Serve One Another In Love no. 11

“See that no one repays evil for evil; on the contrary, always try to do good to each other, indeed, to everyone. Always be joyful. Pray regularly. In everything give thanks, for this is what God wants from you who are united with the Messiah Yeshua” (1 Thessalonians (1 Th) 5:15-18). See that no one repays evil for evil BUT always do good to each other, everyone. I feel attacked. And I should because there was a lot of time when I was a sinner and I was out there repaying evil with evil. And there are times as a Christian when I am still out here repaying evil with evil. I may not be advocating for the evil as much anymore BUT there are still times when my heart goes to evil when met with evil. And I see it a lot too. Not just in others BUT in myself. This tendency to be evil to folks or, as I see it represented on social media and in conversations, to “mirror the respect I get”. That isn’t biblical, scriptural, or Jesus.

Jesus saw the worst in us and still came down here to make The Way. Jesus saw us, heard us, and smelled us and still decided we were worth the good. I pray regularly more for Him to change me than for Him to change the world because the only way for me to change the world is for Him to change me. You can read that again. I used to pray for a lot of things. And a lot of those things were really selfish. I would pray for my will to be done and not His. I would pray for others to change, for situations to change, for the world to change, BUT what I really need is for me to change. Prayer changes things. And the most important thing it should change is me. If prayer isn’t changing me then I am doing it wrong because I need to change.

I need to get that heart of evil replaced with a heart of love and goodness. And the only way I am getting there is through Him. So, I have to be conscious of what I am paying to people. Is it evil in its many forms or is it goodness despite the actions, the situations, and the world? Sometimes it’s the evil. And I need Him to make me more like Him. The guy that came to earth and despite how evil we can be, knew that we could also choose to be like Him. We just need His help. Some of us need a lot more of His help than others. But we all need a lot more Jesus and a lot less evil.

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. 10

“You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Love your neighbor — and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. What reward do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that! And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that! Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Mattityahu (Mat) 5:43-48). If you ever want to know someone’s real character, then disagree with them on an issue they find important. It could be politics, government, economics, family, religion, or entertainment BUT disagree with someone about something they value and treasure to know how much they are capable of love. I think about how many folks disagreed with Jesus when He brought the message of His Kingdom to earth. I think about Paul standing before the Greeks in Athens continuing to preach the Good News. And I don’t see them getting angry and storming off. I don’t see them unfriending folks and blocking them. I don’t see them calling unbelievers names or accusing them of being heretics and condemning them to hell. I don’t see it because it is not there. And it is not what Jesus commands.

How you fight says a lot more about you than you think. When folks call me names anymore for not holding the same theology, same politics, same philosophy as them I can only laugh at their irritation because it isn’t important. I think a lot of folks have a really narrow view of God as looking for reasons to punish every one for every little thing. And that just either makes me sad or fills me with laughter. If I am free in Him then why am I afraid anymore. Sure, the beginning of knowledge is fear of God BUT that isn’t the end of understanding. We don’t just stop with being afraid of Him. We have to move forward into a relationship where we know more about Him.

I was talking Sunday about how we get comfortable with God and that I shouldn’t be the same Christian today I was ten years, ten months, or ten days ago because the relationship I have should be growing. And growing in relationship with God means moving forward in understanding of Him. And understanding His love is something I see more and more when I look back at The Bible. I don’t see a God always ready to judge BUT a God always ready to redeem and restore. He gives endless chances to His people. He only expects that we give that same type of love to our neighbors. And we give that love whether we agree with them or not. I don’t have to agree with you in order to treat you like an image bearer of Him. And that is what He expects and what He teaches. Be careful how you argue because it shows your heart.

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