Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. -1 Peter 4:7

One of the hardest things for a believer to do is remember that there is a perspective other than what we can see and touch and ‘making things right’ has no deadline.

You don’t look at things the way we mortals do. You’re not taken in by appearances, are you? Unlike us, you’re not working against a deadline. You have all eternity to work things out. -Job 10:4-5

We’re spiritual beings. We are connected by the Spirit that lives inside of each of our beautifully created bodies. Maybe knowing the Spirit of Jesus lives within each person who believes in Him, we can understand how what you do to another, you do to Him (Mat25:40&45)

Separated by our arguments and failures, we are giving our ‘flesh and blood’ lives the power. We make decisions based on emotional inclinations. This puts us in an miserable spot. Your ‘flesh and blood’ response to a situation is bound to change over time and you’re setting things in stone that will be irrellevant in the light of day.

We know only a portion of the truth…We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. -1 Corinthians 13:8

We are told that we don’t know enough about what’s really going on to be able to make any decision other than to act according to Love. (1 Cor. 13) Yet we don’t remember what is true in the spirit when we are dealing with what hurts in the flesh. We are told to be quick to forgive, yet we put restrictions on that forgiveness, in effect restricting our freedom along with it. Can’t we, for a second, consider that God may know what He’s talking about and so we should act out of trust that He’s trying to keep us from any futher harm?

What if we run after peace? What if we chase down the loose strings and turn a frayed end into a forceful knot? Spirit to Spirit, forgiving the shortcomings of a flesh that we knew was corrupt before we saw the evidence. “Fool me once, shame on you….fool me twice…” We’re afraid of being hurt, we’re afraid of looking like fools.

But…we have three things to do to lead us…: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. -1 Corinthians 13:13

Forgiveness defuses the bomb. Love covers a multitude. Hands joined together are better than arms crossed against chests. It’s not about staying alert for the inevitable Satan Attack, it’s seeing your role in the attack that is well underway.

If we turn on each other, then he doesn’t have to.

Deny the flesh. Cultivate peace. Make your love the talk of the town. When they ask you why you’re still holding hands, then tell them the Truth.

In the middle of a confrontation between two brothers, one hauls off and hits the other. The brother who got hit stands there stunned and hurt. The brother who hit wants to take it back, but can’t. He stands there and braces for the fight. Instead of returning the punch, the hit brother asks, ‘Does that make you feel better?! Go on, take another hit.’ Then offers his other cheek. His brother rubs his aching fist and shakes his head. It didn’t make him feel better. It made him feel worse. There’s no way he’ll take another hit. Especially when there is obviously no fight.

A girl sneaks into her sister’s room to take a shirt she wasn’t allowed to borrow. Her sister walks in and finds her wearing it. She’s disappointed, but instead of screaming at her, as expected, she says, ‘It looks good on you,’ and offers to loan her the matching shoes. Next time, she’ll just ask instead of sneaking around.

The sixteen year old takes his dad’s sports car out for a joyride. He’s not supposed to be driving with his friends in the car, but he does it anyway. He’s not old enough to drink, but he does it anyway. Fun and freedom got in the way of ‘right’ and his bad choices started stacking up. He knew he’d be in trouble, so he made sure to make it count. Hours later, the shiny sports car was wrapped around a tree and he was in the back of an ambulance. When his dad came in the hospital room, his shame hurt worse than his broken leg. He was ready to forfeit all of his freedom and make promises he fully intended to keep, but his father wouldn’t let him talk. He just cried and kissed his face like he did when he was little. ‘I don’t care about the car, son, you’re alive.’ He would rather have a son who could do it again than lose him over his mistakes.

A drunk was staggering down the sidewalk, into the road, onto the sidewalk. Tripping and cussing and throwing up. Everyone avoided her. Crossing the street, rushing past, ignoring her. Her brother was out with his friends and noticed the commotion she was stirring. People were staring, making snide remarks and showing their disgust. He left his friends and ran over to her. He threw his jacket around her bare shoulders and made excuses for her to the people as he lead her to his car. He’ll have some damage control to do in the morning, but tonight, he just wants to get her home.

strangers

If a stranger hits you, you hit back. Your honor is at stake.

If a stranger steals your shirt, you take it to the public. Let the merciless law teach them a lesson.

If a stranger stole your car and wrecked it, you’d be happy they were in the hospital. Serves them right.

If a stranger was stumbling around in the dark, jacked up on who knows what, you’d avoid them, too. They’re not yours to take care of.

body

“Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.” -Jesus, Matthew 5:38-42

But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ -Luke 15-22-24

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ -Luke 10:33-35

Love is not limited to family, the command extends to everyone. You may not know  the other human being, but, because of the way Jesus set this up, they’re your family. You don’t get to pick and choose and you don’t get to look after your honor, your time or your stuff. We have to treat everyone the way we would treat our own family. The goal in the ‘ideal’ family would be to get past the differences sooner than later so that we can all sit down together again. You see the worst in each other and get past it because you can also see the best.

Something that you have to consider, is that when a person screws up, it shocks them as much as it shocks you. There is an opportunity to turn it around and use it to bond you closer if you look for it. Instead, we assume the worst and don’t know what to do with the ‘monster’ they’ve become to us. We turn people into ’strangers’ so we don’t have to deal with the pain of going through the recovery with them.

‘I don’t even know who you are anymore.’

You’re strong, they’re weak. You have to hold them up, carry them if you have to. You, as a self-proclaimed Christian, have to get past yourself and bear them, their ‘burdens.’ That’s how you fulfill the Law of Christ. The Love Law.

Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. -Galatians 6:1-3

How can we sum this up? All those people who didn’t seem interested in what God was doing actually embraced what God was doing as he straightened out their lives. -Romans 9:30

We have free will and make plans, take steps, set goals and graph progress, but it’s all meaningless smoke if it’s not what God is doing. You can do nothing and it’s done. You can do everything opposite and it’s done. Nobody is taking your will away from you, because your will is useless. You have a will because you’re made in His image, but unless your will is plugged into His, it’s a cheap squeaky toy. The ride is free and it’s going whether you want to take it or not. Your only choice is to take the blinders off or leave them on.

Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. -Proverbs 16:1

Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place. -Proverbs 16:3

God made everything with a place and purpose; even the wicked are included…-Proverbs 16:4

We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it. -Proverbs 16:9

We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails. -Proverbs 19:21

Our actions are responses to His action.

What God did in this case made it perfectly plain that his purpose is not a hit-or-miss thing dependent on what we do or don’t do, but a sure thing determined by his decision, flowing steadily from his initiative. -Romans 9:13

There is nothing that we can do to mess up His plan. It’s all written in black and white yet, we still find ways to exert our control and explain it away. He’s kept no secrets about having a plan for us, but we keep believing alternate messages that take the power from Him and attempt to put it back in your hands.

Think about this. Wrap your minds around it. This is serious business, rebels. Take it to heart…I am God, the only God you’ve had or ever will have— incomparable, irreplaceable—From the very beginning telling you what the ending will be, All along letting you in on what is going to happen, Assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul, I’ll do exactly what I set out to do,’ … I’ve said it, and I’ll most certainly do it. I’ve planned it, so it’s as good as done. -Isaiah 46:8-11

With these verses, we can assume that there is more to what is going on than what we can sense. His purpose envelopes us. Bad and good. We can watch things work out in spite of themselves. We can witness perfectly constructed plans fail. Again and again, things defy common sense with no explanation.

The Bible tells us that we don’t know what’s going on, but we still behave as though we do. Assume, for a moment, that you don’t have the glasses needed to see things the way they are. Can you even imagine how ridiculous all of your strutting and declaring looks to those who can see clearly?

Your fears are unwarranted and a waste of time. People who are led by fear are dead weight. Your scrambling and grasping is bizarre and embarrassing. Getting offended is evidence of no assurance. People with no faith look backward and never see what’s right in front of them.

God gives us very clear and simple guides to keep us from running all over each other like sewer rats. His orchestra of creation is playing with or without your cooperation, but it absolutely sends Him through the roof with joy when you catch sight of The Maestro and join in.

Let go of your shortsightedness and know that you know nothing.

Don’t talk so much, it shows your ignorance.

Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart. -Proverbs 17:28

Don’t be quick to get angry, it shows how blind you are.

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools. -Ecclesiastes 7:9 ESV

Be quick to forgive and quick to restore. These are evidences of your faith.

If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. -Galatians 6:1

The most intelligent people know that they don’t have it all figured out.

We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete…We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. [So,] for right now,… we have three things to do to lead us…: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. -1 Corinthians 13:9-13

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. -1 Corinthians 1-3

When scripture says that ‘the way is straight and narrow’, we make that to mean so many things. You might think that ’straight and narrow’ is hard because you have to refrain from certain activities, but there are people who don’t struggle with the same things the way you do. Some people thoroughly enjoy their life of simplicity and rigorous standards. Maybe you picture ’straight and narrow’ being hard because one false move on your part, one sin, can get you off the path.

Sin is inevitable and living in fear of it is living FOR it. Why live for something from which you’ve been set free?

If you fear something, then you focus all of your energy to keep your fears from becoming reality. Sin is destructive, no doubt, but it does not have the power to re-label you. Grace has the power keep you and God’s sovereignty has the power to use your failures to ultimately benefit you. Sin never wins. Sin is dead. What is dead cannot define you, therefore you are free from it.

Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. -Galatians 5:13

While you are not willfully choosing to disregard right and wrong, don’t live in fear of doing something wrong as though your salvation depended on you getting it right.

We are free to relax, free to be forgiven, free to learn from our stumbles and free to get back up.

Take the focus off of yourself and get a grip on God’s grace. It is aggressively defending us in spite of our obvious error. If you can grasp the magnitude of what Jesus did for you,  you will have a lot more time on our hands. If you don’t have to focus on yourself or your behavior, then you can focus on something far more important:

Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. -Galatians 5:14

We admire others when they boast the lengths they go to be more ‘extreme in the faith’. Your life and limitations are your own choice based, hopefully, on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You don’t get extra credit for being obedient and you aren’t elevated because you have more rules than someone else. This strange comparison religious people do is just a game to keep them distracted from the real requirement. Love.

Love is such and easy thing to command, but the hardest thing to do. Love is a choice. Its’ borders are hard for a person to fit through. The way of Love is straight and it is narrow. Not because it’s easy to get off the path or because you avoid a list of failures. It’s ’straight and narrow’ because you can’t take your ’self’ with you.

We are human beings and we need a set of rules to follow so that we can feel more secure. Mostly, that leads to a lack of faith. However, there is a guide in scripture so you don’t have to think very much. Some of them have to do with you and some of them have to do with how you treat people.

My challenge to you is to approach every decision and every relationship with this checklist. Tomorrow I’ll go through the list and bring it to life.

God is Love, so if your focus is this, then your focus is God. Don’t ever feel like you’re wasting yourself for someone who doesn’t receive it or change because of it. You’re not doing it for that person, you’re doing it because you’ve been asked to.

‘…the sword of the Spirit …is the word of God. -Ephesians 6:17

If our salvation is our faith, then what we believe is under attack. Any time you come to a point where you doubt that someone can be forgiven, you know you’re believing propaganda that was put out by the enemy to weaken our forces. If your faith in Jesus saves you, your doubt in Jesus destroys you.

You’re out on the field… what do you believe? If God is who He says He is, then this is no accident, there is a greater purpose for it. Ultimately that purpose is for Jesus to be reflected in you. This is where it gets real. Who is Jesus? The Accuser or the Savior?

Love: put yourself in the other person’s position. Look at your fallen brother and switch places with him. Don’t try to imagine what he may be thinking or feeling, there’s too much detachment. Try to imagine what you would be thinking or feeling. If you think you would never do what he did, then stop right there. If you can’t put yourself in the other person’s position, then you are not capable of Love. You’re worthless.

Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. -John 13:35

Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. -1 John 3:14

My friend, Keri, told me a story about a girl who went to her high-school named Erin. Erin was a Christian. People loved and respected her. When Keri found out Erin was pregnant, she was bombarded with a mixture of emotions. It was confusing to watch someone, who seemed to have it together, fall. It hurt to be let down and it made Keri angry. Especially because Erin knew better. Keri watched as people, both Christians and non-Christians, began to distance themselves from Erin. She struggled with her own emotions and wondered how she should treat her. How does one Christian respond to another who has been caught in life-changing sin?

Keri prayed about it and that night she had a dream. Her dream changed her forever and answered the tough questions about how to handle someone who has fallen.

She dreamt that it was her. – Preface: ‘Grace Is For Sinners’

Jesus switched roles with us. Love in evidence. If you want to know how to respond to someone who sins, imagine if you did that. You as you are. You did that. How does it feel? What do you need? Do you need to be told you were wrong? Do you need to be told you were right? Are you doubting your ability to be forgiven? On the battle ground, that is exactly what’s at stake. Your faith.

He didn’t come to condemn us, the law does that already. He didn’t come to teach us how to live, he came to give us life.

Every generation has it’s time of wandering off from the truth and a fight to get back to it. We’re all taking our turn in the cycle. As long as we’re human beings, we’ll behave like human beings.The plight of a human is our aspiration to survive. We don’t even have to survive all that well.

The child who suffers abuse will begin to kill off the parts off her that make her wish for death when she is being hurt. This is how she survives. She learns to cauterize herself so she doesn’t have to be aware of what is happening to her. These children learn how to survive by living half dead. They don’t even know that’s what they’re doing until the inevitable ache to be whole comes around again. The miraculous tsunami of life tries to push through the scarred over wound.

I see the church that way. The innocence of truth has been manhandled and violated in the secret places and we’re spitting out half-dead spiritual children. Those children are wandering the streets chasing ribbons and ice cream with their dead eyes and bedridden hearts. They are our ache to be whole. Their cries echo behind the hollow laughter. Their songs and games are pinging off the hollow grave.

All the places we thought were dead are pounding on the coffin from the inside. The miraculous tsunami of life is pushing through the six feet of dirt. They will take the stand and have their voice heard. It’s time to listen. It’s time to sift through the religious clutter and root out the abuse and call out the abusers. 

I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire. Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me.” – Isaiah 27:4-5

The goal is for all of us to be one. One heart and one mind. The goal is for us to know our Father. Even the abusers are called to take refuge in God.

There is an enemy who pits us against each other. He uses the things we love, the things we want and the things we think we deserve. He’s cunning, he convinces us that it’s our duty as ‘Christians’ to maintain our position of opposition.

If God’s desire is for us to know him, then how far do you think he’ll go to get us to that place? Is anything off limits to the Creator of the universe? We’re all playing roles in God’s drama of his salvation power. We play into his plan like characters in a book. If we think we’re in control, that it’s our choosing or our sacrifice, then you may want to consider where God is in all that? God is not a puppet being pulled by your tempermental strings. You have your choices, but have you ever considered who is giving you the choices?

Human beings are delusional in their ego-centric god complexes. How do you think we ever come to a place of absolute submission to God? It’s by becoming aware of our matrix so we can catch glimpses of the unfathomable through the cracks of ourselves. How do you become aware of your cracks? 

What God does and what God allows is beyond us and still for us. He is the author and we are his creations.

You pretend to have the inside track. You shut God out and work behind the scenes, Plotting the future as if you knew everything, acting mysterious, never showing your hand. You have everything backward! You treat the potter as a lump of clay. Does a book say to its author, “He didn’t write a word of me”? Does a meal say to the woman who cooked it, “She had nothing to do with this”? – Isaiah 29:15

Is that grounds for complaining that God is unfair? Not so fast, please. God told Moses, “I’m in charge of mercy. I’m in charge of compassion.” Compassion doesn’t originate in our bleeding hearts or moral sweat, but in God’s mercy. The same point was made when God said to Pharaoh, “I picked you as a bit player in this drama of my salvation power.” All we’re saying is that God has the first word, initiating the action in which we play our part for good or ill. – Romans 9:14

Some of us need to have our self-righteousness leveled and some of us need to have our self-sufficiency removed in order to see who God is and who we are in relation to him and to each other. 

Jesus prayed for us right before he went to the Garden of Gethsemane. In his prayer, he asked God to help us fight to stay united. 

The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them, So they’ll be as unified and together as we are— I in them and you in me. Then they’ll be mature in this oneness, And give the godless world evidence That you’ve sent me and loved them In the same way you’ve loved me. – Jesus; John 17:20-23

The evidence of your faith is not found in your stand pertaining to sin. Even unbelievers can agree with your sentiment on morality. The proof of Jesus’ message is in the the eating. The smoking gun of our faith is love.