raised

“Fellow Israelites, listen to these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose credentials God proved to you through miracles, wonders, and signs, which God performed through him among you. You yourselves know this. In accordance with God’s established plan and foreknowledge, he was betrayed. You, with the help of wicked men, had Jesus killed by nailing him to a cross. God raised him up! God freed him from death’s dreadful grip, since it was impossible for death to hang on to him. David says about him, I foresaw that the Lord was always with me; because he is at my right hand I won’t be shaken. Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover, my body will live in hope, because you won’t abandon me to the grave, nor permit your holy one to experience decay. You have shown me the paths of life; your presence will fill me with happiness. Brothers and sisters, I can speak confidently about the patriarch David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this very day. Because he was a prophet, he knew that God promised him with a solemn pledge to seat one of his descendants on his throne. Having seen this beforehand, David spoke about the resurrection of Christ, that he wasn’t abandoned to the grave, nor did his body experience decay. This Jesus God raised up. We are all witnesses to that fact. He was exalted to God’s right side and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit. He poured out this Spirit, and you are seeing and hearing the results of his having done so. David didn’t ascend into heaven. Yet he says, The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right side, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ “Therefore, let all Israel know beyond question that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:22-36, CEB)

We can visit the tomb of David because it is still with us today. David was a great man of God, but he died, knowing that a descendent of his would forever be on the throne. One who died, but did not stay dead.

God raised Jesus to be the descendent of David to be on the throne.

Christ wasn’t abandoned to the grave and neither will we be. Physical death is a step in the life we are living with God.

Know death is not the end. We have been raised up to be with God forever.

Love people and help them see and know this too.

Loving People. Loving God.

Foretold

During this time, the family of believers was a company of about one hundred twenty persons. Peter stood among them and said, “Brothers and sisters, the scripture that the Holy Spirit announced beforehand through David had to be fulfilled. This was the scripture concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus. This happened even though he was one of us and received a share of this ministry.” (In fact, he bought a field with the payment he received for his injustice. Falling headfirst, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines spilled out. This became known to everyone living in Jerusalem, so they called that field in their own language Hakeldama, or “Field of Blood.”) “It is written in the Psalms scroll, Let his home become deserted and let there be no one living in it; and Give his position of leadership to another. (Acts 1:15-20, CEB)

A lot of what happened in and around Jesus was foretold because we were to be on the lookout for the Messiah.

Do we still lookout for where Jesus is?

Where is Jesus working around you and how can you join?

Love people everywhere.

Loving People. Loving God.

bread of life

The Jewish opposition grumbled about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They asked, “Isn’t this Jesus, Joseph’s son, whose mother and father we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus responded, “Don’t grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless they are drawn to me by the Father who sent me, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets, And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has listened to the Father and learned from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. I assure you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that whoever eats from it will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:41-51, CEB)

When we think we know someone if they step out of the mold we have them in then they are wrong. We have the image of who they are and what they will be in our minds. And any deviance from that is wrong. Even when the deviant is to be who they actually are.

Jesus here is being ridiculed by those in religious power because Jesus isn’t staying in the mold they have him in.

If we believe in who Jesus says Jesus is we will have life abundantly. But when we make Jesus fit in our magic god box, we will not. We need to let go of our preconceived notions of who God is and allow God to show us who God is. And we need to do this with all of God’s children, i.e. everyone!

Loving People. Loving God.

Liar

My little children, I’m writing these things to you so that you don’t sin. But if you do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is God’s way of dealing with our sins, not only ours but the sins of the whole world. This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. The one who claims, “I know him,” while not keeping his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. But the love of God is truly perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know we are in him. The one who claims to remain in him ought to live in the same way as he lived. (1 John 2:1-6, CEB)

“The one who claims, “I know him,” while not keeping his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in this person.”

So what are the commandments?

All 613 Levitical Laws?

The 10 Commandments?

The 2 that Jesus gave and are the ones from the Shema?

Lots of people claim to be followers of God and will say I know him, and then turn around and say that you can be here but if you don’t change your ways you won’t be able to stay. Many use the Bible as a weapon to keep people out while saying that all are welcome.

I believe the author of John is saying that anyone who does not love God and love neighbor doesn’t know God. And saying that someone doesn’t fit in or isn’t following God because they sin differently than you isn’t love. God never said you had to understand how someone lives, you have to love them. Period. And telling them they are living in sin is not loving.

So don’t be a liar and love.

Loving People. Loving God.

Encouraged Hearts

God wanted to make the glorious riches of this secret plan known among the Gentiles, which is Christ living in you, the hope of glory. This is what we preach as we warn and teach every person with all wisdom so that we might present each one mature in Christ. I work hard and struggle for this goal with his energy, which works in me powerfully. I want you to know how much I struggle for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who haven’t known me personally. My goal is that their hearts would be encouraged and united together in love so that they might have all the riches of assurance that come with understanding, so that they might have the knowledge of the secret plan of God, namely Christ. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him. I’m telling you this so that no one deceives you with convincing arguments, because even though I am absent physically, I’m with you in spirit. I’m happy to see the discipline and stability of your faith in Christ. So live in Christ Jesus the Lord in the same way as you received him. Be rooted and built up in him, be established in faith, and overflow with thanksgiving just as you were taught. (Colossians 1:27—2:7, CEB)

The author of the epistle to the Colossians is empowering them to live out the lives they were taught to live. We struggle and work towards goals to help others around us come to an understanding of the love of God and how we are all given a place in the community. So that they would be encouraged.

Do you worry over those who you know are a part of the community? What about those you know who are not a part of the community?

We should pray and share the story of love in everything we do so all will know they are loved by God.

Loving People. Loving God.

Better part

While Jesus and his disciples were traveling, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his message. By contrast, Martha was preoccupied with getting everything ready for their meal. So Martha came to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to prepare the table all by myself? Tell her to help me.” The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. It won’t be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42, CEB)

We all have roles defined for us by society. And those roles are not necessarily the best ones for us at any given time. Those are the roles that will have society give us a pat on the back and say we are doing a good job, but they may not be what is best for our soul or for the community around us.

Society norms and roles are based on what society deems is correct at this time. Like colors now are boys are blue and girls are pink but many years ago boys were pink and girls were blue. Times change and society’s rules change.

The best place for you always is where God says you should be.

Listen and follow where God is leading.

Loving People. Loving God.

Good soil

When a great crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from one city after another, he spoke to them in a parable: “A farmer went out to scatter his seed. As he was scattering it, some fell on the path where it was crushed, and the birds in the sky came and ate it. Other seed fell on rock. As it grew, it dried up because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorns grew with the plants and choked them. Still other seed landed on good soil. When it grew, it produced one hundred times more grain than was scattered.” As he said this, he called out, “Everyone who has ears should pay attention.” His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, “You have been given the mysteries of God’s kingdom, but these mysteries come to everyone else in parables so that when they see, they can’t see, and when they hear, they can’t understand. (Luke 8:4-10, CEB)

Lord let my heart be good soil.
Open to the seed of your word.
Lord let my heart be good soil
where love can grow and peace is understood.

When my heart is hard break the stone away
When my heart is cold warm it with the day
When my heart is lost lead me on your way
Lord let my heart, Lord let my heart
Lord let my heart be good soil.

These are the words to Lord Let my Heart Be Good Soil from With One Voice.

All we can do is pray that our lives are open to the moving of God and that we are not stuck in our ways.

I pray that your lives and your hearts will be good soil for God to cultivate a love for all people and a person willing to do God’s will.

Loving People. Loving God.

Pray for others

This is why I kneel before the Father. Every ethnic group in heaven or on earth is recognized by him. I ask that he will strengthen you in your inner selves from the riches of his glory through the Spirit. I ask that Christ will live in your hearts through faith. As a result of having strong roots in love, I ask that you’ll have the power to grasp love’s width and length, height and depth, together with all believers. I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God. Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us; glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and always. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21, CEB)

The writer of Ephesians says they kneel before the Father to strengthen others.

So that those around him will be filled with the Holy Spirit and that Christ will live in their hearts through faith.

That they will have strength and be filled with love to overflowing to everyone around them.

That they will know the depth, width, and length they are loved. And they will be filled with knowledge to help in all circumstances.

Do you pray for those around you like this?

Imagine if we all prayed for the community around us like this?

We can change the world!

Let’s get to kneeling before the Father.

Loving People. Loving God.

honor

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. (Hebrews 5:1-6, CEB)

How do we get respect?

How do we get honor?

There are those who demand respect and honor, and sometimes they get it. Sometimes they don’t.

We get respect and honor by showing we deserve it. We live lives of integrity and actually are who we are all the time, even when people aren’t looking.

Jesus was made high priest by God. The one to stand in our place and do what we can’t.

Know that Jesus is always there for you.

And share the love that God gives us through Jesus with the world so all may know that they are loved and held.

Loving People. Loving God.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

“Now when the Human One comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left. “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who will receive terrible things. Go into the unending fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink. I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?’ Then he will answer, ‘I assure you that when you haven’t done it for one of the least of these, you haven’t done it for me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46, CEB)

There are two groups here, those who took care of Jesus and those who ignored Jesus. And the common thread that connects the two groups? Both of them were surprised at what they had or hadn’t done.

Neither knew they had seen Jesus.

Neither knew they had helped or ignored Jesus.

How do we know when we see Jesus?

Easy, when you look into the eyes of another, you are seeing Jesus. Even if that person isn’t a Christian. Even if that person is vile and evil. God loves all people and is with them. And how we treat them is how we treat God.

Love all, and don’t be surprised when the day comes and you are welcomed because you gave Jesus a drink. Because everyone deserves love.

Loving People. Loving God.