Happy with injustice…

The hidden plan to live without any law is at work now, but it will be secret only until the one who is holding it back is out of the way. Then the person who is lawless will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath from his mouth. When the Lord comes, his appearance will put an end to him. When the person who is lawless comes, it will happen through Satan’s effort, with all kinds of fake power, signs, and wonders. It will happen with every sort of wicked deception of those who are heading toward destruction because they have refused to love the truth that would allow them to be saved. This is why God will send them an influence that will mislead them so that they will believe the lie. The result will be that everyone will be judged who is not convinced by the truth but is happy with injustice. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12, CEB)

Now I am usually not one to get political, and I also am not one to say “Look at these signs, and do they not line up with what the Bible tells us” but…

“The result will be that everyone will be judged who is not convinced by the truth but is happy with injustice.” Everyone will be judged who is happy with injustice. 1000 yards of buoys in the Rio Grande that are killing women and children and keeping refugees from seeking the place of respite they are coming for. And people are rejoicing over this. Or laws being put in place which will make children who have started hormone therapy to block puberty to be their authentic self are made to stop this and cause them to be something the know they are not. Laws against women doing what they need to to their own bodies by men who do not know better but only want control. They are happy with injustice and do not see the truth.

We need to give up on what the world thinks is best and look out for all humanity. That is seeking justice. That is living like Christ.

Do not be fooled by those who say this is what religion is or this is what the Bible says. Follow Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

imitate

Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God. Sexual immorality, and any kind of impurity or greed, shouldn’t even be mentioned among you, which is right for holy persons. Obscene language, silly talk, or vulgar jokes aren’t acceptable for believers. Instead, there should be thanksgiving. Because you know for sure that persons who are sexually immoral, impure, or greedy—which happens when things become gods—those persons won’t inherit the kingdom of Christ and God. Nobody should deceive you with stupid ideas. God’s anger comes down on those who are disobedient because of this kind of thing. (Ephesians 5:1-6, CEB)

Live your life with love following the example of Christ.

Love like God does.

Look to the needs of others before yourself.

Love out Loud!

Loving People. Loving God.

a good thing

When Jesus was at Bethany visiting the house of Simon, who had a skin disease, a woman came to him with a vase made of alabaster containing very expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ head while he was sitting at dinner. Now when the disciples saw it they were angry and said, “Why this waste? This perfume could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.” But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, “Why do you make trouble for the woman? She’s done a good thing for me. You always have the poor with you, but you won’t always have me. By pouring this perfume over my body she’s prepared me to be buried. I tell you the truth that wherever in the whole world this good news is announced, what she’s done will also be told in memory of her.” (Matthew 26:6-13, CEB)

Sometimes we see things as wasteful, unnecessary.

This woman, who is not named, poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ head. Now do not confuse this story with the one from John, or from Luke. they are separate incidents. Here she pours the perfume on Jesus’ head and that is all we hear, other than Jesus saying she will be remembered because she anointed him and prepared his body for burial.

Sometimes we don’t understand because God is so much bigger than us.

Sometimes we won’t understand. And that is faith.

Just love.

Loving People. Loving God.

Deep

God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep! They are as mysterious as his judgments, and they are as hard to track as his paths! Who has known the Lord’s mind? Or who has been his mentor? Or who has given him a gift and has been paid back by him? All things are from him and through him and for him. May the glory be to him forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36, CEB)

God’s anything is deeper than we can fathom.

We can not comprehend God or the things God does.

Know that God’s glory and being are far wider and deeper than we could ever imagine and God includes us in the kindom.

That is a gift we can never repay. The good news is, we do not have to worry about repaying it!

Loving People. Loving God.

repay…

So every single one of you who judge others is without any excuse. You condemn yourself when you judge another person because the one who is judging is doing the same things. We know that God’s judgment agrees with the truth, and his judgment is against those who do these kinds of things. If you judge those who do these kinds of things while you do the same things yourself, think about this: Do you believe that you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you have contempt for the riches of God’s generosity, tolerance, and patience? Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is supposed to lead you to change your heart and life? You are storing up wrath for yourself because of your stubbornness and your heart that refuses to change. God’s just judgment will be revealed on the day of wrath. God will repay everyone based on their works. On the one hand, he will give eternal life to those who look for glory, honor, and immortality based on their patient good work. But on the other hand, there will be wrath and anger for those who obey wickedness instead of the truth because they are acting out of selfishness and disobedience. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. God does not have favorites. (Romans 2:1-11, CEB)

God will repay everyone based on their works.

Wow. I will receive from God what I gave/did for others.

I’m not sure I buy that from reading all of the Bible but according to Paul here in the second chapter of Romans that is what is going to happen. We should err on the side of love is what he is getting at.

If we judge someone for doing something more than likely we are doing the very thing we judge someone else for and by judging someone else we are judging ourselves and God will see that and repay us for this injustice.

Bottom line, don’t judge. Just love. If you are loving people you don’t have time to judge them.

Loving People. Loving God.

Conformed

So, brothers and sisters, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This is your appropriate priestly service. Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature. Because of the grace that God gave me, I can say to each one of you: don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Instead, be reasonable since God has measured out a portion of faith to each one of you. We have many parts in one body, but the parts don’t all have the same function. In the same way, though there are many of us, we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to each other. We have different gifts that are consistent with God’s grace that has been given to us. If your gift is prophecy, you should prophesy in proportion to your faith. If your gift is service, devote yourself to serving. If your gift is teaching, devote yourself to teaching. If your gift is encouragement, devote yourself to encouraging. The one giving should do it with no strings attached. The leader should lead with passion. The one showing mercy should be cheerful. (Romans 12:1-8, CEB)

Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world.

Do not align yourself with the systems that keep people in bondage.

Do not allow the former ways to control how things continue, but transform your mind by following God’s will.

Transform yourself and this world by living love out loud!

We all have gifts and all of us are needed. No one is any better than anyone else and all of us have a part to play.

Don’t continue what always was, but help us all transform to the world God intended.

Loving People. Loving God.

Watch out…

When the disciples arrived on the other side of the lake, they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus said to them, “Watch out and be on your guard for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They discussed this among themselves and said, “We didn’t bring any bread.” Jesus knew what they were discussing and said, “You people of weak faith! Why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you don’t have any bread? Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves that fed the five thousand and how many baskets of leftovers you gathered? And the seven loaves that fed the four thousand and how many large baskets of leftovers you gathered? Don’t you know that I wasn’t talking about bread? But be on your guard for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he wasn’t telling them to be on their guard for yeast used in making bread. No, he was telling them to watch out for the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:5-12, CEB)

Some people will say they follow Jesus but all they really want is power and control.

It isn’t about yeast but learning. People will teach you what they want the Bible to say and what will allow then to stay in power over others.

God is about liberation and love, not control and domination.

God loves us and anything that comes from God will proclaim that love and free us from bondage.

Loving People. Loving God.

Brag?

We won’t dare to place ourselves in the same league or to compare ourselves with some of those who are promoting themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they have no understanding. We won’t take pride in anything more than what is appropriate. Let’s look at the boundaries of our work area that God has assigned to us. It’s an area that includes you. We aren’t going out of bounds, as if our work area doesn’t extend as far as you. We were the first ones to travel as far as Corinth with the gospel of Christ. We don’t take pride in what other people do outside of our boundaries. We hope that our work will be extended even more by you as your faith grows, until it expands fully (within the boundaries, of course). We hope that our work grows even to the point of the gospel being preached in places beyond Corinth, without bragging about what has already been done in another person’s work area. But, the one who brags should brag in the Lord. It isn’t the person who promotes himself or herself who is approved but the person whom the Lord commends. (2 Corinthians 10:12-18, CEB)

Have you ever bragged about yourself? I have to say that I have a hard time bragging about myself. You may not know but I have a degree in master’s degree in Jazz Performance on Electric Bass. I have a hard time telling people that or taking compliments on my playing. I always feel like I could have done better and I let the people listening and I am playing with down. Now I know I am not terrible. I do know I am my own worst critic. Recently I played Electric acoustic bass (upright) for a production of Cabaret and every night it felt like I had royally screwed something up, but every night walking out, the cast and the attendees would always say nice job. To which I would always politely respond thank you, but felt it was unwarranted.

I don’t understand people who brag about themselves is what I’m getting at with the above. I know I have been given a talent by God to play music and to teach and preach, but I always feel like I could have done better than I did.

Don’t brag, but know you have a talent from God to be a part of the kindom.

Loving People. Loving God.

settle

When someone in your assembly has a legal case against another member, do they dare to take it to court to be judged by people who aren’t just, instead of by God’s people? Or don’t you know that God’s people will judge the world? If the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to judge trivial cases? Don’t you know that we will judge angels? Why not ordinary things? So then if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint people as judges who aren’t respected by the church? I’m saying this because you should be ashamed of yourselves! Isn’t there one person among you who is wise enough to pass judgment between believers? But instead, does a brother or sister have a lawsuit against another brother or sister, and do they do this in front of unbelievers? The fact that you have lawsuits against each other means that you’ve already lost your case. Why not be wronged instead? Why not be cheated? But instead you are doing wrong and cheating—and you’re doing it to your own brothers and sisters. Don’t you know that people who are unjust won’t inherit God’s kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Those who are sexually immoral, those who worship false gods, adulterers, both participants in same-sex intercourse, thieves, the greedy, drunks, abusive people, and swindlers won’t inherit God’s kingdom. That is what some of you used to be! But you were washed clean, you were made holy to God, and you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:1-11, CEB)

I have to say this is an interesting passage to read and write about.

Do you have a legal case with a member of the community of believers?

And if so who should be judged, someone in the community or outside the community? Of course, Paul says inside, but Paul also says that if you have a legal case against a member of the community of believers you are both already losers.

Because as fellow believers in Christ, we should be looking out for others, not ourselves, and legal cases normally come from us looking out for our own best interests. I “love” seeing all of the commercials about car accidents where people made hundreds of thousands of dollars from an injury. All well and good I guess, but really? What we need is to have the injuries taken care of, not rip off someone so that we can live an easy life.

God is calling us to love others. Not set ourselves up for a cushy life.

Settle. and live in love.

Loving People. Loving God.

faith

Now when Jesus had come down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. A man with a skin disease came, kneeled before him, and said, “Lord, if you want, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do want to. Become clean.” Instantly his skin disease was cleansed. Jesus said to him, “Don’t say anything to anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded. This will be a testimony to them.” When Jesus went to Capernaum, a centurion approached, pleading with him, “Lord, my servant is flat on his back at home, paralyzed, and his suffering is awful.” Jesus responded, “I’ll come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I don’t deserve to have you come under my roof. Just say the word and my servant will be healed. I’m a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and the servant does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was impressed and said to the people following him, “I say to you with all seriousness that even in Israel I haven’t found faith like this. I say to you that there are many who will come from east and west and sit down to eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.” Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it will be done for you just as you have believed.” And his servant was healed that very moment. (Matthew 8:1-13, CEB)

Do we believe because we see?

“Seeing isn’t believing. Believing is seeing.” I know that from The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 2. We can see things and not believe them. I remember when I was younger David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear. I saw it on TV. But it didn’t actually disappear, it was an optical illusion. We can see things that are not true. But I believe in God and know that God is there for me. So God can and does do things that I don’t have to see to believe.

The centurion knew those under him listened to his orders and followed through on them. So he knew if Jesus said the word, his servant would be healed.

Do we have that faith? Or do we need to see it?

Know seeing isn’t everything. And faith is trusting in what you can not see.

Loving People. Loving God.