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I love the raw emotion of David in the songs he wrote (Psalms). They are filled with virtually every type of emotion from anger to fear; from frustration to doubt; from confession to loneliness. Virtually ever song ends with a acknowledgement of God’s unending, unfailing, unconditional love.
So with such a great God on our side, why would anyone run from him? I’m not sure there are any easy answers but it’s been happening since the beginning of time, with the first two humans to ever walk this earth.
What an amazing relationship Adam and Eve must have had with the triune God. At the end of every day they had the opportunity to walk in the cool of the evening; to talk with him about all the things they’d seen throughout the day; to ask him first hand, eye to eye, about life.
They were completely naked physically, spiritually and emotionally! Boggles my mind!
Then that fateful evening came. The Heavenly Father, the Triune God, came as he always did to walk with the loves of his life…but they were gone. They ran. They hid. Not only did they hide from their loving Father, they hid from each other behind fig leaves. And so the story goes on.
We still do it of course. We see our failings; we grieve over our weaknesses; we hide and blame and pass on the responsibility of our guilt to others. It’s been going on for thousands of years.
One other thing hasn’t changed. He still comes for you. Still seeks you out. In spite of your failings, still passionately desires to be intimately involved with you. He won’t judge. He won’t accuse. He only wants to love on you a bit.
Why do we run from that?! Maybe it’s time we come out of the bushes and renew a love relationship.
One of the greatest dichotomies of the Christian Life is the treatment of our enemies. To give without expectation of return? Ludicrous! If people were truly honest, even those who donate to charities of various kinds want something in return. That something may be the gift of self-satisfaction, “look what I did!”
To go further, the church has often been guilty of lashing out at those who are ‘wicked’ in the Lord’s sight. To be sure, Godly standards must be taught and held to by his followers, but Jesus was a friend to many we would shy away from.
Take a stand for what is right. Stay true to your calling. But never forget that we are called to love those who contradict the very standards we hold to. People will know us by our fruit. The fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.
Live the life the Spirit empowers you to live.
Back in the 1990’s there was a clever marketing campaign which, I believe, was a true attempt to remind people of our original calling: To live by example the good news of the Gospel as personified in the life of Jesus Christ.
Many a T-shirt, can cooler, visor, and bracelet were sold with the initials, WWJD. Today, the question is as valid as it was then. What would Jesus do? I doubt he would lash out at Caesar for his handling of the Roman Empire. Judging from his treatment of the woman guilty of adultery, I”m guessing he would not condemn those who live a life contrary to God’s original plan for family.
Jesus Christ found the perfect balance between reaching out to the ‘deplorables’ while at the same time standing for the standards of his Heavenly Father. How unfortunate that 2000 years ago people of ill repute sought Jesus out and today they tend to scoff, run or hide from the mere mention of his name.
Now more than ever, we who are ‘little Christs’ (the original implication of the title ‘Christian’) ought to strive with every word, with every action, with every attitude, to exemplify the life of the one who called us from darkness.
Be a light. Shine like Jesus did.
Next week, an annual phenomenon will occur. All across the country people will make decisions regarding healthy eating and exercise. Fitness centers will see a huge increase in memberships. In fact, the industry will often offer sign-up savings to coincide with the new year. It’s a good deal for them because more than half of these members will not come in, meaning more profit!
At the same time, church attendance will decline after the annual increase of attendance to do people making their annual Christmas visit. Kids school work, sports, work and family time will be the main excuses for ‘just not having time for church.’
Most people put far more time into taking care of the physical body than they do the spiritual. Jesus addressed that when he reminded his followers that just pursuing the physical is meaningless if you don’t add the spiritual dimension.
Don’t emphasize the temporal at the expense of the eternal.
Jesus Christ was confronted by several of the religious leaders of his day. Their intent was to trap him in some statement. Bear in mind, these were the lawyers, the professors, the elite of his day. He was a mere carpenter from a small town — at least in their eyes.
So, Jesus. What’s the most important commandment of God. There are ten you know. What say you? What’s the most important thing?
Jesus’ words summed up the most important thing in life nicely. It was love. The power of love conquers everything. Paul says prophecies will end, gifts will end, but love? That lasts forever.
Jesus words to his accusers were simple. The more you love God, the more you will find it within yourself to love others. The opposite is also true, the more you love others; the more you accept their faults as God has accepted yours; the more you recognize the differences in others and either a God given gift or a personal struggle, the more you will experience the power of God’s love working through you.
Jesus describes this life of love as a fountain springing up within us and overflowing, Nothing can stop the power of God’s love. Love is contagious. Spread it.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 