Serve One Another in Love no. 6

“For although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God’s power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah” (2 Corinthians (2 Co) 10:3-5). We serve one another in the way we wage war. When we spend a lot of time working on our spiritual readiness which includes study and prayer, then we are able to fight our battles as Jesus did. When we spend little time working on our spiritual readiness, we tend to fight like the world with words and acts of violence. Spiritual warfare serves the Kingdom and each other by modeling the way of Jesus.

“I just tell it like it is”, is not a reason to act like a jerk. It is often used along with its cousin, “I just speak the truth”, to justify acting out of violence toward one another. Jesus both “told it like it is” and “spoke the truth” but He didn’t insult people. In fact, speaking the truth is just part of that verse that is taken out of context, “We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah. Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love” (Ephesians (Eph) 4:14-16). We are to be “speaking the truth in love”. Ouch. And not the idea that we can say something hateful with violence in our heart and think that the truth of those words evens it all out. We speak the truth in love and do not use the truth to elevate ourselves or condemn others. We speak the truth in love because it helps and not hurts. Yes. Sometimes the truth is going to hurt people’s feelings. And that is inevitable. BUT our motives are not to be mean and violent. And the person we speak the truth toward should be in a relationship with us that allows us to speak the truth. This is where our judgment and discernment about situations are tested. And this is where we need the Spirit to guide us more than our own motives.

How often do we say something in “truth” that doesn’t help the Kingdom? How often do we choose the way of speaking death rather than speaking life? If it were really the Spirit guiding me, would I be acting like the world? I think too often having the truth is an excuse to act unrighteous. Too often we use the truth as a weapon rather than a medicine. The truth should, as Jesus said, “. . . to the Judeans who had trusted him, ‘If you obey what I say, then you are really my talmidim , you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (Yochanan (Jhn) 8:31-32). Jesus said that to the folks that trusted Him. He said that truth should set people free. Truth shouldn’t be a weapon. Truth shouldn’t encumber people. Truth shouldn’t make folks worried. Truth should free us and others. Choose to speak life when we speak truth? 

Serve His Kingdom by serving one another in love.

Grace and Shalom to your home. The Kingdom of God is now!

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

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #SeekFirstTheKingdom #ServeOneAnotherIn Love #NotMyWayYHWH

Serve One Another in Love no. 5

“For, brothers, you were called to be free. Only do not let that freedom become an excuse for allowing your old nature to have its way. Instead, serve one another in love. For the whole of the Torah is summed up in this one sentence: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’; but if you go on snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other! What I am saying is this: run your lives by the Spirit. Then you will not do what your old nature wants. For the old nature wants what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is contrary to the old nature. These oppose each other, so that you find yourselves unable to carry out your good intentions. But if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not in subjection to the system that results from perverting the Torah into legalism” (Galatians (Gal) 5:13-18). Run your lives by the Spirit. Sounds so simple yet it proves daily to not be so. As a Christian, I supposedly have the Spirit dwelling inside of me. So, it should be really easy to let the Spirit direct and guide me. Sounds really easy BUT how many times do I daily hear the Spirit and ignore it? How many times do I daily fight with the Spirit when it leads me to act? 

A lot of folks have an easy and comfortable walk with the Lord. I don’t. I am stubborn and intelligent and want my own way based on just wanting my way. Sometimes being stubborn is in direct opposition to what I know works. I have often seen that I don’t know what I am doing, yet I still choose to do things that bring death into the world. Jesus first warns in the Sermon on the Mount against speaking death when He says, “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not murder,’ and that anyone who commits murder will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment; that whoever calls his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Sanhedrin ; that whoever says, ‘Fool!’ incurs the penalty of burning in the fire of Gei-Hinnom’”(Mattityahu (Mat) 5:21-22)! I have the ability to murder with my tongue, with my actions, and with my thoughts every day. BUT I also have the choice to speak life, act life, and think life through the Spirit, “The activity of the righteous is for life; the income of the wicked is for sin” (Mishlei (Pro) 10:16).

So what is going to win today? Am I going to let the fleshly desires of being stubborn and knowing better for myself win out when I already know that I don’t know better and that I should listen to Him? Or am I going to let the Spirit direct my heart, my tongue, my feet, and my mind? And am I going to refocus on Him as I walk throughout the day? Too often devotions are once a day and that is all. Too often we pray once a day and we are done. One prayer covers the day, the week, the month, or the year. That is a horrible relationship model. If I really need God as much as I profess then I need to be talking to Him a lot more than I am. And I talk to Him a lot. BUT it is never enough if I want to know Him better.

Serve His Kingdom by serving one another in love.

Grace and Shalom to your home. The Kingdom of God is now!

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

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #SeekFirstTheKingdom #ServeOneAnotherIn Love #NotMyWayYHWH