Do you love as Jesus would want you to?

Do you love as Jesus would want you to love?  I've been reading the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and found it challenging me in some very good ways.  One exercise was to look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 in a different way.  Read the passage again...

"Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking.  It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Now replace the word Love with your name and read it again.

It changes things doesn't it.  

Am I patient?  Am I kind?  Do I envy?  Do I boast?  Am I arrogant and proud? Am I rude or self-seeking?  Am I easily angered?  Do I keep a record of wrongs?  Do I rejoice in wrong doing?  Do I rejoice in the truth?  Do I always protect those I love?  Do I always persevere?

We are called to love one another by Jesus.  If this passage is the definition of what love is, how are YOU doing?

Have you deceived yourself?

Psalms 36:2-3 - For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.  The words of his mouth are are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

Have you ever known someone who told a lie so well and so often that it became truth to them?  Do you know someone right now that believes something about themselves or God that is incorrect or un-truthful?

Now look inward...have you deceived yourself?  Have you spent so much time justifying or hiding sin in your life that you no longer detect or hate it?  We can easily be deceived by our thoughts, our flesh, by others, by the world or by our enemy.  We can become completely unaware of our sin, or we can become convinced that we are justified in our sin thus making it "ok" to continue our behavior.

So if we are deceived, how do we know where we are deceived?  That's the big question...because if we are deceived we probably don't know we are deceived.  We pray and listen.

We start by praying as David did in Psalms 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting".

Then we listen.  We listen as we read the Bible, we listen to our loved ones, we listen to ourselves and be aware of what we are hearing.

Proverbs 15:31-32 - He who listens to a life giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.  He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

What is God trying to show you?  What is God using others, to show you about your life?

Lord I pray that you would search us, know our thoughts, test us and lead us to the everlasting by convicting us where we are deceived, where we are justifying our sin.  Help us to see our sin, help us to hate our sin.  Send loved ones, brothers to show us our sin.  Lord we pray that you would bother us, nag us and not let us stay where we are at.  Push us Lord to become more and more like you each and everyday.  Amen.

Is God a concept or is God your reality?

If God decided to commission a new version of the Bible set in our time; what would be your role; based on how you are living your life right now?

Would you the the legalistic pharisee who embraces the laws and concepts to the point of making others miserable.  Or maybe the person who believes the concepts, goes to church each weekend...but has yet to embrace God and make Him the reality in your world.  Or maybe, you would be like the disciples, knowing there is a significance, a weight to the Lord...learning and growing daily...not perfect but wanting so much to be like Him, wanting to live your life for His glory and not yours.

Based on how you are living your life today...where would you be?

Is God still a concept to you?  Or has God become your reality?  Do you live your life as if you are living it for the glory of God?  To live your life for the glory of God is to live a life where you place the weight of God into each decision, into each action you take.

Galatians 1:10 - Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

If you are trying to win the approval of men, you are living a worldly life...not a Godly life.  If you are trying to win the approval of men...you are not a servant of Christ.  Is it for your glory or His?  I've got to be honest, each and every thing I write...I want it to have an impact on those that I write it for.  So I struggle with the question "Is it for my glory or God's?" constantly.  When I've stopped asking, I've probably lost the battle.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 - Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And that is what some of you were.  But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.

That is a big list, and I'm guessing that if we are honest, nearly all of us fall into that list somewhere.  But I want to focus on what is said after the list.  Paul is writing to the the churches he founded in Galatia...he is writing to a church and he uses the words  "And that is what some of you were." - What some of you were...meaning that some are still there?  That some in the church are still those things?  YES...some of you are still there.

Is the reason...that you still only know the concept of God, and not the reality?

But you were washed, you were sanctified, justified....not by anything you did...but by and in the name of Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.  Let Jesus become your reality and be washed, sanctified and justified by Him.  It's time you let your life be transformed by the love, mercy and grace that is Jesus Christ our Savior.

Gospel Community

Do you realize the importance of community in your walk with the Lord?  Most of us really don't understand how important community is.  In fact, if we look at our culture, it almost seems like the best thing we can do for our spirituality is to go into hiding; where we can't be touched by the things going on around us.

But that is opposite of what the Word of God teaches us...

Acts 2:42-47 - They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 - Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

The idea of community, taking part in a community is biblical.  We are called to do it...

Why?  It's in community where we learn and grow...it's in community we learn to forgive, show mercy and grace, to love one another.  It's in community that we develop friendships and bonds.  It's in community where we sharpen one another (Proverbs 27:17 - As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.), where we teach, rebuke, correct and train one another.  (Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:2, Titus 2:2-8)

The idea of gospel community is not just showing up for church on Sundays.  Gospel community is doing life together, it's includes church, small groups, gatherings, your marriage, breaking bread together, celebrating together, mourning together, supporting each other in time of need...

So what's going through your head right now?  I'm guessing it's the lies of the enemy.  Probably statements like: 'No one likes you.', 'You won't be accepted.', You will just be hurt again.', 'They don't care about you.'...  Satan would like nothing more than to keep you isolated, keep you on the outside...keep you away from feeling the love of Christ through others.  If it's something he is opposed to, what do you think we need to do?   Engage!

Lord, I pray that you would help us to see how important gospel community is in our walk with you.  I ask that you would place a desire for true gospel community in our hearts and that we would respond, that we would engage.  Lord we pray against the spiritual warfare, the war that the enemy is raging in our thought life that keeps us from engaging in gospel community.  Lord let us learn from your example of community and see that through community we come closer and closer to you.  Amen.