Seek First The Kingdom of God no. 32

"Yes, you will go out with joy, you will be led forth in peace. As you come, the mountains and hills will burst out into song, and all the trees in the countryside will clap their hands. Cypresses will grow in place of thorns, myrtles will grow instead of briars. This will bring fame to Adonai as an eternal, imperishable sign" (Yesha 'yahu (Isa) 55:12‭-‬13 CJB). Grace and Shalom. I say it a lot. I think it a lot. I live it out as much as possible because sometimes I fail. Go out in joy and be led by shalom.

I came back to the church of my youth and found it a lot smaller than I remembered. The sanctuary was not quite as impressive as when I was a child. The building was not as huge. But the joy and peace were still there. It was still a sanctuary. In the midst of the chaos that has been our life over the past months, it was shelter and sanctuary for us yesterday. And that wasn't because of the building. It was all because of the people. Go out in joy and be led by shalom.

Folks were sad but they went out with His joy and peace to give hugs, to cry, to encourage, and to love. And there is power in His joy and His peace. He restores. He encourages. He strengthens. He empowers. He makes the broken whole. He makes the mountains and hills burst with song. The trees clap and beauty replaces danger. That is God. Go out in joy and be led by shalom.

Shalom is wholeness. When we are not whole, we cannot be in right relationship with God. So, I pray for wholeness today for so many that are broken and in need of restoration. He can bring that joy and peace to us all if we only ask him. Go out in joy and be led by shalom.

Take that wholeness He has gifted and allow it to lead your way. Be happy that He has a plan and a way for each of us. Go forward optimistically with a song in your heart that will echo throughout creation. Go out in joy and be led by shalom.

Seek first the Kingdom of God.

Grace and Shalom to your home.

#NoKingButChrist#EmbraceTheWithin#seekfirstthekingdomofGod

Seek First The Kingdom of God no. 33

"I know what you have been doing, how hard you have worked, how you have persevered, and how you can’t stand wicked people; so you tested those who call themselves emissaries but aren’t — and you found them to be liars. You are persevering, and you have suffered for my sake without growing weary. But I have this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Therefore, remember where you were before you fell, turn from this sin, and do what you used to do before. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place — if you don’t turn from your sin" (Revelation of Yeshua to Yochanan (Rev) 2:2‭-‬5 CJB)! Turn from your sin. What was the sin? "You lost the love you had at first." Jesus calls us to love God and our neighbors. He calls us to turn from the sin of not loving. Folks have lost their love and they need to repent.

"You lost the love you had at first." It is so easy to burn out of love. Living a life of love is exhausting, is thankless, and opens you up to being used. Loving folks is frustrating. Loving folks sets your heart up for disappointment and heart break. Loving folks is not easy. The alternative is much easier. And too often we fall into religious indignation. We fall into writing folks off as beyond hope. We give up on loving and caring and praying. I have been guilty of doing that same thing. BUT, I can choose to repent and get back to loving and living like Jesus. Folks have lost their love and they need to repent.

"You lost the love you had at first." I wish I could tell you that burning out is rare BUT it isn't. I need to recharge and refocus because loving is not easy. The good news is that you can get that love back because my God is great. My God breaks the boxes I build for Him. My God smashes my expectations and my assumptions. My God does whatever He Wills. And He only asks me to trust Him. And that is rather a simple request, however, enacting allegiance to Him is never easy. That allegiance is going to mean difficult decisions. That allegiance is going to require denying my self. That allegiance is going to require taking up His cross. That allegiance is going to require following Jesus. And by reading His life, I can see it was simple BUT not easy. Folks have lost their love and they need to repent.

"You lost the love you had at first." Being like Jesus is thankless. Being like Jesus is serving. Being like Jesus is teaching. Being like Jesus is being surrounded by folks that just don't get it BUT still trying to reach them. Being like Jesus is breaking the preconceived notions folks have about the Kingdom of God. Being like Jesus means making folks that want to monetize God angry. Being like Jesus is hanging on a cross and forgiving everyone, even you and even me and even people we don't like. Being like Jesus is simple BUT not easy. So, I pray today that you and I find that love we lost. That we repent of the alternative and we take the time to recharge and refocus on loving and living like Jesus.

Seek first The Kingdom of God. Grace and Shalom to your home.

#NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #seekfirstthekingdomofGod