Seek First The Kingdom of God no. 17

“So, since we have come to be considered righteous by God because of our trust, let us continue to have shalom with God through our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah” (Romans (Rom) 5:1). There is a lot to be said about shalom or peace. When God calls us into His Church, He calls us to peace through love, “Above all these, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together perfectly; and let the shalom which comes from the Messiah be your heart’s decision-maker, for this is why you were called to be part of a single Body” (Colossians (Col) 3:14-15). Peace is an integral part of unity. Peace only can come through God’s love indwelling within us and then flowing out into the world.

So we get peace through His Spirit. And we show peace by actions, Paul cautions believers, “Don’t worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Then God’s shalom , passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua” (Philippians (Php) 4:6-7). Peace comes through trust in God. How often are we anxious because we want to trust in our own solutions rather than His? Following God is trusting in His solutions and His Way. Living a life of shalom is a representation of the Spirit and all its fruits, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things” (Galatians (Gal) 5:22-23).

Are you at peace? Do you trust in His solutions? Do you trust in His Way? Is your life an example of the fruits of the Spirit?

Seek first His Kingdom which rests on the foundation of 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 #NotMyWayYHWH

Seek First The Kingdom of God no. 16

“Whom do I have in heaven but you?

And with you, I lack nothing on earth.

My mind and body may fail; but God

is the rock for my mind and my portion forever” (Tehillim (Psa) 73:25-26).

Love never fails because God never fails. People fail all the time. I am a rolling history of failure. I fail God. I fail my family. I fail my friends. I fail my neighbors. I fail my enemies. BUT God doesn’t. And the more I center myself on the Spirit that dwells within me, the better I am at living out His love. And there is nothing more important in my walk with Him than love and forgiveness.

Why am I so prone to failure? Well, I think that Paul adds a great note when talking about love when he says, “For our knowledge is partial, and our prophecy partial; but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass” (1 Corinthians (1 Co) 13:9-10). I just don’t have a total understanding of just how important love can be. I overlook its power. I do that because love is a process. Love takes time. Love endures. Love empowers. Love isn’t microwaveable. Love simmers. And I need to remind myself that although I do not see the immediate manifestations of my love, love is still working. And that can really and truly frustrate folks because it is so easy to see the instant rewards of hatred.

I can strike out with mean words and violent hands and find an instant reward for my evil deeds. I can instantly find gratification through sin and destruction. BUT love takes time. “Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not gloat over other people’s sins but takes its delight in the truth. Love always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, always endures” (1 Corinthians (1 Co) 13:4-7).

I talk a lot about love and forgiveness because Jesus does too. I got accused of having a ‘squishy’ Jesus that can’t save anybody. I don’t know how loving and forgiving is ‘squishy’ because squishy is soft, yielding, lenient, or imprecise. And being nailed to a tree for love and forgiveness is not soft, yielding, lenient, or imprecise. Giving your life so that others might live isn’t soft, yielding, lenient, or imprecise. Living out God’s love on earth isn’t for the soft, yielding, lenient, or imprecise. It takes a lot to love and forgive. Jesus understood how much it was going to take when he was praying blood and tears. Jesus understood how much love would cost. And it wasn’t soft, yielding, lenient, or imprecise. “For now we see obscurely in a mirror, but then it will be face to face. Now I know partly; then I will know fully, just as God has fully known me. But for now, three things last — trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians (1 Co) 13:12-13). Don’t let anyone tell you that love is the easy way out. Love is never easy. There is no better example of that fact than looking at how often we choose not to love and forgive because hatred and retribution are much easier.

Seek first His Kingdom which rests on the foundation of 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 #NotMyWayYHWH