People are Not Easy to Love (no. 8)

“So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers. On the contrary, you are fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s family. You have been built on the foundation of the emissaries and the prophets, with the cornerstone being Yeshua the Messiah himself. In union with him the whole building is held together, and it is growing into a holy temple in union with the Lord. Yes, in union with him, you yourselves are being built together into a spiritual dwelling-place for God” (Ephesians (Eph) 2:19-22 CJB). Families love to disagree, argue, and fight. Hopefully, those same families that disagree, argue, and fight find the time to reconcile, heal, and love. Oftentimes that is not the case in many human relationships, however, that should be the normal for God’s family. There are many things for which we can disagree, argue, and fight BUT there is much more for us to rejoice and be thankful. People are not easy to love because sometimes they get in the way of His Way.

I read and study a lot. Not just biblical texts BUT all different types of literature and nonfiction. I am a huge fan of my own theories and philosophies and ways of doing things. Some of these theories and philosophies can become so rooted in my character that I tend to think of them as part of me. And heaven forbid anyone question the ideas I have formulated in my nearly five decades walking this earth. And I think we all have a lot of our own truths, whether spiritual or not, that we fight to defend when we should be loving each other.

A week does not go by without someone saying something that I don’t find in alignment with my walk with the Lord. And my natural reaction from my days past has been to tell you exactly why you got things wrong. And I see many other people doing the exact same things, constantly looking to be right rather than righteous. And, dude, it is a struggle. BUT let me tell you what puts everything in perspective to me. Not one of those disciples was reading books on theology. Not one of those disciples was attending Bible college. Not one of those disciples planned to be disciples. What they were was open to Him.

I have to really stop thinking I know anything of real value in fifty years of studying. I had a conversation with a minister yesterday that revealed to me just how conceited we can get about our knowledge. The idea that we can look at other folks in the Kingdom and make little of their work when we know nothing about their walk. We can sit here and judge them from a distance or closely BUT what do we truly know? What do we know that isn’t a gift from God alone? What is all my study and knowledge without Him? And I think that sort of humility is one of the problems in all families.

Folks like “to put on airs” when they figure out one little thing. I used to judge all the statists on my timeline because I had figured out something they didn’t. I used to judge the lost because I found Him. I used to judge the hypocrites in Christianity because I knew more. Dude, I don’t know anything that God has not revealed. And not one place has God ever told me that all I have learned is going to do me any good. That thief on the cross wasn’t reading The Bible, witnessing, or preaching and He still gets the same reward as me.

I think that thought needs to rest and marinate with some of us and me included. I can get so caught up in trying to have the right theology that I forget to have Him. What is the point of being right when I lose being righteous? We can argue, disagree, and fight BUT without Him none of this matters. Sometimes I get in His Way and that makes me not easy to love.

Grace and Shalom to your home.

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

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH

People are not Easy to Love (no. 7)

“You are always and dearly loved by God! So robe yourself with virtues of God, since you have been divinely chosen to be holy. Be merciful as you endeavor to understand others, and be compassionate, showing kindness toward all. Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others” (Colossians 3:12 TPT). I need to remember to image Him while I walk in His Way. These virtues that image Him need to be worn daily if I am to be one of His chosen. People are not easy to love because they often are not walking in His image. Here Paul gives us more examples of what it is like to be one of His chosen people. I should show mercy in understanding, compassion in kindness, gentleness in humility, and unoffendable in patience.

I don’t have it all figured out. I think I have a lot of things figured out. And I constantly find out that what I think I have figured out is not correct at all. So, there is a lot of room for mercy in my own understanding and in what others understand. I ask a lot more questions of people today that I sincerely want answered. I really want to know from where folks get their ideas. As someone that grew up with totally different views and whose questions were met with shallow answers, I have come to appreciate that I want to nourish an environment of questions. And in that environment of questions, I am not going to have everyone’s answer. BUT God has all those answers. And building a relationship with Him will help lead me to some answers. God isn’t going to answer every question I have just like other Christians are not going to either. I need the mercy to understand that we all have our own walk and our own questions that we are all working out this side of eternity with Him.

I am not always the nicest person I can be. And, whenever possible, I should definitely err on the side of compassion and kindness. Back before the plague, I was without compassion and kindness of folks I thought were not thinking things through. Since we all have a lot of room for mercy in our understanding, we all have a lot of room to be kind to each other as we travel this side of eternity because life is difficult enough without me adding any more difficulty. We all have enough difficulty that we add to our own lives. I don’t need anyone else to add any more difficulty. So, I need to choose kindness.

Just understanding that I don’t have all the answers is a great step toward humility. I tend to defer a lot more to prayer, study, and fellowship than what I have potentially understood. I am truly wary of folks that have it all figured out. Almost five decades into this journey and the only person I have seen that had it figured out was Jesus. And He still always spent time talking to God. God in the flesh still spent time with the other parts of God. I am humble enough to not even pretend to comprehend how all that works anymore. So, in my humility I need to take it easy on others and myself for not having it all figured out. It is okay to have questions and things I don’t understand. He will reveal everything in His time.

I need to be patient. Over forty years of being familiar with God is not a guarantee of knowing anything. Going to a Christian college is not a guarantee of knowing anything. Knowing Greek or Hebrew is not a guarantee of knowing anything. Reading a lot of books is not a guarantee of knowing anything. Reading The Bible is not a guarantee of knowing anything. He will reveal everything in His time, “And because of God’s unfailing purpose, this detailed plan will reign supreme through every period of time until the fulfillment of all the ages finally reaches its climax—when God makes all things new in all of heaven and earth through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:10 TPT). I do just need to trust Him. I need to be patient with myself and others about His timing.

What does my walk need to contain? Probably a lot more than it already does BUT a good place to begin is reflecting His image through Jesus. I should show mercy in understanding, compassion in kindness, gentleness in humility, and unoffendable in patience.

Grace and Shalom to your home.

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

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH