forgive

Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause people to trip and fall into sin must happen, but how terrible it is for the person through whom they happen. It would be better for them to be thrown into a lake with a large stone hung around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to trip and fall into sin. Watch yourselves! If your brother or sister sins, warn them to stop. If they change their hearts and lives, forgive them. Even if someone sins against you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times and says, ‘I am changing my ways,’ you must forgive that person.” (Luke 17:1-4, CEB)

Forgiveness is one of the hardest things for humans because we have a hard time forgetting what others (and ourselves) have done to us. And there is also this thing called trust.

Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you allow them to continue to do the things they have done. Even though this passage says if they sin against you seven times, that could be the same sin or a different one. Either way, it is a lot, but it doesn’t say the same thing. We still have to forgive them. More for us, than for them because we need to let go of the pain and the agony and let God take care of it. Let go and let God is overused, but it is appropriate.

Let go of the pain and give it to God.

Forgive. as you are forgiven.

Loving People. Loving God.

matters

Look, I, Paul, am telling you that if you have yourselves circumcised, having Christ won’t help you. Again I swear to every man who has himself circumcised that he is required to do the whole Law. You people who are trying to be made righteous by the Law have been estranged from Christ. You have fallen away from grace! We eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness through the Spirit by faith. Being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t matter in Christ Jesus, but faith working through love does matter. (Galatians 5:2-6, CEB)

It seems interesting to me that Paul says if you are circumcised then you have to follow all of the law, but then he says that being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t matter in Christ Jesus.

And of course, it doesn’t matter if you are circumcised or not and Paul isn’t saying that if you are circumcised for no reason but because you are doing it for the understanding of the Law. If you do it because the Law says you must, then you have to follow all of the Law. Not that that would get you anything anyhow. but…

What matters is love. Love all. That simple.

Loving People. Loving God.

go and proclaim

Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, “Don’t go among the Gentiles or into a Samaritan city. Go instead to the lost sheep, the people of Israel. As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons. You received without having to pay. Therefore, give without demanding payment. Workers deserve to be fed, so don’t gather gold or silver or copper coins for your money belts to take on your trips. Don’t take a backpack for the road or two shirts or sandals or a walking stick. Whatever city or village you go into, find somebody in it who is worthy and stay there until you go on your way. When you go into a house, say, ‘Peace!’ If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if the house isn’t worthy, take back your blessing. If anyone refuses to welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or city. I assure you that it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on Judgment Day than it will be for that city. “Look, I’m sending you as sheep among wolves. Therefore, be wise as snakes and innocent as doves. Watch out for people—because they will hand you over to councils and they will beat you in their synagogues. They will haul you in front of governors and even kings because of me so that you may give your testimony to them and to the Gentiles. Whenever they hand you over, don’t worry about how to speak or what you will say, because what you can say will be given to you at that moment. You aren’t doing the talking, but the Spirit of my Father is doing the talking through you. Brothers and sisters will hand each other over to be executed. A father will turn his child in. Children will defy their parents and have them executed. Everyone will hate you on account of my name. But whoever stands firm until the end will be saved. Whenever they harass you in one city, escape to the next, because I assure that you will not go through all the cities of Israel before the Human One comes. (Matthew 10:5-23, CEB)

We are called and sent into the world to tell the house of Israel.

It seems maybe this passage is appropriate again today. Jesus sent the disciples out to tell those following after ways that are not what God is after that they are not doing what God has called them to do. Martin Luther called out the Catholic Church and reformation is still happening today. We are always learning and growing and when we think we got it, we most certainly do not.

Speak the truth in love all the time and if people won’t listen, shake the dust off your feet and move along. But never cease in speaking truth in love.

Loving People. Loving God.

Walk tall

“Write this to the angel of the church in Smyrna:

These are the words of the one who is the first and the last, who died and came back to life: I know your hardship and poverty (though you are actually rich). I also know the hurtful things that have been spoken about you by those who say they are Jews (though they are not, but are really Satan’s synagogue). Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer. Look! The devil is going to throw some of you into prison in order to test you. You will suffer hardship for ten days. Be faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Those who emerge victorious won’t be hurt by the second death. (Revelation 2:8-11, CEB)

Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer.

God is always with you. You can stand tall knowing you are proclaiming the truth in the face of a world that doesn’t want to hear it.

Death is not the end, let them take your life here but do not back down from proclaiming the truth.

Loving People. Loving God.

First love…

“Write this to the angel of the church in Ephesus:

These are the words of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven gold lampstands: I know your works, your labor, and your endurance. I also know that you don’t put up with those who are evil. You have tested those who say they are apostles but are not, and you have found them to be liars. You have shown endurance and put up with a lot for my name’s sake, and you haven’t gotten tired. But I have this against you: you have let go of the love you had at first. So remember the high point from which you have fallen. Change your hearts and lives and do the things you did at first. If you don’t, I’m coming to you. I will move your lampstand from its place if you don’t change your hearts and lives. But you have this in your favor: you hate what the Nicolaitans are doing, which I also hate. If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. I will allow those who emerge victorious to eat from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise. (Revelation 2:1-7, CEB)

When we get caught up in religion and the rules for doing what God has called us to do, we forget Jesus.

Faith in God is not about following rules and doing things the right way. Following God is about love. Loving those around you and loving God.

Pure and simple. Do not get caught up in following the rules. Just love.

Loving People. Loving God.

death’s power

So what are we going to say? Should we continue sinning so grace will multiply? Absolutely not! All of us died to sin. How can we still live in it? Or don’t you know that all who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we were buried together with him through baptism into his death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too can walk in newness of life. If we were united together in a death like his, we will also be united together in a resurrection like his. This is what we know: the person that we used to be was crucified with him in order to get rid of the corpse that had been controlled by sin. That way we wouldn’t be slaves to sin anymore, because a person who has died has been freed from sin’s power. But if we died with Christ, we have faith that we will also live with him. We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and he will never die again. Death no longer has power over him. He died to sin once and for all with his death, but he lives for God with his life. In the same way, you also should consider yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:1b-11, CEB)

Does death have power?

We fear dying. Probably for many reasons. Will it hurt? How painful will it be? Will it take a while or it will happen in an instant. What happens after we die?

Actually, I think that is the biggest fear for all of us. We have no idea what happens when we die. The Bible certainly isn’t clear on it either there are all kinds of answers.

But here Paul tells the Romans that death’s power is over. Christ has defeated the power of death in his resurrection and because we have been united with Christ in his death we will be united in his resurrection so death’s power is gone.

We have new life in Christ and should live that life unapologetically.

Know that death is not the end.

Loving People. Loving God.

Integrity

As he left there, the legal experts and Pharisees began to resent him deeply and to ask him pointed questions about many things. They plotted against him, trying to trap him in his words. When a crowd of thousands upon thousands had gathered so that they were crushing each other, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples: “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees—I mean, the mismatch between their hearts and lives. Nothing is hidden that won’t be revealed, and nothing is secret that won’t be brought out into the open. Therefore, whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and whatever you have whispered in the rooms deep inside the house will be announced from the rooftops. (Luke 11:53-12:3, CEB)

Integrity is one of my favorite words.

I try to live a life of integrity. Meaning I am who I say I am all the time, no matter who is looking or if anyone is looking.

I have always said those who tell the truth do not have to worry about having a good memory. Only those that spin tails and tell lies need to remember who they told what.

Be who you are no matter who is watching, for everything will eventually be made known.

Loving People. Loving God.

control part 2

The high priest, together with his allies, the Sadducees, was overcome with jealousy. They seized the apostles and made a public show of putting them in prison. An angel from the Lord opened the prison doors during the night and led them out. The angel told them, “Go, take your place in the temple, and tell the people everything about this new life.” Early in the morning, they went into the temple as they had been told and began to teach. When the high priest and his colleagues gathered, they convened the Jerusalem Council, that is, the full assembly of Israel’s elders. They sent word to the prison to have the apostles brought before them. However, the guards didn’t find them in the prison. They returned and reported, “We found the prison locked and well-secured, with guards standing at the doors, but when we opened the doors we found no one inside!” When they received this news, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were baffled and wondered what might be happening. Just then, someone arrived and announced, “Look! The people you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” Then the captain left with his guards and brought the apostles back. They didn’t use force because they were afraid the people would stone them. (Acts 5:17-26, CEB)

Yesterday’s devotion talked about who is in control. The Angels? Us?

This passage shows that there were those who thought they were in control and had people who were speaking a different message arrested and put in prison, and yet, God released them and advised them to go back where they were and continue to tell the message they had.

Know that while we may think we have control, we do not. Believe and trust in the one who created everything and let God have the control God has and live an abundant life!

Loving People. Loving God.

control

God didn’t put the world that is coming (the world we are talking about) under the angels’ control. Instead, someone declared somewhere, What is humanity that you think about them? Or what are the human beings that you care about them? For a while you made them lower than angels. You crowned the human beings with glory and honor. You put everything under their control. When he puts everything under their control, he doesn’t leave anything out of control. But right now, we don’t see everything under their control yet. However, we do see the one who was made lower in order than the angels for a little while—it’s Jesus! He’s the one who is now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of his death. He suffered death so that he could taste death for everyone through God’s grace. (Hebrews 2:5-9, CEB)

Who has control?

The angels?

Who controls your life?

We would all like to think we do and in a sense we do, and yet control is out of our hands.

God is in control.

Loving People. Loving God.

disciples – apostles

During that time, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night long. At daybreak, he called together his disciples. He chose twelve of them whom he called apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter; his brother Andrew; James; John; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus; Simon, who was called a zealot; Judas the son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Jesus came down from the mountain with them and stood on a large area of level ground. A great company of his disciples and a huge crowd of people from all around Judea and Jerusalem and the area around Tyre and Sidon joined him there. They came to hear him and to be healed from their diseases, and those bothered by unclean spirits were healed. The whole crowd wanted to touch him, because power was going out from him and he was healing everyone. (Luke 6:12-19, CEB)

Jesus prayed and then at day break he called together his disciples. He chose 12 and called them apostles. Wait I thought there were 12 disciples?

How many disciples were there?

Well if you read all of the gospels you will see a different list of 12 men called apostles by Jesus. But there are many people who would be considered disciples.

You see the word disciple in Greek means learner. So anyone who learns from Jesus is a disciple. Anyone, men, women, children, slaves, lepers, those forsaken, those accepted. If you learned from Jesus you are his disciple.

And Jesus named 12 apostles, which means sent. He named 12 people to go into the world to tell about love. But aren’t all of us really sent by Jesus, “as the father sent me, so I send you.”

Learn and go.

Learn about love and go and share love.

Loving People. Loving God.