faith

Understand that in the same way that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, those who believe are the children of Abraham. But when it saw ahead of time that God would make the Gentiles righteous on the basis of faith, scripture preached the gospel in advance to Abraham: All the Gentiles will be blessed in you. Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham who believed. All those who rely on the works of the Law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone is cursed who does not keep on doing all the things that have been written in the Law scroll. But since no one is made righteous by the Law as far as God is concerned, it is clear that the righteous one will live on the basis of faith. The Law isn’t based on faith; rather, the one doing these things will live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us—because it is written, Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. He redeemed us so that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, and that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:6-14, CEB)

No one is made right by works of the law, so the righteous one will live by faith.

By faith in God.

By faith in the promises.

By faith to love as we are told to do.

When we have faith in the promises, God and all we have heard, we are children of Abraham and heirs to all the promises.

When we have faith, it becomes our righteousness.

Have faith.

Trust in God.

Believe the promises.

hold fast

Then he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. “Look! I’m coming soon. Favored is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy contained in this scroll.” I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I’m a servant just like you and your brothers and sisters, the prophets, and those who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” Then he said to me, “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy contained in this scroll, because the time is near. Let those who do wrong keep doing what is wrong. Let the filthy still be filthy. Let those who are righteous keep doing what is right. Let those who are holy still be holy. “Look! I’m coming soon. My reward is with me, to repay all people as their actions deserve. I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Favored are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right of access to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the drug users and spell-casters, those who commit sexual immorality, the murderers, the idolaters, and all who love and practice deception. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to bear witness to all of you about these things for the churches. I’m the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star. The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who is thirsty come! Let the one who wishes receive life-giving water as a gift.” Now I bear witness to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy contained in this scroll: If anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues that are written in this scroll. If anyone takes away from the words of this scroll of prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this scroll. The one who bears witness to these things says, “Yes, I’m coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:6-20, CEB)

Hold fast to Jesus. Do not add to what was said, and do not take away.

Let all who are thirsty come, and they can receive the life-giving water as a gift.

Do not love or practice deception.

Jesus is coming.

Love the world while we wait and show them God’s love.

God with us

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Now all of this took place so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled:
Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, And they will call him, Emmanuel. (Emmanuel means “God with us.”) When Joseph woke up, he did just as an angel from God commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he didn’t have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. Joseph called him Jesus.(Matthew 1:18-25, CEB)

God with us.

Joseph was soon to be wed to Mary, and she was found to be with child, and Joseph did not want her to be stoned, which was what the law called for. So he had decided he was not going to marry her quietly, so she could escape the punishment. But God told him that the baby was God’s and that Joseph was the one chosen to be the father on earth for Jesus.

Joseph was chosen, just as Mary was.

Can you imagine what that must have felt like?

The pressure of raising the Son of God?

Do we listen to what God tells us to do?

Listen to God. You are chosen, as Mary and Joseph.

Love and do what God calls you to do.

true

The one who comes from above is above all things. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all things. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever accepts his testimony confirms that God is true. The one whom God sent speaks God’s words because God gives the Spirit generously. The Father loves the Son and gives everything into his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever doesn’t believe in the Son won’t see life, but the angry judgment of God remains on them.” (John 3:31-36, CEB)

When you believe what Jesus said, you confirm that God is true.

Jesus speaks the truth of God, and when we believe that and speak that same truth, we speak God as true.

When we believe what Jesus told us, we have life.

Let us share this life in everything we do and continue to show that God is true.

heirs

I’m saying that as long as the heirs are minors, they are no different from slaves, though they really are the owners of everything. However, they are placed under trustees and guardians until the date set by the parents. In the same way, when we were minors, we were also enslaved by this world’s system. But when the fulfillment of the time came, God sent his Son, born through a woman, and born under the Law. This was so he could redeem those under the Law so that we could be adopted. Because you are sons and daughters, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son or daughter, and if you are his child, then you are also an heir through God. (Galatians 4:1-7, CEB)

Even heirs need trustees and guardians.

People who own it all still need guidance to do the right thing and learn the way to live.

We are free to be the people God created us to be, but in being free, we are also called to serve. So we are not free to do as we please. We need to show God’s love in all we do.

Our trustees and guardians are the ones who showed us God’s love and helped us learn how to pass that on.

Be a purveyor of love and help others spread God’s love.

all y’all

Before faith came, we were guarded under the Law, locked up until faith that was coming would be revealed, so that the Law became our custodian until Christ so that we might be made righteous by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian. You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now if you belong to Christ, then indeed you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:23-29, CEB)

You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus.

There is no separation based on nationality.

There is no separation based on economic class.

There is no separation based on gender.

We are all included. We do not get to decide who is in or out. God already made that decision, and They said all y’all can come. Everyone is welcome.

All y’all belong to Christ and therefore are descendants of Abraham, and heirs to the promise.

All y’all are welcome!

Little faith

Jesus went home with Peter and saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and served them. That evening people brought to Jesus many who were demon-possessed. He threw the spirits out with just a word. He healed everyone who was sick. This happened so that what Isaiah the prophet said would be fulfilled: He is the one who took our illnesses and carried away our diseases. Now when Jesus saw the crowd, he ordered his disciples to go over to the other side of the lake. A legal expert came and said to him, “Teacher, I’ll follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Human One has no place to lay his head.” Another man, one of his disciples, said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” When Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. A huge storm arose on the lake so that waves were sloshing over the boat. But Jesus was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, rescue us! We’re going to drown!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you people of weak faith?” Then he got up and gave orders to the winds and the lake, and there was a great calm. The people were amazed and said, “What kind of person is this? Even the winds and the lake obey him!” When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake in the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed came from among the tombs to meet him. They were so violent that nobody could travel on that road. They cried out, “What are you going to do with us, Son of God? Have you come to torture us before the time of judgment?” Far off in the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons pleaded with him, “If you throw us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” Then he said to the demons, “Go away,” and they came out and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned. Those who tended the pigs ran into the city and told everything that had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole city came out and met Jesus. When they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region. (Matthew 8:14-34, CEB)

There is a lot happening here.

Peter’s mother-in-law is healed.
Others are healed.
A lawyer said they would follow, and Jesus responded with a cryptic message about home.
A disciple said to Jesus that they needed to bury their dead before following, and Jesus responded to let the dead bury their dead.
Jesus slept on a boat in a storm.
Jesus heals two men possessed by sending the demons into pigs, who killed themselves.

Jesus sleeping on a boat in a storm is what caught my attention. Having been on a boat in a storm, I understand the disciples’ worry. I was on a 25-foot sailboat in 6-7 foot waves. Which is probably similar to what was happening here. The boat was going up and crashing back down and it was unnerving.

Our captain had it under control and made a 90 degree turn into a harbor protected by a concrete wall without harming us. I still can hear the sound of the motor out of the water as we rose with each wave. Scary does not begin to describe it.

So I get what the disciples were thinking here. But Jesus was sleeping through the storm, which is something I can not fathom. If the boat is rising and crashing down, how was he sleeping? He was so sure nothing was going to happen that he relaxed so to let sleep come.

That is the message we need to hear. In the midst of the storm of life, we need to settle into the arms of God and know that no matter what happens, God is with us and the storm will fade. We are safe in the arms of our creator.

Do not let your little faith get in the way of our awesome God.

abound

Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James. To those who are called, loved by God the Father and kept safe by Jesus Christ. May you have more and more mercy, peace, and love. Dear friends, I wanted very much to write to you concerning the salvation we share. Instead, I must write to urge you to fight for the faith delivered once and for all to God’s holy people. Godless people have slipped in among you. They turn the grace of our God into unrestrained immorality and deny our only master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Judgment was passed against them a long time ago. I want to remind you of something you already know very well. The Lord, who once saved a people out of Egypt, later destroyed those who didn’t maintain their faith. I remind you too of the angels who didn’t keep their position of authority but deserted their own home. The Lord has kept them in eternal chains in the underworld until the judgment of the great day. In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and neighboring towns practiced immoral sexual relations and pursued other sexual urges. By undergoing the punishment of eternal fire, they serve as a warning. Yet, even knowing this, these dreamers in the same way pollute themselves, reject authority, and slander the angels. The archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil about Moses’ body, did not dare charge him with slander. Instead, he said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these people slander whatever they don’t understand. They are destroyed by what they know instinctively, as though they were irrational animals. They are damned, for they follow in the footsteps of Cain. For profit they give themselves over to Balaam’s error. They are destroyed in the uprising of Korah. These people are like jagged rocks just below the surface of the water waiting to snag you when they join your love feasts. They feast with you without reverence. They care only for themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; fruitless autumn trees, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom the darkness of the underworld is reserved forever. Enoch, who lived seven generations after Adam, prophesied about these people when he said, “See, the Lord comes with his countless holy ones, to execute judgment on everyone and to convict everyone about every ungodly deed they have committed in their ungodliness as well as all the harsh things that sinful ungodly people have said against him.” These are faultfinding grumblers, living according to their own desires. They speak arrogant words and they show partiality to people when they want a favor in return. But you, dear friends, remember the words spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the end time scoffers will come living according to their own ungodly desires.” These people create divisions. Since they don’t have the Spirit, they are worldly. But you, dear friends: build each other up on the foundation of your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep each other in the love of God, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will give you eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt. Save some by snatching them from the fire. Fearing God, have mercy on some, hating even the clothing contaminated by their sinful urges. To the one who is able to protect you from falling, and to present you blameless and rejoicing before his glorious presence, to the only God our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, belong glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, now and forever. Amen. (Jude, CEB)

People will come and live according to their own ungodly desires. Some people read this and think about the above statement about Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah was not destroyed because of sexual reasons. They were destroyed because of harm and power, and wanting to not allow outsiders in and welcome them. It was welcome that was lacking and hatred.

The twisting of God’s word to their own ungodly desires is saying that a God of love is going to damn people to eternal separation. And yes, I realize that is what this book says; however, I believe this is twisted and not what God calls us to. This book was a late addition to the scripture, and the books “allowed” in were allowed in for a purpose. There was a committee of men who proposed the make of up the New Testament for a political reason.

Power, control, and maintenance are sometimes key.

We need to use the bible as story to help us understand God, not a rule book to limit God’s love.

Love is the key. When love is not central, stop, refocus, and let love abound.

added

The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. They would come together regularly at Solomon’s Porch. No one from outside the church dared to join them, even though the people spoke highly of them. Indeed, more and more believers in the Lord, large numbers of both men and women, were added to the church. As a result, they would even bring the sick out into the main streets and lay them on cots and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow could fall on some of them as he passed by. Even large numbers of persons from towns around Jerusalem would gather, bringing the sick and those harassed by unclean spirits. Everyone was healed. (Acts 5:12-16, CEB)

The disciples gathered regularly, and many saw them and would gather to watch them gather, and because of this, people were becoming believers.

The disciples were not doing anything extraordinary; they were simply gathering for study, meals, and worship. People saw this and believed.

What are you doing that others see, which might help them believe?

look for

Now when John heard in prison about the things the Christ was doing, he sent word by his disciples to Jesus, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus responded, “Go, report to John what you hear and see. Those who were blind are able to see. Those who were crippled are walking. People with skin diseases are cleansed. Those who were deaf now hear. Those who were dead are raised up. The poor have good news proclaimed to them. Happy are those who don’t stumble and fall because of me.” When John’s disciples had gone, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John: “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A stalk blowing in the wind? What did you go out to see? A man dressed up in refined clothes? Look, those who wear refined clothes are in royal palaces. What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. He is the one of whom it is written: Look, I’m sending my messenger before you, who will prepare your way before you. “I assure you that no one who has ever been born is greater than John the Baptist. Yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:2-11, CEB)

Are you the one who is coming, or do we need to look for another?

John did not know if Jesus was the one. The one he was told to prepare the way for, or if there was someone eles coming.

What do we need to see to know that Jesus is the coming Savior?

What will convince you? Can we ever really have enough data to know without a doubt what Jesus says is true?

Is it really about proving any of it?

What are you looking for?