Jesus was all about sincerity and dedication. Those were and are two of his best qualities, IMHO (in my humble opinion, if you didn't know). Jesus was always truthful and and WYSIWYG ("What you see is what you get"). Some of those around him, not so much, you might say. Jesus appreciated
Showing posts with label relationships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relationships. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Where Do We Go from Here?
The Lovely Joanne and I just got back from a day at a summer camp, where some of the campers and staff were baptized. Hooray and hallelujah! For those newly-baptized persons, I know one of their next questions is "now, how do I follow Jesus?" So here are a few words that may help. Should we seek a 'balance' between grace and
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
The End of Conflict
Last night some friends and I discussed part of a book called "Life Together." A German pastor named Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about church life, during the Nazi persecution of the Lutheran church in Germany during WWII. Brother Dietrich realized that if the church didn't
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
He Felt Our Sorrows
Is the Gospel relevant? It is as relevant to our lives as the newspaper or its online equivalents. Lately, we've been hit with the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, and the recurring Israel-Gaza conflict, with over 2,000 dead and no proper end in sight -- just to name two out of thousands of conflicts right now. How does the Gospel apply to all these? Here are a few
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
A New Childhood
God calls himself our Father, and he calls us his children. Jesus called little children to himself (Luke 18:15-17 for instance) to explain visually what it means to be God's kids (not just so he could explain humility -- he also took them in his arms and blessed them). The imagery that God accepts us "as his kids" should include our own memories of safety, love, warmth, comfort, care and security. That's how it should be.
But for some of us, childhood
But for some of us, childhood
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Living in the Kingdom: The Sermon on the Mount
"Blessed are the poor...You are the salt of the earth...Unless your righteousness is better than the Pharisees...You have heard it said..." These are familiar words from Jesus. Many times they are said to be "a new Torah" or "the constitution of the Kingdom," and they can be a tad frightening if
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Listening to God the Holy Spirit
I've been studying, meditating, and asking God for more clarity on the Holy Spirit's person and work, and being reminded again how
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
God's Love, Our Life
I've been writing about how God tells us he has already redeemed us through Christ, and we don't have to earn his love. So how we can more fully live in that amazing reality of God's love and acceptance? How can we deal better with everyday life, with its struggles, temptations and failures, learn to "imitate Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1) and show God's power and love to others? We will find that the answer to all these questions is the same: a more focused daily walk, using some common and very useable tools.
We were created "in the image of God" (Gen. 1:26) with the capacity for a relationship with God. But because of humanity's initial and ongoing rebellion against God, we have been wandering around in the dark and subject to death (Rom. 5:12-14). It took another "Adam" -- Jesus Christ -- to set things right, including restoring that broken image of God in us (1 Cor. 15:45). Because of Jesus, and only through Jesus, we have a new, clear and open relationship with God.
A few points to remember before we start to talk about specific tools:
First, these are 'tools' not 'rules.' These help us on our journey, they're not more and burdensome commands (sigh) to remember.
Second, these are not ways to convince God to reward us; they are part of "a process of involvement in God's gracious work" through the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, according to M. Robert Mulholland, Jr. in his well-written book, Invitation to a Journey.
Third, we don't change ourselves; we are changed by God in the process of walking with Jesus, caught up in his relationship of love with the Father. We are not in control, God is; so the best thing we can do is surrender to his plan for us "to become like his Son" (Rom. 8:29.
Fourth, these are ways to remove the veil that is over our eyes so we can see Jesus more fully. Paul writes in 2 Cor 3:16-18, "But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."
Fifth, it's a process, not something we do just once. Life with Jesus is a relationship, like two friends taking a long walk together, or a marriage.
Sixth, being conformed to Christ means new and renewed relationships with others. As we become more like him, we will be able to relate to others with his love and not our own brokenness. (Isn't that alone worth the whole journey??)
So as we look at these tools one by one, we will see why each one fits into God's plan to conform us to a whole new Person, Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:13).
We were created "in the image of God" (Gen. 1:26) with the capacity for a relationship with God. But because of humanity's initial and ongoing rebellion against God, we have been wandering around in the dark and subject to death (Rom. 5:12-14). It took another "Adam" -- Jesus Christ -- to set things right, including restoring that broken image of God in us (1 Cor. 15:45). Because of Jesus, and only through Jesus, we have a new, clear and open relationship with God.
A few points to remember before we start to talk about specific tools:
First, these are 'tools' not 'rules.' These help us on our journey, they're not more and burdensome commands (sigh) to remember.
Second, these are not ways to convince God to reward us; they are part of "a process of involvement in God's gracious work" through the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, according to M. Robert Mulholland, Jr. in his well-written book, Invitation to a Journey.
Third, we don't change ourselves; we are changed by God in the process of walking with Jesus, caught up in his relationship of love with the Father. We are not in control, God is; so the best thing we can do is surrender to his plan for us "to become like his Son" (Rom. 8:29.
Fourth, these are ways to remove the veil that is over our eyes so we can see Jesus more fully. Paul writes in 2 Cor 3:16-18, "But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."
Fifth, it's a process, not something we do just once. Life with Jesus is a relationship, like two friends taking a long walk together, or a marriage.
Sixth, being conformed to Christ means new and renewed relationships with others. As we become more like him, we will be able to relate to others with his love and not our own brokenness. (Isn't that alone worth the whole journey??)
So as we look at these tools one by one, we will see why each one fits into God's plan to conform us to a whole new Person, Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:13).
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Weeds
I've been mowing lawns since I was about six years old, so pushing a lawnmower -- or growing grass that must be mowed -- has sort of lost its shine for me. But because I love my wife (The Amazing Joanne) we have a lawn with grass, and I help work on it. This morning, I pulled weeds for an hour while it was still more-or-less cool outside. Adam was told in Genesis 3 after he rebelled in the perfect garden, "the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you..." So every time I dig or pull weeds, I remember that note. But it's not just the ground that grows harmful things; our minds and emotions do too.
In Hebrews 12:15, we're told " Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many." When we focus on a real or imagined hurt, and let that divide us from our friends and family, and from our family in Christ, we start believing that the hurt is more important than the relationship. That's a lie! But that lie has destroyed many friendships and family bonds.
Hurting others, or letting ourselves be poisoned by hurt, are two very common kinds of weed. There are many more: lust, greed, envy, anger, selfish ambition, idolatry (anything ahead of God in our lives) and so on. Galatians 5:16-21 tells us to be steered by the Spirit of God, not the fleshly pull that produces those weeds.
How do you destroy weeds? In a lawn, pulling or digging them out is one way. Another step is to feed the grass and make it so healthy that the weeds get choked out. No, seriously -- if the grass is good and strong, and covers all the available soil, there won't be any way for weed seeds to get rooted and grow. Gal. 5:22-26 gives us more: "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" Those are 'good grass,' the kind of thing God is himself, and that he wants in us. It goes on to say "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives." So, we're told to make sure we're really focusing on our Christian life, and that will produce the good results in life. That's both pro-active, by choosing to focus on God, and reactive, because God will continue to 'fertilize and water us' with his Word and his Spirit.
It's easy enough to get tired, and then lose our focus or ambition to live our whole lives focused on Christ. To let the TV or internet or idle ideas dominate our minds -- and that gives a spot for the weeds to take root. Then, they start blocking out the good results God wants in us, like weeds block the sun from the grass. So we need to keep on top of our day-to-day living, and let God water and fertilize us so our lives will be filled with the fruits of the Spirit -- not the weeds of the flesh.
In Hebrews 12:15, we're told " Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many." When we focus on a real or imagined hurt, and let that divide us from our friends and family, and from our family in Christ, we start believing that the hurt is more important than the relationship. That's a lie! But that lie has destroyed many friendships and family bonds.
Hurting others, or letting ourselves be poisoned by hurt, are two very common kinds of weed. There are many more: lust, greed, envy, anger, selfish ambition, idolatry (anything ahead of God in our lives) and so on. Galatians 5:16-21 tells us to be steered by the Spirit of God, not the fleshly pull that produces those weeds.
How do you destroy weeds? In a lawn, pulling or digging them out is one way. Another step is to feed the grass and make it so healthy that the weeds get choked out. No, seriously -- if the grass is good and strong, and covers all the available soil, there won't be any way for weed seeds to get rooted and grow. Gal. 5:22-26 gives us more: "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" Those are 'good grass,' the kind of thing God is himself, and that he wants in us. It goes on to say "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives." So, we're told to make sure we're really focusing on our Christian life, and that will produce the good results in life. That's both pro-active, by choosing to focus on God, and reactive, because God will continue to 'fertilize and water us' with his Word and his Spirit.
It's easy enough to get tired, and then lose our focus or ambition to live our whole lives focused on Christ. To let the TV or internet or idle ideas dominate our minds -- and that gives a spot for the weeds to take root. Then, they start blocking out the good results God wants in us, like weeds block the sun from the grass. So we need to keep on top of our day-to-day living, and let God water and fertilize us so our lives will be filled with the fruits of the Spirit -- not the weeds of the flesh.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Weeds
I just pulled a few weeds from the cracks in the driveway. That reminded me of the sins -- ideas, habits and reactions -- that creep into our lives when we're not looking.
Yes, our sins are forgiven by Jesus' sacrifice, and we are brought into the loving communion of the Trinity through his work (not ours!). But that's never an excuse to allow sin to come back into our lives and injure us -- and others. It's important for us to keep our eyes open to those things that threaten our relationship with God and with each other.
Hebrews 12:1 says (right after the list of the people of faith in chapter 11) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." The Greek adjective translated 'trips us up' means anything that would slow us down and take our energy. The metaphor here for Christian life is an endurance race, not a sprint; so it's important not to let sin creep in and take away even a little energy, as that will have serious consequences over 'the long run.'
Later on in Hebrews 12, verse 15 says "Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many." Now, that's interesting: the writer tells us two things -- to not let bitterness come in and poison the relationships between us; also the command to "look after each other." I think one of the most serious 'weeds' that gets into our lives is offense and unforgiveness -- bitterness -- between us.
If we're considering where to find sin our lives -- and we should -- then looking carefully for conflict, or the leftovers of conflict like resentment against someone else, is vital. Too often (really, once is too often) Christians simply withdraw from each other, cutting off contact and communication, rather than working things out. That weed always grows, never dying by itself, and it spreads seeds that also grow, "corrupting many." We have to go after that sin and pull it out by the roots before it affects our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Like weeds, sin is serious stuff. We need to surrender it to God and ask him for the help we need to get rid of it. How about searching your life this week for those 'weeds' that hurt you and those close to you? And how about forgiving -- really, deeply letting go -- of someone else's sin against you?
Yes, our sins are forgiven by Jesus' sacrifice, and we are brought into the loving communion of the Trinity through his work (not ours!). But that's never an excuse to allow sin to come back into our lives and injure us -- and others. It's important for us to keep our eyes open to those things that threaten our relationship with God and with each other.
Hebrews 12:1 says (right after the list of the people of faith in chapter 11) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." The Greek adjective translated 'trips us up' means anything that would slow us down and take our energy. The metaphor here for Christian life is an endurance race, not a sprint; so it's important not to let sin creep in and take away even a little energy, as that will have serious consequences over 'the long run.'
Later on in Hebrews 12, verse 15 says "Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many." Now, that's interesting: the writer tells us two things -- to not let bitterness come in and poison the relationships between us; also the command to "look after each other." I think one of the most serious 'weeds' that gets into our lives is offense and unforgiveness -- bitterness -- between us.
If we're considering where to find sin our lives -- and we should -- then looking carefully for conflict, or the leftovers of conflict like resentment against someone else, is vital. Too often (really, once is too often) Christians simply withdraw from each other, cutting off contact and communication, rather than working things out. That weed always grows, never dying by itself, and it spreads seeds that also grow, "corrupting many." We have to go after that sin and pull it out by the roots before it affects our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Like weeds, sin is serious stuff. We need to surrender it to God and ask him for the help we need to get rid of it. How about searching your life this week for those 'weeds' that hurt you and those close to you? And how about forgiving -- really, deeply letting go -- of someone else's sin against you?
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