Loyal Hearts

"We have confidence in the Lord

that you are doing and will continue to do

the things we command.

May the Lord direct your hearts

into God's love

and Christ's perseverance."

2 Thessalonians 3:4,5

It is a miracle when any group of people can work together in one accord.  When it's church people, however, who get a job done with willing hearts and little to no bickering, there is no doubt that it is by the hand of God!  Unfortunately, the people of God are not always known for their unity of spirit.  

There is at least one instance in the Old Testament scriptures that stands out as an exception: It was when David was collecting materials for the tremendous task his son, Solomon, would undertake in building the temple of the Lord.  So many resources were needed, and astonishingly, it was the people of Israel who willingly gave from their hearts that supplied all that was necessary.

Afterward, David prayed to God, praising Him for His greatness and provision, going on to ask that He would keep the hearts of the people forever loyal to Him.  David knew it was God who unified the people, for he knew as well as any of us how difficult it is for people to agree on anything, let alone give up their valuables for a single cause.  Yes indeed, God worked a miracle in the hearts of His people that day.

This, however, is not a phenomenon that is peculiar to the people of David's time.  God can still unify us, giving us a heart that only desires Him and His will.  In this way, He gives us harmony that distinguishes us for the rest of the world.

Sovereignty

He knew God was in control of every aspect of creation, even the weather.  Consequently, Elijah prayed in faith, without a doubt in his mind that God could keep it from raining for three years.  It's not that Elijah was special, it's just that he understood that God is sovereign over all things.  He believed that because of God's power, He was able to do anything, even keep the rain from falling.  (1 Kings 17:1, James 5:17)  It's not so much that prayer is powerful as it is that the God to whom the prayer is directed is mighty.

Keeping this in mind, I realize that the things that I do that matter to God are not done out of the goodness of my heart.  Quite the contrary, since my heart is deceitful above all things, leading me down the wrong path time and time again.  (Jeremiah 17:9)  Instead, it is God who works in me, directing my heart and giving me the desire to submit to His work in my life.

As I yield to His sovereign power, I am telling Him that I want Him to have His way in my life and my prayers reflect that submission.  He's going to get His way despite my stubbornness, the only question is whether I will be a part of His plan, or continuing on in my own way apart from Him.

When God is the center of my life, my heart is loyal to His sovereign work in my life.

Love

For around 350 years the people of Israel followed a predicable pattern:  They rebelled against the God who loved them, found themselves in hot water as a consequence, crying out to the Lord and asking Him to have mercy on them and save them from destruction.  God would then, out of His great compassion for His people, send a judge to set them back on track.  Everything would then be pretty good until that judge died, sending the people back to the beginning of the cycle.

There is no doubt that God loves His wayward people and that His kindness is not based on our worthiness or faithfulness; if it were, we would have long ago been wiped off the face of the earth. Even now, it's the same; God has not changed.  There  is nothing I can do to lose the love I experience through faith in Jesus Christ.  (Romans 8:38-39)

When I keep Him first, above all things, He directs my heart into His love so that kindness and compassion can overflow into the lives of those with whom I come into contact.  Then I will find myself giving others a break where usually I would not cut any slack, or sense a desire to help those who I usually ignore, or to forgive the one who hurt me deeply.

When God is the center of my life, my heart is loyal to the love that becomes the hallmark of my life.

Perseverance

He never gave up, even though He was falsely accused, sentenced to death on a cross, mocked and ridiculed and put through torturous treatment that would break even the bravest soul.  Despite this unjust and inhumane persecution, Jesus Christ endured the cross, even forgiving those who killed Him.  (Hebrews 12:2)

I may never have to go through such torture as this, but I can be sure that I possess the same kind of stick-to-it-iveness.  With the perseverance of Christ I can keep going despite the pain that wracks my body, desiring to be used by God for His glory.  With His determination I can endure harsh treatment from those I love, giving nothing but mercy and kindness in return.  With the resolve of Jesus I am able to endure financial hardship, trusting Him to provide everything I need.

When God is the center of my life, my heart is loyal to the One who gives me perseverance to keep going for His glory.

Just as the people of God were able to work as with one heart in the time of David, we can also live in one accord.  God can keep my heart loyal to Him as I make Him the center of all things.  When He is, I will desire to let Him have His way, to dwell in His love, and to endure all kinds of treatment and hardships.  This is how I keep faithful to Him and let harmony rule.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will keep God at the center.

When do I complain about my circumstances instead of letting the perseverance of Christ empower me to carry on?

How does His love overflow into the lives of others around me?

Of One Accord

"My prayer is not for them alone.

I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father,

just as you are in me and I am in you.

May they also be in us so that the world

may believe that you have sent me.

I have given them the glory that you gave me,

that they may be one as we are one:

I in them and you in me.

May they be brought to complete unity 

to let the world know that you sent me 

and have loved them even as you have loved me."

John 17:20-23

It has long been said that religion and politics are two topics of conversation to avoid in polite gatherings.  Since both elicit passionate responses and strong opinions, its virtually impossible to hold a pleasant discussion regarding ones' beliefs.  Check out the comment thread under any news story found on the Internet regarding political decisions being made on behalf of the people and its easy to see that we are divided in our beliefs.

Partisanship has long been a problem in politics, as confirmed by this plea made by President John F. Kennedy.  "Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer.  Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past.  Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."  Finding common ground in Capitol Hill has always been difficult.

The same, however, should not be said about the Body of Christ.  Jesus prayed that just as He and His Father are one that His people should also be of one accord.  This may seem to be an impossible feat, but with God, all things are possible.  It is vital that believers "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."  (Ephesians 4:3)  We may not always agree, but we are saved by the same Christ and led by the same Spirit.

For this reason, I can find common ground with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Foot of the Cross

I have heard it said that the ground is level at the foot of the cross.  As Jesus hung in agony, taking the sin of mankind upon Himself to make a way for me to enjoy a relationship with my Creator forever, there were many who stood there as witnesses.  The soldiers, the women, the mockers, His mother, the disciples:  each had to decide for themselves who Jesus was to them.  A devoted son?  A gifted teachers?  A foolish man?  The Savior of my soul?

For all those who decide that Jesus is Lord and Savior, a common bond exists.  I can travel to the far reaches of the world and run into a sister in Christ and we will be able to relate to each other, despite our diverse backgrounds.  The truth of the Gospel draws us together.

Why, then, do I have troubles with believers in my midst?  My feelings get hurt, my toes are stepped on or I'm uncomfortable with certain traditions.  In a nutshell, my selfish, self-centered attitude keeps me from unity within the Body.

This is why it is vital to the testimony of the Light in a dark world that I strive for peace between family members.  When I don't agree with what someone says, I can put the cause of Christ above my own desire to be right and let it go.  When I feel I'm not being heard, I can place my frustrations in the hands of the only One who can change a heart.  When I'm irritated by the actions of another, I can ask the Lord to give me eyes to see His children as He sees them.

The prayer of Jesus is for the Body of Christ to be unified in the Gospel as our shared foundation.

Glory of God

The boy humbly came before the store manager, holding out his hand to reveal the stolen pack of gum.  "I'm sorry I stole this from you, sir," the 6-year-old stuttered as a single tear rolled down his chocolate-colored cheek, "and I wanted to return it to you."  The lad stood with his head down, waiting for the sentence to be handed down from the man he had affronted with his selfish act of greed.  "Son, you are free to go.  Never before have I seen such honor.  Please tell your mother she is doing a fine job in raising a respectable young man."

The actions of children always reflect, either negatively or positively, upon their parents.  In the same way, the things I do and the way I live my life reflects upon my heavenly Father.  God's glory dwells within me, but many times I choose to live according to my flesh, effectively squelching His magnificence in my life, leaving me only with my own self.  

When I'm walking in a way that pleases myself, I tend to become separated in one way or another from other believers.  Either I won't seem to have much in common with them as I stray away from the path of righteousness, or their idiosyncrasies will begin to annoy me as I'm led by my own flesh instead of God's Spirit.  Living my life according to the flesh leads to disunity.

When, however, I walk in the Spirit, letting Him lead me, shape me and mold me, His grace flows through me giving me the ability to live in a way that pleases Him.  If my relationship with Christ is intact, my bond with others will also be healthy.  As I abide in Jesus, He shows me when I need to seek forgiveness, when I'm being harsh, or when I'm too self-centered.  

In this way, people will see the good that comes out of me and recognize it as from my Father.  Instead of me getting the praise and honor, God will get it all.

The prayer of Jesus is for the Body of Christ to show the glory of God in the way we get along with each other.

Love Binds Us

Out of the 6.9 billion people estimated to be living on planet Earth in 2010, 2.18 billion profess to be Christian.  While one-third of those Christians live in the Americas, fully one-fourth live in Sub-Saharan Africa and one in eight in Asia and the Pacific.  It takes some strong adhesive to bind such a diverse group of people together.

The binding agent that keeps us unified despite our differences is the love that flows through our veins.  This love comes from God who loved us first, enabling us to have compassion for others.  (1 John 4:19)  When my brother or sister falls short, as we all do, this love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8, Proverbs 10:12)  Coming alongside someone who is falling away from the truth is much more loving than standing in front of them shaking my finger in condemnation.  It is important to speak the truth in love, with the intention of mending the fellowship they have with Christ.  

As this love binds me together with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, enabling me to overlook imperfections and embrace differences, a legacy of love will be laid down for all who witness our lives.  Instead of being known for hypocrisy or judgementalism, then,  the Body of Christ will be known for His love.  (John 13:35)

This love does not come from within my natural self.  Rather, God's love flows through me from His indwelling Spirit, loving those around me whom I cannot love on my own.  As David McCasland wrote in Our Daily Bread, "Our limited ability to love does not change God's limitless power to love through us."

The prayer of Jesus is for the Body of Christ to be bound together by His love.

Unity in the Body of Christ is possible as we stand together on the solid ground of the Gospel, give glory to God by showing grace to others, and let the love of God bind us together.  In this way we will be living as of one accord.  

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can let Jesus be my focus as I face difficulties today.

When do I put my own selfish desires about the glory of God?

How do I let difficulties or disagreements block the flow of love from God out to others? 

Church Wars

"The LORD is good to all;
   he has compassion on all he has made."

Psalm 145:9

As a white woman married to a black man, I have seen all kinds of churches.  Little country churches in the backwoods of Mississippi and huge cathedrals in the center of sprawling metropolises.  I've seen how people of different backgrounds worship, and the diverse beliefs about who God is and how His people fit into His kingdom.   Some are pompous and arrogant, some are humble and modest.  Most are somewhere in between.  No matter what our beliefs, the Lord is good to each and every one of us.  If God does not discriminate, why do we?

Background   Humans tend to flock together with birds of a feather.  I am drawn to those who look like me, share the same beliefs as me, and who share a similar background as me.  But this is contrary to the teaching of the first church.  Peter, one of the leaders of the first church, also held this same belief due to years of following the Old Testament rules of purity.   Peter had been taught to keep away from certain foods which would make him unclean.  Since Gentiles, or anyone who was not Jewish,  regularly consumed many of these foods, Peter had been conditioned not to eat with non-Israelites.  The thing was, God was about to send Peter out to preach the Gospel to these "unclean" Gentiles. God gave Peter a vision that made it clear that under the new covenant, the old laws no longer applied and that he was ". . not (to) call anything impure that God has made clean." (Acts 10:15)  Peter went on to preach, saying, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."(v 34-35) Today's church, or Body of Christ, is made up of people from all backgrounds and nations. I should not get caught up in old prejudices and attitudes, but worship together as God intended; blind to color, ethnicity and culture.

Bias  I grew up with a certain style of worship and preaching, and it is easy for me to think this is the only and best way of worship and preaching.  Thankfully, it's not the style that matters, but the One whom we are gathered to worship that is of the utmost importance.  Paul, in teaching about living as children of light in a dark world, said to,  ". . .be filled with the Spirit,  speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,  always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:18-20) It's about Him, not about me and my biases.  I can use any method to worship as long as my heart is focused on glorifying God! 

Beliefs  "Don't play cards."  "No Fishing on Sunday."  "Don't listen to secular music."  "No yardwork on Sunday."  It is so easy to become like the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Jesus' time who came up with all these rules to "help people to follow God's law."  The problem was, it put a heavy burden on the people who thought they had to do what the leaders said as well as what God said.  Since Jesus set us free from the burden of the law; we know we are not saved by following the law.  This is because no one is able to follow the law in it's entirety.  But many times, I carry around these weird human beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation.  I'm sure you can add a few to the list above.  Paul taught that,  “ 'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is constructive.  Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others."  (I Corinthians 10:23-24)  Instead of focusing on what I think I should and should not do in order to make myself more holy, I should instead focus on what is good for those who are watching and for those I live with.  But most of all, I should seek to glorify God in all that I do (including where I choose to worship), and not worry about silly old beliefs. 

Do I focus too much on my own background, biases and beliefs which keeps me from worshipping in spirit and in truth, as Christ intended?  

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I may let go of those things that keep me from really hearing a message you are sending through a person that looks, sounds and acts different from me. 

How am I pre-judging without even realizing it?


Where am I holding onto old beliefs that are not based on the scriptures?

Glory in Excelsis Deo

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will toward men."

Luke 2:14

The sound of the bell floats across the air as I make my way to the supercenter to buy groceries for the week.  The smiling women greet me with a cheerful, "Happy Holidays," as the red bucket swings on the frame between them.  The Salvation Army has been using the infamous Red Kettle since 1891 to collect donations during Christmas time for their ministries throughout the year.  This most recognizable scene of the season is a symbol for a ministry that has been working to bring the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute for nearly 160 years.  This got me to thinking about how I can best glorify God during this Christmas season.

Honor Him  Glorifying God means honoring Him with my life. It means living in such a way that people think of God when they see me and are inspired to draw closer to Him. This calls for intentional living, making a conscience effort to do things that reflect well upon my Savior.  Paul advised to have the attitude that, ". . . whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."  (I Corinthians 10:31)  In the Chinese culture, it is very important to do your best in everything in order to bring honor to your family.  This drives people to achieve greatness in order to give their family a good name.  If I adopt this attitude toward God, I would choose to do things that would give God a good name in our society.

Fruit  The Apostle Paul held this prayer for the church at Philippi:  "that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,  so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:9-11)  The only way to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit, is to choose to let God have his way in my life instead of insisting on doing things my way.  When I let my fleshly desires rule my life, I produce fruit of the flesh.(anger, dissension, sexual immorality, selfish ambition, jealousy, etc)  But if I walk in God's spirit, His fruit will be evident. (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control.  Galatians 5) This does not come from effort, but as a natural extension of God's work in my life.  If I let God have His way in my life, His fruit will reveal His awesomeness.

Unity  We don't naturally get along with each other.  Spend a little time in a family and this becomes painfully evident.  But cutting each other a break by not expecting more from others than I expect from myself is another way to bring glory to God.  Paul teaches in Romans 15 that we should be concerned with building up those around us, whether it be neighbors, family members, other believers or friends.  "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." (Romans 15:7)  If I accept those around me just the way they are, I can lift up the name of God to those I come in contact with.

During this busy Christmas season, I can glorify God by intentional living, choosing His way instead of mine and getting along with others. 

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can remember that bringing glory to God is the purpose for my existence.

How am I seeking to improve my reputation instead of lifting up God's?

When I think of all the people in my life, who am I the hardest on?