leveled…

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:23-29, NRSV)

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female;

There is no distinction between any of us any more. All of the major separators of Jesus day are here/

All of us are equal in the eyes of God.

We have all sinned and fallen short and held up by the same faith.

Therefore we need to treat each other as God treats us. And not how society wants us to.

For we are all the same in the eyes of God!

Restored

When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were possessed by demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.’ (Matthew 8:14-17, NRSV)

Jesus healed Peter’s Mother-in-law and restored her to her right place.

Now before you get all women’s rights on me, in Jesus time the woman took care of the house and by Peter’s mother-in-law being sick, she could not do what society expected her to do. She was not able to do her part to keep society moving forward.

Jesus took her out of her illness, her dis-ease and made her whole and allowed her to be who society needed her to be.

Jesus heals us all and restores us to how he created us to do what we need to in society.

falling

Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and for ever. Amen. (Jude 24-25, NRSV)

We would not be able to stand if it were not for the one who came to show us how to live.

We would fall flat on our faces, but that should not keep us from going.

Without Him we will fail, but with Him we will be as He has created us, a beacon of His mercy and grace for all the world!

Hope!

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, ‘Where is your God?’ These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God, my rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?’ As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, ‘Where is your God?’ Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. (Psalm 42, NRSV)

What do you long after?

What is on your mind right now?

What do you spend your time thinking about?

Toby Mac speaks about his very essence exuding God.

Like a deer seeks after water we need to seek after God!

No matter what we face we do not need to worry or be down trodden, because God who is our hope is always with us.

So hope in Him and trust that He is always with you!

Good News

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’ (Matthew 11:2-6, NRSV)

The messengers from John question Jesus and He tells them, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” Now all of these are miracles, except maybe the last one. Blind see, lame walk, lepers cleaned, deaf hear are all pretty miraculous things. But the poor hear good news… Is that really something to be writing home about?

I guess that depends on what you mean by Good News!

Have you ever gotten news you wanted to share with everyone?

And do you believe that Jesus died for your sins?

And who have you told?

That is good news. You do not have to spend eternity apart from the one who created you! Isn’t that really the best news of all, and yet we do not share it…

We tell everyone we know about a great restaurant or a good movie, yet we will not even talk to our best friends about our faith!

So why are we not sharing the Good News? Jesus heralded it as one of the markers of the coming of the Kingdom.

Are you helping bring on the Kingdom?