This is how…

When Judas was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Human One has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify the Human One in himself and will glorify him immediately. Little children, I’m with you for a little while longer. You will look for me—but, just as I told the Jewish leaders, I also tell you now—‘Where I’m going, you can’t come.’ “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” (John 13:31-35, CEB)

This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples:

By the way you point out someone else’s shortcomings…
By the way you say others are going to hell because they do not act like you…
By the way you say people shouldn’t be welcome in worship gatherings because the are sinners…

Uhm no none of these. When you love. People will know you follow me when you love.

Love like God does and accept them as they are. God didn’t make you be perfect before God accepted you, why do others have to be?

Love each other, as God loves you.

Love Out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

without bias

Elders who lead well should be paid double, especially those who work with public speaking and teaching. The scripture says, Don’t put a muzzle on an ox while it treads grain, and Workers deserve their pay. Don’t accept an accusation made against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. Discipline those who are sinning in front of everyone so that all the others will be afraid. I charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to follow these practices without bias, and without playing favorites. Don’t rush to commission anyone to leadership, and don’t participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself morally pure. Don’t drink water anymore, but use a little wine because of your stomach problems and your frequent illnesses. The sins of some people are obvious, and the sins are judged before the people must face judgment, but the sins of other people show up later. (1 Timothy 5:17-24, CEB)

I have to say I have issues with this passage and getting a title for the devotion was a little difficult.

Elders who lead well should be paid double. Well, who decides if they lead well, and why two or three witnesses? I get we need to make sure that an accusation is correct but sometimes there are not witnesses and it is a credible accusation.

And discipline those who sin in front of everyone so they will get in line because they are afraid. Seriously? Fear is a motivator but never a good one. Why would we say this and why would we want this in scripture?

Maybe most of this is good and I jumped the gun with issues, but fear is never a motivator to choose. Maybe we discipline those sinning in front of all so that the community can help them live a life that shows the love of God to the world, not so the community is scared to do anything because they will be the next to be before the community. If we as a community lift each other up rather than condemn love will abound more.

Love everyone without bias and help others follow God.

Loving People. Loving God.

shun evil and do good

Finally, all of you be of one mind, sympathetic, lovers of your fellow believers, compassionate, and modest in your opinion of yourselves. Don’t pay back evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, give blessing in return. You were called to do this so that you might inherit a blessing. For those who want to love life and see good days should keep their tongue from evil speaking and their lips from speaking lies. They should shun evil and do good; seek peace and chase after it. The Lord’s eyes are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord cannot tolerate those who do evil. (1 Peter 3:8-12, CEB)

Do you want to love life?

Then you need to:

keep your tongue from evil speaking and your lips from speaking lies.
you should shun evil and do good;
you should seek peace and chase after it.

We should be of one mind and sympathetic of others.

We need to bless the world and not repay evil with evil.

When we love the world, then God’s love will be made known.

Loving People. Loving God.

John

John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

“Bless the Lord God of Israel
    because he has come to help and has delivered his people.
He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,
    just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.
He has brought salvation from our enemies
    and from the power of all those who hate us.
He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
    and remembered his holy covenant,
        the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.
He has granted that we would be rescued
        from the power of our enemies
    so that we could serve him without fear,
        in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,
            for as long as we live.
You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.
You will tell his people how to be saved
    through the forgiveness of their sins.
Because of our God’s deep compassion,
    the dawn from heaven will break upon us,
    to give light to those who are sitting in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
        to guide us on the path of peace.” (Luke 1:67-79, CEB)

You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High and will prepare the way for the Lord!

John came months before Jesus and prepared the people for Jesus’ message of love.

You too are a prophet of the Most High, a herald of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the love of God given to and shared with all people.

Do not shy away from sharing the love you have been given, for that prepares the way for the Lord to be a part of the lives of the people of the world.

Love Out Loud!

Loving People. Loving God.

integrity

Therefore, my loved ones, just as you always obey me, not just when I am present but now even more while I am away, carry out your own salvation with fear and trembling. God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes. Do everything without grumbling and arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world because you hold on to the word of life. This will allow me to say on the day of Christ that I haven’t run for nothing or worked for nothing. But even if I am poured out like a drink offering upon the altar of service for your faith, I am glad. I’m glad with all of you. You should be glad about this in the same way. Be glad with me! (Philippians 2:12-18, CEB)

Be who you are regardless of who is watching.

Live your life the same way online as you would in person and do what you would do if your mother is watching when she isn’t.

The issue today is most people are at least 3 or more people.

They are:

Someone online
Someone who pleases their mother
Someone in person

Also, there could be more. Are you a different person with different people?

You should always be the same person regardless of who you are with and wether of not you are in person or behind a keyboard. That is being the person God created.

Walk the walk and talk the talk and do it without grumbling.

Loving People. Loving God.

stupid ideas

Nobody should deceive you with stupid ideas. God’s anger comes down on those who are disobedient because of this kind of thing. So you shouldn’t have anything to do with them. You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them. It’s embarrassing to even talk about what certain persons do in secret. But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, Wake up, sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. (Ephesians 5:6-14, CEB)

No one should deceive you with stupid ideas.

It seems like a lot of people should read this and learn about not being deceived by stupid ideas.

We should test everything to make sure it is of God.

Follow after Jesus. Love all but test all.

Do not be decided by stupid ideas.

Loving People. Loving God.

Follow me…

Now when Jesus heard that John was arrested, he went to Galilee. He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, which lies alongside the sea in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what Isaiah the prophet said: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, alongside the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who lived in the dark have seen a great light, and a light has come upon those who lived in the region and in shadow of death. From that time Jesus began to announce, “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” As Jesus walked alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, because they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” Right away, they left their nets and followed him. Continuing on, he saw another set of brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father repairing their nets. Jesus called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people. (Matthew 4:12-23, CEB)

Jesus saw them along the shore and said, “Follow me and I will teach you to fish for people.”

How do you fish for people? And remember that the way they fished there was by net. So do we set a net trap for people to catch them for Jesus?

Nope, that isn’t how it works. We do not catch people by casting a net.

We catch people by sharing love and showing how God is active here and now.

So love, and catch some people.

Loving People. Loving God.

healthy people

Afterward, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Levi got up, left everything behind, and followed him. Then Levi threw a great banquet for Jesus in his home. A large number of tax collectors and others sat down to eat with them. The Pharisees and their legal experts grumbled against his disciples. They said, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to call righteous people but sinners to change their hearts and lives.” (Luke 5:27-32, CEB)

It seems that the Pharisees and legal experts wanted everyone to be perfect before they interacted with Jesus, or they wanted people to be perfect before Jesus interacted with them. And that isn’t how it works.

The church is a hospital for the broken, not a palace for the perfect.

You do not need to be perfected before you come to Jesus. You can’t so that is good news!

Love people where they are and be with them there and know that God’s love is being shared through your life.

Loving People. Loving God.

favoritism

Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, and I took Titus along also. I went there because of a revelation, and I laid out the gospel that I preach to the Gentiles for them. But I did it privately with the influential leaders to make sure that I wouldn’t be working or that I hadn’t worked for nothing. However, not even Titus, who was with me and who was a Greek, was required to be circumcised. But false brothers and sisters, who were brought in secretly, slipped in to spy on our freedom, which we have in Christ Jesus, and to make us slaves. We didn’t give in and submit to them for a single moment, so that the truth of the gospel would continue to be with you. The influential leaders didn’t add anything to what I was preaching—and whatever they were makes no difference to me, because God doesn’t show favoritism. But on the contrary, they saw that I had been given the responsibility to preach the gospel to the people who aren’t circumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. The one who empowered Peter to become an apostle to the circumcised empowered me also to be one to the Gentiles. James, Cephas, and John, who are considered to be key leaders, shook hands with me and Barnabas as equals when they recognized the grace that was given to me. So it was agreed that we would go to the Gentiles, while they continue to go to the people who were circumcised. They asked only that we would remember the poor, which was certainly something I was willing to do. (Galatians 2:1-10, CEB)

God doesn’t show favoritism.

It is not about mutilation of the physical sort.

God doesn’t care if you are circumcised or not. The physical act of circumcision is a part of the covenant to God’s chosen people but does not mean you are in or out of the kingdom of God.

There is nothing that can keep you from the love of God because God doesn’t show favoritism.

Love all, the way God loves you. Accepting even though God shouldn’t.

Loving People. Loving God.

not a human origin

Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the gospel I preached isn’t human in origin. I didn’t receive it or learn it from a human. It came through a revelation from Jesus Christ. You heard about my previous life in Judaism, how severely I harassed God’s church and tried to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my peers, because I was much more militant about the traditions of my ancestors. But God had set me apart from birth and called me through his grace. He was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach about him to the Gentiles. I didn’t immediately consult with any human being. I didn’t go up to Jerusalem to see the men who were apostles before me either, but I went away into Arabia and I returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. But I didn’t see any other of the apostles except James the brother of the Lord. Before God, I’m not lying about the things that I’m writing to you! Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, but I wasn’t known personally by the Christian churches in Judea. They only heard a report about me: “The man who used to harass us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.” So they were glorifying God because of me. (Galatians 1:11-24, CEB)

Paul plainly says that the Good News of Jesus Christ is not a fabrication.

There are so many things today that are simply not true. That someone has said or heard and repeated and it is not validated. And faith is something people say can’t be proved. Well, that is true, you can not prove it, so you could say it is fabricated. But I like Paul, know that this is not a fabrication and it is not of human origin. God created the world and stepped down from God’s throne and came to live among us and teach us how to love.

Share what you have heard and do not be swayed by others who say it is a fabrication and not true.

God loves us and calls us to love others.

Loving People. Loving God.