faith

But now God’s righteousness has been revealed apart from the Law, which is confirmed by the Law and the Prophets. God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus. Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness in passing over sins that happened before, during the time of God’s patient tolerance. He also did this to demonstrate that he is righteous in the present time, and to treat the one who has faith in Jesus as righteous. What happens to our bragging? It’s thrown out. With which law? With what we have accomplished under the Law? No, not at all, but through the law of faith. We consider that a person is treated as righteous by faith, apart from what is accomplished under the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t God the God of Gentiles also? Yes, God is also the God of Gentiles. Since God is one, then the one who makes the circumcised righteous by faith will also make the one who isn’t circumcised righteous through faith. Do we then cancel the Law through this faith? Absolutely not! Instead, we confirm the Law. (Romans 3:21-31, CEB)

All have sinned and have fallen short. None of us can keep the law. But Jesus did not negate the law, we still have the law and always will until the fulfillment of God’s kindom. But we are made right because of Jesus’ faithfulness.

All of us are sinful and no sin is worse than another so we were without hope, but Jesus showed us how to live. If we can live in love and show God’s mercy to all we will be as God called us to be.

Believe that you are made right by Jesus and have faith that God doesn’t see your sin but sees Jesus, and love like Jesus loved.

Loving People. Loving God.

spirit

I’m grateful to God, whom I serve with a good conscience as my ancestors did. I constantly remember you in my prayers day and night. When I remember your tears, I long to see you so that I can be filled with happiness. I’m reminded of your authentic faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I’m sure that this faith is also inside you. Because of this, I’m reminding you to revive God’s gift that is in you through the laying on of my hands. God didn’t give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled. (2 Timothy 1:3-7, CEB)

I’m grateful for all of the people who have been with me on my journey. Who have helped me remain faithful when trials came and tested me. Their authentic faith helped me remain steadfast with God.

People in our lives are there to be a help, a lifting up of us when we come to places we can not seem to navigate on our own.

Who are those people in your life? Who has a spirit of power that has helped you see the faith you have?

Loving People. Loving God.

little one

“Be careful that you don’t look down on one of these little ones. I say to you that their angels in heaven are always looking into the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If someone had one hundred sheep and one of them wandered off, wouldn’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go in search for the one that wandered off? If he finds it, I assure you that he is happier about having that one sheep than about the ninety-nine who didn’t wander off. In the same way, my Father who is in heaven doesn’t want to lose one of these little ones. (Matthew 18:10-14, CEB)

It always seems foolish to leave 99 sheep on the hillside to go after the 1, until you are the 1.

God will never let us wander by ourselves without coming after us.

God pursues us all of our days, not waiting for us to come home, but looks for us and seeks us out.

Know that you are loved beyond measure and knowledge.

Loving People. Loving God.

forever

Also, let’s hold on to the confession since we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, who is Jesus, God’s Son; because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin. Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help. Every high priest is taken from the people and put in charge of things that relate to God for their sake, in order to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. The high priest is able to deal gently with the ignorant and those who are misled since he himself is prone to weakness. Because of his weakness, he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as for the people. No one takes this honor for themselves but takes it only when they are called by God, just like Aaron. In the same way Christ also didn’t promote himself to become high priest. Instead, it was the one who said to him, You are my Son. Today I have become your Father, as he also says in another place, You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. During his days on earth, Christ offered prayers and requests with loud cries and tears as his sacrifices to the one who was able to save him from death. He was heard because of his godly devotion. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered. After he had been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him. He was appointed by God to be a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 4:14-5:10, CEB)

Jesus is a priest forever and makes a sacrifice once and for all for everyone.

The sacrifice was made and we are covered by the atonement it gives to all. We are made perfect in that sacrifice and made able to stand before God through the working of our priest Jesus.

Know that Jesus is always there for you and will always intercede for you.

Loving People. Loving God.

Rely

It was appropriate for God, for whom and through whom everything exists, to use experiences of suffering to make perfect the pioneer of salvation. This salvation belongs to many sons and daughters whom he’s leading to glory. This is because the one who makes people holy and the people who are being made holy all come from one source. That is why Jesus isn’t ashamed to call them brothers and sisters when he says, I will publicly announce your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you in the middle of the assembly. He also says, I will rely on him. And also, Here I am with the children whom God has given to me. Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he also shared the same things in the same way. He did this to destroy the one who holds the power over death—the devil—by dying. He set free those who were held in slavery their entire lives by their fear of death. Of course, he isn’t trying to help angels, but rather he’s helping Abraham’s descendants. Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way. This was so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, in order to wipe away the sins of the people. He’s able to help those who are being tempted, since he himself experienced suffering when he was tempted. (Hebrews 2:10-18, CEB)

Jesus says I will rely on God.

Jesus knows that God is someone he can rely on and someone we can rely on.

God is always there with us.

Rely on God.

Loving People. Loving God.

Since

Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was starving. The tempter came to him and said, “Since you are God’s Son, command these stones to become bread.” Jesus replied, “It’s written, People won’t live only by bread, but by every word spoken by God.” After that the devil brought him into the holy city and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him, “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, I will command my angels concerning you, and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.” Jesus replied, “Again it’s written, Don’t test the Lord your God.” Then the devil brought him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He said, “I’ll give you all these if you bow down and worship me.” Jesus responded, “Go away, Satan, because it’s written, You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” The devil left him, and angels came and took care of him. (Matthew 4:1-11, CEB)

This translation of the text uses since instead of if.

I have always said that the Devil isn’t questioning who Jesus is, the Devil is trying to get Jesus to question who he is.

That is what happens to us. We know who we are and then the world says, that’s not you, or you should be this or that, or that is just wrong for you. And we listen, and we change who God made us be to make someone else happy.

It isn’t about pleasing the world or anyone in the world but you.

Loving your neighbor means loving yourself.

Love who God made you be and know there is nothing better.

Loving People. Loving God.

like a child

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then he called a little child over to sit among the disciples, and said, “I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. “As for whoever causes these little ones who believe in me to trip and fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a huge stone hung around their necks and be drowned in the bottom of the lake. How terrible it is for the world because of the things that cause people to trip and fall into sin! Such things have to happen, but how terrible it is for the person who causes those things to happen! (Matthew 18:1-7, CEB)

Children know they don’t know everything. (I sometimes wonder about this with teenagers, but not the point…)

Children trust and have faith that they will be cared for, and that they don’t need to know everything. Adults are afraid to admit they don’t know. That they need help.

We all need to be children in the Kingdom. Knowing that we don’t know or have all the answers but trusting in God to be there and support us and take care of us.

So give up knowing, and trust that God is and always will be there for you.

Loving People. Loving God.

encouraged

First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because the news about your faithfulness is being spread throughout the whole world. I serve God in my spirit by preaching the good news about God’s Son, and God is my witness that I continually mention you in all my prayers. I’m always asking that somehow, by God’s will, I might succeed in visiting you at last. I really want to see you to pass along some spiritual gift to you so that you can be strengthened. What I mean is that we can mutually encourage each other while I am with you. We can be encouraged by the faithfulness we find in each other, both your faithfulness and mine. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I planned to visit you many times, although I have been prevented from coming until now. I want to harvest some fruit among you, just as I have done among the other Gentiles. I have a responsibility both to Greeks and to those who don’t speak Greek, both to the wise and to the foolish. That’s why I’m ready to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. I’m not ashamed of the gospel: it is God’s own power for salvation to all who have faith in God, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. God’s righteousness is being revealed in the gospel, from faithfulness for faith, as it is written, The righteous person will live by faith. (Romans 1:8-17, CEB)

Paul continues the introduction to the gathering in Rome he is hoping to visit on his way to Spain.

He is reminding them of what unites them and allows them to be gathered together.

Jesus allows us to encourage one another and to help others continue on in faith.

We are upheld by others in the body of Christ and the gifts we all have for the betterment of the world.

Let us not grow tired of sharing the good news and strengthening believers all around us.

Loving People. Loving God.

Good News

From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for God’s good news. God promised this good news about his Son ahead of time through his prophets in the holy scriptures. His Son was descended from David. He was publicly identified as God’s Son with power through his resurrection from the dead, which was based on the Spirit of holiness. This Son is Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we have received God’s grace and our appointment to be apostles. This was to bring all Gentiles to faithful obedience for his name’s sake. You who are called by Jesus Christ are also included among these Gentiles. To those in Rome who are dearly loved by God and called to be God’s people. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1-7, CEB)

Good News is something that is truly good for all people. Not just a few chosen, or some, but all.

Paul here is writing a letter to the church in Rome because he is hoping to visit them on his way to Spain. He did not start this congregation, like many of the other letters he wrote that are in the Bible. He is introducing himself and reminds them what they have in common. Jesus is the common thread among followers of the Way and the good news for all people.

As we journey into Lent and closer to the cross and the life-giving resurrection, remember Jesus unites us and doesn’t separate us.

Love all people and strive to always do good to others.

Loving People. Loving God.

Be careful…

“Be careful that you don’t practice your religion in front of people to draw their attention. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may get praise from people. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that you may give to the poor in secret. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you. “When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you. “And when you fast, don’t put on a sad face like the hypocrites. They distort their faces so people will know they are fasting. I assure you that they have their reward. When you fast, brush your hair and wash your face. Then you won’t look like you are fasting to people, but only to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, CEB)

Religion isn’t something to be flaunted.

We should not practice our religion for others to see.

We do not announce our giving, or stand and pray where others can see, or let others know we are fasting. Our devotion to God and how we show that is between God and only us. If we are doing any of these things to be noticed by others then God is truly not the motivation.

So do not show others what you are doing, just help others.

Loving People. Loving God.