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Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11
Remember the “Where’s Waldo” pictures? It was quite a fad for a while. You would be looking for Waldo, in the midst of a bunch of other very similar looking people or backgrounds. Sometimes it is almost impossible to find Waldo.
When the apostle Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, he had a few things to talk to them about. While they were very strong in some areas. They were very weak in others.
One of the ways that they had become weak was in taking on the attitudes, and sometimes actions of the surrounding culture. In fact, sometimes the church in Corinth was actually worse in their morality than the culture around them!
Paul reminds them of two things. First of all, he reminds them of the life that they used to live. Lives marked by immorality, partying, and lies. Then he reminds them of how life should be different for those who follow Christ.
We are called to be different than the world. To stick out, to stand alone, to rise above the chaos. We are not called to be chameleons, camouflaged by current trends.
The Old Testament tells the story of three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were their names, who were commanded to bow down to an idol when the trumpets blew.
Everyone bowed down to the idol except these three guys. Imagine how they stuck out from the crowd. It may be hard to find Waldo in some pictures, but it was easy to find those three!
Yet they took a stand and God delivered them. The same is true for us. Don’t be a chameleon. Stand above the rest. Be excellent in your words, actions and attitudes. Be Jesus in skin. That way, when people say, ‘where is Jesus’, they will be able to look to you and know exactly where he is.
I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! John 15:11
Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus being surrounded by disease, evil, and social unrest. Yet his goal for us in his teachings was to be filled with joy. Not because of those struggles, or to remove those struggles, but to give us strength, through those struggles.
As a follower of Jesus we can have JOY because we are JUSTIFIED through His sacrifice on the cross. Romans 5:1 tells us, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
We can have JOY because when others fail us and we feel rejected we are assured of God’s OVERFLOWING LOVE. “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)
We can have JOY because in the midst of life’s struggles, in those times we feel defeated and alone, Jesus gives us a YOKE OF REST. “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
Live in JOY today because of Jesus!
I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. John 15:9
“If God is a God of love, then why did my mom get cancer?”
“If God is a God of love, why is there evil in the world?’
“If God is a God of love, why did that natural disaster happen?”
“If God is a God of love…”
We hear it all the time. It’s one of the arguments athiests, agnostics and non-believers love to use to prove that if God does exist, he isn’t the type of God one would want to have faith in.
But love is proven more powerfully in bad times than the good. When life is easy, we tend to love everyone and everything. But true love? You see that in the picture of an elderly man helping his nearly crippled wife walk down the street.
You see true love in the husband or wife who patiently and faithfully helps their spouse through addiction.
You see true love in the mom and dad who faithfully sit by the hospital bed of a sick child.
And God? You see His true love in through the life and death of His Son, Jesus. God loved Jesus as His only son yet he allowed him to go experience the rejection of the very people he created.
He allowed Jesus to feel the sorrow of watching friends die, people being mistreated and parents following the casket of sons and daughters.
He watched, and eventually looked away, when Jesus endured the ultimate pain of the cross.
In all this tragedy, God’s love is the defining factor. Jesus endured all He endured to show us that true love flourishes in the painful times of life.
The very purpose God has for giving each of us life is so that He can show us love. A love that values us when others reject us. A love that empowers us as we endure hardship and rejection. A love that assures us that even though things may look dark now, a better day is coming.
The rejection of his people and the pain of the cross led to new life, eternal life, through the resurrection.
The same is true for us. We may never understand fully the ‘why’, of God allowing us to go through struggles, hardship and rejection, but one day like Jesus, we will be resurrected into a new life with him forever if we follow Him as Lord and Savior.
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? Matthew 6:30
We live in a beautiful area. People travel from miles around to visit sights I see every day.
We were camping one time with my in-laws at a campground about 10 miles from our house. They’d been to the park before, but never camped there. As we sat around the fire one night, one of them said, “This is so beautiful here. I don’t know why we drive so far to camp elsewhere when we could just camp here!”
The point was well taken, and as we travel to other areas to view the scenery, I often wonder how often the locals stop to admire their surroundings. In their defense, it’s not that they are ungrateful or don’t see the beauty, but when a person sees the same thing everyday we tend to forget how beautiful it is and take it for granted.
Other times, we simply become so distracted by real life that we fail to see the beauty around us. It becomes so commonplace, we simply forget.
Spiritual life can be that way. We get distracted by issues at work. We get distracted by family concerns like finances, health issues and wayward kids. We get distracted by the social and political issues of the world.
But Jesus urges us (commands us?) to step back and remember how God cares for all of his creation. Even things such as wildflowers and sparrows. Scripture tells us he even knows how many hairs are on our heads! Talk about a God who is concerned about the details!
Maybe it’s time to step back and take a look at how God provides for us through His creation. Rather than watch the news, look at some pictures of landscape, read some passages from the book of Psalms, or, if you can, sit on your deck and just take in the views.
Don’t allow distractions keep you from seeing God’s direction. Rather than seeing problems look at God’s provision.
Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Matthew 7:24
What do you think is more foolish? Find the perfect spot to build your house. Collect all of the building materials and store them there? Or to find a place on the beach and build a house in an area that is susceptible to storms and destruction?
Neither option is very wise. In the first option, there is no shelter whatsoever. When the storms come, you have everything you need to be safe, but you haven’t put it together.In the second option, when the storm comes, what you have built is destroyed.
It’s one thing to have the right materials to build and have the right place to build on. It’s quite another to take those materials and actually build.
Jesus tells the story of two houses. Let’s assume that the building materials used to build these houses are exactly the same. They are high-quality, they are exactly what you need.
This story isn’t so much about the building materials or the location is it is what you do with the materials you have. Inactive faith is no faith at all.
Just before he tells the story about the two houses, Jesus warns those listening to him that there will be many who claim to know him, but he won’t know them, because they have not lived a life of active faith.
Following Jesus isn’t about knowing him, and knowing all sorts of scripture, and knowing all the right things to say. Following Jesus is having an active faith. Building a house of grace, of mercy, and of love. Building a house in which people can run to for shelter in the midst of the storm.
What can you do today to make your faith more active in the lives of those around you? What can you do today to start building a house that will withstand the strongest storms?
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 