WHAT IS THE GREATEST?

Some equate being a Christian with a church or a particular denomination.  Membership in a church does not make one Christian.  A Christian expresses faith or trust in God and God's plan for sin.  There is a big difference between sin and sins.  Sin refers to that part of us that we inherit or is passed down to us through the birth experience.  We call it the humanity's fall.  We are born with a nature or desire to sin or not follow God.  This is called the sinful nature.  God came in the person of Jesus Christ to live like we live.  Jesus experienced all the temptations, frustrations, diseases, and loneliness that we all feel.  When Jesus died and rose again, Jesus conquered the sinful nature and makes it possible for us to overcome the sinful nature.  A Christian cannot do this on his own.  The only way a Christian can overcome is by faith or trust in God's plan.  Faith=trust in God.  

God did this because God loves us so much.  John 3:16 states "For God loved the world (us) that God gave God's only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."  I John 1 states that God is love.  Paul defines love like this: (I Corinthians 13)

•  Love is patient and kind.
•  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. 
•  Love does not demand its own way.
•  Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 
•  Love does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
•  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Christians are followers of God.  Christians are called to live in loving relationships with God, others, self, and the created universe in which we live.  We cannot love God if we don't have love for others and we can't love others if we don't love ourselves.  Loving self means we recognize that we are not in control for God is in control.  We see God is great, glorious, gracious, and good.  God's love begins to flow in us and through us as we trust God and trust God's plan.

Hope is the expectation of something good will come from the bad.  Hope is ability to know that God will see us through the storms of life.  We may not see what is ahead but when adverse events happen, we know God is there and that God'g grace will see us through it even if it means our death.  Christians are not immune to suffering or disease or failure in business or relationships.  Failure does not mean God is punishing us.  Suffering happens to everyone.  Hope knows that when we leave this world, there is a better place for us!

Love is the greatest of all.  Without love, our faith and hope grows dim.  May God continue to open our hearts, our minds, and being to God's gracious love that shows us God's greatness and glory for God is good!

I AM ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHING

Christianity or should say the Christian Church has come under fire for being outdated and behind the times.  So churches have adapted and changed their worship services with more updated music and more informal services.  The greatest complaint though seems to be that the church does not practice what it preaches.  The church preaches love but calls for members to live Godly Lives.  Today, I begin a series on what it means to be a Christian.

Christians should not practice sin.  (Romans 6)

There is so much confusion about sin today.  It was not much different in the days after Jesus left the earth and the Apostles were teaching Christians what sin is.  Paul states in I Corinthians 10:23, we are allowed to do anything, but not everything is beneficial or good for us and for others.  Paul concludes his remarks by stating that whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we are to do all to the glory of God.  So sin has something to do with relationships.

   

           The United Methodist Church defines sin like this under United Methodist Beliefs:

"Genesis 1:27 asserts that we've been made in the image of the Creator. Like God we have the capacity to love and care, to communicate, and to create. Like God we're free, and we're responsible. We've been made, says Psalm 8, "a little lower than God" and crowned "with glory and honor." We believe that the entire created order has been designed for the well-being of all its creatures and as a place where all people can dwell in covenant with God.

But we do not live as God intends. Again and again we break the covenant relationship between God and us. We turn our backs on God and on God's expectations for us. We deny our birthright, the life of wholeness and holiness for which we were created. We call this alienation from God,sin.

A distinction should be made between sin and sins. We use the word sins to denote transgressions or immoral acts. The issue is sin in the singular. Sin is our alienation from God, our willful act of turning from God as the center of life and making our own selves and our own wills the center. From this fundamental sin our various sins spring. Sin is estrangement of at least four kinds:

Separation from God

Sin is breaking the covenant, separating ourselves from the One who is our origin and destiny. It's trying to go it alone, to be out of touch with the God who is the center of life. Based on the story in Genesis 3, the church has described this break in dramatic terms: the Fall. 

Separation from other people

In our sin we distance ourselves from others. We put ourselves at the center of many relationships, exploiting others for our own advantage. Instead of loving people and using things, we love things and use people. When confronted with human need, we may respond with token acts of kindness or with lip service or perhaps not at all. Toward some people and some groups, we're totally indifferent or actively hostile. Sin is a denial of our common humanity and our common destiny on this one small planet.

Separation from the created order

In our sin we separate ourselves from the natural environment. Greedily we turn upon it, consuming it, destroying it, befouling it. As natural resources dwindle, as possibilities increase for long-term damage to the atmosphere and seas, we pause to wonder. But our chief concern is for our own survival, not for the beauty and unity of all God's creation.

Separation from ourselves
We turn even from our own center, from the goodness, happiness, and holiness that is our divinely created potential. Sometimes it seems that there are two wills warring within us. As Paul put it, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate" (Romans 7:15).

LEARNING, TRAINING, AND DISCIPLINE

Ever watch track and field events?  Ever watch a baseball game?  football game?  Swimming competition?  All of the athletes you see run the race All of the baseball players  or football players do not play in the game.  Some sit on the bench.  All of the swimmers don't get to swim those final laps.  Yet, they all learn by years of practice and training.  They all learn to discipline their bodies to perform.  Yes, some use substances that enhance their performance that gives them an unfair advantage.  To win the race, the game, the competition one begins years before that magic moment to discipline the body and the mind.

As Christians, we are also call to discipline.  We are to maintain balance in our life through learning, training, and discipline.  But we cannot do it by ourselves.  We need God's help.  This is why Jesus told the disciples that God would send a Helper.  The Helper is the Spirit of God that convicts us our sin and leads us into faith in Jesus Christ.  This Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, resides in us and helps us to grow or learn and gives us help to train our minds, our bodies, our emotions, and our spiritual being to be like Christ in what we say and do.  The Holy Spirit guides us across the finish line so when the day comes for us to depart this earth, we go to be with God.

Holy Spirit, guide our steps today.  Take us where we need to be.  Control our thoughts, what we say, and our actions.  We need you!

24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.   I Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT

Architects, Engineers, and Construction Workers

Driving down any street anywhere in the world, we see all different types of structures:  retail stores, churches, houses, office buildings, banks, hospitals, and schools.  Some are simple and others are elaborate.  Some are built in the most out of way places like mountain tops and some on streets that are zoned by local government.  All of these structures require planning, preparation, and construction.  Architects design the structure, engineers design the layout of the streets, and construction workers build the structures.

The construction phase begins with the foundation.  Foundations are extremely important.  My father was a builder.  He was instrumental in building many church buildings during his life.  When I was about five and six, my friend Danny and I decided we were going to build a church.  My father gave us some old lumber, some nails, and a hammer.  He taught us how to hammer.  Our building did not stand.  It kept falling down.  My father looked at what we did and he told us that we didn't have a good foundation for the building to stand.

Our lives need a foundation also.  God is our Architect.  God has drawn the plans for us to living in loving relationships with God, others, and self.  Yet, we live in a world that does not understand how to construct a life filled with loving relationships.  It is so easy to construct a life built on own understanding that is influenced by the culture and the world in which we live and dismiss God the Architect's plans for how to live.  We hear that God does not exist and that the Bible is full of myths and fables.

There comes a time when a foundation is chosen.   Jesus told a parable about two men who built homes.  One built his home on solid rock and the other on the sand.  When the storms came, the house built on the sound collapsed.  The house built on solid rock stood.  There is a great hymn of the church based on this parable:

And my hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
And I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' name

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
And all other ground is sinking sand

When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
And all other ground is sinking sand, yeah

I don't know about you, but I choose God's plans and designs!

DOUBTS?

There are those people in our lives to whom we give our friendship and complete and total trust.  When we discover that they have flaws, our world is shattered and we walk the fine line between trust and distrust.  For example, when we discover that our spouse has been unfaithful, it is hard to accept for we trusted them. This type of hurt causes us to become cynical toward placing trust in others. 

Friends let us down.  The trust we placed in them shatters when they break a confidence or some horrible act.  We turn our backs on them.  For example, a friend steals from the employer and the employer files charges.  Judging them guilty, we immediately stop contacting them.  Later, we discover they are innocent and we want to resume the relationship.  How do you think the friend will react?

God is not like that with us.  Listen to these words,

I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, OLord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. Psalm 94:18-19 NLT

When we walk the fine line between belief and unbelief, God is there to help us!  Thank you God!

DON'T WORRY.....BE HAPPY!

Don't worry!  

Tell that to my mother when it started thundering and lightning.  If a bad storm came during the night, mom woke us all and told us to put on our clothes.  She wanted to make sure we had on clean underwear and and clean socks.  She was terrified of storms.  She couldn't sleep and neither could the rest of us. When mom became anxious she always hummed "In the Sweet Bye and Bye". 

There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way
To prepare us a dwelling place there.

Refrain:
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.

We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melodious songs of the blessed;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.

To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise
For the glorious gift of His love
And the blessings that hallow our days.
Tell that to my father when it came to crop time for dad usually borrowed money to raise the crops so we could sell them, pay back the bank, and make enough for our family to live through the winter. Dad took great pride in his farming abilities.  He was successful when other farmers were not.  When he was worried, he always sang even if no one else was around.  He hummed or sang a list of songs.  My favorite was "Farther Along."

Tempted and tried, we’re oft made to wonder
Why it should be thus all the day long;
While there are others living about us,
Never molested, though in the wrong. 

Refrain:
Farther along we’ll know more about it,
Farther along we’ll understand why;
Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,
We’ll understand it all by and by. 

Sometimes I wonder why I must suffer,
Go in the rain, the cold, and the snow,
When there are many living in comfort,
Giving no heed to all I can do. 

Tempted and tried, how often we question
Why we must suffer year after year,
Being accused by those of our loved ones,
E’en though we’ve walked in God’s holy fear. 

Often when death has taken our loved ones,
Leaving our home so lone and so drear,
Then do we wonder why others prosper,
Living so wicked year after year. 

“Faithful till death,” saith our loving Master;
Short is our time to labor and wait;
Then will our toiling seem to be nothing,
When we shall pass the heavenly gate. 

Soon we will see our dear, loving Savior,
Hear the last trumpet sound through the sky;
Then we will meet those gone on before us,
Then we shall know and understand why.

My parent's faith was real.  They knew God to be real.  They placed their trust in Jesus Christ.  They passed on to us the greatest gift any parent could.  Trust in Christ is not a myth.  Jesus was not a myth.  Hear the words of Jesus that give me great comfort.


John 14:1-6

New Living Translation (NLT)


“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.  And you know the way to where I am going.”

 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

Our lives are farther along than yesterday.  We don't understand everything now but someday, we will until then let's choose not to worry. Let's choose to be happy.  This is the song I love to hum, but the Lord's knows I should never sing it...( I don't want to hurt anyone's ears with my off key)

How Great Thou Art lyrics

Verse 1:
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Verse 2:
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Chorus

Verse 3:
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Chorus

Verse 4:
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

GOD'S UNFAILING LOVE

But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. Psalm 42:8 NLT

This has been a very interesting week for me.  I visited my doctor last Friday that prompted a heart stress test on Monday, a chest x ray today, and an appointment with a cardiologist next Monday.  There are no definitive answers yet for all tests have come back normal except for some abnormalities on my EKG during the heart stress test.  

All of this reminds me that God never leaves us or forsakes us for God does pour out God's unfailing love upon me every day.  There have been days I haven't had the energy to walk, cook, or clean much less write this blog.  My present physical condition is based on decisions that I have made about weight.  I am obese, diabetic, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and now anemic. I don't like to exercise.  I love food. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit of God.  How do I deal with issues of health that I created by bad choices I have made over the years?  

Do I have the right to ask God to heal me?  Do I ask God to direct the doctors to discover what is causing the problems I am having?  Am I too old to get this under control?

God has been good to me.  I have no right to expect God to help yet I know God will be with me for God promised in Psalm 23 that God is my Shepherd and that God will lead me through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  God's grace is for me. God's unfailing love is shown to me daily.  Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.  Jesus is my Saviour.  God's redemption is for me.  All I have to do is place my trust in God's plan through Jesus.  I do that gladly.  God the Holy Spirit lives in me.  God's Spirit gives me the ability to love, to forgive, and the power to overcome.

Thank you God for being the source of my life!

Please Pray for me.

I will be undergoing a heart stress test next week.  I am having problems that point to the heart.  I won't be able to compose any blog posts until we can identify the problem.

WE ARE GOD'S MASTERPIECE

"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10 NLT

Art Museums show us the talents of those who have the gift of combining color and subject into a beautiful portrait, landscape, or abstract idea. Sculptures display the gift of taking sand or clay or marble and shaping it into a likeness of someone or something.   

We are works of art also.  God takes our lives that are shattered by sin, broken through decisions made, and turns us into a new creation.  How? When we recognize that we have sinned against God and others and we cannot do anything to earn forgiveness for our sins, God offers to wash away our sins and create us as God's masterpiece.  We cannot earn it or buy it.  By faith, we place our trust in God's plan.  Jesus is God in the flesh who died on the cross and rose again the third day victorious over sin.  When we receive God's free gift of the victory over sin in Jesus through our trust in God's plan, God does all the work.  Our lives are changed.  God does the changing in us.  

To God be the Glory for the work God has done in my life!

YOU WANT TO BE A PREACHER? THAT"S OUTDATED!

When I was growing up, I wanted to be teacher.  A dream changed those plans for I know God spoke to me in that dream.  When I woke up, I knew I would follow in my father's footsteps and go into the ministry. This happened in December 1964.  Our country was in the midst of major turmoil.  We had troops in Vietnam and the second Civil War was waged over equal rights for All Americans.  Pastors, Preachers, and Priests were very well respected.  They were often at the top of the list of America's most respected professions.  We were dressed in a suit and tie.  Our shoes were polished.  We preached on hell fire and brimstone and sin.  

Turn the page 49 years.  Pastors have lost credibility due to the sex scandals, the embezzlement of funds, and other abuses in the church.  Some have been found guilty of murdering their spouses.  People tend to trust in science and reason now more than ever.  Sin, hellfire, and brimstone are out.  Sermons now focus on love, peace, and harmony.  Some pastors now preach in blue jeans and tee shirt or sport shirt.  Many changes have come and gone yet one aspect of the Worship experience is still with us:  the sermon, the homily, the message, or any other name you may call it.

Paul writes in I Corinthians 1, 

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

This is why I answered the call of God:  Preaching is God's way of showing us how to have a relationship with God.  

LOVING IN AN UNLOVING WORLD

Have had a gun pulled on you?  Have you been robbed?  Raped?  Shot?  Stabbed? Beaten?  Have you been in a car accident where someone lost their life?  in the military where you were wounded and your buddies did not make it?  Traumatic events change our lives in so many ways.  Fear takes over and rules our thoughts and actions.  Revenge enters our thoughts.  Love becomes a four letter word hard for us.  Victims of violent crimes, war, drunk and careless driving need love and support.

On the other hand, we feel contempt, disgust, bitterness, and hatred toward perpetrators, drunk and careless drivers, and our enemies.  Hate comes easy for we want to them suffer like we did.  They deserve punishment as much as the law will allow.  We often say "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."

Then there are those who work where we do, go to church where to do, shop where we do, and drive down the same roads we do.  We may not know them personally or ever see their face.  Yet, we encounter hundreds of "other" people in our lifetime.  We miss a green light because the person in front of us is talking on the phone and doesn't see the light change and when they do, they make it through but you don't.  We hear gossip in the office about affairs in the office or who is lazy or who needs to be fired.  Your boss may take credit for something you do.  

Then there are our friends.  We spend time with them.  We may find that one of our friends is addicted to alcohol or drugs or porn.  One of our friends may tell something we asked to not share with anyone.  We may discover our spouse is having an affair with our best friend.  

How can we be loving in a world like this? Paul wrote in Romans 13

8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.  

Paul lists ways we can show our love:
1.   Clothe yourself in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2.   Bless those who persecute you
3.   Never pay back evil with evil
4.   Never take revenge; let God do that for you
5.   If your enemy is hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink

There are no easy answers, but we have the Holy Spirit of God here to show us the way!

AN ANGEL?

The news online and on television related a story that happened in Missouri this week.  Katie Lent, a 19 year young lady, was traveling on Missouri Highway 19 when a 26 year old young man crossed the center line and slammed into Katie pinning her between the steering wheel and the seat. He was drunk. Rescuers tried for 45 minutes to rescue her.  Their extraction tools could not cut through the twisted metal of her car.  The medical personnel on site warned them that she was fading fast. 

Katie asked all of them to pray with her outloud. Out of nowhere, a man dressed as a priest appeared with anointing oil.  The mysterious priest anointed her and prayed.  There was a calming effect at the scene.  The Rescue team from the Hannibal Fire Department arrived with new tools.  The new tools worked.  They were able to load her into a Medical Helicopter and send her to the hospital. 

When they finished, the team turned to thank the priest, but he disappeared just like he appeared.  The rescuers called him an Angel.  The road had been blocked in both directions so passenger traffic could not get through.  They didn't see the priest arrive or leave.  Katie is alive and recovering from broken bones and internal injuries.

When I think of this story,  I am reminded of one of my favorite Scriptures,

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1 NLT

What a perfect time to sing a Fanny Crosby hymn, To God be the Glory

1. To God be the glory, great things he hath done!
    So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,    
    who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
    and opened the lifegate that all may go in.
 Refrain:
    Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
    let the earth hear his voice!
    Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
    let the people rejoice!
    O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,
    and give him the glory, great things he hath done!
 2. O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
     to every believer the promise of God;
     the vilest offender who truly believes,
     that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
    (Refrain)
 3. Great things he hath taught us,
     great things he hath done,
    and great our rejoicing thru Jesus the Son
    but purer, and higher, and greater will be our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.
    (Refrain)

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE SICK?

A huge tractor trailer truck loaded heavily with bricks ran over me in my sleep this week for I woke up feeling like I had been run over by one.  My head hurt, my back hurt, and my headed pounded with a horrible headache.  Crawling out of bed created pain in every joint but I did manage to make it to the living where I plopped down in my recliner.  I didn't feel like moving.  Three hours later, my eyes popped open and the clock read 11:30.  I took some ibuprofen for my headache and ate some oatmeal and feel about asleep.  Another couple hours passed.  My body soaked with sweat gave me good news.  The fever was broken.

This morning, I felt the same way.  Every bone in my body ached and creaked as I walked.  Then I read my Scripture reading for today,

“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Luke 12:6-7 NLT

I had to chuckle at first, for God would have much less to count on my head than most since I am bald.  Yet, there is such wonderful truth here.  God knows what is happening with me.  When you have a bad day or you are sick,  remember this "you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."

RAINING AGAIN.....FLOODING.....PEOPLE WITHOUT HOMES

Last year, we endured a record drought. Temperatures soared over 100 with unbearable heat indexes.  Water supplies were at all time low.  This year is so different.  We have plenty of rain in southwest Missouri.  We have had rain every day since last Friday.  Forecasters tell us that the rains will continue through next week. Many of us are grumbling about the rain like we did the heat last year.

This is the picture of the flooding in Waynesville, MO.   The Roubidoux Creek runs through Waynesville.  Normally, it has about a foot of water.  There are expecting it to crest at 21.25 ft.  A four year old child and mother were lost in the flooded creek.  The body of the four year old has been found.  This will set a new record for this creek.  The highest crest before was 18 feet.   The Gasconade River will crest near Jerome, MO at 30.74 feet.  Normal flood stage is 15 ft. and the record is 31.3 feet.  I-44 flooded near exit 172, the Jerome Exit.  The State Department of Transportation has rerouted traffic.  Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for several areas in the Central Missouri area.  Many people in this area are without power.  Community shelters have opened for those who have no place to go.  People from the area donated shoes and clothes and food to help those evacuated from the floods.
Why is this referred to as an Act of God?  God did not cause this to happen.  Yet, it leaves us with the question, why me?  why now?  Is God punishing us?  God does not bring tragedy or destruction upon us.  These rains are being caused by the jet stream and stalled fronts that are bringing in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico causing rain and thunderstorms.
Is God with us.  Yes, God is here.  God responds with food, clothes, shoes, emergency crews, and volunteers who reach out a helping hand.  God will take this bad and turn it into something good.  Listen to these words:

Romans 8:28

New Living Translation (NLT)

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

This is the time to place our trust in God and allow God to show us the way.

A NEW NAME AND A NEW LOCATION

When we express our faith in Jesus Christ, we get a name, Christian.  No, our old name does not change but we become a member of the Family of God.  Our desires change. Our position changes.  In fact, Paul tells us we become a new creation.  Because of God's mercy and grace, the old life disappears and God gives us a new heart with totally different desires and goals.  Paul writes in I Corinthians 10:31, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." We want  to reflect God in all that we do. 

The Bible shows us three new identities that we have through Jesus, our Lord.

1.  A Child of the Father

Paul writes in Galatians 4:4-7,

 "But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir."

Jesus came to buy our freedom from the slavery to sin.  We don't have to worry about proving ourselves because we are children of God.  We are free to love God with all of our being, love others as ourselves.

2.  The Bride of Christ

Paul writes in Ephesians 5:25-27

"For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her  to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault."

Tim Chester writes in his book, You Can Change, " The Church is the bride of Christ.  He has loved us, wooed us, cleansed us, rescued us, and won us. Our relationship with Christ is a relationship of love and intimacy.  It is a union, an exclusive union".  We are to be the loving and devoted bride to Christ.

3.  Home of the Holy Spirit

Paul tells in I Corinthians our bodies have been bought with the price of Jesus dying on the cross so we should glorify God in our bodies.  Paul also states that our bodies serve as the temple where the Holy Spirit dwells.  We are to keep our temples clean and holy.

How do I apply this to my life?  Everyday, keep reminding yourself that you are a child of God and you want to glorify God.  Remember you are the Bride of Christ and you want to loving and devoted to Christ.  Recall that your body is where the Holy Spirit lives and you want to have a clean temple.

NOTE:  Today you will note the name change.  The Ethical observer was started for a different reason so in order for me to be the bride of Christ, a child of the Father, and home to the Holy Spirit, I have changed the name to the Daily Mirror.  My desire is to reflect Jesus and to glorify God in all that I say and do.

We will also be moving to a new blog from WordPress soon.  I will let you know before we make the switch.

May you have a day filled with love, joy, and peace.

Roy

TRUST ME

Trust relies on the character of someone to tell the truth.  Trust expresses confidence that what someone promises they will do.  Trust implies a contract or an agreement or a covenant.  Giving birth bonds a baby to the mother and father of the child.  Marriage conveys a trust between a man and a woman that they will be faithful and be there for each other until death.  A friendship forms when two or more people depend on each other to be there.  

God calls on us to trust God.  Jesus told us the greatest commandment states we should love God with all of our being (emotional, spiritual, physical, and rational). Moses gave God's command not to worship anyone but GOD.  If anyone worshipped anyone or anything else, Moses declared they committed the sin of idolatry.  

The correlation between the greatest commandment and the "Ten Commandments"  shows God's will.  God desires for us to live in loving relationships.  The first four commandments in Exodus 20 concerns our relationship with God.  Jesus clarifies these four commandments by declaring we are to love God with all of our being.  When we fall in love with God, we enter into a trust relationship with God.  This trust relationship continues until other things or persons takes God's place.  As we drift away from God, we lose confidence and feel we can no longer rely on God.  This can lead to complete and total denial that God is real.  This is the path of idolatry.  Idolatry is sin.  Sin is a breach of the trust agreement or covenant with God.

Jesus told us the second greatest commandment is to love others as ourselves.  The last six of the ten commandments deals with human relationships.  God commands us not to murder, commit adultery, steal, give false testimony, and covet what others have and oh yes, we are to honor our parents.  Jesus clarifies these commandments in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus states adultery begins with lust and murder begins with anger.  When we break the covenant of trust between us and others, we commit sin.  Sin is not a popular word today, but we cannot ignore it.  We prove our love for God how we treat others. When we do not show God's love in how we treat others, we sin.  

May we all understand these words and seek to practice them daily.  We can only do so as we learn to trust in God for God will show us the way.  

DO I HAVE TOO?

My sister was four years older than me.  We played together well most of the time.  When we argued, mom would step in and tell us to apologize to each other. I asked often, "Do I have too?" Mom replied "yes, you have too."  We would say "sorry" in such a half-hearted way.  I hated being forced to do say "sorry" for I wasn't.  Yet, I found myself doing the same thing when our children were growing up.  

Jesus said the second greatest commandment is to love others as ourselves.  When we hear this, we ask "DO I HAVE TOO?"  Jesus replies, "Yes, you do."  But Jesus, do you know what he is like?  But Jesus, do you know what she did to me?  But Jesus, they fired me,  This is the hardest part.  What does it mean to love others as ourselves?  No, Jesus, I really don't know how, for some people are down right unlovable.  

Jesus replies "treat others as you want to be treated." Now Jesus, what if ... Jesus interrupts, But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile,[ carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow."  (Matthew 5:39-42 NLT)

"But...." I argue. "No exceptions", Jesus stops me again.  “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.  If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that."( Matthew 5:43-48 NLT)

DO YOU LOVE ME?

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

Recently the world waited for the arrival of a new prince in Great Britain.  Photographers camped out at the hospital where the new prince would enter the world.  When the day arrived, the world celebrated the birth of Prince George who was born to Prince William and Duchess Kate.  What a handsome couple they are.  They are very popular for many reasons but their clean cut looks and sense of duty and service make them stand out as members of the royal family.  Prince William is more popular than Prince Charles, his father.  Yet, Prince Charles is just as dedicated to his country and the charities and trusts he supports.  

What makes the difference?  God gave Samuel the reason.  People judge by outward appearance.  Public opinion states Prince Charles is cold and aloof.  The Public blames him for the breakup of his marriage and his affair with Camilla, his current wife.  We are so guilty of judging others because of their past or the way they look or the manner they convey.  If you have ever seen the British comedy "Keeping Up Appearances" on PBS, we all can identify with the characters especially Hyacinth Bucket.  Hyacinth worried about the outward appearance especially when it came to the aristocracy.  She wanted people to see her as a highly sophisticated aristocratic woman.  She didn't fool anyone but herself.

God judges by what is in the heart or the motivation for the actions we take.  God is more interested in a relationship with us than our social, economic, religious, ancestral standing.  God is more interested in a relationship than our race, nationality, ethnicity, or political affiliations.  God asks, "Why did you do that?"

Jesus declared in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."  God's test is "Do you love me?"    When we reply, "Yes, Lord" then God says, "Keep My commandments'.    What are the commandments?  There are two found in Mark 12.

28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’No other commandment is greater than these.”

Jesus asks, "Do you love me?"