Embrace the Within no. 173

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith [your trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] is being proclaimed in all the world. For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how continuously I mention you in my prayers; always pleading that somehow, by God’s will, I may now at last come to you. For I long to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift, to strengthen and establish you; that is, that we may be mutually encouraged and comforted by each other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Romans 1:8-12 AMP).

I am thankful for the Church. In the midst of Babylon, we need each other. The community of the Church strengthens and encourages me. We work together to create a full body. Too often I take the Church for granted.

All too often I forget to pray for my brothers and sisters unless something has happened to them or their family. And I need to remember them each time I pray because the Church is an important part of strengthening and encouraging me in my walk in the Way of the Lord. And some of those brethren are folks I have never met in person. Some of those folks I hear on podcasts. Some of those folks reach out in the written word. Some of those folks are putting out video content. BUT just because they are not in a physical space I can easily access does not lessen their importance in my walk. Encouragement and strength from the Church is all over the place and I need to be thankful for its abundance.

I pray that I am an encouragement to others in Christ as so many are encouragement to me. I pray that the strength I have in Christ helps strengthen overs. I pray that my brothers and sisters in Christ use their gifts to help strengthen and encourage their families, their friends, their communities, and the body of Christ. I pray that our example is a light to the world as to how Christians truly are Ambassadors of His Kingdom. I pray that I always remember the importance of the Church in my walk with the Lord.

Grace and Shalom to your home.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH

Embrace the Within no. 172

“Bless those who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse [them]. Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief]. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself. Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God’s wrath [and His judicial righteousness]; for it is written [in Scripture], ‘Vengeance is Mine , I will repay ,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry , feed him ; if he is thirsty , give him a drink ; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 12:14-21

Can Paul make it any more simple than going back and reminding me of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount? And yet so much of following The Christ is simply listening to what He says, adjusting to His correction of false teaching, and then acting in obedience to His teaching. So often I make up so many reasons for not showing God’s love. I make up my own, “Yeah, BUTs” to get around what I am simply told to do. I can point to how other people that profess holiness acted and say, “Yeah, BUT”. I can point to what other people do and say, “Yeah, BUT” all I want. Those objections are not going to change what The Christ taught. Those objections are not going to change what those in the first and second century understood those teachings to mean. And no amount of “Yeah, BUT”s are ever going to change the core foundation that I need to love God, my neighbor, and my enemy. Nothing is going to change that command.

I don’t get revenge. I get love. I get compassion. I get all the fruits of, “. . . love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law”(Galatians 5:22-23). I get all those character traits from being a follower of The Way of the Lord. Nowhere among them is selfishness or vengeance. Hating, anger, violence, death, destruction are all rooted in selfishness. I have to selfishly want to enthrone myself rather than following the Lord in obedience. And folks have a lot of “Yeah, BUT”s for enthroning themselves and disregarding the core of The Christ’s teachings for some fringe idea found somewhere buried in the scripture that supports what they feel or they believe.

What I believe does not really matter. What I think does not really matter. What I feel does not really matter. What does matter is what He says. What does matter are His commandments. So, I can choose to shape the Word into reflecting what I want or I can use the Word to shape me into what He wants. And all too often I try to shape what I read rather than allowing it to shape me. And all that is my selfish action of trying to replace Christ with me. The Bible is not there to justify me. The Bible is there to mold me into a better Ambassador of His Kingdom. And if I am trying to make His Kingdom into something that resembles the world of men, then I am falling short of His promise. I am falling short of His vision of peace and love.

Grace and Shalom to your home.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH