Casts out fear…

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. (1 John 4:13-21, NRSV)

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Wise words from a wise Jedi…

Fear does nothing but destroy. When we fear something we get angry. When our anger gets to the point of us doing something we have already begun to hate the thing we are going against. And that hatred will lead us to do things we would not have done otherwise. We will cause suffering…

But true love, found in the Father casts out all fear. It gives no room for fear to grow or live.

If we are truly consumed by the love of God through Jesus Christ, we will not fear what the world will do or say because of the love we show. But the love we show must be shown as love. We can not claim to be giving the love of Jesus if the world sees it as hate. Hate and love are never the same. Jesus loved us even when we were not worthy to be in His presence because of our sin. We must do the same for the world. The body of Christ is not a place for those who have it all together. The body of Christ is a hospital full of recovering sinners.

We must love all the world and help them see the love that Jesus has for them.

Grace transforms

But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.” (John 16:5-16, NRSV)

There are many more things you need to know but you can not bear them…

We have so many things in life that bombard us and try to take over our time and our lives…

And it is so easy to get caught up in them.

But Jesus tells us as He told the disciples He is going away, but we don’t ask where because we know He is going to be with the Father and He is there preparing a place for us. And when He goes He will nto leave us alone, but will give us the Spirit, to be with us and to guide us.

We are never alone in the bombardment of our lives. God is dwelling in us to transform us and make us into the person He created us to be.

Just let Him have His way, and know He will make you into a new creation one that will shine forth His love!

You will be…

Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:23-27, NRSV)

As I read this text I was struck by the last line, and I heard Luke Skywalker say to Yoda, “I am not afraid.”

We take heart in our lives and look at life through rose colored glasses sometimes. We think there is nothing out there to fear. We get caught up in our own ability to do anything and we do not see the dangers.

But when we let go and allow the Paraclete, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, have her rightful place in our lives, we can be led to places that will scare the beejebez out of us.

That is what happened to Luke, when he went to the tree where the dark side of the force dwelt. Yoda said they only thing in there is what you take with you. Kind of like Jesus knows us all and knows the ability we have to bring ourselves down and to setup ourselves in ways we shouldn’t… Only what we take with us…

“I am not afraid,” Luke said. “You will be… You will be.” Yoda responded. And we will be if we let go and let God have His way, but we have no reason to.

Because when the Spirit is in control, everything will work, and even though we can not tell how or why, it is all in the hands of the one who set this crazy place into it’s spin, and it is being done the way He set it out to happen.

So let go and allow the Spirit to dwell in you and through you and let go, and have no fear!

What’s love got to do with it…

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” (John 14:15-21, NRSV)

Admit it…

You read the title of this devotion and you started singing…

And then you thought, how does that go along with the reading?

Well you see the reading starts with “if you love me, you will keep…” And it ends with “and keep them are those who love me…”

Love and keep, keep and love. Very important here, and this text is centered in love.

You see we have to love as Jesus loved. And it is about keeping the commandments, not as in following all of the rules so we don’t get our hands slapped, or to get tot the right place.

We can not follow enough rules or regulations to make it. It is not possible. We do what Jesus did to show the world His love, not to ear our place.

Love is the key and we are called to Love each other as He has loved us.

So go and love, not as a gushy feeling, but as a call by the one who loved you when you were far from lovable!

And here is a bonus:

near

With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD. I will keep your statutes. I cry to you; save me, that I may observe your decrees. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I put my hope in your words. My eyes are awake before each watch of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. In your steadfast love hear my voice; O LORD, in your justice preserve my life. Those who persecute me with evil purpose draw near; they are far from your law. Yet you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true. Long ago I learned from your decrees that you have established them forever. Look on my misery and rescue me, for I do not forget your law. Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes. Great is your mercy, O LORD; give me life according to your justice. Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, yet I do not swerve from your decrees. I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands. Consider how I love your precepts; preserve my life according to your steadfast love. The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever. (Psalm 119:145-160, NRSV)

I cry out to God in my isolation and wonder where He is…

Have you ever felt like God had abandoned you?

You know that Mother Teresa spoke about the dark night of the soul, where she felt like God was not near her!

The woman who has led and continues to lead many into service of God, and did many wonderful things to advance His mission felt like God had abandoned her…

We can feel that way, like we are all alone, but the psalmist tells us the promise of God is He is near. And all of His promises are true! No matter how far we think He is from us, really all we need to do is turn around and there He will be, right by our side, all the time. We are never alone, for He will preserve our lives according to His steadfast love and He will be near us always!

liar

LiarThose who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:10-12, NRSV)

If you do not believe in the Son, or the testimony He gives you have made Him a liar…

And the witness is the life that God has given us, and that life is in Jesus – the way, the truth, the life!

And if we do not believe this, then there is no life in us and we have made Him and our life a lie…

That is the picture here… The face of a girl/boy who is a liar…

That is also what we are if we make His testimony false… A Liar.

lose nothing…

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves.No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. (John 6:35-48, NRSV)

That I should lose nothing of all that he has given me…

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty…

Well I must not have ever come to Jesus or believe in Him because I get hungry and thirsty all the time!

But I know I have come to Him and I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I believe in Him! I came to Him in my baptism at age 19, when I was put under the water, and raised to new life in Him. And I believe that He is always with me and that is what has gotten me through the years and times of darkness.

And because of this, I will never be lost to Him.  I will be held tightly in His hand and I will be raised up with Him on the last day. It is a promise we can hold on to.

We have to hold to the promises and know that even when we do not understand, as the Jews didn’t see Him for who He really was, that He will not lose His grip on us.

So know you have been drawn to Him, and you are in His grip and He will never lose you!

Truth

Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” (John 18:28-38a, NRSV)

What is truth?

Why do we ask the questions we do?

What are we seeking when we seek the truth?

Are we looking for the answers we want?

The answers we have already determined to be the correct answer?

The truth is hard to swallow because it is not always what we want. We need to be open and ready to accept what we have known and what we have learned is not what is true.

A prime example of this is Pluto. Once a planet, then it was not a planet, and now maybe is a planet again… What is it?

But the ultimate truth that Jesus is savior and through Him we have access to the Father, will not change. But our understanding of who Jesus is has to be who Jesus is and not who we want Him to be.

There is no exit for the truth, but it is the way and the path that Jesus has set before us. So do not use your own GPS, but follow the way and know that that will always lead you to the truth.

forgetful…

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:31-36, NRSV)

We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone…

What about that little stay the nation of Israel had in Egypt? Remember Joseph and his family?

Are they not a part of this lineage as well?

So weren’t we slaves, freed by God once?

So God has to come and free us again….

and again….

and again…

You see any one who commits sin is a slave to sin. Any of us who allow the wants and desires of this life take the place of God in our lives and follow after those things become a slave to those things.

Only when we truly focus on and allow Jesus to be the center of or lives are we free. We are all slaves to sin…

We are all sinners, yet at the same time we are saints, set free in Christ to be a dutiful servant of all!

So don’t forget your sinful nature or the fact that we are all slaves!

But rejoice in the fact that Jesus loves you and cleanses you and makes you a saint, ready to serve everyone!

stronghold

The fear of the LORD prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked will be short.
The hope of the righteous ends in gladness,
but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.
The way of the LORD is a stronghold for the upright,
but destruction for evildoers.
The righteous will never be removed,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse. (Proverbs 10:27-32, NRSV)

The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright…

If you are following after the Lord and doing His will, then you have nothing to fear! for your world will be a stronghold against the enemies of God and the wicked will not be able to penetrate the walls of the defense around you.

You will live a long life in the fear of the Lord and be filled with hope. This does not mean life will be without battles or suffering or strife… But it does mean, if you follow the Lord and do His will that He will always be with you and will be shelter and shade for you and give you the strength to go on. He will be your stronghold. So follow Him and know that His promises are good!