Serve One Another in Love no. 19

“Using the grace God gave me, I laid a foundation, like a skilled master-builder; and another man is building on it. But let each one be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Yeshua the Messiah. Some will use gold, silver or precious stones in building on this foundation; while others will use wood, grass or straw. But each one’s work will be shown for what it is; the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire — the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If the work someone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward; if it is burned up, he will have to bear the loss: he will still escape with his life, but it will be like escaping through a fire” (1 Corinthians (1 Co) 3:10-15). Folks ask me all kinds of questions about The Bible and God. Folks have a lot of motivation for those questions, however, I think most are honestly seeking truth. One of the things I am focused about doing in this current walk with Jesus is to not be a stumbling block. I do not want to be a hypocrite or a problem for folks honestly seeking truth and answers. Now, I know not every question is asked in the spirit of truth and honesty. I am aware that some folks are trying to be adversarial and twist my words just like they twist His Truth. BUT that should not prevent me from being honest just like it does not keep God from being honest about Himself. He is wh He says He is.

So, back to the scripture from today and how that relates to honesty. I think about this idea of going through the fire a lot when I talk about death and the inevitable judgment all must face. Some of us have taken the call to follow Him to heart. Some of us are out there changing our hearts and minds. Some of us are taking up our crosses and following wherever and whenever He leads. Some of us are out there with a partial heart for Jesus and His commandments. Some of us have a warped understanding of God and the Truth. No matter our dedication to Him, we build upon His foundation with the materials we have at hand. His foundation is not going to catch fire BUT what we build upon that foundation is definitely going to burn. Or, at least, something is going to burn because what we build is not going to be perfect. And some of our building projects are going to be singed, some scorched, and some burnt to the ground. BUT that foundation is still going to be there. And I think that foundation is important to understand.

Some of us have foundations that need examination. There are cracks and places where the foundation hasn’t settled correctly. There are, as Jesus said, some problems with our structural integrity, “So, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock. The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the wind blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed — and its collapse was horrendous” (Mattityahu (Mat) 7:24-27)! That is the end of the Sermon on the Mount, in case you didn’t know. Those three chapters in Matthew are a great place to start working on our foundation in Jesus. 

I get asked a lot of questions about The Bible and about truth. And quite often I am pulling directly from Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 to guide my understanding of what Jesus reveals about God. He is the best representation of what God is like, “Yeshua said, ‘I AM the Way — and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me. Because you have known me, you will also know my Father; from now on, you do know him — in fact, you have seen him’” (Yochanan (Jhn) 14:6-7). So the stories about Jesus reveal God because those folks have seen Him. And when folks see me they should also see Him. And what should they see? That’s your foundation.

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. 18

“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). Back before I was free, I thought I was free. The one thing I was not free from was being selfish. And that sin of selfishness is one I confront daily in myself, in my brothers and sisters, and in the world. Too often I put my needs above the needs of others. Too often I put my rights and my person above loving another. One of the most pervasive sins of our modern society is the sin of selfishness because selfishness is twisted into something virtuous in America. 

This weekend was a blur of activity. Within that blur, I saw the heart of servants and the heart of this world. People should help one another, and Christians are called to service, BUT too often we serve only ourselves. I witnessed some folks that proudly parade their Christianity cause strife and ignore the work at hand this weekend. I also witnessed folks that are not outwardly professing Christianity take upon the mantle of service and bring peace. So, I don’t want folks to get their faith twisted into something that is already a final transaction. Jesus even tells us how folks will know we follow Him, “I am giving you a new command: that you keep on loving each other. In the same way that I have loved you, you are also to keep on loving each other. Everyone will know that you are my talmidim by the fact that you have love for each other” (Yochanan (Jhn) 13:34-35). And how often do we fail at that commandment.

We fail because we don’t feel like doing what He says. It is too easy to be selfish and look out for ourselves. It is too easy to see a problem and walk away. It is too easy to see the work that needs be done and leave it for others. It is too easy to let someone else do it. And we do that all the time and still walk around like we are somehow better than other folks. We act like our Christianity is something that makes us superior. Our belief in Jesus is not an excuse to not do the work, to not be a servant, and not to love. BUT too often we make it our excuse.

I learned a long time ago to never put my faith in people. We all fall short in living up to His example. BUT we have to try. Even if we fail in trying, at least we are moving toward being more like Him. BUT too often folks are insecure and need affirmation that they are better. I was not called to be above other folks, I was called to be right there alongside them. I was called to be in the filth and the work and the struggle and the concerns and the problems and all the nastiness of life with everyone else. BUT while I live in that world, I am not part of the way the world does things. So often our actions put us to shame. So often folks that are not professing Christians make us look bad by their humility and service. Too often we are too busy being concerned with titles rather than being servants. And that happens all over churches today. Folks are still busy being seen on Sundays in positions rather than struggling with folks who really need our help. And that problem isn’t going to change any time soon unless we allow God to change it by changing ourselves. 

So, let’s serve. Let’s stop wasting our time being right and being important and being seen and being perfect and being everything else that isn’t showing His love. Let’s get in the mud of life and stay clean. Let’s get involved with others and help them with their struggles as Jesus did. And let us stop being Pharisees. Too often we use that word for each other and need to start applying it to our own lives in what hypocrisy lies within us.  

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