelines of life found in the bible are to help us create a better journey for ourselves. A better path to happiness and joy. I encounter many people who spend a tremendous amount of time, pointing to the sins of others. “They are living a life that is not pleasing to God”. What gives that person the audacity to believe that one persons life is more pleasing to God than the other. What size ego do you need, to think that your lifestyle is better than that of another? I have friends who have multiple children. In some cases as different as night and day. One cooperative…one defiant. Ask them if they love one more than the other. The answer will always be, “I love them equally”. Is God’s love not deeper than that of a parent? Currently there are 45,000 different denominations of Christian Churches. Which is right? Which is wrong? God loves them all!
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear.
But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
April 23rd, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
A Lover’s Life
The light of Christ that shone from her, illuminated the room. We had a rather trying day. Airport mishaps and hotel mistakes. As we checked into yet another hotel, she greeted us with open arms. Her smile was contagious, and her first words to us were “I’ve been waiting for you”. She offered us love… kindness… and special treatment. She threw open her arms and embraced us as if to say: I know we have the same creator and that makes us family. She said “I am from Ethiopia and as we may be from two different worlds we have love for each other”. As I stood in the middle of such warmth, such goodwill God spoke to me. We are to treat our fellow man, no matter who, no matter where, with love such as this. A love that says: Don’t care where you came from. Don’t care what color your skin is. Don’t care if you are clean or dirty. Don’t care what your lifestyle preferences are. Don’t care. I am going to love you with all that is in me. I am going to show you respect and I am going to shine the light of Christ upon you. Being Christ followers, means we spend each day, trying to imitate our Savior. Being kind and loving, as he was. Being meek and lowly, as he was. Looking for those to help, as he did. As you do, you will start to see the holy spirit in everyone. And they will see Christ in you. Philippians 1:9
Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
It pleases me that you continue to remember and honor me by keeping up the traditions of the faith I taught you. All actual authority stems from Christ.
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’sman. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
April 16th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Condemnation!
She looked at me as I sat staring out the window. “Are you okay” she asked? “I am weary”. I cry sometimes uncontrollably, as the burden and weight of that weariness sets in. I want so badly for everyone to truly understand the heart of Jesus. Sadly, so many that call themselves Christians do not. Christians who judge. Christians who condemn. Christians who have contempt for others.
Where is Jesus in your judgement? In your lack of love? Where is Jesus when you degrade or demean someone because they live a life that you believe is wrong? Do you realize those are his children? How would you feel if someone degraded one of your children? How are we ever going to convince the world that a God they cannot see loves them, when the Christians they can see don’t even like them? When Christ said “don’t point to the spec in your brothers eye, when you have a log in yours”. He was talking of condemnation. Some may think that they don’t have a log in their eye, but the judgement and contempt is what Christ was referring to. Christ lived… studied… and walked with people, that in his time were considered the worse sinners. Today he would walk with all the people so many Christians want to condemn. LGBTQ community. Drug users. Prostitutes. The list goes on. Let us look on each other, regardless of lifestyle, as children of God.
Then nurture, help and comfort. And simply love. Matt 10:21 (MSG)
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love.
I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.
Don’t Put It Off
Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.
Hatred starts fights, but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.
April 9th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Happy Easter!!
Forty and Three!
He started with forty, and ended with three. Forty days… alone… tempted… fighting… satan in his face each step of the way. Each day was a battle and each step grew harder and harder. He wondered if his father had forsaken him. After the forty days he came out of the desert having dealt with satan. It was not over! Three years later on a distant hill… a guards’ whip… a wooden cross… a crown of thorns…death… again wondering if his father had forsaken him. Satan thought he had his victory. Wrong! Three days. Three days in a tomb, but not silenced. He knocked on the doors of hell and defeated satan once and for all. “You will not have my children.” Three days he battled… knocking down the gates of hell, and pulling us to his side. He could have left us there… but no! He could have called every angel in heaven… but no! He could have used the power of his father… but no. He defeated the evil one with pure love. Love for you… and love for me. All it takes to defeat the liar, is love. Our Savior is Pure. Perfect. Love. Satan had no choice. Want to defeat satan everyday? LOVE like Jesus.
What an amazing Savior! What a perfect Lord! He has RISEN!!
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep rustlers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
“Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
So, my dear children, don’t let anyone divert you from the truth. It’s the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah. Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil’s ways.
One more thing, friends: Pray for us. Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response, just as it did among you. And pray that we’ll be rescued from these troublemakers who are trying to do us in. I’m finding that not all “believers” are believers. But the Master never lets us down. He’ll stick by you and protect you from evil.
And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’sman. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.
What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.
April 2nd, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
A Glimpse Of Heaven!
I could stay wrapped in your arms forever!
Do you ever feel so close to our Savior that it feels like he is wrapping you in love? There are days, after deep prayer, that I feel so close to him that everything else seems to fade away. I can feel his presence… I can feel his warmth… I can feel his love. During these times, as troubles fade and are replaced with his amazing love, I wonder why I would ever want to leave. Father, let me hide in your embrace as close as a mortal heart can be. Even if it is just on the fringes of your perfect love in this fallen world. As I pray… as Christ and I become one in the spirit… I know in my heart that the trials of this earth will try to take me from him. The problems of daily life will pull me in different directions. At times I fall and his embrace slips from me. Then I pray harder and his embrace comes back as if time stood still. His light surrounds me as the world rushes by. As I become closer… as I feel his love… as I realize that no matter what this world does, his love is always there. I start to catch a glimpse of what heaven will be.
“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” When we seek God with all of our hearts and draw near to Him, we will feel His presence once again.
Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
When she saw the name “Jesus” her excitement overwhelmed… she stop me to say so. I had on a HJD shirt and she made an effort to share her excitement. It was one of the most refreshing things I have experienced in a long while. No pretense. No apprehension about my lifestyle. No worry about this religion or that. No concern for my beliefs other than that I loved Jesus. Her excitement was contagious, and her love was so transparent it made my heart sing. She was from South Africa and would do whatever was needed to make sure she could study, learn, and love Jesus with her whole heart. She talked of how she had to sneak around to worship him. She had to hide inside to fully express her love for our Savior. It gave me pause as to my level of love for our teacher. It is so easy for me to worship him… love him. I wear his name on my person everywhere I go, but do I exude my excitement for him? Do any of us? We live in a world where if we get to excited for the one who saves us we are considered Jesus freaks. Let us be excited about our favorite sports team, favorite singer or favorite actor and we are accepted. You can get excited about a president you might like, but display over excitement for the King of Kings and you will considered awkward. I pray, that just like this wonderful sweet girl, my love for Jesus will make a few people uncomfortable.
Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control! But he said, “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.”
So let’s go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This “insider world” is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes.
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”
March 19th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Is God Love Or Not?
God doesn’t just love. God IS love. In the greek, God is described as AGAPE love. The highest form. In 1st Corinthians 13:3, Paul gives a definition of agape love. So the question asked of me was: “if God is love then can I put God in place of love when reading that verse”. Sure. So he read it like this “God is patient. God is kind. God does not boast. God does not dishonor others, is not self seeking, is not easily angered. GOD DOES NOT KEEP A RECORD OF WRONGS.” Our God is one who pursues. He chases after us with a relentless desire to be close. He wants nothing more than to have a relationship. To look after our every need. How can a God, who loves so much, as to keep track of every hair on our head, turn his back simply because we sin. Is there anyone in your life that God does not love? What does that mean for our image of God? What does that mean for you? For me? Does God hate? Only the things that could harm his children. Does he condemn the one he loves? Do you believe Corinthians or not? The way we have always looked at God, and his wrath, is dependent upon him keeping a record of wrongs. Scripture teaches that this love, that is God, is larger than we could ever imagine. According to Paul: “NOTHING CAN KEEP US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD”! There are many people who I think don’t believe that. Is God love or not? Luke 15:4-6
With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.” Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt.
Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. “Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?”
“No one, Master.”“Neither do I,” said Jesus. “Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out.
The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
March 5th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
A Love Shower
I find myself in most situations looking to others for lessons. Observing, pondering, looking to behavior in an effort to see God. To see Christ.
As I watched from across the restaurant, she walked up with no acknowledgement from him. Kids in tow, but still no pause to smile or look in her direction. My heart dropped. When your married, not another person in this world is more important. The only person, place, or thing that could ever take my attention from my wife would be Jesus, if he entered the room. My wife Lorna, apart from Christ, is the center of everything that I do. So it should always be with a union between two people. We are made to serve. It is in our DNA to help, to love, to care for and nurture, just as Christ did. As James Taylor would say: “shower the people you love with love”. By doing so we are giving honor to the one who taught us, how to love. Jesus was pure love, with no hidden agenda or thought of what was best for himself. When we learn to love deeply. When we learn to put aside our differences, and focus on simple love, we will begin to see the kingdom of heaven, right in front of us. When we put Christ at the center of our relationships. When we learn to not base our love on performance, but instead on being as one. Then and only then will we truly understand how God feels about us. Whether spouse, child, friend or stranger. Shower them with love. Ephesians 5:1(msg)
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
He answered, “Haven’t you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female? And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh—no longer two bodies but one. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”
February 26th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
My Prayer To See!
Here I am closing my eyes again. Trying so hard, not to see, all the things that I see. Closing my eyes to the things, that are not as I think they should be. Then here I am opening my eyes again and I see you. The love in your eyes, is the thing, that I most want to see. I’d be willing to die, to know of a place and a time to be always with you. Then I look into the eyes of those around me and there you are. I say a prayer and it’s you that I see. In everything and everyone. I open my heart again and you come into view. Your peace… your compassion… and I know that is how it always can be. Your kingdom is here… is now… when our heart finds you. When our heart becomes one with yours. Even in the middle of much hatred…much violence… you are here. When we learn to put aside judgment. Put aside hatred of what we don’t understand. Put aside our beliefs and simply look, see, and feel with your heart, the hatred and indifference slips away. The judgement of your children simply fades into the grace that is your heart. We see others as you do… with empathy. When we look thru your heart, at those around us, we see the image of you and your father. We no longer see people different than us, but people who were made by you… for your glory. Jesus train me to see as you see. With eyes wide open and a heart of compassion. Galatians 5:22
So let’s go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This “insider world” is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.
“Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.
“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
“I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.
This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
“Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!
Then I heard every creature in Heaven and earth, in underworld and sea, join in, all voices in all places, singing:
To the One on the Throne! To the Lamb!
The blessing, the honor, the glory, the strength,
For age after age after age.
February 19th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Imagination!
Imagination. It has always fascinated me. I spend my days inside my imagination. In everything I do, I imagine it in my mind. I picture it in my inner being. When building something, or creating things, my imagination has always served me. I use my imagination as I deal with others. I imagine Christ in them. Regardless of the lifestyle they lead, my heart and my imagination sees the image of God. I use my creativity when looking to my understanding of God. My understanding of Christ. It is only thru our imagination, that we can start to see his heart, and understand the depth of his love. It can not fully be understood from scripture. It is deeper, and wider, than we are able to comprehend. It is only through our imagination that we can start to catch a glimpse of it. Many times we have a weak imagination, when it comes to God. We want clear answers. We want non refutable rules. We want step by step instructions, as if we were building a piece of furniture from Ikea. It’s not that simple… Gods love goes so much deeper. The God of my imagination does not turn his back on those who think different than us. Those who maybe have a different idea of right and wrong then we do. Those who chose a different lifestyle than ours. To imagine the true depth of God, is to see a Savior who loves everyone, regardless of where, who, or how they live. The God of my imagination loves me with all my sin. And you with all of yours. AMAZING!
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.
But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.
February 12th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Love Never Rests
Our ability to love is never at rest, and so therefore can never be complete. We were in Denver for a long weekend. Sixteenth street, with its’ homeless, moves my heart in the way of Christ. He simply had several five gallon buckets and a discarded skillet or two. With two drumsticks, the sound coming from his make shift drum set was incredible. His sense of rhythm was impeccable. So much talent, but all he knows is the street. Having played music all my life the beat caught my attention, and drew my soul to the place he was. Lorna and I listened for quite sometime and applauded after each number. Others would stop briefly, but his talent warranted spending time watching and listening. After enjoying for a while I handed him a blessing and asked if we could give him a hug. He kindly accepted the hug and as for the money you could tell it made his night… maybe his month. More than that, we took time to acknowledge his talent and give him a feeling of self worth. A feeling that he mattered and that God loves him. It is important to all of us, to be seen and to be heard. Love can be shown in so many ways. However, nothing compares to being given honor and being noticed as having worth. Christ did that throughout his ministry, sometimes with just a look. He does that still. As his love fills your spirit, it produces in each of us a since of belonging. This young man said “I will never forget you”. Doesn’t Christ say the same thing? Romans 8:31
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.
So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! Jesus, staying true to God’s purposes, reached out in a special way to the Jewish insiders so that the old ancestral promises would come true for them. As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God.
February 5th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Love Matters More!
How does a man find his own heart? We look in the mirror and we see our reflection looking back. We see pictures of the shell that God granted us. That shell, we spend so much time on, simply doesn’t matter. Our mission… our goal… is to find our heart. When God, with Christ, said in Genesis: “We will make them in our image” he was talking of the spirit of God and Jesus that resides in them both. The same spirit that resides in us. We look to beautiful people. Some with talent, as well as some with amazing beauty. This to shall fade… but the beauty that is a life of love, and a heart of joy, will live forever. My grandson asked “why does God give so much talent and looks to someone such as Justin Timberlake, but not to everyone.” My response was: “I see a heart of pure gold in your soul. Just as God does. So Justin Timberlake has nothing on you.” As our lives progress it is up to us to find our heart. To find that purpose that drives us to love others. The purpose that God designed us for, and the reason why he breathed life into our soul. The purpose is not about earthly gain or ambitions. If it doesn’t involve love, it is of no use. I heard it said: “if all you think of is writing, then you’re a writer. If all you think about is dancing, then you’re a dancer.” I say “if all you think of is how can I love others, then you have the heart of Christ.”
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.
But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.
Jesus replied, “You’re right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true. I know where I’ve come from and where I go next. You don’t know where I’m from or where I’m headed. You decide according to what you can see and touch. I don’t make judgments like that. But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn’t make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father.
Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
January 29th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Removing The Log!
He came into our office looking for a job. Fourteen years ago he stole, and it seems he will never be forgiven. When they brought me his record I said “give him a chance… Jesus would.” They brought him to my office and you would have thought I gave him a million dollars. I have spent my life watching… listening… to people spend so much time, pointing out the faults of others. One religion pointing to another. One lifestyle finding offense with another. Those who think they are exemplary, finding blame with those that make mistakes. We spend so much time pointing to others sin, without thinking of our own. Until we move beyond the hypocritical insight we are all stuck in, we will never truly learn to love. We are attached to a petty reward / punishment system. That way of life will never lead us to love, because it produces in us an ego, to think we are better than the other. It produces in us the inability to see the sin in our life, but only the sin in others. Richard Rohr said “Those who respond to the call and agree to carry and love what God loves—which is both the good and the bad—and to pay the price for its reconciliation within themselves, these are the followers of Christ.”
Sometimes peoples’ past, and the things they have done, keeps them from seeing what they can be and what God put them here for. Until we love and forgive they will never see Jesus.
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”
“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
January 22nd, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
His Dream For Us!
We never know when it will happen. We try to orchestrate it, but it must come naturally. It happens to me more, as I live deeper in the spirit. I have a better understanding what it is… when it comes into being. When unmatched beauty brings tears. When being in the presence of God created talent… causes emotion. When thinking of precious memories brings a sense of peacefulness. During those times we are experiencing a glimpse, of the kingdom of God. We are catching a moment in his dream for us. Into the future he has for us. A future when all things will be, as they were meant to be. We had gone with friends to Branson, Missouri. While there we went to an amusement park. As we entered the show I thought nothing of it. I was expecting another carnival type show, with comedy and some music. As the show started I was pleasantly surprised. A group of young people, all brothers and sisters, sang and played instruments to such perfection, that my heart leaped with joy. I felt the presence of God so strongly that tears flooded my face. At that moment… I wanted to be in the presence of God more than ever. Only after we walked away did I realize, I was in his presence… We live our lives sometimes never truly realizing those times when they happen. We dismiss them as worldly. But God made such beauty, out of love. When it happens… rest in his spirit. Rejoice in his love. Then step back, and wait for his next gift.
Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?
We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
January 15th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
The Mission
When she asked me about Happy Jesus Day tears filled my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. As she placed her hand on my arm she said “I didn’t mean to upset you”. I explained the burden that weighs on me. The burden that comes with this mission. A mission that others have felt, which weighed heavy on them as well. To teach LOVE. Pure… unfiltered…compassionate… love. Not just to those around us, but to the world. To teach the true meaning of the heart of Jesus. A heart that loved everyone without judgement. A heart that saw more potential in a prostitute, than in a religious leader. A spirit that looked past the behavior and saw the heart. I think of all the hatred I see daily. Hatred for the gay community. Hatred for differing political parties. Hatred for those that may be of a different race. Hatred for anyone that believes different than we do. We live in a world were everyone is more concerned with themselves, than with others. A world were we have bombs pointed at the next guy, with bombs. A world were everyone carries a gun, with the thought of having to kill another soul. The message of our Savior is more about love than about being right. To learn of the heart of Christ, means to learn to put our hatred and weapons down and become as one. One with each other. One with the world around us. One with the spirit of God. You may say I’m a dreamer. So be it! I will be happy to carry that burden!
There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.
“I’ve never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’”
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
“Don’t let this rattle you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”
God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.
You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”
January 8th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
It’s All God’s Gift
Cowboy hat. Boots with holes. Large belt buckle, made him look like a skinny cowboy. He was on the corner, near the supermarket I always visit. Weather had already turned cold so he was shivering with his cardboard sign. As I rolled down my window to bless him with twenty dollars, I asked about his situation. Randy was homeless. I told him I would pray and that I was worried about him with the cold front approaching. He seemed puzzled, then it hit me, he would not have a way to know about the coming weather. As he walked away he turned… smiled… and said God Bless You! As I drove away my heart hurt! What caused him to be there? What brought his life to this point? How would he ever get back on his feet, and back to comfort? So many times when I help someone such as Randy I think “but for the grace of God go I”. Do you realize that it is only by Gods grace, that any of us have a home and a loving family? I don’t ever think, for even a moment, it has anything to do with what I have done. It is only by God that my abilities… my mindset… my circumstances… are favorable in my direction. I sit in my comfortable chair, in my warm house, and I pray for Randy. There are many times I wish I could help each of them, and give them a place to stay. But for now, all I can do is pray, and let Jesus direct as only he can.
But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not about to let his grace go to waste. Haven’t I worked hard trying to do more than any of the others? Even then, my work didn’t amount to all that much. It was God giving me the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it. So whether you heard it from me or from those others, it’s all the same: We spoke God’s truth and you entrusted your lives.
This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you’re familiar with the part I was given in God’s plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief.
So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.
Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us, I heard your call in the nick of time; The day you needed me, I was there to help.
It’s the same today. There’s a fiercely loyal minority still—not many, perhaps, but probably more than you think. They’re holding on, not because of what they think they’re going to get out of it, but because they’re convinced of God’s grace and purpose in choosing them. If they were only thinking of their own immediate self-interest, they would have left long ago.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
January 1st, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Heaven Here And Now!
The day was like any other… but on this day I had to spend a lot of time behind the windshield. As always I listened to God music. However, this day it all came together in my mind. In a place in my soul… that only God can reach. I felt a peace that passes understanding. The kind of peace that makes you one with God the father. One with Christ the son. One with the spirit that engulfs both. I thought of all the people in my life. From beginning to now. So many amazing people, who have crossed my path. People who have touched my heart… my life. I thought of all the amazing experiences I have had a chance to be exposed to. Places I have seen and worlds I have encountered. I suddenly saw Christ in everyone. The drivers in the other cars. The people walking along the street. The ones I talked with when I made stops. I saw God in each tree and each flower. When Jesus talked of the kingdom of God he was not talking of heaven. He was talking of his reign here and now, on this earth. I was experiencing that kingdom… that reign of God. When we allow the spirit to guide us. To talk to our soul. When we allow Jesus to invade our being, we experience the kingdom of God. It is here all around us. I do believe heaven is waiting, but I also believe heaven is here and now. We simply have to allow the spirit to guide us there.
Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, “The kingdom of God doesn’t come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!’ or, ‘There it is!’ And why? Because God’s kingdom is already among you.”
“I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise.
But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.
You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.
on’t suppose for a moment, though, that God’s Word has malfunctioned in some way or other. The problem goes back a long way. From the outset, not all Israelites of the flesh were Israelites of the spirit. It wasn’t Abraham’s sperm that gave identity here, but God’s promise. Remember how it was put: “Your family will be defined by Isaac”? That means that Israelite identity was never racially determined by sexual transmission, but it was God-determined by promise. Remember that promise, “When I come back next year at this time, Sarah will have a son”?
December 25th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Tress, Lights, Presents
I woke early this morning. Made my way to my chair, where each morning I study and pray for an hour, to get my day started. This morning I am focused on admiring the tree… the presents… and to ponder this holy day of our Saviors’ birth. For some today is about presents. For some it’s about lights. For some the food is what brings joy and still others it’s about family. As I look at the evergreen foliage, covered with decorations, I see a tree that stays alive even in the harshest of winters… During the coldest season of the year, it endures. To me the tree represents our Savior, and his love that abides during every cold and brutal season of our life. The decorations remind me of how he has blessed our lives, not only with material things, but with the favor of his love. In the lights I see the burning love he has for his people. His people who no matter how they live their life, his light shines from the center of their soul. In the presents I see the gift that he gives of unending forgiveness and salvation. But mostly I see him, in each person, that finds a little more happiness during this time of year. I pray we find him in everything we see, touch or hear. I pray that we find his love in others and that they in us. A love that grows, because of him, for everyone. Not just during this season… but all year long. 1 Thessalonians 3:12
Merry Christmas to you and your family! Love, Perry
1 John 4:16; So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
Romans 8:37-39; No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 John 4:12; My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
John 10:10; Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
2 Corinthians 9:8; God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,
He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out.
Ephesians 1:7; Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free!
Colossians 1:13-14; God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.
Ephesians 2:8-9; Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Acts 26:17b-18; “‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’
Deuteronomy 4:29; But even there, if you seek God, your God, you’ll be able to find him if you’re serious, looking for him with your whole heart and soul. When troubles come and all these awful things happen to you, in future days you will come back to God, your God, and listen obediently to what he says. God, your God, is above all a compassionate God. In the end he will not abandon you, he won’t bring you to ruin, he won’t forget the covenant with your ancestors which he swore to them.
Acts 17:27; “The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?
Matthew 7:8 “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?
December 18th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Why A Stable?
He was a baby just like any other. Born with pain. Born with blood. Born naked and new to the world. Ten fingers. Ten Toes. Two feet. Two hands. Two eyes. Feet that would walk mile after mile, to teach his fathers love. Feet that would one day hold up the sin of world, on the cross. Hands that would heal. Hands that would calm a storm. Hands that would raise others from the dead. Eyes that see love, when others see hate. He looked ordinary to most people, but to those that believed, he looked like heaven. He cried like any baby does, but to those that believe, it was the sound of freedom. I have often wondered why God chose shepherds to reveal his son to? Why he chose a lonely stable with its’ filth, its’ odor and its’ disgust. Why that setting? Why those people? Because God was proving to history that his son… his life… was meant for everyone. Not just the religious. The shepherds were considered the lowest of all. The stable the worse place of all. It was Gods way of saying my love… my grace… is for the lowest, most despicable person you can think of. My son will live a life of poverty, at the same time healing and loving as I do. All to prove, my love for each person, no matter who.
Two thousand years ago our Savior came. As an ordinary baby dressed in earthly skin, but with a heavenly purpose. To teach… To save… To sacrifice for you… for me… for everyone…
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s.
The Only Way to Know We’re in Him
2b-3 Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments.
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
December 11th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Why Mary?
Mary… This time of year my thoughts can’t help but turn to her. I think of how young… how innocent she was. I think of how brave she must have been. How much she must have been in love with God. I wonder? If God ask me to do something as questionable as he asked Mary, would I be willing? Would I throw away my reputation… my family… my people… my church? Would I completely turn my life over to God, with my only thought being, how can I please him? How can I help him change the world? Not sure I could do something as drastic as Mary. I don’t know anyone who could in todays’ world.
She was a virgin. She knew it. Her boyfriend knew it. Everyone else? I suppose even her parents thought other wise? She was young. She was innocent. She was well respected. Until… Then she was frightened. Then she was ridiculed. Then she was not welcome. Then she had doubts. What a radical God we serve. What an astonishing God that would take a young girl. Test her. Use her. Yet bless her. All to prove to us that he is the one and only. All to prove to us how much he loves… how much he desires to save us. He could have simply sent an angel holding Christ in their arms. Why a young peasant girl? Why Mary? To show us that no matter who we are, he can use us in remarkable ways. What an amazing way to introduce our salvation. Jesus!!
“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”
Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.
Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.
Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving.
Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”
December 4th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Maybe It’s Simple!
One hundred and eighty three times Jesus was asked a question. He only directly answered three. What if Jesus’ message was hidden and most everyone is missing it? What if his message was for all religions… all people… and we are so caught up in what we want to believe, we are missing the deepest part of his life? What if organized religion has distorted his message, in order to self promote? I like answers. Daily I ask questions of the people I work with and I want them to give me definitive answers. Maybe Jesus wanted us to think for ourselves. It’s easy to follow rules that are written down. It is much harder to search your heart, for guidance from the spirit. It’s easy when someone says “do it this way”. It’s harder if they say be creative and figure it out. When someone gives us answers we feel secure. We don’t have to worry about being wrong. “you told me to do it that way”. However, when Jesus taught in parables. When he avoided answering questions… it leaves it open to interpretation. Maybe he wanted each of us to figure out who we are… and what is important, in our hearts. Maybe he wanted to make sure we didn’t hold a bunch of rules over the heads of others, in order to make ourselves feel superior. Maybe the only thing that matters is the most important question he answered. “Love me with all your heart… Love others the same.” Could it be that simple? I think so! Galatians 5:13-15
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom.
It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”
So where does that put us? Do we Jews get a better break than the others? Not really. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners.
9In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.
Paul then went straight to the meeting place. He had the run of the place for three months, doing his best to make the things of the kingdom of God real and convincing to them. But then resistance began to form as some of them began spreading evil rumors through the congregation about the Christian way of life. So Paul left, taking the disciples with him, and set up shop in the school of Tyrannus, holding class there daily. He did this for two years, giving everyone in the province of Asia, Jews as well as Greeks, ample opportunity to hear the Message of the Master.
It was soon news all over Ephesus among both Jews and Greeks. The realization spread that God was in and behind this. Curiosity about Paul developed into reverence for the Master Jesus. Many of those who thus believed stepped out into the light and made a clean break with their secret sorceries. All kinds of witches and warlocks came out of the woodwork with their books of spells and incantations and made a huge bonfire of them. Someone estimated their worth at fifty thousand silver coins. In such ways it became evident that the Word of the Master was now sovereign and prevailed in Ephesus.
Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”
Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
I can’t tell you how happy I am to learn that many members of your congregation are diligent in living out the Truth, exactly as commanded by the Father. But permit me a reminder, friends, and this is not a new commandment but simply a repetition of our original and basic charter: that we love each other. Love means following his commandments, and his unifying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first thing you heard, and nothing has changed.
November 27th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Love Never Rest!
As my wife and I got our room assignment I was surprised when I saw the number. Thirty six floors is a long way up! As I stand at the window, looking over Denver, I see many highways full of cars. Each with people in them. I look down and thousands of people are moving along sidewalks, riding the subway, and going here and there! So often I wonder how the image of God can be in each… but it is. Do they feel the love that comes from that? I think of each story that is their life. I think of the love they have, or do not have in that story. As I survey the crowds of people I am not thinking of who they are or what their lifestyle is. I simply see Gods’ children. I feel him saying to me “you are to love them all”. Does he know how hard that is? Does he know how much patience that takes? He does! As he loves each with no motive or reason why! He loves each because they are his! He loves each because he sees himself in them! Our ability to love is never at rest and so therefore can never be complete. Each day when our feet hit the floor, is another day to love those around us. We don’t need to agree with their lifestyle. We don’t need to look at the way they differ from us. We simply need to love without judgement, but with compassion. When we do… Christ will shine from our heart! Romans 14
In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.
You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.”
“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.
Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.
You’ve already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it’s time to be done with it for good. Of course, your old friends don’t understand why you don’t join in with the old gang anymore. But you don’t have to give an account to them. They’re the ones who will be called on the carpet—and before God himself.
Listen to the Message. It was preached to those believers who are now dead, and yet even though they died (just as all people must), they will still get in on the life that God has given in Jesus.
Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything
This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.
“Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.
November 20th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
REBORN!
I have baptized many in my life. When I baptized our son, at thirteen, I was told by the man directing baptism to make sure I got all of him under the water. He then proceeded to tell me that if I didn’t, he wouldn’t be saved! YOUR JOKING! At thirteen I was baptized myself. I had been taught, to inherit the kingdom, you had to be plunged under the water. To be “born again”. When Jesus told Nicodemus one has to be “born again” Nicodemus looked upon Jesus with puzzlement. Thru contemplation and study, I have come to realize that there is more. What Jesus was telling Nicodemus was go back to the beginning. Relearn all your ways of thinking. Throw out your traditions, rethink your laws, relook at your attitudes, examine your position in life. Before Christ, the law was the authority. Now Jesus is saying I am the way, the truth, and the life. I don’t follow the law, I go further. I don’t look to ways of living, to earn a place in heaven. I depend on the spirit that is within me. What Jesus was telling us, when he spoke to Nicodemus was… Your way of thinking, the way you were taught since birth, has to be reborn. The act of baptism is simply a symbol. The true change lies in the heart, not in the water. To be reborn means to learn to love unconditionally… without judgement. Just like a baby loves without hesitation, we must be born again to love the same. John Chap. 3
Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me.
Our orders—backed up by the Master, Jesus—are to refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we taught you. Don’t permit them to freeload on the rest. We showed you how to pull your weight when we were with you, so get on with it. We didn’t sit around on our hands expecting others to take care of us. In fact, we worked our fingers to the bone, up half the night moonlighting so you wouldn’t be burdened with taking care of us. And it wasn’t because we didn’t have a right to your support; we did. We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious.
Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”
“I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
November 13th, 2023
Happy Jesus Day!
Humble Strength
Breakfast on a ship is one of my favorite times. I arose early to beat the crowd. I found a seat that faced the window, which afforded me a chance to see the ocean moving past. It was peaceful, and a good time to observe my surroundings. She came past my table many times. Each time asking if I needed anything. Gracefully serving everyone she saw. She came from Vietnam, with a smile to brighten up the world. She had a servants heart, but I felt a strength in her that was undeniable. She found pleasure… peace… in serving others. We talked and I was amazed at the humble attitude. The humble grace. The humble presence. Then it hit me. She possessed what I call HUMBLE STRENGTH. The strength that comes from knowing why you are here. A strength that shows confidence in a humble manner. Strength that says, you come first, because I love you the way Christ intended. I don’t believe we truly understand the humble strength of our Savior. Many mistook his quiet nature and his willingness to follow peace, as a sign of weakness. A sign of passiveness. If we truly… in our hearts… understood the strength he possessed, we would stand in awe. At any moment he could have destroyed his captures. He could have brought people to their knees. Humbly he sought peace. He sought love. I learned a lot watching the young lady from Vietnam. She reflected Christ, more than anyone I have ever encountered. Humble Strength. It’s how we imitate our Savior.
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”
Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
“I’ve never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’”
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you’re eating to God’s glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory. At the same time, don’t be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren’t as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone’s feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
His life doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.
If someone claims, “I know him well!” but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
November 6th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
A New Genesis!
Many years ago I tried to play golf. My dad and father-in-law were avid golfers, so I tried. Turns out, it is not for me. There is one term in golf I used a lot. Mulligan! It’s a golf term for a do over. Jesus life and death produced for us a new genesis. A new day to start over. In golf terms a “mulligan”. A way to move past the law that surely condemns to a new time in the garden. A time of peace… of understanding… before Adam ate of the fruit. Jesus’ life, was given to us, by God, as a way to erase what Adam did. To take us back to a time of understanding, when as man, we walked in solitude with our God. God told Adam “if you eat of this tree you will surely die”. However God did not kill them after they sinned, he simply punished… then loved. So it is that Jesus, reflects the heart of God, in the garden. Where he shows pure love without censure. We have come to believe, that we have a God that practices condemnation. One minute we are delighting in his grace, the next we are worried that our sin will bring his wrath. Do we have a loving God or a vengeful God? Jesus came to show us the heart of his father. Jesus, just as God, is pure love. Love does not condemn. Love does not keep records of wrongs. Love cherishes. Love will always win… even to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.
God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.
Yet the rescuing gift is not exactly parallel to the death-dealing sin. If one man’s sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God’s gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do! There’s no comparison between that death-dealing sin and this generous, life-giving gift. The verdict on that one sin was the death sentence; the verdict on the many sins that followed was this wonderful life sentence. If death got the upper hand through one man’s wrongdoing, can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, absolute life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?
Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.
As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.
So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. Interpret our Master’s patient restraint for what it is: salvation.
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
October 30th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
We Are Good!
Woke up running. Early meeting. Busy day ahead. The hours flew by. Before I knew it the day was over, and the Sun was setting. As evening arrived and I finally got still, I took time to apologize to my Savior, for not spending time with him. I hoped he would understand. As I always do, I asked my Jesus “are we good”? The reply he gave, to my heart, made my knees weak. “I made a beautiful world… for you… that I have to look over! I have millions of prayers to answer and lives to touch. The angels surrounding me, are singing with such great beauty. All of this is happening, but my eyes are on you! I’ve spent my day watching you. Waiting for you. Worried only about you. Yes we are good! We always will be. My grace covers you. My love is never ending and my affection for you… it’s bone deep. You have my heart… all of it.” We have a Lord who longs to have a relationship with us. He waits patiently for us to come to him. For us to talk to him. For us to give him our time…our heart. He looks to each of us, as if we were his only child. His affection is not affected by how good we are, but is static because of how good he is. We all have busy days. We all forget to spend time with him. So he is waiting. Watching. Loving.
Let grace, mercy, and peace be with us in truth and love from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, Son of the Father!
I Love You!
Perry
John 15:4-7;
“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.
Ephesians 5:16;
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!
1 John 4:16;
This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
Romans 8:38-39;
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
1 Peter 5:7;
So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
Luke 10:38-42;
As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”
The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”
Matthew 11:28-29
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
October 23rd, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Labels or Love?
I saw him from afar. Feminine ways… small amount of makeup… and a piece of ladies clothing. As my wife saw tears in my eyes she asked what I was thinking. Not critique… but empathy. Worried about what he goes thru. The teasing. The hatred. The judgement. I prayed he would stay strong.
Think deeply about the words of Christ. Let it sink in. “Love enemies and strangers more than you love your friends or family. Pay honor to those that persecute you.” Did not Paul say, in Acts, “All nations, all people, were made by God, and are in him. All people live and breath in his spirit and are his offspring. ALL PEOPLE! That means your enemies and your friends. That means all the people of Islam, Africa, Mexico, Russia, all people of America. We are asked to build bridges, not walls. As Christ hung on the cross, he was not only thinking of those that love him, but of every person that would ever live. Labels are not what he intended. “He’s conservative. I’m liberal. Those people are black. Those people are muslims. Is that person gay or straight?” When you look at the woodlands do you see a forest, or a tree? The forest is beautiful, but a single tree is a wonder from God. When I am in a crowd, I try not to see all the people, but the image of God in each person. When you learn to see beyond the label, and see the image of our Savior, love becomes a natural reflection of that.
“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.
“I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
“The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he’s doing it everywhere, among everyone.
But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ’s life, the fulfillment of God’s original promise.
In Christ’s Family
In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.
The Messiah has made things up between us so that we’re now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody.
October 16th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day
Love Deep/Laugh Hard!
Daily I live my life to the fullest. I go at life with break neck speed. I live out my emotions… and my heart… it’s an open book. The joke at the office is “if you want to see Perry cry, ask him about how much he loves Lorna”. That will do it every time! We are only given one heart… one body… one soul. Many times we spend our lives, trying to suppress our feelings, our desires, only to find that life has passed us by. When you love… love deep. When you laugh… laugh hard. When you hurt… embrace it to its’ depth. When you find people in your path, you feel a connection to, cherish it. Cherish them. Many people have crossed my path, in the past sixty years. Each have taken a part of my heart. Some more than others. We have a God, who desires in us, a relationship with others. He desires we share our lives, our love, our heart, with those he puts before us. He desires we give our lives to each other, as he gave his life to us. We should think of those around us, more than we do ourselves… just as he did. I have a dear friend who every time I say “I love you” he asks why I say that? He never says “I love you” back, but I know he does. Learn to love deeply. Learn to laugh hard. Most of all learn to cherish each relationship God puts before you. Your life will be rich!
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows.
And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”
But Jesus didn’t give an inch. “Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you. The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and drinking has eternal life and will be fit and ready for the Final Day. My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. By eating my flesh and drinking my blood you enter into me and I into you. In the same way that the fully alive Father sent me here and I live because of him, so the one who makes a meal of me lives because of me. This is the Bread from heaven. Your ancestors ate bread and later died. Whoever eats this Bread will live always.”
Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
October 9th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
The Blue Dot
Carl Sagan, in the book Pale Blue Dot, shows that earth is but a dot in the portion of space, we have been able to explore. We are a tiny dot in our solar system… which is a tiny dot in our galaxy… which is a tiny dot in the vastness of space. Yet every human to ever live. Every person that loves God and that God loves… lives on this Blue Dot. How can our minds… even start to comprehend the power, the vastness, the complexity of our God. He made all of this with simply a thought. Daily we strive to put him in terms we can comprehend. In terms that produce in us, an image, that allows us a reasonable understanding. All in an effort to gain a sense of order. In an effort to gain a sense of security. We put God into human terms and use that as a way to create our salvation. When God saw that our brains, as complex as he made them, could not even start to understand his ways, he decided to send his son. Jesus… became our image. He came to this Pale Blue Dot simply to show not only the power of God, but the love of his heart. He came out of trinitarian love, for every person that will live, on this dot. To think, that a God this vast, could care about our mistakes, above our love, does not describe his complexity. His love for us is the reason he created all this. What an amazing God!! Acts 17:24(msg)
“The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him.
We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words!
Hebrews 11:3; By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.
Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives.
But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.
The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it.
Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out.
Is there anyone around who can explain God?
Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?
Anyone who has done him such a huge favor
that God has to ask his advice?
Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
October 2nd, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Christ Ambassadors!
I was standing in the omelet line patiently waiting my turn. As always, I spend that time looking to people to teach… to inspire. I couldn’t help but notice her behavior. She was demanding of the young man who was cooking. Insisting he do it her way. Telling him what he was doing wrong, and instructing him how to do his job. As she turned around I noticed a cross, hanging from her neck. As I stepped up for my turn, I simply asked, “how is your morning going”. That opened up a whole conversation, between John and I. As he finished up my omelet I told him how good he was at his job. A huge smile come over his face. When we go into Gods’ world, we are representing him, and his son. When we wear identifying symbols of our Savior we are saying to the world… this is who we follow… this is the one we pattern ourselves after. Not a day goes by, that I don’t have the HJD logo on my person, for all to see. I don’t have the luxury of having a bad day. Each person I encounter, should see love and kindness moving from my spirit. Each person, our path crosses, is carrying their own burden. Family issues… sickness… the loss of a loved one. They should find in each of us, the heart of our Savior. The kindness of his eyes. The caring in his voice. We should be the reason they smile. Then maybe they might say “tell me… who is this Jesus?”
“The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?
Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.
Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”
If someone claims, “I know him well!” but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
It pleases me that you continue to remember and honor me by keeping up the traditions of the faith I taught you. All actual authority stems from Christ.
All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.
September 25th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
It’s All About Relationship
Do you live a life of control based on fear, or a life of freedom based on love? Because we see ourselves as sinful, we have developed a need for control, based on the fear of, lack of redemption. We are fearful, that unless we are good enough, Jesus sacrifice will not be enough to cover our salvation. We look for security based on our ability to follow rules. I visited with her for a long time and she is not sure if heaven is in her future. “I’m working toward it”. What? My comment was “you are very arrogant”. She seemed offended. “To think you can be good enough, to earn your way to his arms, is arrogant”. The only way to his embrace… is deep love for him… deep love for others. Short of love, it can’t be done. We live in a world that is control based. Rules. They are everywhere and a part of everything we do. So when we find out that Christ love is free. It has nothing to do with rules… it’s simply thru love.. it blows our mind. Our bible. The one we read daily. Is not a constitution. It is not a set of rules, to be followed, or we go to jail. It is all about love. It is God… as Christ… teaching us how to form more perfect relationships. Relationships with him and relationships with each other. THAT is how we feel his embrace. THAT is how we hear him say “Job Well Done”!
We Jews know that we have no advantage of birth over “non-Jewish sinners.” We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.
It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, easy marks for sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.
Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God. This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the Message of Christ. You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!
Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
September 18th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Make It All About Love!
I often get asked what religion are you? What church do you attend? I reply “I am someone who loves Jesus with all my heart”. I have spent my life, until now, believing that religion had something to do with a building we gather in. That it had something to do with a group of people, that sing songs and listen to teaching. Most of us are under the belief that religion, is about a group of rules, social obligations, and commandments having to do with external behavior. Religion is simple! It is the belief in God, which produces an inner freedom, that will lead toward deeper and greater love. Love for all mankind, not just the people you gather with on Sunday. Daily I encounter people who have moved from the pursuit of Christ, because of the nature of the churches they have attended, and the attitude of the people in that church. How can that be what our Savior wants? This new direction for HJD, God is leading me too, is about abolishing stereo types and offering love to everyone of Gods’ people. Atheist, Agnostics, Black, White, Gay, Straight, New, Old, Strong, Weak. If they are human they deserve our love… our respect. Christ loves them, why shouldn’t we? As I read in my new testament, Jesus had more problems with the religious elite, than he did with the common sinners. Step out of your comfortable religion and take up the cross that Jesus asked of us.
In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.
But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity.
Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.
September 11 , 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Seeing Without My Eyes
Oh to see, without my eyes! Have you ever thought how our eyes deceive us? We judge based on looks. Based on lifestyle. Her vision was taken from her at age six to save her life. I pray for her, when I think of all she is missing. I for one, enjoy the vision of a sunset. I enjoy the beauty of my wife. The look of my grandkids smile. Savvy cannot see those things, but she is blessed by seeing with her heart and not her eyes. Eyesight is something we should never take for granted. However, some days I ask that God close my eyes, and open my soul, that I may first love before judging. That I may be kind before making a perception. As I move forward, in the direction God is leading with HJD, it is important that I learn to see with my soul… before my eyes. With my heart before my mind. With my love before my judgement. As people we tend to judge the lifestyle, before we love the person. Christ has shown me through his heart that love is all that matters. Love is the beginning and the end. Love does not have room for judgement or condemnation. Love is accepting. Love does not look at the sins of others, but focuses on the image of God within. I pray we close our eyes and accept those around us. It is what Christ did. It is what we should do.
If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
“I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn’t so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you’ve done.
You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.
September 4th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Judgement or Love?
It’s so good to be back with you on this journey. A journey to find the heart… the spirit… of our Lord. To explore what it means to deeply love people. To long more for love, than to worry about right or wrong.
Katie has spent her life in the pursuit, to love as Christ loves. To show others, the same love she feels, from our Savior. Katie Davis left her privilege filled life of comfort. As a teenager, she choose to move to Uganda and serve those people. Not worrying about rules. Not worrying about comfort. Not worrying about who is right or who is wrong. Simply loving those in her path. The same kind of life our Savior lived. Is it better to live a fact – truth life? Working each day to prove your interpretation of scripture to be the right one. To prove that they are sinners, more than me. To prove they are not saved, but I am. Or is it better to live a wisdom – truth life. Working each day to love people as Christ loved them. Not worried about being right, or wrong. Not worried about who is a sinner, and who is not. Simply loving as Christ loved. True love means, not judging but leading. True love means, meeting people right where they are. We are ALL full of sin. One as bad as the next. Regardless of our sin… Christ loves us. He sees perfection, when we see disorder!
Luke 6:24 – 48 (MSG)
I Love You!
Perry
Romans 15:5-7; May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Mark 10:21; And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
John 3:19-21; And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Romans 11:33-36; Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
1 Corinthians 13:1; If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
Romans 3:23; For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
James 4:17; So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Galatians 6:9; And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Philippians 2:1-11; Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
July 10th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Love! It’s All There Is!
His questions were warranted. “How do I reconcile the violence in the world today and in the bible? God wiped out whole nations of people even after he killed everyone except for Noah? I was taught he is a loving, merciful God, yet I read of his destruction and today I see his people being hateful to others.” My answer was simple. I hear people say I believe this. I believe that. We come up with our own interpretations of scripture, to mold what we want to believe. Giving explanation to why worldwide there are over 45,000 different christian religions with over 33,000 in America alone.
It doesn’t matter who you believe or what set of rules they follow. Your pastor, your leaders, your teachers. It doesn’t even matter if everything we find in the Bible is accurate or correct. What matters is who you trust… who you love… YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF SCRIPTURE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU STUDY. What matters is your level of trust in the one who died for you. Jesus! The deep love you have for him and the love you have people. Base your faith… your trust… in him. Allow him to dwell in your heart and your spirit. Only then, will you be free of the burdens placed on us by men. Christ came to love, not start another religion. HE is the only way to happiness.
“You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.
“I’m not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God’s love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?
“But don’t think I’m going to accuse you before my Father. Moses, in whom you put so much stock, is your accuser. If you believed, really believed, what Moses said, you would believe me. He wrote of me. If you won’t take seriously what he wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?”
So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!
The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah’s question, “Is there anyone around who knows God’s Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?” has been answered: Christ knows and we have Christ’s spirit.
He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again:
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.
Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”
Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.
Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
July 3rd, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Give More / Take Less
As I talked with some students my question was simple. “Do your parents let others in front in traffic?” Do they offer their place standing in line?” Overwhelmingly the response was “are you joking?” My heart is heavy and my burden is great. People take, and take, and take. We live our lives wondering what is in it for us. We look to those that lead, those that influence our lives, and we expect them to be perfect. We take of their position. Their power. Their resources. The pressure that puts on leaders is overwhelming. The pressure that our Savior felt was exhausting. Most came, not to love him, but simply to take of his power. His power to heal. His power to save. Why do we spend our lives believing we should always look out for ourselves? We even spend most of our time asking God for something, rather than trusting. When is the last time you prayed during the day to simply say “Thank You”? To let him know how awesome of a God he is. Take a whole day and simply praise his name. Don’t ask for anything or expect anything. Simply love him. Do the same for those around you. Let someone in front in traffic. Open doors. Offer your place in line to others. Tell your boss “Thank You” for your job. The Kingdom of Christ is alive today. You can experience it. You simply have to show it to others first.
1My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.
2-3Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!
4-6My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world’s language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.
God Is Love
7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
11-12My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
13-16This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
To Love, to Be Loved
17-18God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.
19We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.
20-21If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.
I plan (according to Jesus’ plan) to send Timothy to you very soon so he can bring back all the news of you he can gather. Oh, how that will do my heart good! I have no one quite like Timothy. He is loyal, and genuinely concerned for you. Most people around here are looking out for themselves, with little concern for the things of Jesus. But you know yourselves that Timothy’s the real thing. He’s been a devoted son to me as together we’ve delivered the Message. As soon as I see how things are going to fall out for me here, I plan to send him off. And then I’m hoping and praying to be right on his heels.
Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
“I’ve never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’”
“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.
Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
Run away from childish indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
June 26th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
He Is Enough!
Jesus, through out his life was demonstrating one principle. The only thing that matters is faith, expressing itself in love. Later the mystic Paul, thru visions and communion with Christ was about conveying one concept. The only thing that matters is faith, expressing itself in love. As I prayed for her healing. As I asked for what we wanted. I heard him say to me “when did I stop being enough?” We spend years, months, weeks and hours studying. We believe that more knowledge will save us. We believe that if we study enough. Pray enough. It will produce correct thinking. So many of us believe we have to act a certain way. Live a certain way. Follow a certain way of thinking, in order to be saved. In our minds that works… until the doctor shares the diagnoses. Then all that matters is not what you believe… as much as who you believe. At that point it doesn’t matter what religion you call yourself. How many hours you have studied. Doesn’t matter how many years you have gone to a building to worship. All that matters is your belief in God… and his son. Mostly you believe he can heal. Love becomes more important than rules. Love of God, Love of family, and Love of friends. I believe in my heart that one way or another, God will heal this person I love. That faith. That love. Is all that matters.
So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.
I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.
And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.
And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God to no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
June 19th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Drunk On His Love!
I love, being in love, with you father. It’s like a fine wine as it gets older. It becomes smooth, easy and more joyful. Daily I get drunk on your love… your grace. It brings such joy, such peace, such understanding to my existence. I drink it in, and allow it to move through every part of my soul. As I come to better understand your heart… your spirit… I can taste and smell it’s aroma like that of aged wine. I can’t imagine a minute without you. I want each day, to know you more. To understand you more. To be one with you. To rest in your warm embrace and taste the smooth sweetness of your love. To know that you will always love me, and you will always accept me, into your embrace. You will watch over me, and guard me, as each day brings trials. Each day brings troubles. Each day brings tribulation. At the end of such days you are there to greet me. To reassure me. To give me peace. To grant me rest. Father let your light shine from me, so others may desire to taste your heart, your spirit. That they may come to know the peace, only you can bestow. When I die I don’t want to go sober. I want to go drunk on your love… your grace. Thank you father… for loving me even more than I love you!
Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in.
And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello.
Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
But you, friends, are well-warned. Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers. Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
The comment I heard from the christians was “we don’t want our kids around those undesirable people”.
As I walked straight into the crowded street of Belize my friends were questioning “should we be here?”. “These are God’s people” I replied and I have on his armor. We live in a world of judgement. A world of placing importance on our position at the table. Those that live one lifestyle, look down on those that live another. As I watch… tears fall and my heart is broken. Christ didn’t see undesirable people. He saw those he could save. Christ didn’t ask “should we be here?” He saw those he could heal. Jesus was more comfortable with the prostitute, than the religious elite. He never belittled anyone, criticized anyone, or treated them with pompous attitude. When he encountered those with an elitist attitude, he rebuked them. How can we ever teach people of Christ, when we only associate with those we feel comfortable with? How can we teach a prostitute unless we get to know one? The Jesus I know made it clear… the kingdom of God is radically inclusive. According to the Jesus I know, we can no longer label people male/female… good/bad… rich/poor…slave/free…sinner or religious. When we see everyone as God’s creation, worthy of his love, it will open our hearts and our minds. We will then welcome them to the table and tell them how amazing our Savior is.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
By this time a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.
Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.
“Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’
“Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father’; you have only one Father, and he’s in heaven. And don’t let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.
“Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.
Frauds
“I’ve had it with you! You’re hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God’s kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won’t let anyone else in either.
“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned.
“You’re hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, ‘If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that’s nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that’s serious.’ What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands? And what about this piece of trivia: ‘If you shake hands on a promise, that’s nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that’s serious’? What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands? A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless.
“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?
“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You buff the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.
“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.
“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. You protest too much! You’re cut from the same cloth as those murderers, and daily add to the death count.
“Snakes! Cold-blooded sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? It’s on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse.
“You can’t squirm out of this: Every drop of righteous blood ever spilled on this earth, beginning with the blood of that good man Abel right down to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah’s son, whom you murdered at his prayers, is on your head. All this, I’m telling you, is coming down on you, on your generation.
“Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God’s news! How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me. And now you’re so desolate, nothing but a ghost town. What is there left to say? Only this: I’m out of here soon. The next time you see me you’ll say, ‘Oh, God has blessed him! He’s come, bringing God’s rule!’”
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.
For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.
Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.
What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.
So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture:
“As I live and breathe,” God says,
“every knee will bow before me;
Every tongue will tell the honest truth
that I and only I am God.”
So mind your own business. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.
Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I’m convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.
If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don’t eat, you’re no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Don’t you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning!
God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.
So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault. You’re certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God’s work among you, are you? I said it before and I’ll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don’t eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.
Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.
Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!
JUNE 5TH, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Living In The Flow!
At an early age I could hear the music. I could see it everywhere. I could feel it in my soul, and hear it in my head. As a gift from God, I learned to play the guitar without lesson. Music is not about notes on a page, or theory in books. You have to feel the music in your soul, and display it in your heart. Since the age of thirteen I have used the musical talent he gave me, to his glory. As time has passed and I have walked in communion with our God… I have come to learn the same of him. God… his Son… his Spirit… is not words on a page. He is not found in the church you attend, or the ministry you are a part of. You have to feel him in your heart. You have to experience him in the deepest part of your soul. He has to become, not just knowledge to you, but you have to become as one with him, to experience his flow. I have heard it said that you know you’re a writer… if all you can think about it writing. You know you’re a musician… if all you can think about is music. When you get to a point when all you can think of is Jesus. When he is a part, of every minute, in every day, then you will know you are his child. Only then will you experience his peace!
You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.
So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.
Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
7-12If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives.
Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
He certainly spoke the truth. Get on them right away. Stop that diseased talk of Jewish make-believe and made-up rules so they can recover a robust faith. Everything is clean to the clean-minded; nothing is clean to dirty-minded unbelievers. They leave their dirty fingerprints on every thought and act. They say they know God, but their actions speak louder than their words. They’re real creeps, disobedient good-for-nothings.
And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”
Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
May 29th. 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Happiness In Hope!
Good or bad everyone we see or encounter each day is judging. Is watching. Is looking for who we are. He was the host at a restaurant where we had reservations. As we introduced ourselves he inquired as to how we were? We simply said, “we are terrific and how are you doing today”? To which he replied “better now”! “I don’t usually get people as happy as you, walk thru the door.” My heart skipped a beat as I thought, “we can’t be the only Christ followers that have come in here today” No matter who you are or what has happened in your day… your life… there is always hope. I see so many people that have lost their joy. They move thru their day not only being sad, but being hateful to others. Hope in the life of Jesus, that can be seen each and every day, brings happiness and joy to even the worst of times. Darkness. Deep darkness. Is not as much the absence of light, but more the absence of hope. This life, and the tragedies that befall us, are normal. Our God did not promise a smooth path each day. He did promise he is walking with us. He is involved in our lives and he is here… today. I find great hope in heaven and the promise of that. I find even greater hope in his presence each day and in his kingdom here… and now. It is up to us, to show the hope, that comes from him.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
May 22nd, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Welcoming Doubt!
Doubt? I use to think doubt was frightening. To doubt the scripture, to doubt my religion, or to doubt my beliefs, brought anxiety to my soul. I have come to understand that doubt, brings contemplation, which leads me deeper into the heart of Christ. Doubt of all the beliefs we were taught, brings a faith that produces a stronger love. Doubt of the false pretense of human beliefs, in the rules of law, produces a better understanding of the heart of love, that is our God. It is human nature to think what we believe is right. “The church I belong to is the correct one.” “The club I am a part of is superior.” “The team I root for should be the winner.” Why did Jesus teach almost always in parables? In order to get people to think. He wanted you to contemplate his teaching. To reach into your heart and decide what you felt his message meant. It’s easy to listen to a teacher and believe everything they tell you. It is better to take what is said. Contemplate it… pray about it… and come to a conclusion that rest in your heart. The truth lies in Jesus and his message. That truth is so much deeper, than we can understand, by simply reading scripture. To doubt what is on the surface, produces a desire to better know the heart of God. When you find the heart of God, you will experience his kingdom… here and now.
I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Earlier there were a lot of priests, for they died and had to be replaced. But Jesus’ priesthood is permanent. He’s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them.
By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.” It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
May 8th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
The Growth Of Faith!
Faith… as described by Jesus, always involved a heart of growth. This time of year I am amazed, as I watcheverything come back to life from a state of deep sleep. Small seeds that dropped in the fall, become towering, beautiful plants, as the sun does its job. Faith is the same. As we grow in our faith, it is not about deeper belief in scripture, or God. It is more about learning to grow in the presence of God, living in our spirit, known as love. When Christ described faith as a mustard seed. Faith as a new wine skin. He was talking about faith that has room for growth. Faith that is never sitting stagnant. We can read all the scripture we want. We can memorize verse after verse, but if love is not produced by our faith, it is useless. We can show up at church every time the doors are open. We can go to every church gathering, but if love for others is not produced, it is time wasted. During my forty seven year walk with God, I have been a part of many christian gatherings. I have also seen many worship, and pray on Sunday, then go out into the work place and treat others with disrespect. That is faith only in a book, or an institution, and not in our Savior. Love. Pure… unlimited… untarnished… faith produces the same love that our Savior had. Love for others that is never ending.
But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it. I haven’t been writing this to tell you something you don’t know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that the truth doesn’t breed lies.
You need to know, friends, that thanking God over and over for you is not only a pleasure; it’s a must. We have to do it. Your faith is growing phenomenally; your love for each other is developing wonderfully. Why, it’s only right that we give thanks. We’re so proud of you; you’re so steady and determined in your faith despite all the hard times that have broadsided you. We tell everyone we meet in the churches all about you.
Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham “made right with God by works” when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are “works of faith”? The full meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that weave of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn’t her action in hiding God’s spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
May 1st, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
To Ponder His Love
As sixty thousand pounds came out of the water, the emotion overtook me. This massive grey whale, made by God, was swimming not thirty yards from our boat. All my heart felt was amazement, at the power of our God. Ten miles in the ocean, no land in sight. The vast water does not rest. Knowing below me is unlimited life down to an amazing 4000 feet. All I could think of was the sovereignty of our God. I felt so incredibly small. Then he speaks. I made all this because I love you! I did all this because I care. As large as all of this is… I love you more. I have numbered every hair on your head, and I think about you every moment, of every day. Stop and ponder that. Our God. The one that formed the earth, and breathed life into everything we see or hear, spends his day in thoughts of us. In love, with us. Knowing that… feeling that… how could your day ever be bad. So much anger. So much hatred. If only… everyone could understand the depth of Gods love, why would there be anger or malice. To truly know that everything we see, hear, touch or taste was made for our enjoyment. Was made out of an unending, never ceasing love, should bring such joy to every creature that anger and hatred would be swallowed up. All that would remain is love. Unending love and thanksgiving for God and each other.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!God, I’ll never comprehend them!I couldn’t even begin to count them—any more than I could count the sand of the sea.Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!1 Timothy 6:17;
Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
April 24th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Bone Deep Love!
As we all sit in a circle the question was; “what do you get from your spouse”? After listening to all the desires, all the wants from the others, I simply answered “I expect nothing from Lorna except to love me”. Love is a free choice. As the two of us are soulmates, our love does not demand performance. We simply do for each other out of a place of deep love. Unconditional love produces a desire to please… to serve… to cherish. So it is, with our love and relationship with Christ. As we accept his unconditional love it forms in us a desire to please him. Not out of fear… not out of a desire to earn… or a need to follow rules, but out of respect and love. Unconditional love never demands performance. Never demands compliance. Never demands rules. If love is truly unconditional there is no need for rules, because everything is done from a place in the heart. Our Savior does not demand that we do things a certain way, act a certain way or follow a given set of rules. If he did, then what was the cross for? He simply and unconditionally asked that we love him in return… the way he loves us. He then ask that we love others as much as we love him. From a place of love that goes bone deep. That is the only way to live and love in harmony.
Don’t Believe Everything You HearMy dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world’s language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.God Is LoveMy beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.To Love, to Be LovedGod is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
Father, I want those you gave meTo be with me, right where I am,So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,Having loved meLong before there ever was a world.Righteous Father, the world has never known you,But I have known you, and these disciples knowThat you sent me on this mission.I have made your very being known to them—Who you are and what you do—And continue to make it known,So that your love for meMight be in themExactly as I am in them.
It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.
One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life.Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity.Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.
April 17th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
There Is A Battle
He battled. Daily Jesus battled. He spent his time in a never ending battle with evil. With demons. With Satan. He stood strong and fought well, but in the end… he was crucified. He was tortured… beaten… scarred… and taken to Hell. Then in a moment, he woke, he rose, and he walked again. They still came. The demons still pursued, they still hated, but could not touch. They pursued, but could not harm. They chased, but could not catch. They tried again to beat, to torture, but could not penetrate the shield that now surrounded him. An armor of love from his father. A shield of love that lived in his very skin. There could have been no other way. The kingdom of God is not about might and show of force. It is in the quiet submission that true power is found. Christ message is about surrender in order to inherit power. Our Saviors’ message is about turning the other cheek. It’s about the power that comes from a life of service. The kind of power that can change a world, from the inside out. That can change you from the inside out. Daily we battle as well. Daily we take up our cross. Daily we need to offer quiet submission. Then Christs’ love will live in your very skin. That is an armor that the demons of hell can not penetrate. He rose! So will you!
Then Jesus took the Twelve off to the side and said, “Listen carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. Everything written in the Prophets about the Son of Man will take place. He will be handed over to the Romans, jeered at, ridiculed, and spit on. Then, after giving him the third degree, they will kill him. In three days he will rise, alive.” But they didn’t get it, could make neither heads nor tails of what he was talking about.
Jesus said, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, ‘I am Christ, the Messiah.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming.
He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”
Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.
Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
God honored the Master’s body by raising it from the grave. He’ll treat yours with the same resurrection power. Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same dignity as the Master’s body. You wouldn’t take the Master’s body off to a whorehouse, would you? I should hope not.
April 10th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
He Deserves Better!
They knew what he had done. So a hero’s welcome… a kings honor. The robes from their backs, and palm leaves paved his way. Put yourself in Jesus’s place. Not wanting the spot light, but knowing the donkey ride and the king’s parade, is what was needed to send the religious leaders to the edge. Knowing they needed one final push to send him to the cross. I’m sure as he gazed at the gathering of people, he was repeating what he would say on the cross. “Forgive these people, father, for what they are about to do.” The same people that praised his entrance today would later cry out for his crucifixion. They knew what they had seen… had heard… but chose to send him to the cross. Twelve best friends… twelve men who walked in the parade with him… men who said they would die for him… ran and hid. Do we not do the same thing when being his child is too hard? When we ignore praying because it’s not politically correct? When we turn away from a homeless man because it’s too hard to love him? When we do not trust? Christ deserves better. I’m going to spend my life trying to give him that. I hope you will too.
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.
The Royal WelcomeWhen they neared Jerusalem, having arrived at Bethphage on Mount Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions: “Go over to the village across from you. You’ll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you’re doing, say, ‘The Master needs them!’ He will send them with you.”This is the full story of what was sketched earlier by the prophet:Tell Zion’s daughter,“Look, your king’s on his way,poised and ready, mountedOn a donkey, on a colt,foal of a pack animal.”The disciples went and did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They led the donkey and colt out, laid some of their clothes on them, and Jesus mounted. Nearly all the people in the crowd threw their garments down on the road, giving him a royal welcome. Others cut branches from the trees and threw them down as a welcome mat. Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, “Hosanna to David’s son!” “Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!” “Hosanna in highest heaven!”As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, “What’s going on here? Who is this?”The parade crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”The man asked, “What in particular?”Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.”The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”“If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?”Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”
“Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.
April 3rd, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Just Ask!
Thirty seven times. Thirty Seven!! H2O became wine. Evil spirits ran in fear. Fish jumped into nets at his calling. Leprosy vanished with a touch. Small fish and simple bread fed thousands with a thought. Walking on water – no problem. Blindness vanished with a little spit and mud. Even a simple touch of his garment brought healing. Simple words and death’s sting was gone. Thirty seven times in three years Jesus used the power from his father to heal… to save… to change lives. Thirty seven times he proved to us that the power of God was present in his spirit. Why then do we struggle to believe that he will take care of us. Three hundred and sixty five times in his word he whispers “DO NOT FEAR” but yet we spend our days full of anxiety for one thing or another. Does not the Holy Spirit live within us? Does not the Holy Spirit… His Spirit… reside in our hearts… in our souls? I know its hard to comprehend but the same power that performed thirty seven miracles lives in each of us. That same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available simply for the asking. So ask!! When you fear, ask for courage. When you doubt, ask for confidence. When you are filled with anxiety ask for peace. His power will fill you to overflowing. Just ask!
But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!
“I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!
March 27th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
He Changed Everything!
Most days I am amazed at the way our mind works. We have our routine, and we think we know what is right… what is wrong. We live in such comfort, and anything that takes us out of that comfort makes us uneasy. During the time of the Torah they thought the same. The leaders of the church had all the answers… had all the solutions. They spent their days teaching, what they believed to be right….to be wrong. THEN CAME JESUS! He took what they believed and turned it upside down. He took what everyone thought to be their comfort zone and turned it 180 degrees. He does the same today! He says don’t worry about rules… live by love. Don’t worry about this way or that… believe in me. Don’t think you are earning your way to heaven… let me carry that load. Return hatred with love. If someone steals from you don’t judge, give him your other belongings also. Love your enemies, even more than you love your friends. Our Saviors’ teaching is full of hidden messages. He teaches us a way of life we never thought possible. If we learn of his life, and contemplate his teachings, we will see but a glimpse of his heart. His message is for today. How the kingdom of God is here and now, if we simply live as he taught. Straight from the part of our heart… where he lives.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
At about that same time he climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God. The next day he summoned his disciples; from them he selected twelve he designated as apostles:Simon, whom he named Peter,Andrew, his brother,James,John,Philip,Bartholomew,Matthew,Thomas,James, son of Alphaeus,Simon, called the Zealot,Judas, son of James,Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.You’re BlessedComing down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. Everyone was trying to touch him—so much energy surging from him, so many people healed! Then he spoke:You’re blessed when you’ve lost it all.God’s kingdom is there for the finding.You’re blessed when you’re ravenously hungry.Then you’re ready for the Messianic meal.You’re blessed when the tears flow freely.Joy comes with the morning.“Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don’t like it, I do . . . and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this.Give Away Your LifeBut it’s trouble ahead if you think you have it made.What you have is all you’ll ever get.And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself.Your self will not satisfy you for long.And it’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games.There’s suffering to be met, and you’re going to meet it.“There’s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more payback. Live generously.“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.“I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”He quoted a proverb: “‘Can a blind man guide a blind man?’ Wouldn’t they both end up in the ditch? An apprentice doesn’t lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher.“It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.Work the Words into Your Life“You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It’s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.“Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.“If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.”
“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!
Jesus looked her in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
March 20th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
He Will Wait!
We had gone into American Eagle on a routine shopping trip. I skimmed thru the mens’ department, the way most men do. I then found a spot to stand. A couple of minutes turned into many, and she was still trying on clothes. So I waited. People asking if they could help me. If they could get me anything. As I patiently waited, for the one I so dearly love, I thought of how God waits for us. God will wait. We have a God who waits for us until we are comfortable. A God who lives life with us, on our terms, and in our time. Our God who is full of grace, sees himself in each of us. He sees his son, in each of us. When you come to understand the mystery, that is the trinity, you come to understand that nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter if your catholic, protestant, methodist, agnostic or atheist, he will wait for our love. He will wait for us to find him. He will be patient with our sin, and he will be long-suffering with our unbelief. He will forgive many times over and he will be forbearing, when we turn the other way. When we act out of hatred. When we have a lack of faith, he will wait. He will love. He will be patient. She came back, as beautiful as ever. After all that she found nothing she liked. Because of love I will wait again… and again. So will our God.
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.
But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you.He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you.God takes the time to do everything right—everything.Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.
As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.
Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!
Because of the Master, we have great confidence in you. We know you’re doing everything we told you and will continue doing it. May the Master take you by the hand and lead you along the path of God’s love and Christ’s endurance.
This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That’s what I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
March 13th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
The Flow Of Our Spirit!
As I stood beside the mighty Mississippi, I came to a quiet realization of our spirit. The flowing of such a body of water never stops. Day and night without ceasing, it flows. It bends and turns. It has a life all its own, but is never stops. Downward… always downward… toward something so much larger… so much deeper… so much more powerful. It gave me pause to think of our spirit and the life we live. It is always flowing, always moving, never stopping. Our lives, and that of our spirit, is ever changing. Ever turning this way then that. One minute good, the next minute bad. You can’t stop it, and you should not want to. Just like the course of the river involves other organisms, so does the movement of our spirit. The flow of our life involves other people, places and things. It is flowing and moving toward something so much larger, deeper and more powerful. Even after death our spirit keeps flowing. Always moving toward something more robust, more vast. Just like the river opens into the ocean to find more life, more meaning, and more purpose, so our being, as we grow, will open into God. In him we will find more life, more meaning, more purpose. Just like this river… we will experience more than we ever could have imagined. So simply let it flow.
On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says.” (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)
So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!”
Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go.
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
Then he said, “It’s happened. I’m A to Z. I’m the Beginning, I’m the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I’ll be God to them, they’ll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest—the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it’s Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!”
March 6th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Everyone Is Sacred!
Until we understand that Christ, is at the center of everything, and everyone, we will continue down a path of destructive disconnection we see so clearly in the world today. We live in a ego driven, dualistic society. I’m right and you’re wrong. I’m on the left, you’re on the right and we can’t learn from each other. I’m liberal and your conservative, we simply can’t coexist. You are one color and I am another. You are from another country and I am American. Until we learn to think past the dualistic way we were taught, and see in three dimension, we will never truly understand the presence of our father. He’s In everything we see and every person we encounter. Everything in our world, every person, is sacred, and contains the spirit of our Savior. The greatest thing Jesus taught us, is to love one another. “What you do to the least of these, you do to me”. We have to stop believing that a persons lifestyle, place in this world, or system beliefs, means they do not have the image of God in them. Every single person, has the spirit of God, and is loved equally by him. Seeing that… is what makes you a true christian. We should not walk, but run in love, to everyone in our path.
Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.
No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are easy prey for predators. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.
In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.
Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our natureSo they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle,And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”God created human beings;he created them godlike,Reflecting God’s nature.He created them male and female.God blessed them:“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help.
In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.
February 27th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
The Silence Of Love!
The silence of snow. It was a Thursday. The loud part of the storm had already come and the gentle part still remained. The snow started to fall, and the flakes got larger and more robust. I dressed for the occasion, and went for a walk. There is a silence in the snow. A silence like no other. The world has slowed down, and what sound is left, is absorbed by the white frozen water. In this silence you can hear God. You can so easily… just be. The beauty is overwhelming, but when you add the contemplative silence, a rush of emotion floods your soul. The thought of sitting in silence, with Christ, enters my mind. “Be still and know that I am God”. Maybe when we sit with our Savior, more is said in our silence than in our words. Our mind has time to relax, and our heart has time to fully love. It is hard to find that silence in most days. However, the rewards it brings are worth looking for it. Most times I find it in the early morning. Sometimes I find it with my animals. Other times it shows up when I least expect it. Sometimes even in a crowd of people, silence comes, and God is present. One thing is for sure. No matter when, or how the silence happens, I always find God there. Nothing is said. I simply listen and so does he. BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD!
“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
God, the one and only—I’ll wait as long as he says.Everything I hope for comes from him, so why not?He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul,An impregnable castle:I’m set for life.
The enemy hunted me down; he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life.He put me in a black hole,buried me like a corpse in that dungeon.I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away,my heart heavy, like lead.I remembered the old days,went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked,Stretched out my hands to you,as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed. Simon and those with him went looking for him. They found him and said, “Everybody’s looking for you.”
Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?
A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere. It’s the diligent farmer who gets the produce. Think it over. God will make it all plain.
The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat. So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves. Someone saw them going and the word got around.
I delight far more in what you tell me about living than in gathering a pile of riches.I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,I attentively watch how you’ve done it.I relish everything you’ve told me of life,I won’t forget a word of it.
“Pay attention! Watch this wonder that God is going to perform before you now! It’s summer, as you well know, and the rainy season is over. But I’m going to pray to God. He’ll send thunder and rain, a sign to convince you of the great wrong you have done to God by asking for a king.”
February 20th 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Teach Me Patience!
Do you ever have those days when you are fed up with Gods’ children? As I drive, I sense anger at the person driving to slow, because they are texting. I get honked at by a girl, who came into my turn lane, because she didn’t pay attention to the sign. She was texting. The day progressed and it seemed to get worse. People not showing up for work. Products not on shelves. It seems integrity has left on a train. Common sense has taken a vacation. Then he talks to my heart. He shows himself in certain people… in certain places. He says wait… I am still here. I know my children have issues. I know my children, including you, fall so very short, but they are my children and I love them.“ Father teach me patience with those around me. Give me compassion. Grant me wisdom to look past the irritation and see Christ in everyone. To look beyond the people and notice you in everything around me. Father allow me to take the log out of my eye, before noticing the splinter in the eye of others. Keep me focused on you and not the tribulations of this world”. I want to add “please teach people to drive and not use their cell phone”. But God grabs my heart and says do not judge. I answer “but its hard”. Again he says, believe me I know. What a friend our God is!
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives.
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.
Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
“I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.They spread their wings and soar like eagles,They run and don’t get tired,they walk and don’t lag behind.
February 13th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Being God’s Child
My Heavenly Father!You say you love me, but I don’t know how to be your child. You say you have grace untold for me, but I don’t deserve it. You fill my life with favor, with blessings too numerous to count, but I don’t know why. You lead me down paths that lead to you, but so many times I do not follow. You speak to me with love and understanding, and so many days I do not listen. I read your words… your wisdom… your instruction… but I do not always heed them. You anoint my head with compassion, with empathy, but I don’t take the time to say “Thank You”. I try each day to make you proud. To be your hands… your feet… your love. I try with unwavering devotion to put a smile on your face, but I fall so pitifully short. My sin makes me want to hide. Then you wrap me in your love. You fill my soul with the warmth of your embrace. You peer into my heart, and without hesitation, you tell me that I don’t have to know how to be your child. All I have to do is accept and love you. What an amazing Father. What an amazing Savior you are! Father guide me down the path you would have me to follow. The path that leads straight to you.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
It’s the same today. There’s a fiercely loyal minority still—not many, perhaps, but probably more than you think. They’re holding on, not because of what they think they’re going to get out of it, but because they’re convinced of God’s grace and purpose in choosing them. If they were only thinking of their own immediate self-interest, they would have left long ago.
Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all. For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself.
So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.
But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.
Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.
And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God to no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.
The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
February 6th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
The Joy Of Grace!
As I stand in the wind of a cold front, it feels as though it’s coming from all directions. It whips and turns, gusts and slows. It refreshes one minute, and brings shivers the next. As I feel it coming from this way, then that way. I think of the spirit of Jesus, and the way it feels the same. We have to live in a spirit place, in order to understand the love, and true joy, of our Savior. Joy should be a constant companion. When we find ourselves living, in the grace of one day, joy shows up through the spirit of Christ. We had the chance to keep my nephews recently, and to watch children play brings an awareness of the spirit of God. They have no agenda. They simply live in the grace of one day. No five year plan, no worry of tomorrow. Just grace of the moment… of the day. They go one way… then the other. They dance. Then they run. Then they sit. No thought of rules, or what’s right and wrong. Just grace for a moment. When we take the time to contemplate our father, and his spirit, we find joy coming first one way… then the other. As we grow we get so caught up by rules, regulations, and the need to please. We forget Gods grace, is part of our lives… every minute… every day. Father, teach me to look for your spirit… your grace… no matter what direction it comes from.
You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.
You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.
“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!
This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world.
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in.
I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.
January 30th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
A Hall Of Mirrors
We had been to an interesting museum. We were lost in a maze of mirrors. If you have never been in a mirror maze, you get so lost, because each way you turn, looks like the last. It wasn’t until I looked past the mirrors, that I started to see a way out. As I stood there, the thought of our lives played in my head. Our faith, our beliefs, our way of living, should not be a hall of mirrors. God wants authenticity. God wants people, who move past what they are told, and raised to understand, into a place of contemplation. He wants people who focus on the outside, instead of the inside. As I read the red letters, in my new testament, I see more parables than anything. Sometimes our Savior taught with words, but more often then not he taught in parables. Why? Then as now, he wants us to think. He wants more than just followers. Jesus wants people who think for themselves, and openly choose his teachings. God wants children who not only love, but freely choose to do so. If he wanted robots, he could have simply made millions, in his image. However, the greatest gift he gave us was free will, and a mind to think past his teachings. As you read, as you discuss, as you contemplate life, look past what you have been taught to believe. Look past the mirrors. It’s the only way to find true happiness, contentment and joy.
The disciples came up and asked, “Why do you tell stories?”11-15He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again:Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing.Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing.The people are stupid!They stick their fingers in their ears so they won’t have to listen;They screw their eyes shutso they won’t have to look,so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them.
The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics.
Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.16-18So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light.
Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”
I love those who love me; those who look for me find me.Wealth and Glory accompany me—also substantial Honor and a Good Name.My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary; the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus.
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”
My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are contrary to each other, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day.
Investigate my life, O God,find out everything about me;Cross-examine and test me,get a clear picture of what I’m about;See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—then guide me on the road to eternal life.
January 16th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
The Way of Our Being!
You don’t have to spend a lot of time with him, to know he has a kind heart. Our grandson… is an old soul, with a heart that mirrors our Savior. As we talked, his comment was “being nice to people is important”. We were talking, as we encountered people, being ugly to each other. Why do we have to tear others down, in order to feel good about ourselves? We look at those that are different than us, with disrespect. We judge, based on factors we find to be important, and we tear them down. We talk about their lifestyle… the way they dress… or the appearance of their hair. So many times we judge simply because they are different. I have come to believe that sin is not so much that of disobeying laws, but that which takes you out of the place of love, our Lord wants for us. Sin is missing the way of your being. Sin is not about rules. Sin is about missing the love that was placed in your heart, by the Holy Spirit, through the DNA of God. When we tear down, and abuse others, we are really tearing down God. Anything… outside of love for others is moving you into a place of sin, and away from the presence of Christ. When we find ourselves missing the way of our being… STOP! Pray. Then remember, your true self is one of love for others.
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.To Love, to Be LovedGod is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.19We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
Hatred starts fights,but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.
January 10, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Fascination!
Do you truly appreciate the fascination of it all? Every minute, of everyday, provides a moment for wonderment at Gods’ world. At Gods’ power. As I sit in Radio City Music Hall, waiting for the show to begin, I am filled with awe to the point of tears. The history… the grandeur…the ability to see it… all came together, to fill me with wonderment and awe. So it should be, in the presence of our Savior. We spend countless days… countless hours… trying to understand his word. We spend a lifetime looking for a way to understand the Father… Son… and Spirit. We try so hard, to justify the beliefs we have, so that we can feed our egos, by believing we are earning his love, and a place at his side. We lose sight of the wonderment, and the fascination, of God and his Son. We can never truly understand his ways, his words, his heart. Why do we try so hard? Why do we feel as if we have to understand… we have to justify… in order to please him? There are days we need to stop trying, and simply stand with awe and amazement, at his grandeur. We need to come to the realization, that we will never fully understand. We will never fully comprehend. Instead we need to appreciate the fascination, that is God. Then. We need to simply love, and bow at his glory.
So come, let us worship: bow before him, on your knees before God, who made us!Oh yes, he’s our God,and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.
Train me, God, to walk straight; then I’ll follow your true path.Put me together, one heart and mind;then, undivided, I’ll worship in joyful fear.From the bottom of my heart I thank you, dear Lord;I’ve never kept secret what you’re up to.
“I don’t think the way you think.The way you work isn’t the way I work.”God’s Decree.“For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry.
Every time the Animals gave glory and honor and thanks to the One Seated on the Throne—the age-after-age Living One—the Twenty-four Elders would fall prostrate before the One Seated on the Throne. They worshiped the age-after-age Living One. They threw their crowns at the foot of the Throne, chanting,Worthy, O Master! Yes, our God!Take the glory! the honor! the power!You created it all;It was created because you wanted it.
Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.
Mighty your acts and marvelous, O God, the Sovereign-Strong!Righteous your ways and true,King of the nations!Who can fail to fear you, God,give glory to your Name?Because you and you only are holy,all nations will come and worship you,because they see your judgments are right.
Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, “Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say ‘I forgive your sins,’ or to say ‘Get up and start walking’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . .” He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: “Get up. Take your bedroll and go home.” Without a moment’s hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, stunned—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, “We’ve never seen anything like that!”
Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.
January 2nd, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
A Lover’s Life
The light of Christ that shone from her, illuminated the room. We had a rather trying day. Airport mishaps and hotel mistakes. As we checked into yet another hotel, she greeted us with open arms. Her smile was contagious, and her first words to us were “I’ve been waiting for you”. She offered us love… kindness… and special treatment. She threw open her arms and embraced us as if to say: I know we have the same creator and that makes us family. She said “I am from Ethiopia and as we may be from two different worlds we have love for each other”. As I stood in the middle of such warmth, such goodwill God spoke to me. We are to treat our fellow man, no matter who, no matter where, with love such as this. A love that says: Don’t care where you came from. Don’t care what color your skin is. Don’t care if you are clean or dirty. Don’t care what your lifestyle preferences are. Don’t care. I am going to love you with all that is in me. I am going to show you respect and I am going to shine the light of Christ upon you. Being Christ followers, means we spend each day, trying to imitate our Savior. Being kind and loving, as he was. Being meek and lowly, as he was. Looking for those to help, as he did. As you do, you will start to see the holy spirit in everyone. And they will see Christ in you.
So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.
Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
It pleases me that you continue to remember and honor me by keeping up the traditions of the faith I taught you. All actual authority stems from Christ.
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
December 25th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Jesus Needs US!
Mary was so young. So scared… but so trusting. Jesus… a baby like any other. Carried for nine months and born of blood… of pain. As she held him close, she could feel his beating heart. As she gazed upon his face, she could tell he was hungry. Like all babies he needed food… he needed her. As she brought him to her breast, the reality fully set in. I am feeding, and giving life to, the son of God. I am giving food and nourishment, to the Savior of all mankind. My Savior. I am sharing my blood, my life, my heart with the King of Kings. The Lord of Lords. He is God’s son… he is my son… he is a part of who I am. He came as an infant. He came helpless… naked… and needy. Just like us, he was totally dependent on his mother for life, for food, for comfort. Jesus could have come as an already grown man. He could have come to simply teach, and simply save. He could have spent three years, and returned to his fathers side. He wanted us to have more. He wanted us to know more than just salvation. Christ showed up as a defenseless… helpless… baby, to prove that he needs us, as much as we need him. He needs our love. He needs our compassion. He needs our relationship. Let’s not forget that, this Christmas… this year… as we humble ourselves in his presence.
So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.1 John 1:1-4; That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
Everything comes from him;Everything happens through him;Everything ends up in him.Always glory! Always praise!Yes. Yes. Yes.
December 24th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day! Life Changed!
As I sit in this large restaurant, there are so many people. Waiters and waitresses. Buss boys and cooks. Everyone rushing around. People are busy eating and visiting. It gives me pause. I think on the hustle and bustle, of Bethlehem this night. The streets were crowded. The taverns where filled to overflowing. The hotels had no vacancies, and the shop owners were selling merchandise, left and right. No one had any idea what was about to happen. Everyone was going about their busy lives, just as they are tonight. No one had a clue, that on the edge of town, the world was changing. Life was transforming, for all of eternity. The Savior of the world was being born. God was appearing in the flesh. And yet everyone was busy with their agenda. Busy with their list. Busy with what they considered important. I see that today. We go about our busy lives, with not a thought as to what is right before us. We rush here and there, with no thought of our Savior. The one that brings meaning and glory to our souls, is a part of everything around us. He is in the people we see, and the air we breath. He is right before us, every minute of everyday, and most of us never even notice. Take time to pause. Take time to see him… feel him… and cherish him. Because of tonight… life will never be the same.
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
December 19th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Joseph’s Burden!
I’m not sure what I am to do. My future wife is pregnant, and it is not mine. How can I stay with her? She is disgraced among our people. How can I be expected to raise this baby, as if it were mine? There was this angel. I think it was an angel… it could have simply been a dream. I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. How am I suppose to be a dad, to God’s only son? How do I discipline him? How do I teach him? How do I simply talk to him, knowing who he is? I’m just a simple man. Why was I chosen to bear this burden, and be blessed at the same time? There could be no greater honor, but I simply fell in love with a girl. Am I expected to help her deliver this child? Will there be help from above? An angel maybe? What am I to do when he arrives? Will I fall to my knees, or simply shout out, when I feel his beating heart? Just like Joseph, so many times we feel intimated by his presence. Maybe we feel overwhelmed, or we feel as if we are not worthy. Then our Lord takes us in his arms and reassures us… he simply loves. He simply cares. He simply forgives. There is no greater honor than to be one of his children.
“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!”
Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”
Then Moses summoned Joshua. He said to him with all Israel watching, “Be strong. Take courage. You will enter the land with this people, this land that God promised their ancestors that he’d give them. You will make them the proud possessors of it. God is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry.”
That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
December 12th, 2022
Happy Jesus Day!
Greatest Love!
So many days, my thoughts turn to the love of our Savior. I think about all the things he did, because he loves us. He made food taste amazing. He made the world look spectacular. He put love in our soul, so we would find joy in each other. He gave us eyes to see, and ears to hear. He gave talents, to so many, in order that we may enjoy each of our senses. However, the greatest show of love he gave, was making himself human. Leaving his throne of glory and becoming just like us. If he had not become human. If he had not rose again in human form. We would not have been saved. We would not have been able to look upon his face… feel his warm touch… or look into his loving eyes. He could have simply came here, corrected our sinful ways, or said “I’m done” and allowed us to die. Instead he came, he allowed himself to see and feel what we do. To suffer as we do. To laugh as we do. He came, in order to produce more sons of his father God. To turn us into himself… so we may call ourselves God’s children. God doesn’t just want better people, he wants children who call him father. The only way that would happen, is for us to see his child in human flesh. That is the greatest love of all.
So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.
Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
They’ll tell you not to eat this or that food—perfectly good food God created to be eaten heartily and with thanksgiving by believers who know better! Everything God created is good, and to be received with thanks. Nothing is to be sneered at and thrown out. God’s Word and our prayers make every item in creation holy.
In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse.
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!
December 5th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
He Was Fully Human!
Do you find it hard to think of Christ in human terms? To think of him as a person, just like you… like me? Not until we grasp that concept, will we fully understand the importance of his birth… his death… his resurrection. He was fully human. He had odor after a long hard day. His poop stunk, just like ours. He got gas from what he ate. He got boogers in his nose, from time to time. He liked some foods, more than others. His breath didn’t smell the best, right after he woke up. He had to clip his finger nails. He enjoyed laughing. He was tempted, by all the things we are. Sexual desire, stretching the truth, anger, selfishness, malice, conceit, and so many more. The whips that hit his back, caused great pain. The thorns on his head, were like so many needles. The driven nails were excruciating. Then just like us… he died. His heart stopped beating. His lungs gave their last breath. His brain waves were no longer. However, he lives again. His heart beats, his lungs breath and his brain waves respond. So when we think of his birth… it was miraculous… but it was still human. I gain great peace in knowing that he understands my struggles. I take greater peace in knowing my heart will stop at some point, but just like his, it will beat again.
Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.It’s obvious, of course, that he didn’t go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all himself—all the pain, all the testing—and would be able to help where help was needed.
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.
What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that.The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn’t deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,he humbled himself in obedience to Godand died a criminal’s death on a cross.
November 28th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Loving God!
Some days I see him on the corner, near our house. His legs are so bent, he would fall over, if it weren’t for his cane. He can’t speak. One of his hands is deformed and of not much use. To take a blessing, he has to balance on his cane, in order to use his good hand. His hair is grey… his eyes are full of love. As I gave him some money, I prayed. I wonder about his journey… his life. I touch my heart and point at his, so he is aware that I love him. He does the same, but points to the heavens. As I drive away my heart is filled with compassion, but also with shame. It is easy for me to love God. Wearing nice clothes, healthy limbs and an expensive truck. Here is a man that loves God, in a life that seems to be nothing but hardship. I wonder, if I were in his shoes, would my love for our Savior still be strong? Would I have love for others, that could be seen in my eyes. All my life I have lived in comfort… in blessing… in never ending joy. We need to stop, and notice those less fortunate than we. God puts them in our path to teach. To teach gratitude, and to teach unending love. I am still praying for him. I am also praying, I don’t take one blessing in this life for granted. After all, each blessing, is but a gift from God!
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
My grace is enough; it’s all you need.My strength comes into its own in your weakness.Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.
That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.
The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I’m convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.
Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
November 21st, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Grateful Heart
Seven thirty. As I walked outside, the temperature was perfect. The sun was shining thru the trees, as to create beams of light. A few clouds billowed in the sky. Pure joy came over me. My hands flew into the air. Laughter came from deep inside. I shouted “Father thank you for such a magnificent day! You are an amazing God!”. So easy to have a heart of gratitude, on such a day. However, doesn’t he want us to live our lives with such a heart? To lay our burdens on him, and spend our days in prayers of thanksgiving. Tragedy will always happen. He whispers… I have this, so rest in my presence… and be thankful for all I have given you. It’s hard at times. Loved ones die. Satan punches at you daily, thru temptation… thru financial hardship… thru hateful people… thru medical issues. As hard as life is sometimes, Jesus came to destroy that hardship, and give us a peace that passes understanding. We simply have to lay all those burdens, at his feet. Be thankful first for his presence. Then spend each day looking for the joy in life, that he creates. The darkness will only last for a short while. New joy comes in the morning. I pray we find a way to have lives of daily thanksgiving. For me, just knowing that he is my God, brings joy to my soul.
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
Come, let’s shout praises to God,raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!Let’s march into his presence singing praises,lifting the rafters with our hymns!
I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello!Faith Under PressureConsider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
November 14th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Don’t Need Proof!
As we toured the museum, and the replica of Noahs’ Ark, a strange feeling came over me. I was almost ashamed, at the amount of money the founder had spent, in an effort to prove his point and disprove another. He had invested millions, with the purpose of trying to prove that the word of God… mostly the old testament, was true. The whole premise of the exhibit was to bring light to facts, as he knew them, in an attempt to disprove science. As I examined the displays, my heart spoke to me. God doesn’t want to be proven. He wants our faith. It’s easy to love something or someone that is seen… felt… and right in front of you. It takes greater dedication and commitment to love someone or something based on shear faith. If God wanted us to believe in him, based on proof, he could have easily left behind so many things to prove his existence and that of his son. Then why did he not do that. Why not leave us the chalice from the last supper? Or the tablets of law inside the Ark? Why not the cross its self? Because we would worship those items instead of him. He doesn’t want proof. He doesn’t want worship of that proof. He wants desire… faith… and worship of him. Only that will prove we truly love him.
The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.
By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.” It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.
God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.
Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’
So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word.
Our true identity is flat and plain, not puffed up with the wrong kind of ingredient. The Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed for the Passover meal, and we are the Unraised Bread part of the Feast. So let’s live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread—simple, genuine, unpretentious.
Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.
Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensableweapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters.
May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!
November 7th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
What Do You Believe?
So much of our belief system, the ideas of our theology, come from our parents… our families… our traditions. We believe half truths, because we listen to the stories of our ancestors, and those that lead our churches. Do you wear the name Jesus? Do you claim to know his heart and the words of his story? We have a Savior, who loves us more than we could know. He doesn’t follow rules. He doesn’t worry about the traditions of families, or the laws of religion. He is consumed with love. He wants us to lay ourselves out bare before him, with no facade… no pretense. When God spoke to Adam and Eve, after their mistake, he asked “who told you, you were naked”. It was not about clothing. God wants us to be exposed before him. He doesn’t want pride, he wants honesty. He wants us to know, his forgiving nature. It’s about making ourselves humble before our fellow man. Making ourselves open, to being fully human, and not worrying about if we look weak to others. As you come to a understanding of Jesus’s heart, you will see that he laid himself open, to all mankind, in order to save us. There is freedom in doing the same. The only truth that matters, comes from the one who has scars on his hands… his feet. The rest is simply wasted time.
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”
Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.12-14So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
October 31st, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
My Hearts Prayer!!
My eyes have not beheld what my heart so clearly sees. Daily I reach for you… knowing that your hand will be there to guide me. To welcome me. I rest in the comfort that your light will shine… to lead… where my life must follow. That your love will bring freedom to my soul, as it longs to soar to your waiting arms. My life… given in service to you… and all your children… as I desire to mirror your love. To be the hands… and feet… of your glory to all those I encounter. I fall prostrate to the ground as I behold your grace… your majesty… I try, with all my strength, to follow your truth… your life… your way. I ask for wisdom, for guidance, to love all your children without forethought or motive. To allow you to guide me in your ways and in your plan for me. That my life may be nothing more than a tribute to you. That the breath you have given me will not be in vain, but will be in service and dedication to you. Come… Father come… and fill my soul with your presence. That others may see the glory of you… through me.
Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
October 24th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Simplicity!
So I need you to have an open heart and mind! I need you to think outside of the box, for a moment. Lorna and I recently had a chance to visit a famous nude beach. Wanting to experience as many things in this life as we can, we decided to go. I will tell you, it is not what you think. There is no sexual tone, or even one of mistrust. It is simply people being, as God made them. As I observed the crowd of people, it came to me. This is how God sees us. When you strip away all the pretense. When you take away the trappings of this world. When there are no material items to judge on, then you are seeing what God sees. WE ARE ALL THE SAME!! On that beach was every race of people you could think of, and everyone had one thing in common. No clothes. Didn’t matter if you were rich or poor. Fat or thin. Asian, Spanish, Black or White, everyone was the same. To me… everyone looked to be, a child of God! Whether you think it is good or bad, is beside the point. What I saw was a world, where we are more alike, than different. A world where people can have respect for each other. A world were judgement was not, and people felt at ease, with others. Look at it this way. If Adam and Eve had not messed up, we would all be sitting on a nude beach!
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”
You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.
God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.
Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.
Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
At the time God made Earth and Heaven, before any grasses or shrubs had sprouted from the ground—God hadn’t yet sent rain on Earth, nor was there anyone around to work the ground (the whole Earth was watered by underground springs)—God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul!
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our natureSo they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,the birds in the air, the cattle,And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”God created human beings;he created them godlike,Reflecting God’s nature.He created them male and female.God blessed them:“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
October 17th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
A World Of Love
Her question was simple. Anyone who knows me would say it was well warranted. My sweet granddaughter was simply curious and concerned. “Why do you cry so easily”? I cry so often, I think Kleenex could use me as a poster boy! My answer was simple. “God blessed me with a heart, so full of love for him and those around me, that sometimes that love spills out of my eyes”. I see so much hatred. Daily I deal with people that could care less, about those around them. I saw the news, by accident, the other morning and within one minute they reported three shootings. Would you not rather live in a world of love? A world that Jesus taught, and a world he made possible. It can happen… but it has to start with you. With me. We have to take it everywhere. We can’t allow our differences, to produce hatred, instead of love. I can’t allow your treatment of me, to determine my love of you. I know it’s hard, but it’s what our Savior taught. Instead of seeing differences, look for what makes you more alike. Instead of worrying about who’s right and who’s wrong, be accepting. When faced with violence, return with love. Then when your eyes fill up with love – let it flow – and get a Kleenex.
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”
In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.30Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.31-32Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
October 3rd, 2-21
Happy Jesus Day!
The Truth Of Our Being
He never held back. He never questioned why! He never asked are you worthy? What religion are you? Where do you come from? He never wondered why they needed help… why do they think they deserve it? He never once refused to help someone in need. Our Savior… our Jesus… healed those who asked. Gave advice to those who pondered. Gave help to those in need… and not one time do I see where he judged before or after. He simply did his fathers work, to the best of his ability, and without hesitation. Many times I am asked, “why do you help all those on the street”? “You have no idea what they do with the money”. Doesn’t matter! Christ would. Why do you give second chances to those with a criminal record? Doesn’t matter! Christ would. Why do you love without limit and without forethought? Because Christ would. There is a difference between the way of our being and the truth of our being. The world teaches the way they think we should be. Christ teaches the truth of the way we should be. I think we all should be following the truth of our being. The truth of our being is simply love. Anything else is falling short of the spirit within us… that is Jesus.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
“I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.
Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.Colossians 4:5;Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.
Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?18I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.
Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.
Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help.
September 26th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Speak To Me
It’s amazing how you can speak right to my heart. Father… without saying a word you can light up the dark. Each day as I find myself surrounded by so many negative people, and so much evil, your love gives me peace. A love that can only be found in your presence. Your arms wrap me in a positive warmth, that only you can provide. The light that shines new each day comes from the hope that is found in your grace… your love… Your heart, speaks to my heart, in ways that I can only understand when I take the time to be still, and truly know who you are. When I put aside the worlds negative view… and fully concentrate on the love you provide. A love that is humble… accepting…understanding… and never ending. A love that gives me assurance of a future with you, and your father. A love I will never fully comprehend. A love I can firmly place my faith in, and give my heart to. Father, give me the wisdom to hear when you speak. Give me the understanding to know what you are saying. To hear with an open heart, and a creative mind, that I may come to truly know your ways… your truth.
Don’t Throw It All AwaySo, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body.So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in sea storm and earthquake,Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains.
My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
“But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God.They’re like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers—Never a worry through the hottest of summers,never dropping a leaf,Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season.
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!
“I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.
Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I’m telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone on God’s side listens to God’s words. This is why you’re not listening—because you’re not on God’s side.”
September 19th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Loving Anyway!
As we talked… I expressed to him the heart of our Savior. The longer we visited, the more he become uncomfortable. Every human, deserves our love and respect, as they are children of God. Each one made in his image… given a purpose… given a part of his spirit. Because each person holds Christ DNA in them, we are to love them all. He commented, “what about the guy that steals from me”? Jesus says give him your coat also. “What about the guy who harms me”? Jesus says turn the other cheek so he can hit it too. He was struggling. He was having trouble understanding, because the world he was raised in, taught just the opposite. Then he commented. “if he has done something to me, then he loses my love… my respect”. So now we are ranking sin based on what is important to you? Should we operate off of Christ standards… or our own? Christ and God do not rank sin. One is bad… the next is the same. However, we operate from our own scale. We see sins’ in a hierarchy. The lie I told yesterday, could not be as bad, as the murder he committed. It is but for the GRACE of our Savior that any of us can rest. I for one, am so THANKFUL, that my Savior does not lose love and respect for me, because of my actions.
Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.
The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”
You do well when you complete the Royal Rule of the Scriptures: “Love others as you love yourself.” But if you play up to these so-called important people, you go against the Rule and stand convicted by it. You can’t pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God’s law and ignoring others. The same God who said, “Don’t commit adultery,” also said, “Don’t murder.” If you don’t commit adultery but go ahead and murder, do you think your non-adultery will cancel out your murder? No, you’re a murderer, period.
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good,Here’s what you do:Say nothing evil or hurtful;Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth.God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he’s asked;But he turns his back on those who do evil things.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
September 12th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
It’s All About Jesus!
Monday! Most of us don’t like Monday! To me, it offers new hope and a chance to be back with the people, I love to work with. However, this particular Monday, was a day full of disappointment and frustration. There were times, I felt as though it couldn’t get any worse. People who say they love you… but leave. People who say they want what is best… but do not do their best. Religious leaders who reflect only the world. Then I saw it! Our Saviors letters and the stories he left for us. It only takes a moment to remember… it’s all about Jesus. Doesn’t matter what others say or do. It’s all about Jesus. Doesn’t matter what the outcome is. It’s all about Jesus. Doesn’t matter that others are rude and angry. It’s all about Jesus. Doesn’t matter if the world likes you, or not. It’s all about Jesus. When the world knocks us down. When others disappoint. When people could care less about you. When the world shows hatred… malice… envy… violence and indifference. All that matters is Jesus. When he is front and center in your life, you will return hatred, with love. Malice, with compassion. Envy, with sharing. Violence, with peace. Indifference, with caring. It’s simply all about Jesus. What a comfort that is… in this crazy world.
All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.
The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.
If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”20-21Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
September 5th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
So Many And Yet One!
So many! As I stand on 16th street in Denver, so many people. Sitting. Standing. Walking. I try to see each one. I don’t want to see a forest… I want to see a tree! So many, that it would be easy to look at them as a crowd, but I desire to see a person. To notice each. To try to see Christ in this one and that. As he stopped to ask if I had a cigarette, I noticed his face was severely disfigured. He was missing his nose along with other scars. Now homeless… I asked if he could use some money. My heart aches as I think, but for the grace of God… go I. If I had a handicap such as his… would I be on the street, as well? Did he turn to drugs to run from the pain? Did he turn to the street to escape the ridicule. I tried to visit with him, but he was gone as fast as he came. I would have told him that one day there will be no more scars. One day his nose would be whole again. For now, all I can do is pray, that he finds peace in our Savior. Our Savior always saw the person… and not the crowd. I pray that he blinds me, to the mass of people, and leads me to the one that needs a kind word. We can make a difference… we just have to take the time.
“Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’
So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.
Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote,God is there, ready to help;I’m fearless no matter what.Who or what can get to me?
Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.
Listen, God, I’m calling at the top of my lungs:“Be good to me! Answer me!”When my heart whispered, “Seek God,” my whole being replied,“I’m seeking him!” Don’t hide from me now!
August 29th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Do You Reflect HIM?
Do you struggle to understand as I do? Daily I see people, many who call themselves Christ followers, doing everything, but reflecting the heart of the Savior. Daily I think: Everything I do… everything I say… the way I act… the way I conduct business… the way I treat others… is a direct reflection on the one I follow. When I wear the name Christian. When I profess to follow Christ. Others look to me… to see what HE is like. Do I truly understand his heart? Do others see him in me or the world? I go to a Christian concert, and I watch as people shove to be first in line. As they throw down their trash. I observe, as they yell at each other over a parking place. Is that Christ? I deal with church leaders who are deceitful… hurtful… and self-serving… Is that Christ? When I was a kid, I behaved, not because I was afraid of getting in trouble. I was good, because I wanted to reflect well on my earthly father, whom I adored. Should we not do even more, for our heavenly father? Tomorrow, as you go through your day, look to his heart in everything you do. Reflect his love to everyone you meet. Above all else be the mirror of his spirit. That, and only that, will bring others to him, and put a smile on his face.
Wake Up from Your Sleep1-2Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.3-4Don’t allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.5You can be sure that using people or religion or things just for what you can get out of them—the usual variations on idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God.6-7Don’t let yourselves get taken in by religious smooth talk. God gets furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but want nothing to do with him. Don’t even hang around people like that.8-10You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.
If someone claims, “I know him well!” but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.
Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.
These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they’re worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy.”
Friend, don’t go along with evil. Model the good. The person who does good does God’s work. The person who does evil falsifies God, doesn’t know the first thing about God.
Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.
The Stone
Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion,a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundationwill never have cause to regret it.To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,The stone the workmen threw outis now the chief foundation stone.For the untrusting it’s. . . a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way.They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted. But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.
Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.
August 22nd, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
He Is Standing Near
Five thousand had come. Matthew says men, which meant many women as well. All they heard was grumbling, and throws of insults, as everyone was hungry. As the twelve checked their bank book, they soon realized, they had not enough money to feed the crowd. They were frightened… worried… afraid of what the people might do. How easily they had forgotten who was with them. Who was standing near. They forgot who was about to speak, to this mob of people. Yet while they worried, Jesus took five loaves, and a few small fish, and fed the thousands. In the blink of an eye… problem solved. He not only fed them, but had twelve baskets, of left overs. What seems like an insurmountable problem to us… is but a whisper to God. What seems like a never ending nightmare… is but a day dream to our Savior. Are you standing near to him, yet have forgotten who he is? Are you listening to him speak, but don’t trust him to solve the problem? No matter what… when… or how big… he will turn a few loaves, into a feast. You simply have to trust… hand it to him… and watch him work. Then when he is done, sit back, and listen to him speak.
The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm. So always trust the Lord because he is forever our mighty rock.
August 15th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
What He Ask or What He Needs?
Do you give God what he asks for… or what he needs? When this question entered my thoughts I found it to be strange. God doesn’t need anything from us. The more I have contemplated, the more I have come to understand, the depth behind this question, the Holy Spirit put on my heart. There are those that follow rules. There are those that are happy to stand behind years of tradition, and years of never ending patterns, in a hope to find God. They come to believe, that God wants us to follow this rule or that. If we don’t give him what he asked for, he will be unhappy with us. Some believe he wants us to perform a certain way. After forty seven years of walking side by side with him, I have come to realize what he needs from us… is simply love. What he needs… is simply a relationship. True love means you don’t need rules that are written down. True love means you will do what is needed… when it is needed… simply because you love. I don’t wash the dishes because I’m afraid my wife will be unhappy if I don’t. I do it because I love her. True love means you don’t find favor with another, simply because they perform to a certain level. You find favor… because they are the one you truly love.
I don’t want to hear any of you bragging about yourself or anyone else. Everything is already yours as a gift—Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future—all of it is yours, and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God.
And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God to no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.
The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.
But woe unto you Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and the love of God: but these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.
Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”
August 8th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Fervor For Life!
He had no idea the affect he was having on me. He made an impact on my life, after twenty short minutes of knowing him. He was simply doing his job with fervor, with zeal. After many times of being in Juvenile Detention he joined a program that changed his life. A year long plan that takes young people, in trouble and teaches them how to work. How to do life. How to love and honor others. He was now back at the restaurant, that houses this program, as a supervisor and lighting up the room with his spirit. Through tear filled eyes, I hugged this young man and told him how proud I was of who he had become. Once a stranger… now a young man that had my heart! You never know, each day, who’s life you are touching and how it can affect them. Do you touch lives for good… or bad? Are people better for having crossed your path… or worse? It doesn’t matter where you are… who you encounter… as followers of Christ it is our job to show love. To show hope. To show a fervor for life. To create happiness and caring with everyone, each day. JD learned that lesson, at the young age of twenty. I think we need more JD’s in this world.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
God didn’t set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we’re awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we’re alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.
So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.
But if you correct those who care about life, that’s different—they’ll love you for it!Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know—they’ll profit from it.
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
August 1st, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Love To Overflowing
He could have walked away. He could have stuck by his claim when he said “Woman it is not my time”. Out of love for his mother, he went ahead and turned the water into wine. Not just any wine, but the kind you find on the top shelf. Wine that would cost several hundred dollars a bottle, in today’s world. Why not cheap wine? Why not wine that you would buy at the local convenience store? Because he came to bring life… to bring it to abundance… not just a mediocre existence but life in full glory. Should we not do the same, because he did and does? “When you do something do it as if your working for the Lord”. Christ never once said “I am only going to do a little because that is all you deserve”. He never said “I am only going to save a few, because not all deserve my grace”. Instead he worked tirelessly, to fulfill the work of his father, and he did it in abundance. Daily I encounter people who only want to get by. Some who claim the title “Christian” but only want to do the bare minimum, in an effort to get a reward. Those that want something for nothing. In everything you do, whether for money or not, do it in abundance. Then sit back and watch. He will provide to overflowing.
Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord: whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ. For he that doeth wrong shall receive again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons
And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith.
Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.
July 25th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
A Place In The Heart
Why do we insist on playing God? Daily I have conversations with people that rank sin. They judge other peoples lives based on the sin they perceive. Those who judge, based on one lifestyle or another, feed their egos by thinking that my interpretation of scripture is right, and yours is wrong. Why do so many of us, presume to know the heart of God, simply because we can quote scripture, one after another? When you understand the heart of our Savior, you see a man who embraced all people. A man who took the laws of the time and threw them out the window. A man who took every human, from every walk of life, and every lifestyle, and made them his own. Jews… Gentiles… Samaritans… Prostitutes… Evil infested… Lepers… and everyone in between. He loved them! Accepted them! Sat them in a place of honor and formed relationships with them. He cultivated friendships and sat down to eat with them. It is not about keeping laws. It is about love… it is about relationships. Mostly It’s about forgiveness… and it is a place in the heart.
We’re not in charge of how you live out the faith, looking over your shoulders, suspiciously critical. We’re partners, working alongside you, joyfully expectant. I know that you stand by your own faith, not by ours.
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest dost practise the same things. And we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against them that practise such things. And reckonest thou this, O man, who judgest them that practise such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. One only is the lawgiver and judge, evenhe who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you.
July 18th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Our God Is Good!
Her life seemed to be one tragedy after another. As I listened to her story of abuse… of harm… of the attempt by her ex-husband to kill her… I thought of the goodness of our God. I use to wonder how our God could allow so much suffering… so much pain. If he is a loving God? If we are his children? Then why does he not protect us? Our God is so good, that he stands with us in the fire, of this broken world. He walks with us through the pain… through the tragedy. The cross! The most disgusting torture device ever created, by the evil side of our nature, he used for glory. He didn’t save his son… himself… from that tragic device. He embraced it and used it for good. He took his own son and proved that no tragedy, not even the evil of the cross, can keep us from him. Every season in your life. Every tragedy you have gone through. Every illness or loss you have encountered, had a purpose. To be used for good and to bring glory to him. God is good, all the time, whether you embrace him or not. She made it through the fire, her ex-husband set to kill her. The only part of the house that didn’t burn, was the closet she was in! Our God is Good!!
The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
Don’t panic. I’m with you.There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.”
July 11th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
It’s Not In A Book!
I could read daily, a book about Lorna, my wife. Daily I could study, read, highlight, and outline word, after word, about my beautiful wife and still not truly understand her heart. It is not until we have a daily intimidate relationship that I came to know her… her heart… and her spirit. So is our relationship with our Savior. Daily I study scripture. Daily I read book, after book, about him and his journey. I have done that most of my life. It was not until I felt one with him, that I truly understood his heart… his spirit. As time passes, I spend day after day praying, contemplating, and walking by his side. Looking to him for every answer and every direction. After so many years of that journey, I am starting to understand and feel his heart and the way of his being. I can feel his spirit in my life, in my heart. From the deepest part of my soul, I feel his guidance… his love… his grace. I rest daily knowing what he wants for me and I feel the security that comes from knowing him intimately. So sometimes put down the scripture. Put down the book. Simply walk… and talk… with our Savior. You will be amazed at everything he will reveal to you. There is no better feeling!!
“The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?
Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.
“When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.
Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out.
If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!
They simply did not understand. It’s significance gets lost in OUR, everyday lives. Jesus washed their feet. He took off his robe… adorned an apron… got on his hands and knees, then washed their calloused… dirty… stinky… feet! Three years he had taught them. Three years they had watched him heal… even bring people back from death. Now the last thing they saw him do before he was crucified was wash their feet. Why? To show them, and to show us, what heaven is about. To show them and to show us what pure love means. Pure unfiltered… unglamorous… sacred love is simply about humble service. God and his Son do not have to serve us. God, his Son, and the Holy Spirit exists without anything from us. Yet the Trinity out of a deep love for mankind, serves us each and everyday, whether we know it or not. Each day Jesus gets on his knees and washes our feet. He washes away the dirt, the filth, and the mistakes. We should do the same for those around us. When you practice humility by allowing others to be first. By allowing others to feel important. By letting them know you see them. When you show love, regardless of who it is, you are washing feet. Then maybe… just maybe… those we serve, will catch a glimpse of heaven.
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.
Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping.
June 27th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Spontaneous Love!
As I entered the room he spontaneously came running to hug me. No hesitation… no worry… no wondering who I was… he simply came to hug. This little boy had so much love in his heart, that he was willing to hug a perfect stranger. He told me his name, asked for mine, than went back to play. Did he feel a connection? I know I did. Did he feel the love of Christ as we embraced? I know I did. His teacher said she had never seen him do that. Spontaneous love… it was pure… it was holy. Isn’t that what Christ wants of us? No hesitation to love. No hesitation to find a connection. No stranger in the room, only people we love. Did our Savior not take perfect strangers and ask them to spend their life with him? I observe, as so many people go through their day, with no thought of the person right next to them. The clerk behind the counter, the waitress, is just another person, in a sea of people we encounter daily. Thought is never given as to their life and how we might help. A kind word or a concerned prayer. So as you go through your day do you see people or do you see a person? We could learn from this young man and the spontaneous love he had to offer. I’m certain it made our Savior smile.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.
“I have no husband,” she said.“That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.”“Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?”“Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.
June 20th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Hypocrisy!
As he welcomed us, to the hotel, he said happiness and peace radiated from us! We then talked about how all of that comes from Jesus… I could tell he was uncomfortable. As we showed the love of Christ to this young man, he shared his life with us, and told us he was gay. He explained he was tired of those that say they love Jesus, being so judgmental. As I hugged him I said… me too!! The religious community has driven him to a point of not caring about God or his Son. How can that be what Jesus would want? How can that be LOVE! Should we not take the log out of our own eye before pointing out the speck in his? Our Savior welcomes everyone. Our Savior is much more comfortable with the sinners, than with those that claim to not be. Our western religious culture, has put so much importance on rules, that we have forgotten, nothing is more important than love of others. As Christians, our job is first and foremost, to live a Christ centered life. To show his love to all those around us. As all people experience us… they should always see Christ shining… from every angle of our existence. Hypocrisy… what our Savior hated the most. We would warrant his favor if we hated it too.
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”
Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones.
Jesus realized that the Pharisees were keeping count of the baptisms that he and John performed (although his disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead, turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people. So Jesus left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee.
To get there, he had to pass through Samaria. He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon.
A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)9The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)10Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”
The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?”
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”
The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!”He said, “Go call your husband and then come back.” “I have no husband,” she said.“That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.”
“Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?”. “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.
”The woman said, “I don’t know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.”
“I am he,” said Jesus. “You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.”
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.11-13Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.14-16Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.17-19Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”20-21Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
June 13th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Amazing God!
I see large, white, clouds, as if they are made of cotton, bellowing up into the heavens. What an amazing God! I watch as the sun sets, and turns the sky to a golden yellow, followed by an awesome deep dark orange, with remnants of sun beaming through the clouds. What an amazing God! I marvel at a lighting bug, as it flies here and there, beaming its’ signal to other fire flies. What an amazing God! As if that is not enough, I look into the faces of my family and I see Christ! What an amazing God! I look into the eyes of my wife and I see infinite love. What an amazing God! From the people I work with… to the lady that cuts my hair… to the homeless gentleman we give shelter to… to my dear friends… I look with amazement as Christ shines from each of them. What an amazing God! Even through tragedy I see his hand in everything that I touch… smell… see… or experience. He is an amazing God! So worthy of our praise, simply because he is God! Tomorrow as you wake… thank him for the amazing God he is. Then trust that he will provide, in you, an amazing day!
In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse.
For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;don’t try to figure out everything on your own.Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;he’s the one who will keep you on track.Don’t assume that you know it all.Run to God! Run from evil!
June 6th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Normal?
What is normal? Her comment was “why can’t they be normal”? I see people treat others with disrespect because “their lifestyle is different or they dress or behave different then I do”. Daily my heart prays “father make me blind to peoples differences and actions… so that I might see you, in them”. We should not allow ourselves, as followers of Christ, to worry about how others dress, talk, act or behave. As we observe the world around us, we should see Jesus, in all people. Each person, regardless of looks, behavior, or lifestyle was made in his image, and carries within them the spirit of Christ. Mother Teresa said “I see Jesus in every human being. That is why I help them”. What power! What understanding of our Saviors heart! To be a Christian is to see Jesus, in everybody and everything. The very person you look at with distain… because of the way they dress, the way they wear their hair or the number of piercings on their face, is the very person you should love the most. I use to be the one who judged. I use to be that person, that looked at others different than me, with disapproval. Through much contemplation I have come to better understand my Saviors’ heart. Suddenly each face looks like him. What glorious people he has put on this earth!!
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make themreflecting our natureSo they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,the birds in the air, the cattle,And, yes, Earth itself,and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”God created human beings;he created them godlike,Reflecting God’s nature.He created them male and female.God blessed them:“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!
But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.
A Simple Guide for BehaviorDon’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
May 30th 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Healing
He had waited so long. For lack of hope, he knew not what to do, but try the water. If he could only be the first to touch the moving water maybe he would be healed. A lifetime of not being able to use his legs was almost more than he could bear. Then came Jesus. With a few simple words he healed the man and told him to take his bedroll and walk. Twelve years she had been bleeding. Twelve long years with no help from doctors. One simple touch of his robe and the bleeding stopped. As he turned she made herself known. Jesus knew, Jesus felt, and Jesus blessed. My heart tries hard to imagine how these people and others felt. To be healed by the Son of God. To be healed by the Savior and to look into his loving eyes. To know that he cared enough for each of them, to use the spirit of his father to heal… to save… to bless. Daily I can feel him in my heart. Daily I know that he resides in my soul and his spirit is one with mine. Still I long to sit and visit with these people. To hear the incredible stories of his healing and to know first hand how they felt. One day I will get to look into his eyes and feel that amazing touch. Then and only then will my soul soar… as it did for these.
That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all.
That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile,the joyful anticipation deepens.All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.
You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!
I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.
“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”And Mary said,Yes, I see it all now:I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.Let it be with mejust as you say.Then the angel left her.
“Count on it: Everyone who had it in for youwill end up out in the cold—real losers.Those who worked against you will end up empty-handed—nothing to show for their lives.When you go out looking for your old adversaries you won’t find them—Not a trace of your old enemies,not even a memory.That’s right. Because I, your God,have a firm grip on you and I’m not letting go.I’m telling you, ‘Don’t panic.I’m right here to help you.’
May 23rd, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Keep Praying
As she asked me to pray for her son, and his cancer, I could see the 90 year old wisdom in her eyes. I could see the knowing. Not hoping. Knowing. That prayers would be answered, and that one way or another, God would keep his promises. I was honored! Prayer! Such an amazing time to talk with God, Jesus and his Spirit. A time when the world and its’ woes are forgotten and all that matters, is our Savior. My day starts with dialogue to my Jesus… and ends the same. Can’t tell you how much I talk with him during the day, but it is constant. Prayer need not be formal, as so many think. Prayer should be, and is, a simple conversation with someone you love. Can be as simple as “thanking him” for a beautiful tree or as complex as stage four cancer. He knows your heart but he wants to hear your voice. He wants to know your concerns and he wants to share in your victories. Doesn’t matter who you are, or where you come from, he hears them all just the same. She saw me in the crowd and because my shirt said “Happy Jesus Day” she asked me to pray. I’m still praying for her son! Just like her… I rest in the knowledge that God will answer those prayers… to his will. Keep Praying!!
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.
Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.
May 9th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
He Is Jesus!!!
It doesn’t matter what you think you know! Jesus has chosen you!Each day I study. Each day I pray for wisdom. Each day I read. Daily I am enlightened, in my quiet time, to strive harder. To move closer. To ponder more… in a desire to know the heart of my Savior. We should not study to be wise of men, but to be closer in heart… to Christ. I want to feel his touch. I want to look into his eyes. I want to experience the warmth of his hug. I want to know that he has chosen me. Through study and contemplation we can know these things, while here on this earth. We can feel the healing power of his touch. We can take in the love of his eyes. We can be aware of his warmth… and we can know he has chosen us. He is all around you and me. He is a part of our very soul. His spirit resides in us. He is the foundation of everything we see… touch… and smell. He is the beginning… the end… and everything between. He is the reason for all we know and experience. He is the way… the truth… and the life! He is Jesus!!!
“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!
The Master said:“These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their hearts aren’t in it. Because they act like they’re worshiping me but don’t mean it,I’m going to step in and shock them awake, astonish them, stand them on their ears.The wise ones who had it all figured out will be exposed as fools.The smart people who thought they knew everything will turn out to know nothing.”
Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts.Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.
He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
“And I’ll give them a heart to know me, God. They’ll be my people and I’ll be their God, for they’ll have returned to me with all their hearts.
May 2nd, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Unbridled Enthusiasm!
As he spoke of baptizing his child he said: “it was all I could do to contain myself”. Why would we ever contain ourself, when it comes to God? I watch as people view sporting events and when the team scores they are on their feet, cheering. I watch people at concerts… at children’s performances… and I see unbridled enthusiasm. Why do we not have that same level of excitement about our Lord and Savior? Jesus loved all of his disciples. He spent time with each of them. Why do you think he gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven to Peter first? Why do you think Jesus named Peter “the rock” upon which he would build his church? Peter lived with passion for Christ. Peter jumped out of the boat when no one else would. Peter came to Jesus’s defense before anyone else even thought of it. We should pray daily to have the spirit of Peter. To live our life not only in devotion to Christ but to have an unbridled passion… unbridled excitement… for the one who saved us. It’s great to cheer at a game. It’s important to show emotion at our children’s performances. But so much more important is what Jesus did for us. Don’t you think that deserves some unbridled enthusiasm?
What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.
They Can’t Imprison the MessageI want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the followers of Jesus here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah.It’s true that some here preach Christ because with me out of the way, they think they’ll step right into the spotlight. But the others do it with the best heart in the world. One group is motivated by pure love, knowing that I am here defending the Message, wanting to help. The others, now that I’m out of the picture, are merely greedy, hoping to get something out of it for themselves. Their motives are bad. They see me as their competition, and so the worse it goes for me, the better—they think—for them.So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on!And I’m going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course. I don’t expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn’t shut me up; they gave me a pulpit! Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose.As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We’ll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.
None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God!
Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.
Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.
Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.
Hallelujah!Praise God in his holy house of worship,praise him under the open skies;Praise him for his acts of power,praise him for his magnificent greatness;Praise with a blast on the trumpet,praise by strumming soft strings;Praise him with castanets and dance,praise him with banjo and flute;Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,praise him with fiddles and mandolin.Let every living, breathing creature praise God!Hallelujah!
April 25th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
How Much Is Enough?
We seem to be stuck. So many with their feet in the quicksand. Statements like; “She is not living with God in her life. It pains me that I will not see her in heaven”. God loves her just like you!Proclamations like “She died without knowing our Savior, I guess there is no hope”. Maybe no one told her about Jesus! So how much is enough? Do you need to do one more good deed… or twenty? Do you need to go to church one more time… or one hundred? If I can just memorize one more scripture I will have it made. What makes us think that we have enough power to determine our destiny? How can we be so arrogant, as to think we could ever do anything good enough, to stand by his side? If we are earning our way into his presence… what was the cross for? There is nothing you can do. Nothing you can say. Nothing you can give that will allow you to even touch the hem of his robe. There is also nothing you can do. Nothing you can say. That will keep him from you. He is a God who pursues. He is a Savior that loves..unconditionally. He dwells in a spirit of forgiveness. Do what you do… but only out of a deep love for him. He will not ask for anything more.
So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Peter said, “To hell with your money! And you along with it. Why, that’s unthinkable—trying to buy God’s gift! You’ll never be part of what God is doing by striking bargains and offering bribes. Change your ways—and now!
“Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn’t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn’t want to lose even one of these simple believers.
Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.
But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.
April 18th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Don’t Eat The Fruit!
“DO NOT EAT OF THE TREE OF GOOD AND EVIL!” Why? What is good and what is evil? I truly believe that the tree of life gave forth a never ending spring of love and kindness. It produced in Adam and Eve all the fruits of the spirit. However the tree of good and evil produced in them the instant feeling of separation from each other. “I am better than you.” “You are wrong and I am right.” It produced the feeling of blame, shame and hatred. Only after that tree did they see themselves as different. Only after that tree did they point the finger. How often do you eat from the tree of good and evil? Each time you see differences. Each time you judge another. Each time you place blame. Every time you form hatred instead of love. That is when you have tasted its’ fruit. The evil one will tell you it’s alright, just as he did to Eve. Jesus in his life said “live from the fruit of the tree of life”. Eat of the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That is the only way you will truly live… in the flow of the garden. Then, you will find God… walking beside you.
But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good,Here’s what you do:Say nothing evil or hurtful;Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth.God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he’s asked;But he turns his back on those who do evil things.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
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.Love never gives up.Love cares more for others than for self.Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.Love doesn’t strut,Doesn’t have a swelled head,Doesn’t force itself on others,Isn’t always “me first,”Doesn’t fly off the handle,Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,Doesn’t revel when others grovel,Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,Puts up with anything,Trusts God always,Always looks for the best,Never looks back,But keeps going to the end.Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
April 11, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Anticipation!
As I sat in the middle of thousands of people, she decided to go shopping. “I will be back shortly” was the words she lovingly used! A kiss was given and I sat down to wait. More time passed than I thought would, so I found myself constantly surveying the crowd, anxiously waiting for the return, of the one I love. Then my heart paused! The one I love even more than my wife, told me he would be back one day! One day he would return to care for us. To bring us to where he is. To wrap us in his love and warm embrace. I want to wait daily with anticipation. With an anxious feeling in my heart. With a stronger fervor than I had for the return of my wife. So many distractions. So many Interruptions. So many life moments… stealing my look from the return of my Savior. I know he will return. He will one day open the eastern sky and we will be taken to the place he has arranged for us. I sit patiently. I wait with anticipation. I wait with an anxiousness in my heart. I did the same for my wife. She did return, and a joy filled my heart. One day. One moment. One second. He will be back. Unspeakable joy will fill my heart on that day as well.
Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.
“Don’t let this throw you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”
Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation.
You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody’s walking around complacently, congratulating each other—“We’ve sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!”—suddenly everything will fall apart.
These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared—in white robes! They said, “You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left.”
You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, “Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me’? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You’re going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You’ll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.
April 3rd, 2021
Happy Jesus Day
Torture and Love!
We tend to glamorize it. We even make beautiful jewelry out of it. We don’t want to face the truth. The whip had metal, and bones, in the ends. As Jesus was struck, flesh was torn away from his back… his sides… his neck. This would continue until near death. Our Saviors raw muscle, tendons and bones would have been exposed. His wooden cross was made to have splinters. As he carried it on his shoulder and back the splinters would lodge in his open wounds. The nails driven through his wrist, were placed as to touch nerves. Any movement was excruciating. As he was lifted upon the main pole his shoulders would have been dislocated from his own weight. Then both of our Lords’ feet were held together and one large nail driven through them. Breaking bones in the process. Then the suffocation starts. The only way to breath, was too push up on the nail through his broken feet, so his diaphragm could expand. His legs would have been bent at a 45 degree angle, meaning all of his weight was on his thigh muscles causing excruciating cramps. The cramps would worsen as he pushed up to breath. As he lost blood all of his organs would begin to cry out in pain. All these things were happening to our Jesus at the same time. With no way for relief. Why did he not call his army of angels? LOVE!!!!
Jesus said, “Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords. Don’t you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?”
Jesus kept silent.Then the Chief Priest said, “I command you by the authority of the living God to say if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”Jesus was curt: “You yourself said it. And that’s not all. Soon you’ll see it for yourself:The Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Mighty One, Arriving on the clouds of heaven.”At that, the Chief Priest lost his temper, ripping his robes, yelling, “He blasphemed! Why do we need witnesses to accuse him? You all heard him blaspheme! Are you going to stand for such blasphemy?”They all said, “Death! That seals his death sentence.”Then they were spitting in his face and banging him around. They jeered as they slapped him: “Prophesy, Messiah: Who hit you that time?”
Then he said to them, “So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?” Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.
God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that.The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn’t deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us.
That accounts for the prominence of blood and death in all these secondary practices that point to the realities of heaven. It also accounts for why, when the real thing takes place, these animal sacrifices aren’t needed anymore, having served their purpose. For Christ didn’t enter the earthly version of the Holy Place; he entered the Place Itself, and offered himself to God as the sacrifice for our sins. He doesn’t do this every year as the high priests did under the old plan with blood that was not their own; if that had been the case, he would have to sacrifice himself repeatedly throughout the course of history. But instead he sacrificed himself once and for all, summing up all the other sacrifices in this sacrifice of himself, the final solution of sin.
If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!
He Tore Down the Wall1-6It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
One more thing, friends: Pray for us. Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response, just as it did among you. And pray that we’ll be rescued from these scoundrels who are trying to do us in. I’m finding that not all “believers” are believers. But the Master never lets us down. He’ll stick by you and protect you from evil.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.” 4Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, “Since you are God’s Son, jump.” The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: “He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.”Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: “Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.”For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.”Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs.
For indeed Christ died for sins once for all, the Just and Righteous for the unjust and unrighteous [the Innocent for the guilty] so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit; 19in which He also went and preached to the spirits now in prison.
March 28th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
He Deserves Better!
They knew what he had done. So a hero’s welcome… a kings honor. The robes from their backs, and palm leaves paved his way. Put yourself in Jesus’s place. Not wanting the spot light, but knowing the donkey ride and the king’s parade, is what was needed to send the religious leaders to the edge. Knowing they needed one final push to send him to the cross. I’m sure as he gazed at the gathering of people, he was repeating what he would say on the cross. “Forgive these people, father, for what they are about to do.” The same people that praised his entrance today would later cry out for his crucifixion. They knew what they had seen… had heard… but chose to send him to the cross. Twelve best friends… twelve men who walked in the parade with him… men who said they would die for him… ran and hid. Do we not do the same thing when being his child is too hard? When we ignore praying because it’s not politically correct? When we turn away from a homeless man because it’s too hard to love him? When we do not trust? Christ deserves better. I’m going to spend my life trying to give him that. I hope you will too.
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.
The Royal WelcomeWhen they neared Jerusalem, having arrived at Bethphage on Mount Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions: “Go over to the village across from you. You’ll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you’re doing, say, ‘The Master needs them!’ He will send them with you.”This is the full story of what was sketched earlier by the prophet:Tell Zion’s daughter,“Look, your king’s on his way,poised and ready, mountedOn a donkey, on a colt,foal of a pack animal.”The disciples went and did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They led the donkey and colt out, laid some of their clothes on them, and Jesus mounted. Nearly all the people in the crowd threw their garments down on the road, giving him a royal welcome. Others cut branches from the trees and threw them down as a welcome mat. Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, “Hosanna to David’s son!” “Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!” “Hosanna in highest heaven!”As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, “What’s going on here? Who is this?”The parade crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”The man asked, “What in particular?”Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.”The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”“If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?”Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”
“Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.
March 21st, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Getting Back!
Walking past I heard him talking. All alone. My heart paused… maybe he needs someone to talk too. As I sat down beside him I simply asked “tell me how you got here”? Three years. Danny’s mom had died and he simply couldn’t move on. Three years on the street… simply doesn’t know how to get back. Fifty eight and sleeping under a bridge. He simply doesn’t know how to get back. Do you ever feel lost? Like you don’t know how to get back, to the place where you were? Doesn’t matter how far gone you are, God can find you. God will run after you and bring you back. Back from addiction. Back from grief. Back from pain and back from despair. Then just like the father of the prodigal he will rejoice with you. He will welcome you home. As I left this nice man I prayed, “thank you Father for always bringing me back”. “Father, I asked that you show Danny the way home”. “Give him the mind to realize it when you lead him”. As i rejoined my family the tears came. I always think…”but for the grace of God go I”. Never take the guidance you are given for granted. It comes from the Father.
Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.
My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world’s language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.
So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
March 14th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day
Eight Simple Words
Not sure what his life was like. Scripture doesn’t tell us. The bible doesn’t even tell us where he came from. I simply know he must have had a troubled life, given the fact he was being crucified, next to our Savior. “Jesus remember me when you enter your kingdom”. Eight simple words. So much power in eight words. A lifetime of sin erased by eight words. We have a God who chases after us. He chases… he calls us by name… and he looks for the good in us… We have a God who simply wants a relationship. He simply wants us to acknowledge and love him. Our Savior is not about rules. He is not about worshiping one way or the other. He is not about doing everything right. He is simply about love. We are a people who have been taught that nothing is free. Everything has to be earned. Rules must be followed and reputations have to be upheld. Many times that even applies to our human relationships. But Jesus… the Christ… our Savior… says don’t worry about the rules, you can’t possibly fulfill all of them. Love me… love others… and I will remember you, when you come into my kingdom.
By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.4-7“Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.
The apostles returned and reported on what they had done. Jesus took them away, off by themselves, near the town called Bethsaida. But the crowds got wind of it and followed. Jesus graciously welcomed them and talked to them about the kingdom of God. Those who needed healing, he healed.
On his return, Jesus was welcomed by a crowd. They were all there expecting him. A man came up, Jairus by name. He was president of the meeting place. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his home because his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, was dying. Jesus went with him, making his way through the pushing, jostling crowd.In the crowd that day there was a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with hemorrhages. She had spent every penny she had on doctors but not one had been able to help her. She slipped in from behind and touched the edge of Jesus’ robe. At that very moment her hemorrhaging stopped. Jesus said, “Who touched me?”When no one stepped forward, Peter said, “But Master, we’ve got crowds of people on our hands. Dozens have touched you.”Jesus insisted, “Someone touched me. I felt power discharging from me.”When the woman realized that she couldn’t remain hidden, she knelt trembling before him. In front of all the people, she blurted out her story—why she touched him and how at that same moment she was healed.Jesus said, “Daughter, you took a risk trusting me, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed!”
By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.” It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,your handmade sky-jewelry,Moon and stars mounted in their settings.Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,Why do you bother with us?Why take a second look our way?
March 7th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Are You An Addict?
So I use to be an addict! I’m sure that statement caught you off guard. You may be thinking – this is a surprise! Without hesitation I could raise my hand and say “Hi my name is Perry and I am an addict”. I’m pretty safe in saying we all could. People have a universal addiction to being “right”. We will argue… we will spend countless hours and resources… trying daily to prove that we are right, and others are wrong. I have encountered those that are so addicted to being right, that it becomes more important than loving. I know… I use to be one of those people. We have to find a better way to relate to one another. A better way to love one another. Pure love means I am willing to see you, to listen to you, with an open heart and an open mind. I am willing to walk in your shoes in order to understand the reason for your life… your ways. To be a Christ follower means we are to emulate his heart and his way. His way was never condemning but always loving. So the next time you feel the need to feed your ego… simply stop. Look at the other person with Jesus eyes and let yourself become teachable. THEN SIMPLY LOVE!!
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
Healing on the SabbathHe was teaching in one of the meeting places on the Sabbath. There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn’t even look up. She had been afflicted with this for eighteen years. When Jesus saw her, he called her over. “Woman, you’re free!” He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God.The meeting-place president, furious because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the congregation, “Six days have been defined as work days. Come on one of the six if you want to be healed, but not on the seventh, the Sabbath.”But Jesus shot back, “You frauds! Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it. So why isn’t it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?”When he put it that way, his critics were left looking quite silly and red-faced. The congregation was delighted and cheered him on.
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.
One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Look here.” He looked up, expecting to get something from them.Peter said, “I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked.The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple’s Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing.The man threw his arms around Peter and John, ecstatic. All the people ran up to where they were at Solomon’s Porch to see it for themselves.Turn to Face GodWhen Peter saw he had a congregation, he addressed the people:“Oh, Israelites, why does this take you by such complete surprise, and why stare at us as if our power or piety made him walk? The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his Son Jesus. The very One that Pilate called innocent, you repudiated. You repudiated the Holy One, the Just One, and asked for a murderer in his place. You no sooner killed the Author of Life than God raised him from the dead—and we’re the witnesses. Faith in Jesus’ name put this man, whose condition you know so well, on his feet—yes, faith and nothing but faith put this man healed and whole right before your eyes.
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
February 28th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
He Laughs!
He laughs. He lovingly laughs. I can’t find it in scripture, but I know God lovingly laughs, at his children. He laughs as he says – “make your plans, go ahead and nourish your dreams… your hopes… but don’t forget that I have my own plans for your life. I have my own dreams for your future, and mine are greater than yours”. This last year. This last month. This last week has given me pause to consider that even though my plans are necessary, I should always look to my father for guidance. I should daily say “your will not mine”. I should daily say “you lead and I will follow”. Still I make plans. Daily… weekly… monthly… even as a year progresses, I look to the future with every intention of fulfilling all of my hopes… my dreams. Our father loves us more than we could ever know. When he laughs at our plans it’s because he knows what is best for us. We don’t always know why he leads to the places he does, but we must follow. We must have faith. So make your plans. Have your dreams, but remember, when and if it changes, he is the one giving guidance. He is the one doing what is best for you. There are no better plans than that.
“I don’t think the way you think.The way you work isn’t the way I work.”God’s Decree.“For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work,and the way I think is beyond the way you think.Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed.They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.
This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Hurry with your answer, God!I’m nearly at the end of my rope.Don’t turn away; don’t ignore me!That would be certain death.If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice,I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you.Point out the road I must travel;I’m all ears, all eyes before you.Save me from my enemies, God—you’re my only hope!Teach me how to live to please you,because you’re my God.Lead me by your blessed Spiritinto cleared and level pastureland.
February 21st, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Too Many Angels
Today the streets of heaven are crowded with too many angels. This week someone very close to my heart, and a once in a lifetime friend of thirty years, went home to be with our Savior. No warning… no preparation… just gone. I don’t really understand, but I’m trusting my God. On top of that this week, we have watched as the weather took its toll, and we lost many things including animals. I don’t understand, but I’m trusting God. Our God uses everything for glory. He will take my dear friends life, and her death, and use it to bless others and to forward his kingdom. He will comfort… he will bring peace… and he will guide… as we walk thru this journey. Without a doubt, he will find a way to use all of our lives, to bring glory to his kingdom, and further his love in this world. I don’t understand his ways, but it is not my place to have understanding. It is simply my place to trust. On February 14th the streets of heaven become crowded with one too many angels. Still I am trusting!!
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;don’t try to figure out everything on your own.Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;he’s the one who will keep you on track.Don’t assume that you know it all.Run to God! Run from evil!
There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse,breaking through the earth and growing tree tall,Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope!Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.
So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, “Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me’? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You’re going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You’ll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.
I’m feeling terrible—I couldn’t feel worse!Get me on my feet again. You promised, remember?When I told my story, you responded;train me well in your deep wisdom.Help me understand these things inside and outso I can ponder your miracle-wonders.My sad life’s dilapidated, a falling-down barn;build me up again by your Word.Barricade the road that goes Nowhere;grace me with your clear revelation.I choose the true road to Somewhere,I post your road signs at every curve and corner.I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me;God, don’t let me down!I’ll run the course you lay out for meif you’ll just show me how.
February 14th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
God Is Huge
Recently I read the work of an astronomy professor. He shared in his writing that fifty years ago we believed there to be six stars in the sky for every one person on the planet. WOW! Because of the Hubble Telescope we now know there are six galaxies in the heavens for every one person on the planet!! WOW! WOW! The God we follow is huge. This is a God that can never be understood… he can never be pictured… he is beyond all human comprehension. In our feeble efforts we put him in a box out of a need for control. Out of a need for intellect… which can never be fully achieved. Do you honestly think that this God, who created all we see or know, will let anything stand in the way of his most prized creation? You!! We have an immense God who climbs into our lives. He feels our hurts. He laughs at our joys. He giggles at our feeble attempt to know him. At the same time he loves… he forgives… he understands and he chases. He chases after each of us desiring simply a relationship. He is a father that sees his children and wants nothing more than our love. Next time you look at the heavens… think about the vastness of God. Then remember he loves you more than you could ever imagine.
Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out.Is there anyone around who can explain God?Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?Anyone who has done him such a huge favorthat God has to ask his advice?Everything comes from him;Everything happens through him;Everything ends up in him.Always glory! Always praise!Yes. Yes. Yes.
I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.Don’t Put It OffEverything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.
My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.20-21God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.Glory to God in the church!Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!Glory down all the generations!Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
“I don’t think the way you think.The way you work isn’t the way I work.”God’s Decree.“For as the sky soars high above earth so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed.
God’s the one who rebuilds Jerusalem, who regathers Israel’s scattered exiles.He heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and assigns each a name.Our Lord is great, with limitless strength; we’ll never comprehend what he knows and does.God puts the fallen on their feet again and pushes the wicked into the ditch.
I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,your handmade sky-jewelry,Moon and stars mounted in their settings.Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,Why do you bother with us?Why take a second look our way?
So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
“What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.
The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.
He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”
I’m charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took his stand before Pontius Pilate and didn’t give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don’t slack off. Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on his way. He’ll show up right on time, his arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He’s the only one death can’t touch, his light so bright no one can get close. He’s never been seen by human eyes—human eyes can’t take him in! Honor to him, and eternal rule! Oh, yes.
February 7th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Life Giving Dance!
My wife, Lorna and I, love to dance. In fact, we have danced a lot over the past 37 years. We have danced for so long, we now move together as one. Thought is not on the dance, but simply on each other. So it should be, with our relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. As we spend time in contemplation… as we spend time in prayer… and time in stillness with God… we will get to a point of unending flow. We will come to understand, the energy and love of our father, and become as one with him. God intended for his children to participate in the dance that takes place between God, his Son and his Spirit. We were intended to move in a rhythmic flow between God and all creation. We will come to see Christ in everyone and everything. As that happens, the rules fall away one by one. The striving to please God, and the striving to earn his favor, become as natural as breathing. We no longer see the need to prove anything, to anyone, we simply dance in a life giving flow. A flow of love with the Trinity, that is mirrored in our human love here and now. I love the flow that my wife and I have. I truly believe it is of the Father.
Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!
Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be inyou!
January 31st, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
He is a liar!
He delights in chaos! He cheers as we dislike others. As we see differences in ourselves, he dances. He finds pleasure, as he watches us look at others with hatred, instead of seeing our Savior in them. He lives to divide… to cause fear… and to make us turn from one another over differences. He hates our hope, he hates our love, he hates our compassion and most of all, he hates the one we get that from. Satan has spent a lifetime driving humans to what we have become. He will continue to push… to influence… to lie, too so many people as they fight… as they fear… as they look everywhere else, but up. Want to defeat the evil one? Take to your knees in prayer. Love others regardless of nationality… race… religion… or lifestyle. Whether they are good or bad. Look to Jesus for all the answers and not to the world. Focus on our Fathers words… our Fathers wisdom… and lean not on your own. Those simple things will cause satan to run and hide. He is not welcome here. Drive him out of hearts with unending love for all, and worship to our Savior.
Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. “Honor your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, “so you will live well and have a long life.”Fathers, don’t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.Masters, it’s the same with you. No abuse, please, and no threats. You and your servants are both under the same Master in heaven. He makes no distinction between you and them.
One final word of counsel, friends. Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth. They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents.
Enoch, the seventh after Adam, prophesied of them: “Look! The Master comes with thousands of holy angels to bring judgment against them all, convicting each person of every defiling act of shameless sacrilege, of every dirty word they have spewed of their pious filth.” These are the “grumpers,” the bellyachers, grabbing for the biggest piece of the pie, talking big, saying anything they think will get them ahead.But remember, dear friends, that the apostles of our Master, Jesus Christ, told us this would happen: “In the last days there will be people who don’t take these things seriously anymore. They’ll treat them like a joke, and make a religion of their own whims and lusts.” These are the ones who split churches, thinking only of themselves. There’s nothing to them, no sign of the Spirit!
I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common. I bring this up because some from Chloe’s family brought a most disturbing report to my attention—that you’re fighting among yourselves! I’ll tell you exactly what I was told: You’re all picking sides, going around saying, “I’m on Paul’s side,” or “I’m for Apollos,” or “Peter is my man,” or “I’m in the Messiah group.” I ask you, “Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul’s name?” I was not involved with any of your baptisms—except for Crispus and Gaius—and on getting this report, I’m sure glad I wasn’t. At least no one can go around saying he was baptized in my name. (Come to think of it, I also baptized Stephanas’s family, but as far as I can recall, that’s it.)
I want you to put your foot down. Take a firm stand on these matters so that those who have put their trust in God will concentrate on the essentials that are good for everyone. Stay away from mindless, pointless quarreling over genealogies and fine print in the law code. That gets you nowhere. Warn a quarrelsome person once or twice, but then be done with him. It’s obvious that such a person is out of line, rebellious against God. By persisting in divisiveness he cuts himself off.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
January 24th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Slave Market!
As I read the account of a slave market my tears flowed in abundance. Men and women were forced to stand on a block of wood… naked… as buyers examined. As buyers threw insults. As they yelled out prices they would pay. In my mind I could see it… I could feel the pain… the humiliation. I then pictured myself on that block. Naked and afraid and wondering “why me”? I pictured myself full of sin… full of selfishness and ashamed of who I was. I could hear the small amounts that satan and his demons would pay for me. One who worships God but falls so short. One who loves God but is so full of sin… so full of selfishness. Then I heard his voice! Above the noise. Above the insults. Above the humiliation. Jesus… standing at the back of the crowd yelling “I will buy him”. Don’t care what he has done, who he is or what he looks like. I want him. Name your price and it is yours. I love him that much. He then walked up to where I was standing. With outstretched hands and love in his voice said “let’s go home”. Slavery was and still is a horrific thing that in the name of Jesus we need to eliminate. We are all slaves to sin. Thank goodness Jesus is willing to pay the price for our freedom.
Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can’t come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through. I know you are Abraham’s descendants. But I also know that you are trying to kill me because my message hasn’t yet penetrated your thick skulls. I’m talking about things I have seen while keeping company with the Father, and you just go on doing what you have heard from your father.”
Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.
So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
All of you, slave and free both, were once held hostage in a sinful society. Then a huge sum was paid out for your ransom. So please don’t, out of old habit, slip back into being or doing what everyone else tells you. Friends, stay where you were called to be. God is there. Hold the high ground with him at your side.
When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.”
So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.
Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
January 17th, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
In A Matter Of Seconds!
Thursday was a day just like any other. Same routine. No appointments. A day to laugh and spend time with my work family. Lunch was relaxing. Then as I made my way back to my desk… in a matter of seconds… life took a dramatic turn. A young man that has a very special place in my heart was found unconscious in his apartment and then later went home to be with our Savior. No warning. No preparation. No time. Just one minute everything is good and the next tragedy. We are a people that are addicted to comfort. We are a people that are addicted to control. We work tirelessly to make sure we have everything in order. We spend day after day in search for peace, that we think is found in order and control. There is no control. There is no order. There is no peace to be found on this earth short of Jesus Christ. All the plans in the world… all the money in the world… and all the control is but an illusion. As a people we have to put our faith, our hope, our comfort in one place and one place only. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Anything other than that… is time wasted.
Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”
“But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God.They’re like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers—Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season.
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.
I can’t wait to hear what he’ll say.God’s about to pronounce his people well,The holy people he loves so much,so they’ll never again live like fools.See how close his salvation is to those who fear him?Our country is home base for Glory!
God is a safe place to hide,ready to help when we need him.We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,courageous in seastorm and earthquake,Before the rush and roar of oceans,the tremors that shift mountains.Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.Proverbs 16:9We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.
January 10th 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
To Be A Child!
She was like a picture out of a magazine. A little girl all dressed up… sitting with mom and dad enjoying dinner. As we admired her from afar and then as we were leaving she displayed an unbridled love to us. Her smile was contagious and the eagerness with which she shown love was heartwarming to say the least. Then it hit me!! When Jesus said we should be as children this is what he was meaning. Children, unless taught otherwise, have an infinite abundance of love and hope. They do not worry about who you are or what you look like, they see love… they see hope. Children will display the love of our Savior without hesitation, until which time they observe in us, the opposite. As they absorb all levels of the world around them they learn to be intimidated and scared of others… by watching us. They lose that level of Gods love that they remember from having been in his presence. When our Savior said “be as children” he was telling us to love unconditionally. To hope without end. To see everyone as a product of God. Made in his image and holding his DNA in their souls. And mostly, he was telling us not to forget the love that was given to us, by him, when we were created.
At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, “Who gets the highest rank in God’s kingdom?”For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.”
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
January 3rd, 2021
Happy Jesus Day!
Living In The Flow!
At an early age I could hear the music. I could see it everywhere. I could feel it in my soul and hear it in my head. As a gift from God I learned to play the guitar without lesson. Music is not about notes on a page or theory in books. You have to feel the music in your very soul and display it in your heart. Since the age of thirteen I have used the musical talent he gave me to his glory. As time has passed and I have walked in communion with our God… I have come to learn the same of him. God… and his Son… and his Spirit… is not something that is simply words on a page. He is not found in the church you attend or the ministry you are a part of. You have to feel him in your heart. You have to experience him in the deepest part of your soul. He has to become, not just knowledge to you, but you have to become as one with him, to experience his flow. I have heard it said that you know you’re a writer… if all you can think about it writing. You know you’re a musician… if all you can think about is music. When you get to a point when all you can think of is Jesus. When he is a part, of every minute, in every day, then you will know you are his child. Only then will you experience his peace!
You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.
But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!
My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.
There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.
December 25th, 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
Baby Jesus
I remember vividly what it felt like to hold my daughter… then my son… for the first time. The amazing deep love, like I had never known before, overwhelmed. As I admired their face… as I counted their fingers… their toes… as I kissed their face and experienced their wonderful smell for the first time. I remember the emotion. I remember the capture of my heart and the sense of responsibility I felt in that instant. All these memories have rushed back in as I thought about what it must have felt like to hold baby Jesus for the first time. To not only love him, as we all love our children, but to know that he was the son of God! To feel the pure love that was given to only him! To know that he came to save every soul… that ever was or ever will be! To know that he was as pure, as pure can be, and would stay that way! To know that he would sacrifice himself, as the lamb of God, to save his very mother… his father… to save you… to save me… To reconcile the world to God, as all of our sin rested on his tiny shoulders. To simply be in his presence and know that he is God, he is the Savior and he is the Holy Spirit . I weep as I think of what that must have been like for Mary… for Joseph… Happy Birthday Jesus!!!
There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”
He said, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?” But they had no idea what he was talking about.So he went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them. His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself. And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people.
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.21How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.
I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s.
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son,Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”
December 24th, 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
Lesson Of The Manger!
I thought I got it! Every Christmas, I look at and read about the nativity scene but the true deep reality of it never fully came clear. In that time a stable was simply a lien-to and perhaps the most disgusting structure in town. Under its’ roof the dirtiest place would have been the manger. Full of animal saliva… worms… and the stench of uneaten moldy food. God could have chosen anywhere for his son to be born. A palace. A suite at the inn. In the middle of the synagogue. Why a manger? He wanted to choose the lowliest, most disgusting, vile place, to show us how his love works. I have watched churches turn away people because they do not fit in. I have watched as people shun those they consider disgusting. We live in a world where it is believed you should act a certain way, dress a certain way, and talk a certain way. The manger says – I came for everyone! I was born to love the most disgusting, dirty, vile person you can think of. Sometimes God hides lessons in the most obvious place. For me, this one brought a multitude of tears and time on my knees. The manger teaches humility. The manger teaches unconditional love. Isn’t it time we all practice that each day in our churches and on the street?Happy Birthday Jesus!
While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.An Event for EveryoneThere were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:Glory to God in the heavenly heights,Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
On the road someone asked if he could go along. “I’ll go with you, wherever,” he said.Jesus was curt: “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.”Jesus said to another, “Follow me.”
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
The Lord does not delay andis not tardy orslow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.
We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.
December 13th, 2020
Happy Jesus Day
Reconciling Sin
The love our God has for us is so immense that words can not explain. He created us in his image and shared with each of us a portion of his spirit. He wanted nothing more than for us to love him back. For us to be devoted to him. Pure love is free choice. He soon saw that our love would falter. Our love would fail. Because of his intense compassion for the people he created he had to find a way to reconcile our sin with his love. Enter Mary!! A simple girl… young… normal… and well thought of by some. Because of her dedication she found favor with God . Still a normal everyday girl with sin just like yours. Just like mine. God knew by placing his son in a normal girl he would create a way to take our sin… her sin… and cancel it once and for all. Gods son, our Savior, sinless and perfect, had to be made one with a normal sinful soul in order for sin to be defeated. He had to be born of a sinful human… in a humble nature… in order for the pain of the cross to cancel all sin once and for all. There was no announcement. No parade. No headlines. The birth was not even noticed by many. However it changed all our lives forever. Our God… our Savior… did that for us. They did that for you. They did that for me. What an amazing God!
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God. This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the Message of Christ. You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.9-11Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.
A Virgin Conceives In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:Good morning!You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,Beautiful inside and out!God be with you.She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.He will be great,be called ‘Son of the Highest.’The Lord God will give himthe throne of his father David;He will rule Jacob’s house forever—no end, ever, to his kingdom.”Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”The angel answered,The Holy Spirit will come upon you,the power of the Highest hover over you;Therefore, the child you bring to birthwill be called Holy, Son of God.“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”And Mary said,Yes, I see it all now:I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.Let it be with mejust as you say.Then the angel left her.
December 6th 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
My Daily Prayer!
FatherAs I learn… as I grow… you reveal your spirit to me. As I look into your eyes I have a heart that can not keep. My greatest of fears is that you will leave me here. Drowning in this water so deep, when I want nothing more than to walk with you. I’m just a common man with common fears. I don’t like the doubt… I don’t like the lack of trust, as satan tries to lead me in the wrong direction. As I pray I want to become one with you. I want to show the world your love… your heart… your grace. Father, come into every part of my spirit and use me until you can’t use me anymore. I give up my very soul, along with all of my heart, my mind. Take my life to your service. Allow me to get out of the way, so the world sees only you. Give me a faith that is so rock solid that nothing of this world can shake it. Allow my life to speak of you to others. Father, my whole life is in your hands. Mold me, as the potter molds the clay. Turn me into a vessel for your love.In your great name – AMEN!
That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
“‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’
“But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I’m completely in the dark about what will happen when I get there. I do know that it won’t be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know repeatedly and clearly that there are hard times and imprisonment ahead. But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.
Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.
November 29th 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
Love Ripples!
I watch the ripples a rock makes in the water. I ponder how each of us affects the other. Like ripples in the water our lives and the way we live it affects the next, then the next, then the next. As they argued satan took over his thoughts and convinced him to kill her. She was the past wife and children’s mother, of someone close to me. Her boyfriends actions caused pain and despair to one person… then the next… then the next… all the way to me. I mourn, because the one I love, mourns.When we are hateful to someone it flows down the line. When we cut someone off in traffic it causes them to be rude to the next. When we ignore the person in our path, it causes loneliness and in turn makes them ignore the next . But when we are kind, when we love, that light shines thru the person in front of us on to the next, then the next, then the next. When we plant seeds… seeds of hope… seeds of love… seeds of kindness… they grow. They grow and at some point they provide love and hope to many more. Like ripples in the water the kindness and love we display to others spreads out in even circles and produces infinite joy. Look what the life of our Savior did and that was 2000 years ago. Let’s see how many love ripples we can make per day.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
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.Love never gives up.Love cares more for others than for self.Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.Love doesn’t strut,Doesn’t have a swelled head,Doesn’t force itself on others,Isn’t always “me first,”Doesn’t fly off the handle,Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,Doesn’t revel when others grovel,Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,Puts up with anything,Trusts God always,Always looks for the best,Never looks back,But keeps going to the end.
So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
November 22nd, 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
Give Thanks Away!
He is fully human. He is fully God. He embraces the spirit, as the three live in each other. This is a Savior who through the Trinity climbs into our lives and makes beauty out of our mess… out of our pain… out of our sin. This is a God who can take the ugliest, most evil, torture device ever invented and use it to save us. My God, out of a deep unwavering love for us, not only used the cross to reconcile our sin but he turned it into an instrument of beauty. An emblem we use to proclaim our love for him. He takes our brokenness, no matter how tragic, and turns it around to bring good to our lives. As our Savior hung on the cross his cry was “My God why have you forsaken me?”. The pain was so intense that he could not feel the love of his father. There are times in our lives when the pain is so intense that we can not feel his love. But we have a God who climbs into that pain… because he loves us that much. There is nothing you can do that will make God love you less. Out of his love he will take the worst part of you and make it good. Out of the pain, out of the sin, out of the brokenness he will make beauty. No matter your circumstance GIVE THANKS! He is using it for good!
Give thanks to God—he is goodand his love never quits.Say, “Save us, Savior God,round us up and get us out of these godless places,So we can give thanks to your holy Name,and bask in your life of praise.”Blessed be God, the God of Israel,from everlasting to everlasting.Then everybody said, “Yes! Amen!” and “Praise God!”
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.
My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
November 15th, 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
WHY?
I grieve… I mourn… I sometimes cry uncontrollably…Gandhi. Dr King. Kennedy. Lincoln. Lennon. Evers. Our Savior Jesus Christ… all killed simply because they stood for peace… for love! I have great trouble understanding why? Understanding the struggle between Gods’ children. Why do we use skin color. Race. Differences in opinion. Nationality… as an excuse for such hatred and such violence? I see friends and loved ones not speaking simply because they disagree. I see churches terminating leaders because they are not perfect. Scripture tells me that we are all his children and made in his image. So why do we abuse and treat each other as we do? Why do we judge based on color, based on opinions, based on differences in lifestyle? Are we not ALL made in his image and filled with his spirit? From that spirit we inherit the knowledge that anything, other than love, for others, is wrong. Stop letting the evil one direct your actions and look solely to the spirit that lives in you. The spirit of the God who made you. The spirit that says I don’t care who you are, where you come from, or what you did, you deserve my love… my respect… my compassion! Oh to live in that world!!
So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! Jesus, staying true to God’s purposes, reached out in a special way to the Jewish insiders so that the old ancestral promises would come true for them. As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God. Just think of all the Scriptures that will come true in what we do! For instance:Then I’ll join outsiders in a hymn-sing;I’ll sing to your name!And this one:Outsiders and insiders, rejoice together!And again:People of all nations, celebrate God!All colors and races, give hearty praise!And Isaiah’s word:There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse,breaking through the earth and growing tree tall,Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope!Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always].
“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
God Is Love7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.11-12My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!13-16This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.To Love, to Be Loved17-18God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.19We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.20-21If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.
Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.30Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.31-32Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.
Hatred starts fights,but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.
November 8th, 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
Bone Deep Love
As we all sit in a circle the question was “what do you get from your spouse”? After listening to all the desires, all the wants, from the others, I simply answered “I expect nothing from Lorna except to love me”. Love is free choice. As the two of us are soulmates our love does not demand or expect performance. We simply do for each other out of a place of deep love. Unconditional love produces a desire to please… to serve… to cherish. So it is, with our love and relationship with Christ. As we accept his deep unconditional love it forms in us a desire to please him. Not out of fear… not out of a desire to earn… but out of respect and love. Unconditional love never demands performance. Never demands compliance. Never demands rules. If love is truly unconditional there is no need for rules, because everything is done from a place in the heart. Our Savior does not demand that we do things a certain way, act a certain way or follow a given set of rules. If he did, then what was the cross for? He simply and unconditionally asked that we love him in return… the way he loves us. From a place of love that goes bone deep… and includes all of who we are!!
Don’t Believe Everything You Hear1My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.2-3Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!4-6My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world’s language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.God Is Love7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.11-12My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!13-16This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.To Love, to Be Loved17-18God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.19We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.20-21If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
Father, I want those you gave meTo be with me, right where I am,So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,Having loved meLong before there ever was a world.Righteous Father, the world has never known you,But I have known you, and these disciples knowThat you sent me on this mission.I have made your very being known to them—Who you are and what you do—And continue to make it known,So that your love for meMight be in themExactly as I am in them.
It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.
One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life.Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity.Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.
November 1st, 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
Love Is All That Matters
Matthew Chapter 22.During times like these when anxiety fills the air We must remember that we are all more alike than different… Christ would love first. During times like these when there is so much division the wise build bridges while the foolish build barriers… Jesus would love first. As we are all his children, we simply have to run not walk toward each other with arms open wide….. in love. It’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong… it’s about what brings glory to God. It’s not about who’s ideas are best and who’s are not… it’s about how can we all be one people. It’s not about mistakes made or triumphs won… it’s about giving the praise to the one who rules over all.I see so much hatred… turmoil… pride… so much resentment and I know in my heart that is saddens our Savior. According to Jesus the two most important things is loving him and loving others. He didn’t say only if they agree with you. He didn’t say only if they look like you or if they behave like you. He said love everyone just like you love me. Next to that… nothing else matters.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
God Is Love My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. To Love, to Be Loved God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that. “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind. “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” He quoted a proverb: “‘Can a blind man guide a blind man?’ Wouldn’t they both end up in the ditch? An apprentice doesn’t lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher. “It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
But you, friends, are well-warned. Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers. Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes!
Every time the Animals gave glory and honor and thanks to the One Seated on the Throne—the age-after-age Living One—the Twenty-four Elders would fall prostrate before the One Seated on the Throne. They worshiped the age-after-age Living One. They threw their crowns at the foot of the Throne, chanting, Worthy, O Master! Yes, our God! Take the glory! the honor! the power! You created it all; It was created because you wanted it.
“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
October 25th, 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
I Am Broke
As I met him for the first time he had questions. How long have you owned this company? How many employees are there? It appears you have money. My reply caught him by surprise… “I do not own the company, I have no assets and as for money… I was broke when I was born, I currently don’t have a thing and I will die without a dollar to my name”. Honesty brings the realization that all we see, all we take comfort in, all we claim we own… belongs to God. He commented “but you built this company from the ground up. You had the wisdom to do what was needed.” “But who gave me that wisdom? Who opened the doors for me?” God!! Do you take pride in your accomplishments? God gave you that talent. Do you measure your success by the people you know? He puts people in your path. How about the size of your bank account? He trusted you with his money. Everything we have… every talent we possess… every accomplishment… belongs to God and must be used to his glory. It’s not about us. It’s about using what he blesses us with to glorify him and love others. The next time you have a chance to use your talents, money, or possessions to love others. Do it in his name. His love will come back to you… ten fold.
Some people say, quite rightly, that idols have no actual existence, that there’s nothing to them, that there is no God other than our one God, that no matter how many of these so-called gods are named and worshiped they still don’t add up to anything but a tall story. They say—again, quite rightly—that there is only one God the Father, that everything comes from him, and that he wants us to live for him. Also, they say that there is only one Master—Jesus the Messiah—and that everything is for his sake, including us. Yes. It’s true.
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.
Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.
Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
October 18th, 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
Whatever It Takes
As I sat at my desk a call came thru the intercom. There is someone in the parking lot looking in cars and trying doors. As everyone rushed outside I caught a glimpse of the young man. Homeless… simply looking for a way to get a dollar. As I stood there watching him walk away the thought weighed heavy on my heart. Why were we more concerned with our material possessions than the life of this homeless young man? Why were we so quick to think of running him off then to care for him and pray for his well being? As Jesus spoke from the mountain, he taught of the need to minister to ones such as this. To be more concerned with each other than with this world. To love those that persecute you. Love those that steal from you as much, as if not more, than those that love you in return. I went back to see if I could help… but he was gone. As a child of God I should minister to him. If it means giving him everything I have in order to bring him to Christ and show him the love of our Savior then I should be willing to do that. “If he steals your shirt, give him your coat also”! From the mountain… and the mouth… of our Lord.
“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. When We Practice Real Love My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
“If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”
Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
October 11th, 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
What’s On Your Screen?
As we all spend so much time on our phones. As I watch so many spend endless time looking at a screen. As I observe people on FB and so much social media… God put the following thought on my heart! “What if I had made you with a screen on your chest that showed the thoughts in your mind and the desires of your heart?” Scary thought? Would others see Jesus is first in your life or money? Would they see that family takes center stage or our Savior. Would your friends be the most important or God? How about your hobby, your job? Would those be at the front of your screen or would it be covered up by Jesus? Could the world see your thoughts and still accept you or would you run in shame. Would they see a heart of Jesus or a heart of stone? Would they see judgement or compassion? Love or hatred? There is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us. I pray daily that my screen would show unending love for everyone surrounded by Jesus, Jesus, and more Jesus. Don’t know if I will ever get there… but I’m trying. Lest we forget… God sees it all as if we have a screen. I for one am so thankful for the grace of our Savior.
So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
If we had forgotten to pray to our God or made fools of ourselves with store-bought gods,Wouldn’t God have figured this out? We can’t hide things from him. No, you decided to make us martyrs,lambs assigned for sacrifice each day.
The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.
“Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
October 4th, 2020
Happy Jesus Day
Eighteen Inches
Eighteen inches! Such a short distance… but a long journey. Does your walk with God start in your head or your heart? It’s eighteen inches from one to the other. Christ didn’t spend time telling people what they did wrong. He didn’t spend time telling of his wisdom. He didn’t make a list of all the things they needed, to gain his approval. He simply loved. He simply forgave. He simply made them feel special. When it came time to love he didn’t analyze why they were caught in the situation they were in… he simply helped. He didn’t worry about where they came from… he simply helped. When you run across a homeless person do you judge or do you pray and help. When you encounter a person with a hardened past do you shy away and judge or do you pray and help. Why are we so quick to see differences when Christ doesn’t? If your walk with God is in your head. If your walk with our Savior is all about one scripture after another. Take time to let it travel the eighteen inches he intended for it to. It’s the only way we will change this world for him. It’s not about how many verses you can remember. It’s about how much love you can show. He is counting on our hearts to be the door he walks through.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.Whoever wants to embrace lifeand see the day fill up with good,Here’s what you do:Say nothing evil or hurtful;Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth.God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he’s asked;But he turns his backon those who do evil things.
The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that’s what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or later we’ll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what’s coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad.
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
September 27th, 2020
Happy Jesus Day!
Drinking From Their Cup
“Samaritans? Half-breeds! Who would think of associating with them? They must stay in their village and they are not welcome here. We must keep them in their place and their place is certainly not with us.” He knew the unwritten rules. Jews simply did not talk to samaritans. But she was there. He was there. He could tell she needed a kind word and a loving heart. Jesus had been traveling so you know he had his chalice with him. But he asked her to dip him some water with HER cup. Why? I believe he wanted to show compassion… empathy… by drinking from her cup. He wanted to know what it felt like to be a samaritan. He wanted her to know he was not afraid to be in her life… in her world. Should we not do the same? I have no idea what it feels like to be black. What it feels like to be born in Iran. I am clueless to the struggles of the homeless but I should try to learn. Christ showed compassion to this samaritan woman by stepping into her shoes, if only for a moment. We should pray for the empathy and compassion to do the same with the people around us. If we call ourselves Christ followers then let us follow.
Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.
God didn’t set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we’re awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we’re alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good,Here’s what you do:Say nothing evil or hurtful;Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth.God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he’s asked;But he turns his back on those who do evil things.
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.5-8Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
