Rightly Explain the Word of Truth

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Co-workers with the Truth

2 Timothy 2:14-19  The Message

^14-18 Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples, throwing believers off stride and missing the truth by a mile by saying the resurrection is over and done with.

¹⁹ Meanwhile, God’s firm foundation is as firm as ever, these sentences engraved on the stones:

god knows who belongs to him.
spurn evil, all you who name god as god.

For Reflection 

Two people may be able to work perfectly together even though they are of two divergent philosophies.  As long as they concentrate on the task a hand, they are fine.  However, if they argue philosophy they may not be able to reach a workable consensus.  So I ask, if each is doing Godly acts in harmony with each other. what philosophy is active?

Work for good.  Avoid those who accomplish little but argue a lot.

Pray

for the church, universal.  Pray for unity of God's people.  Pray that the diversity in faith is strengthening God's Kingdom.  Pray that the false truths preached by some will fall on deaf ears.

Knowledge of the Truth

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Co-workers with the Truth

Hebrews 10:23-31  The Message

^22-25 So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
^26-31 If we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ’s sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God’s Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he’ll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: “Vengeance is mine, and I won’t overlook a thing” and “God will judge his people.” Nobody’s getting by with anything, believe me.

For Reflection 

Now that you know the truth, you are at the starting point.  Learn all you can about the truth.  Practice the truth in the midst of believers.  Practice the truth in daily life.  Read scripture and discuss it with others.  Have unwavering confidence in the Living God.  You will have a lifetime of joy as you grow in grace.

Pray

about everything.  Pray for yourself. Pray for other Christians.   Pray for all human kind.  Pray for those who follow evil paths.  Pray for the victims.  Pray for your everlasting reliance on God.

Truth Is in Jesus

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Co-workers with the Truth

Ephesians 4:17-25  The Message

^17-19 And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

^20-24 But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
²⁵ What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.

 

For Reflection 

To be a Christian is to set one's self apart from the common assumptions of one's culture.  Christians live in a culture but are not of the culture.  Even some who claim to be Christian have followed a path of confusing cultural norms, thinking those norms are Godly.  The Wisdom of Christ is to know the difference between authentic and false witness to God. 

Pray

for the wisdom of Christ.   Pray that you will not be seduced by common wisdom that challenges God's will.  Pray that you will measure your actions and thoughts by the rule of Love, and work for compassion, justice and peace.

Walk before God in Faithfulness

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Co-workers with the Truth

1 Kings 1:2-14  The Message

1 ^1-4 King David grew old. The years had caught up with him. Even though they piled blankets on him, he couldn’t keep warm. So his servants said to him, “We’re going to get a young virgin for our master the king to be at his side and look after him; she’ll get in bed with you and arouse our master the king.” So they searched the country of Israel for the most ravishing girl they could find; they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. The girl was stunningly beautiful; she stayed at his side and looked after the king, but the king did not have sex with her.

^5-6 At this time Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, puffed himself up saying, “I’m the next king!” He made quite a splash, with chariots and riders and fifty men to run ahead of him. His father had spoiled him rotten as a child, never once reprimanding him. Besides that, he was very good-looking and the next in line after Absalom.
^7-8 Adonijah talked with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they threw their weight on his side. But neither the priest Zadok, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor Nathan the prophet, nor Shimei and Rei, nor David’s personal bodyguards supported Adonijah.
^9-10 Next Adonijah held a coronation feast, sacrificing sheep, cattle, and grain-fed heifers at the Stone of Zoheleth near the Rogel Spring. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and everyone in Judah who had position and influence—but he did not invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the bodyguards, or his brother Solomon.
^11-14 Nathan went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Did you know that Adonijah, Haggith’s son, has taken over as king, and our master David doesn’t know a thing about it? Quickly now, let me tell you how you can save both your own life and Solomon’s. Go immediately to King David. Speak up: ‘Didn’t you, my master the king, promise me, “Your son Solomon will be king after me and sit on my throne”? So why is Adonijah now king?’ While you’re there talking with the king, I’ll come in and corroborate your story.”

For Reflection

Solomon waited patiently for the promise of his reign while around him stirred the affairs of the common persons. Adonijah, arrogant, self-serving and discounting his father, David, as an old, wasted man, went about the business of inserting himself as king.  Nathan got wind of it and persuaded Solomon's mother to intercede on behalf of her son.

And so goes the mischievous affairs of men.  Or is it just the affairs of men?  Nathan was a prophet.  Was he guarding God's affairs, acting as God's agent?

How God acts through us is a mystery.  Even so, we must, like Solomon, wait patiently for our appointed entrance into the theater of life.  As Nathan, we must carry truths when God calls.

Pray

For the patience to wait on the Lord.  Pray for courage to speak truths when God calls.  Thank and praise God for this glory and power in the affairs of human kind.

A Teacher in Faith and Truth

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Co-workers with the Truth

1 Timothy 2:1-7  The Message

2 ^1-3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

^4-7 He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.

 

 

For Reflection 

Sometimes the "...simple and plain truth" is not so simple and plain when put into action.  How many books have been written to explain the plain truth?  The plain truth of the Christ event is only the foundation.  Living the plain truth increases our understanding of God's relationship to us and our place in God's kingdom.  Live the simple and plain truth.  Grow in grace.

Pray

^"3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live."

God Protects Those Born of God

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Watch Out for Deceivers

1 John 5:16-21  The Message

^16-17 For instance, if we see a Christian believer sinning (clearly I’m not talking about those who make a practice of sin in a way that is “fatal,” leading to eternal death), we ask for God’s help and he gladly gives it, gives life to the sinner whose sin is not fatal. There is such a thing as a fatal sin, and I’m not urging you to pray about that. Everything we do wrong is sin, but not all sin is fatal.
^18-21 We know that none of the God-begotten makes a practice of sin—fatal sin. The God-begotten are also the God-protected. The Evil One can’t lay a hand on them. We know that we are held firm by God; it’s only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One. And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.

 

For Reflection

 The common threads between human kind and Jesus are amazing.   When we choose God and follow Christ we are reborn as a child of God.  This does not mean that we are instantly good or divine.  It means that God loves us and will protect us from chronic sin.  That we are restored to the household of God.  We move as the Spirit moves us.  We are guided by God whispers.  We are cloaked in God's armor so that we can stave off enticements to sin.

Pray

prayers of thanksgiving for the Spirit of the living God.  Pray about all things and remain still so that you can hear God's advice and council.  Pray that you will be alert to the pretenders of goodness.  Pray that you will have the wisdom to act in the image of Christ, whom we follow.

The Boldness We Have in Christ

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Watch Out for Deceivers

1 John 5:6-15  The Message

^6-8 Jesus—the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God’s presence at Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us. A triple testimony: the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.
^9-10 If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God’s testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God’s own testimony regarding his Son.
^11-12 This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.

^13-15 My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.

 

For Reflection

 We often reflect on the nature of God as revealed in Jesus.  Knowing Jesus is knowing God.  However, in the life and death of Christ we also see a revelation in human kind.  Jesus is like us. Jesus had the capacity to choose goodness as do we.  Jesus encountered challenging situations which enticed him to act in his own self-interest and Jesus chose to act in God's image.  We have the capacity to do the same.  Look to Christ to find the potential for Godliness which resides in you.

Pray

for the courage to follow Christ.  Pray that you will grow in grace as a follower of Jesus Christ.  Pray that others will find in themselves the depth of love that is God.

Avoid Those Who Cause Dissension

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Watch Out for Deceivers

Romans 16:16-20  The Message

¹⁶ Holy embraces all around! All the churches of Christ send their warmest greetings!
^17-18 One final word of counsel, friends. Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth. They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents.
^19-20 And so while there has never been any question about your honesty in these matters—I couldn’t be more proud of you!—I want you also to be smart, making sure every “good” thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this, and before you know it the God of peace will come down on Satan with both feet, stomping him into the dirt. Enjoy the best of Jesus!

 

For Reflection 

I suppose human nature doesn't change much.  There are those (some out of good intentions) seem to live on creating chaos.  I am not speaking of those who argue positions in the spirit of discovering the best path.  Rather, those I call, "old non-shoes."  You say, "white, they say black;" you say, "red," they say, green;" you say, "shoes," they say , "non-shoes." Their intention is to disrupt and divide not to unify and achieve consensus.  They gather cohorts so that their opinions can be seen as the majority.  To be a Christian is to work toward good and not to manipulate.  

 

To be a Christian is to measure discussion by the love expressed.  To be a Christian is to remain alert and know God will make all things good.

Pray

for those who deceive.  Pray for those who cause dissension to achieve personal ends.  Pray for the peaceful resolution of conflict. 

False Prophets Will Lead Many Astray

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Watch Out for Deceivers

Matthew 24:3-14  The Message

³ Later as he was sitting on Mount Olives, his disciples approached and asked him, “Tell us, when are these things going to happen? What will be the sign of your coming, that the time’s up?”
^4-8 Jesus said, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, ‘I am Christ, the Messiah.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming.
^9-10 “They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name. And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other.
^11-12 “In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.
^13-14 “Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.

 

For Reflection

 Predicting what will happen and when at the end of time is dark and mysterious.  Jesus answered the question by pointing out what is important for the establishment of the Kingdom.  No one knows when or how time will end.  We do know, however, how we are to respond to the love and promise of God.

Jesus advised us to concentrate on the task at hand.  Try not to interpret every catastrophe as the "end."  Speak the truth.  Spread the word.  Don't worry about judgment day.

Pray

for those who deceive because they do not know the truth.  Pray for those who deceive intentionally.  Pray for those who are captured by deceitful promises.  Pray that you will have the wisdom to follow the truth as evidenced by the life of Christ. 

Don't Listen to Imposters

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Watch Out for Deceivers

Acts 15:22-35T  he Message

^22-23 Everyone agreed: apostles, leaders, all the people. They picked Judas (nicknamed Barsabbas) and Silas—they both carried considerable weight in the church—and sent them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas with this letter:

From the apostles and leaders, your friends, to our friends in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

Hello!
^24-27 We heard that some men from our church went to you and said things that confused and upset you. Mind you, they had no authority from us; we didn’t send them. We have agreed unanimously to pick representatives and send them to you with our good friends Barnabas and Paul. We picked men we knew you could trust, Judas and Silas—they’ve looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our Master Jesus Christ. We’ve sent them to confirm in a face-to-face meeting with you what we’ve written.
^28-29 It seemed to the Holy Spirit and to us that you should not be saddled with any crushing burden, but be responsible only for these bare necessities: Be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols; avoid serving food offensive to Jewish Christians (blood, for instance); and guard the morality of sex and marriage.
These guidelines are sufficient to keep relations congenial between us. And God be with you!

^30-33 And so off they went to Antioch. On arrival, they gathered the church and read the letter. The people were greatly relieved and pleased. Judas and Silas, good preachers both of them, strengthened their new friends with many words of courage and hope. Then it was time to go home. They were sent off by their new friends with laughter and embraces all around to report back to those who had sent them.

³⁵ Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the Word of God. But they weren’t alone. There were a number of teachers and preachers at that time in Antioch.

 

For Reflection 

So, conflict in the church is not new.  More importantly, conflict did not destroy the church.  Conflict strengthened and focused it.  Yesterday's issues have been resolved and the church is better for it. 

Today's issues are in the process of resolution.  The process is painful.  But, God will not let us down.  God will make all things good.  God's will is for us all to struggle with the challenge of change, because it is in the process of change that we grow in grace.  It is in the process of change that we meet contemporary issues head on.  It is in the process of change that God moves us toward the Kingdom.

Conflict in the church means God is alive and active in the world.

Pray

For those who struggle with change.  Pray that conflicts will be resolved in the spirit of love.  Pray for the wisdom to select just and compassionate paths to resolution.

Since God Loved Us So Much

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Believe God's Love

1 John 4:7-12 The Message

God Is Love

^7-10 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.

^11-12 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!

 

For Reflection

 How can we learn to love unconditionally? To what extent can we accept the risk associated with unconditional love?  How can we avoid expecting a return on our love?  How can we love those who are difficult to love?  How can we build a loving community among the fellowship of believers?  How can we act in love with the steadfast confidence in God's promise to make things right? How can we learn to love ourselves to such an extent that we are confident that we are loved as a child of God?  How do we tell each other that we love them as God has loved us?

Pray

for answers to these questions.

Test the Spirits

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Believe God's Love

1 John 4:1-6  The Message

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

4 My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.

^2-3 Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!
^4-6 My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world’s language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.

 

 

For Reflection

 Oh boy!  This is difficult.  When it comes to religion, some hold so tightly to their beliefs, that to alter that belief would be to deny the validity of that belief.  Fear takes over and some would rather fight over an untenable position, even to death, thinking that they are righteous. 

Faith is not a static thing.  Faith grows and matures, changes as we experience life and the spirit.  The only absolute is God and God's love.

Here, John is speaking about those who claimed that Christ could not have been human in any way but only pretended so.  Such a belief makes the life, death and resurrection a lie.  Thus, Jesus becomes a charlatan who faked his humanity.

Beware of false teachers who fear the challenge of growing into grace and strike out against the spiritual growth of God's people.  Beware of those who rationalize the mystery that is God. Beware of those who would have you turn God into a self-serving image and perversion of the truth.  The ultimate test of authentic Godliness is love.  Those who will not listen to calls for compassion, justice, peace and love cannot be of God.

Pray

that one day all will find the truth that is God.  Pray for those who face difficult faith choices.  Pray that they will choose the authentic God.  Pray for the wisdom to recognize and reject false teaching.

Nothing Can Separate Us

The Pledge of God's PresenceBelieve God's Love

Romans 8:31-39  The Message

^31-39 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and

For Reflection"When God is on my side..." 

Anyone can claim God's favor, but few truly have it!  Having God on your side is a blessing more valuable than any other.  It is a blessing that anoints one with unlimited power to do good.

How do you know God is on you side?  God is mysterious and many times you don't have absolute proof of God's endorsement.  If you study scripture, work in fellowship with believers; work for justice, forgiveness and peace, follow Jesus teaching and, above all, be motivated by offering the love of God, you might be in safe territory.

You will not have God's favor if you are malicious, hurtful, bear false witness, manipulate others or do other Godless unrighteous things.  If you do not act in love, you will not have God on your side.

Pray

that you will listen to the God whispers that council you.  Pray that all that you do will be done out of Christian love.  Pray that you will travel humbly in the pursuit of God's will.  Pray that above all, listen and be ready to change direction if God shows you a different path.

Be Steadfast in the Spirit

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Believe God's Love

Romans 12:9-19 The Message

^9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

^11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
^14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
^17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

For Reflection

 I am firmly convinced that the spirit of God shines in a person in ways that others can see (even if not cognatively) one's competence, fairness and trustworthiness.  Those in the Spirit seem to have an attractive aura.  It is not so much the theology you follow or how learned you are.  It is the way one carries one's self.  It is the way one responds to life circumstances.  It is supreme confidence in the fact that God will make all things right.

Pray

prayers of thanksgiving for the spirit who resides within you.  Pray for steadfast loyalty to the One God.  Pray for the courage to face life knowing that your faith will bring out the opposition to hate you.  Pray for the love that displaces all hate.

Seeking Unity of the Spirit

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Believe God's Love

1 Peter 3:8-12  The Message

Suffering for Doing Good

^8-12 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Whoever wants to embrace life
    and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
    Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
    run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
    listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
    on those who do evil things.

For Reflection

 How you talk makes a difference!  Try this for a day.  Wipe out any reference to good or bad in your conversations with others.  Support the good and ignore the bad.  Find creative ways to guide a conversation toward more compassionate responses.  Try to be provisional rather than absolute. Try not to make statements which evaluate.  Rather, make observations.  Be supportive.

Pray

that you will not be tempted to use the conventional style of conversation.  Pray that you will avoid passing on gossip and hear-say.  Pray that you will say nothing evil or hurtful.  Pray that you will fill up your day with good!

A New Command

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Love One Another

John 13:31-35  The Message

A New Command

^31-32 When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is seen for who he is, and God seen for who he is in him. The moment God is seen in him, God’s glory will be on display. In glorifying him, he himself is glorified—glory all around!

³³ “Children, I am with you for only a short time longer. You are going to look high and low for me. But just as I told the Jews, I’m telling you: ‘Where I go, you are not able to come.’
^34-35 “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

 

For Reflection
How many commandments are there?  Ten, you say?  I say eleven.  That's right eleven.  The eleventh commandment is, "Love one another."

In my mind, the eleventh commandment is superordinate, that is, It over-rides or regulates all judgments.  That's what makes this commandment difficult.  It sets itself  against all the other "rules".  It does not cancel them, but rather, this command becomes a guide for implementing them.  A Christians role is to be witness to the love that is God.

Pray

that all Christians will moderate their judgments with compassion and love.  Pray that you will follow the command to love.

Those Who Do Not Love

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Love One Another

1 John 3:6-10  The Message

^4-6 All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God’s order. Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They’ve got him all backward.
^7-8 So, my dear children, don’t let anyone divert you from the truth. It’s the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah. Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil’s ways.
^9-10 People conceived and brought into life by God don’t make a practice of sin. How could they? God’s seed is deep within them, making them who they are. It’s not in the nature of the God-begotten to practice and parade sin. Here’s how you tell the difference between God’s children and the Devil’s children: The one who won’t practice righteous ways isn’t from God, nor is the one who won’t love brother or sister. A simple test.

 

For Reflection

 In my opinion, anything that one does that separates one, or influences others to act in ways that separate them from God is a sin.  If one truly knows Christ, he or she will act out of God's love and do the just, compassionate and forgiving act.  Those who know Christ will choose to live lives that create rather than destroy.

Pray

that you will learn to live your life creatively.  Pray that you will act in compassionate ways.  Pray that you will champion justice and foster peace.

Great Love Shown

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Love One Another

Luke 7:40-48  The Message

⁴⁰ Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Oh? Tell me.”
^41-42 “Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?”
^43-47 Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.”
“That’s right,” said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”
⁴⁸ Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins.”

For Reflection

 Those who know God and are not grateful take God's forgiveness for granted.  They feel little obligation to express gratefulness.  Not this woman of countless sins, however.  She expresses extravagant gratefulness.  Knowing God, we are indebted to God's saving grace.  We should not assume God's forgiveness, but rather, be humbled by it.  How do you express your gratefulness?

Pray

that you will yearn for, hope for forgiveness.  Pray that you will never take God's grace for granted.  Pray for those who have not experienced God's forgiveness and grace.  Pray that you will find opportunities to express your gratefulness to God through acts of compassion.

Love, by God

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Love One Another

1 John 3:1-6  The Message

3 What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.

^2-3 But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.
^4-6 All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God’s order. Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They’ve got him all backward.

For ReflectionYou have been exposed! You have seen love. And that's what makes life easy and at the same time difficult.  Child of God, you think differently, you act differently, you are moved by the love with which God has blessed you.  You are apart from the material cultural norm.

None of this is easy.  There is no absolute rule save that you love God, and humankind as yourself.  This should make the decision to forgive, to express compassion, and to foster justice and peace easy.  What are the consequences of your righteousness in a Godless world?  How are you blessed and how do you suffer righteousness?

Pray

prayers of thanksgiving that you have been blessed by God.  Pray that, having seen the light, you will work toward the fulfillment of God's Kingdom on Earth.  Pray that you will have the courage to follow the rule of love.

God So Loved the World

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Love One Another

John 3:16-21  The Message

^16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
^19-21 “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.”

 

For Reflection 

God gave God's son so we might know God, so that we might recognize the difference between darkness and light.  Why is it then that so many who profess faith still run in darkness?  Why is it that so many bend Christian theology to form a god who favors them?   "This is the crisis were in..."

Pray

that those who have known the light embrace it.  Pray for those who bend their faith to favor denial and the illusion of righteousness.  Pray that you will follow the way, the truth and the light of grace, forgiveness, justice and peace.

If Christ Has Not Been Raised

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Resurrection Guaranteed

1 Corinthians 15:12-20  The Message

^12-15 Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there’s no resurrection, there’s no living Christ. And face it—if there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you’ve staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there’s no resurrection.
^16-20 If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.

For Reflection 

Today is Good Friday.  Spend some time thinking about what the resurrection means in your life.  Think about the Spirit buried deep in your soul and how it has changed you.

Pray

prayers of thanksgiving for the living God, found in Jesus Christ.   Pray so that you remain in an intimate relationship with Christ.  Pray that you will emulate the living Christ.

The Hope of Eternal Life

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Resurrection Guaranteed

Titus 3:1-8  The Message

He Put Our Lives Together

3 ^1-2 Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God’s people should be bighearted and courteous.

^3-8 It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.

For Reflection 

Don't you wonder at times, "What ever happened to common decency?"  Is it too much to ask these days when just about everyone has assumed the license to say just about anything to anyone without censure?  Has our technology enabled anonymity so that one does not have to answer to his destructive communication? 

Christians must live creative lives, not destructive ones.  A Christian's task is to build a loving community of justice compassion, forgiveness and peace.  How are we doing?

Pray

for the Christians who justify brutality, and merciless vitriol with mad waving of scriptural "proofs".  Pray for those whose version of Christianity justifies malevolence.

Pray for those who glow with the light of the living Christ and who work to counter the harsh reality of our culture with overtures of peace.  Pray for the Church to be renewed in its mission to bring justice where there is injustice, forgiveness and compassion where there is only retribution and peace where there is chaos.

The Resurrection and the Life

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Resurrection Guaranteed

John 11:20-27  The Message

^17-20 When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only a couple of miles away, and many of the Jews were visiting Martha and Mary, sympathizing with them over their brother. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house.
^21-22 Martha said, “Master, if you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you.”
²³ Jesus said, “Your brother will be raised up.”
²⁴ Martha replied, “I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time.”
^25-26 “You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?”
²⁷ “Yes, Master. All along I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world.”

For Reflection

 Martha seems to know, but she acts as though she does not!  She still reacts to the ways of this world.  Jesus  asks if she believes that all will live though Him.  Christ's point seems to escape her.  She responds that her belief ends at knowing Jesus is the son of God.

How do you understand the mystery that is God?  How do you understand the statement, "...everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all?"  Do you believe this?


Pray

to accept the mystery of our God.  Pray that you will have penultimate trust that all things come to good in Christ.