Promise

Brothers and sisters, I’ll use an example from human experience. No one ignores or makes additions to a validated will. The promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. It doesn’t say, “and to the descendants,” as if referring to many rather than just one. It says, “and to your descendant,” who is Christ. I’m saying this: the Law, which came four hundred thirty years later, doesn’t invalidate the agreement that was previously validated by God so that it cancels the promise. If the inheritance were based upon the Law, it would no longer be from the promise. But God has given it graciously to Abraham through a promise. So why was the Law given? It was added because of offenses, until the descendant would come to whom the promise had been made. It was put in place through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now the mediator does not take one side; but God is one. So, is the Law against the promises of God? Absolutely not! If a Law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would in fact have come from the Law. But scripture locked up all things under sin, so that the promise based on the faithfulness of Jesus Christ might be given to those who have faith. (Galatians 3:15-22, CEB)

To the descendent. That is Christ. And Abraham is given a promise that is given to his descendent.

The promise was given before the Law. The Law didn’t do away with the promise.

We can not get life from the Law but the promise gives us life.

Live in the promise that God loves us all.

Loving People. Loving God.

Integrity

But, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the Law; if you brag about your relationship to God; if you know the will of God; if you are taught by the Law so that you can figure out the things that really matter; if you have persuaded yourself that you are: a guide for the blind; a light to those who are in darkness; an educator of the foolish; a teacher of infants (since you have the full content of knowledge and truth in the Law); then why don’t you who are teaching others teach yourself? If you preach, “No stealing,” do you steal? If you say, “No adultery,” do you commit adultery? If you hate idols, do you rob temples? If you brag about the Law, do you shame God by breaking the Law? As it is written: The name of God is discredited by the Gentiles because of you. Circumcision is an advantage if you do what the Law says. But if you are a person who breaks the Law, your status of being circumcised has changed into not being circumcised. So if the person who isn’t circumcised keeps the Law, won’t his status of not being circumcised be counted as if he were circumcised? The one who isn’t physically circumcised but keeps the Law will judge you. You became a lawbreaker after you had the written Law and circumcision. It isn’t the Jew who maintains outward appearances who will receive praise from God, and it isn’t people who are outwardly circumcised on their bodies. Instead, it is the person who is a Jew inside, who is circumcised in spirit, not literally. That person’s praise doesn’t come from people but from God. (Romans 2:17-29, CEB)

If you live and preach a saying, then that is what you should do and be when people are looking and not looking.

We as followers of Christ must be who we are all the time. Not because we get something from that, but because that is what Jesus did and what God calls each of us to.

Do not say and be one thing on Sunday morning and someone different Monday – Saturday. We need to be who we are all the time.

Walk the walk. Talk the talk. Love as Christ loves you.

Loving People. Loving God.

Praise

Mary said,

“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
    In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.
    Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored
        because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
    He shows mercy to everyone,
        from one generation to the next,
        who honors him as God.
He has shown strength with his arm.
    He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.
    He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones
        and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away empty-handed.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
        remembering his mercy,
    just as he promised to our ancestors,
        to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.”
(Luke 1:46b-55, CEB)

Mary’s Song. A song of praise of how God has been a beacon of hope in her life.

This is a song all of us can and should sing for all of the blessings that God has given us and how we are graced to be a child of God.

God has given us all a place in the inheritance.

Let us all sing.

Let us all love.

Loving People. Loving God.

wisely

So be careful to live your life wisely, not foolishly. Take advantage of every opportunity because these are evil times. Because of this, don’t be ignorant, but understand the Lord’s will. Don’t get drunk on wine, which produces depravity. Instead, be filled with the Spirit in the following ways: speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts; always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Ephesians 5:15-20, CEB)

Live your life wisely.

Take advantage of the time you have to be a light in the darkness.

Live in the Lord’s will for your life.

Speak in the love of God that has carried you through life.

Share the hope you have been given.

Loving People. Loving God.

Grace

God has given his grace to each one of us measured out by the gift that is given by Christ. That’s why scripture says, When he climbed up to the heights, he captured prisoners, and he gave gifts to people. What does the phrase “he climbed up” mean if it doesn’t mean that he had first gone down into the lower regions, the earth? The one who went down is the same one who climbed up above all the heavens so that he might fill everything. He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others. Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ, who is the head. The whole body grows from him, as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments. The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does its part. (Ephesians 4:7-16, CEB)

We all have grace in the amount we need.

We all have a place by the grace we receive to help build up the body of Christ.

We have enough grace to stand against the scheming and teachings that would pull us from the place God needs us.

Rely on the grace you have been given and share the love you have been given.

Loving People. Loving God.

Spirit

“I have much more to say to you, but you can’t handle it now. However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you in all truth. He won’t speak on his own, but will say whatever he hears and will proclaim to you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and proclaim it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine. That’s why I said that the Spirit takes what is mine and will proclaim it to you. (John 16:12-15, CEB)

There are many things we can not handle. When the Spirit comes we will see things differently.

When we allow the Spirit to be a part of us, we see things the way that God sees them.

Allow the Spirit to move through your life and help you see as God sees.

Loving People. Loving God.

Do you look for Jesus?

Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. When he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to their custom. After the festival was over, they were returning home, but the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t know it. Supposing that he was among their band of travelers, they journeyed on for a full day while looking for him among their family and friends. When they didn’t find Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple. He was sitting among the teachers, listening to them and putting questions to them. Everyone who heard him was amazed by his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother said, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Listen! Your father and I have been worried. We’ve been looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he said to them. Jesus went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. His mother cherished every word in her heart. Jesus matured in wisdom and years, and in favor with God and with people. (Luke 2:41-52, CEB)

If you were to look for Jesus, where would you look?

Mary and Joseph thought that Jesus was with the party when they left the Temple. But he wasn’t so they looked for him in the travel party and after they couldn’t find him they searched more. And then they found him in the Temple, where Jesus told them he was supposed to be.

Where do we suppose Jesus should be?

Where do we suppose Jesus shouldn’t be?

Is there someplace you think you won’t find Jesus?

Look and you will find.

Jesus is everywhere.

Loving People. Loving God.

Love

Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6, CEB)

In everything, you do conduct yourself with humility, gentleness, and patience.

Love everyone and work to hold others together.

Everything you do, do in love.

Loving People. Loving God.

enough light

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that makes God known to you. I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God’s call, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers, and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers. This power is conferred by the energy of God’s powerful strength. (Ephesians 1:17-19, CEB)

I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light…

to see what is the hope of God’s call
to see what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers
to see what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers.

Enough light. Not too much or not enough, but just enough.

To see hope.
To see richness.
To see greatness.
To see God’s power.
To see God’s call.

We don’t have to see everything or even understand everything.

We need enough light to see hope in God’s call and know the promises will be fulfilled and will carry us through.

Enough Light.

Loving People. Loving God.

Let me be like Mary

When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. Nothing is impossible for God.” Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38, CEB)

Every time I read this story I have the same reaction. Yeah right!

Mary, an unwed young maiden, gets a visit from an angel who says he will give birth to a son who will sit on David’s throne and his kingdom will never end, asks how this will happen, because she has never had sex, and after the explanation that the Holy Spirit will make it happen she responds, ok let it be to me as you have said.

Seriously? No, I don’t think you have the right woman, or maybe someone else would be a better fit, or there is no way that I am doing that? Mary just says ok, let’s do this.

I want to be like Mary and be the servant of the Lord and follow without question.

Can we be like Mary?

Loving People. Loving God.