Discipling the Undisciplined no. 25

“Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you” (Matthew 7:6). Some folks just do not want to live a righteous life. Folks make choices daily to not live like God intends. It is human nature for us to make excuses and to create a god in our own image rather than being like the God that created us in His image.

I am not the smartest person BUT I don’t have to be in order to follow Jesus. He makes it simple because He knows it needs to be simple. And despite how simple He makes it to follow Him, we still can mess it up. One of the main ways I work diligently to mess things up is by making things complicated. Jesus made it so simple when He said to love God and love our neighbors. I used to complicate that with rules and exceptions and all types of mental gymnastics. What was God really intending? Did He really mean what He said? No. He must have had all these other things in mind. He definitely meant not to love everyone. Sure. There had to be exceptions. BUT again, He makes it abundantly clear in Matthew 5-7 what His Kingdom is all about, however, I wanted to hold onto my self-created god that was just like me.

When I started to allow the simplest answers to shape who I am, I definitely started to get push back from other Christians. Tell a group of Christian men that we shouldn’t murder people in the name of any government and watch their incredulous looks at you. It definitely would make me think that I grew horns in their eyes. BUT I started to take Jesus at His Word. I mean, if I believe He is who He says He is, then I should probably believe what He tells me when He says we see the Father through Him. That whole seeing through a mirror dimly or darkly thing is what Jesus is. His life gives us such a small glimpse at God BUT enough of a glimpse to simply understand what He has for me to do. 

I understand that a lot of people don’t want God to change them too much. BUT I needed God to change me a lot. I was immersed in the idea of government solutions. I was deeply entrenched in an alternative political solution through voting in better people. I was all in for changing the system. BUT as God began to change me, I began to see what the Kingdom was all about and why it was here and folks could not see it. A lot of folks don’t want to see His Kingdom because it would mean letting go of Babylon. And Babylon creeps into us so much. We are surrounded by Babylon here, living in exile and pledging allegiance to its ways. And that is why I needed the Kingdom to change me and shape me. I needed God to make all things new. 

I see many folks trying to serve two masters all the time. Trying to walk that line of being a good Roman and a good Christian and failing. So, I decided to forget about the Roman part. I am going to be a follower of The Lamb.

Grace and Shalom to your home. 

#DisciplingTheUndisciplined #ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #SeekFirstTheKingdom #ServeOneAnotherInLove #NotMyWayYHWH

Discipling the Undisciplined no. 24

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye” (Matthew 7:1-5). Remember, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”(Matthew 6:12)? And remember, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:44-45)? And how about even, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7)? Nope. I would rather do my best to justify that what I am doing is not judgment BUT something else. Maybe my judgment is righteous? Maybe judgment is there to correct sinners? Maybe my judgment is there to rescue folks from damnation? Nope. My judgment is always to create the other, the out group, the one that is lesser. My judgment is always to elevate myself and place a pedestal beneath me. “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; because the day of their calamity is at hand, their doom comes swiftly” (Deuteronomy 32:35). That wasn’t me talking in that quote, that was God.

It can be so easy to pass judgment on who is a sinner, a heretic, a nonChristian, when everything you do makes you saved. BUT nothing I do EVER makes me saved. God saves me through His grace. NOTHING I DO EVER MAKES ME NOT A SINNER. The only thing that ever justifies me before God, the only thing that ever makes me righteous, the only thing that ever makes me better, is God’s mercy and grace. And it makes me no better than anyone else because He gives His mercy and grace to everyone. All people are given His grace. That is kind of what it is all about. Nothing I do makes me worthy of grace and mercy. It’s a gift from Him. Nothing I do can repay Him for the gift because it is a gift. And whenever I feel myself thinking I am better at being a Christian, better at my study, better at my prayer, better at my routine, better at understanding God, I have to remember that none of that matters in salvation. God allows me to live the life He has set before me to serve Him. I need to not get things twisted and think that God owes me anything. I owe Him everything. And gratitude for that situation should humble my perspective on everything else.

And that is why I don’t like to say I am saved because I am not saved yet. I am working out my salvation. I am following Him. Just like everyone else, I am not deserving of salvation. BUT, just like everyone else, it is not up to me. Salvation is in God’s control. So, whenever I want to think that my calling makes me better, that my understanding makes me better, that my church attendance makes me better, that what I do makes me better, that what I don’t do makes me better . . . The only thing that makes me better is Him.

Grace and Shalom to your home. 

#DisciplingTheUndisciplined #ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #SeekFirstTheKingdom #ServeOneAnotherInLove #NotMyWayYHWH