Tag: loving God

Just and Tender Father

Isaiah 40-43

Many, many years ago, as a novice classroom junior high teacher, I was learning what it meant to “be firm, be fair, be consistent”; which now as a veteran educator is my favorite word of advice to pass along to the next generation of teachers. 

One of my nicest, most reliable, hard-working students entered the classroom tardy one day. Any other week of the school year, I would have not given it a second thought and have her sit down and get to work – something she would have done naturally. However, the previous day, I had just had a stern conversation with the class about the importance of showing up on time and the consequences if anyone chose to be late to my class in the future. I had already taken attendance and wondered out loud if anyone knew where this particular student was. No one knew. A few minutes later, she walks in – without a pass. She paused as she entered the room. The rest of the class looked at her and then looked at me – was I really going to hold this ‘good kid’ accountable for what I just had said the day before? As much as I hated to do it, I reminded her that she would be eating lunch with me that day and the rest of the class knew if I meant business with this kid, I was absolutely serious about my message for the rest of them. 

Later on as I was holding this student during lunch, we talked about where she had been, why she didn’t have a pass, and how the entire incident was so out-of-character for her. Her explanations made sense and she understood why I had to do what I did. She was never late again.

In leadership, this style of management is often referred to as a “velvet hammer”. In other words, “be firm, be fair, and be consistent” with everyone, every time. 

As I read the opening verse of Isaiah 40 and the next couple of chapters of today’s Bible reading, I am reminded of the velvet hammer and my educator mantra. 

Through the prophet Isaiah, God had just completed pronouncing judgement on the Israelistes in the previous chapters, aka the “hammer”. Now, in what is sometimes referred to as the “Second Isaiah”, God is now offering comfort and encouragement to His people, aka “the velvet”. 

“Comfort, comfort”. With the repetition, you can almost hear the tenderness of a parent reassuring a child, “There, there, now. It’ll all be alright.” Discipline is never pleasant when the relationship is loving. The authority figure in the relationship knows that the pain and discomfort associated with accountability is necessary in order to provide guidance and direction for the child, follower, or subordinate. For the child, it’s a difficult reminder of the offense and the actions required to make things right again. However, with the reassurance that things can indeed be made right, the discipline is easier to accept. 

“My people”. Even though the Israelites have continued to make disappointing choices, God still claims them as His. Any other sovereign probably would have given up on such an obstinate group, but not the Almighty. His covenant with the Israelites is reaffirmed with these two words. God is not going anywhere, He is not giving up. 

“Says Your God”. And just as resolute as God is in holding up His side of the covenant relationship, He wants to remind the people that He longs for them to do the same. He still desires to be known as the God of Israel. There is nothing that can be said or done to make Him want anything less. Additionally, God is reminding them that amid all the other false idol gods that have been manufactured, He alone is their God. He is the one who is worthy of all glory, honor and praise. He alone is “the LORD, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (v.40:28).

My hope and prayer for you reading this today is that if you’ve ever experienced God’s discipline, you’ve also experienced His tenderness and mercy. God loves you more than you can possibly imagine and His discipline is evidence of this love. Cling tightly to our Father because He is always faithful, always present, always full of grace and mercy, always all-powerful, always right there where we need Him to be. May you be comforted by this covenant of love today. 

Reflection Questions

  1. When have you experienced God’s ‘velvet hammer’ – a moment of discipline wrapped in love and mercy?
  1. How does God calling the Israelites “my people” after their failures, influence your own identity and relationship with God, especially after you have missed the mark?
  1. How does knowing that God is both just and tender shape your trust in Him?

-Bethany Ligon

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Loving the Things in the World

OLD TESTAMENT: Jeremiah 10-11

POETRY: Psalm 115

NEW TESTAMENT: 1 John 2

What do you love? Love is such a flexible word. I love God. I love my wife. I love my children. I love my favorite sports teams. I love eating a good fettuccine alfredo. I love ice cream. The way we use the word “love” varies widely on the context.

In 1 John 2, John spends some time contrasting the way that we love the things of the world with our love for God. And while his words may sound harsh, there is a great lesson for us in them:

1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life–is not from the Father but is from the world.

17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

John commands us to not love the world or the things in the world. Does this mean that we are not to love people, like Jesus commands us to? Of course not! John is using expansive language to remind us of a key point: we are not to love the evil things we find in the world.

There is evil all around us: in the media, on TV, in movies, and on the Internet. We are bombarded with images all day everyday. While they had evil imagery in the ancient world, our modern world far outstrips the ancient world in how easy it is to see evil things and how often we are assailed with these images.

So what is John asking us to do? He is asking us to love the things of God, which means that we should avoid the evil of the world. We all have innate desires in our flesh that are not godly. If we act on those desires, we are separating ourselves not only from God through our sin, but we are also consciously deciding that our way of living is better than living the way God says that we should.

Friends, that is a dangerous place to be. I know that I have walked in darkness at times, enjoying the desires of the flesh and of the eyes. But what I found is that those dark places lead nowhere good. God does not want us to avoid sin because we are good little trained creatures. It’s not like God is running a circus, and we get to play the part of the circus animals, just jumping through hoops of fire to prove to God that we love Him. That’s not it.

God designed life. God designed us. He loves us. He wants the best for us. Just like I tell my children “no” from time to time, that does not mean that I do not love them. I want what is best for my kids, even when something wrong or dangerous looks attractive to them.

Let’s avoid the evil things that our world is trying to sell to us. Let’s be examples of love and light instead. As we do so, we are examples to others of what life will look like in the coming kingdom of God. The kingdom of God and the things of God will abide forever.

-Will Barlow

REflection Questions

Do you have a love for the things of this world that is unhealthy? What can you do to return to a purer love for God?

    Have you ever noticed that when you feed your mind something, it focuses on that concept more and more? How can you guide your thoughts in a healthier direction?

    When people look at your life, can they recognize the kingdom of God? Can they see the fruit of the spirit, evidence of a changed heart and life?

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    Moldy Berries

    *Old Testament: Ezekiel 21 & 22

    Poetry: Psalm 99

    New Testament: Revelation 14

    It seems as though fresh strawberries go bad so quickly. You get a package at the grocery and then sometimes by the next day they already start to expire. Maybe that morning you are in a rush when you see that one moldy spot. You know it’s not good, but you will get rid of that bad strawberry later. But, then you forget and by the time you check back in on them, half the package is moldy. And worse yet, this isn’t the first batch you have lost in such a manner. You knew better from previous experiences and yet you managed to find yourself in the same exact trouble.

    This happened to me this week. I was reminded of these bad strawberries when reading Ezekiel 22. Time and time again, we see the Israelites in the hot seat after continuous rebellion against God. They should know better from previous experience, but they do not use that knowledge to do better.

    I think it is interesting in verses 6-13 God declares the vile things that Israel had within itself. These things were not all immediately there. Rather, I imagine the Israelites allowed one bad thing in at a time until eventually almost the whole batch became rotten. Just as we do not always discard that moldy strawberry when we should, the Israelites did not turn to God and rid themselves of the sin when they noticed it. Rather they turned their heads and allowed more to sneak in and take hold.

    In doing these terrible things, they forgot God. They turned their heads from Him and, to stay with the strawberry analogy, allowed the mold to consume them. These things that they did hurt one another and were against the very principles of their creator. These were against the very principles of loving God with all our heart, soul and mind and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

    So with that I want to challenge you and myself with the following question. Are there any moldy strawberries in our life right now that we are ignoring? If so, let us, with God’s help, throw that strawberry out so that the mold from it will not spread further in our heart.

    -Hannah Deane

    Reflection Questions

    1. Just like Hannah asked, “Are there any moldy strawberries in our life right now that we are ignoring? If so, let us, with God’s help, throw that strawberry out so that the mold from it will not spread further in our heart.”
    2. When have you seen the progression of sin overpower and block out a desire to serve and follow God?
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    The Loving Character of God

    Old Testament: 1 & 2 Chron Introduction (See below)

    Poetry: Ps. 139

    New Testament: Philippians 4

    In the midst of all of our discussions of punishment for sin and idolatry, it can paint a picture of a harsh, just God. We know that God is doing the right thing, but it seems like the right thing is also cruel. Today’s scripture brings into focus another aspect of God that proves how loving and truly kind God is. Psalm 139 is a famous scripture and for good reason. Here are some truths we can learn about God from this beautiful and comforting Psalm. 

    1. God knows who we truly are. We cannot hide from God, and we don’t need to feel like we have to. The Psalm begins, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! […] Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether” (v. 1, 4). We can find great comfort in that all the ugly, messed up parts of ourselves is already known to God. We don’t need to try to “flee from [his] presence” (v. 7) because he is already there. This shouldn’t make us feel afraid. Instead, we should feel like we can bring everything we are to God and lay it at his feet. He already knows anyway. 
    2. God’s boundaries are good boundaries. Verse 5 says, “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” When we think of God’s law, we can think of it as the rules that keep us safe. It reminds me of the baby gates in my house. My little girl is just starting to crawl. The one place in the house that she always wants to get to is the stairs. She has no idea how to go down them though! The baby gates in my house protect her from the thing that she wants to do. It is a boundary, a law, of protection that turns out to be provision for her. 
    3. God knows our days. We can find great comfort in the sovereignty of God. As we face trials and uncertainties, we know that “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (v. 16). We believe that God is a good God, and we know that he has good things in store for us. It may not always work out like we hope. But, it will be something that works out for the glory of God. And ultimately, that is the best good. 

    As we consider the punishment that God gives, its always important to center that conversation on the never-changing character of God. Exodus 34:6-7 describes the character of God in this way, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generations.” We see here the story of Israel played out. Yes, God punished a few generations of children because of the iniquity of the Israelites. But, before that, God was faithful and stood by the Israelites. Not only that, after the Israelites were in exile for a few generations, God brought them back. He remembered them and brought them home to the Promised Land. Truly how “Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Ps. 139:14). 

    ~ Cayce Fletcher

    Reflection Questions: 

    1. How does reading about the punishment for idolatry make you feel? Does reading about the character of God change those feelings?   
    2. Read Ps. 139:7-12. What does it mean to you that God’s presence is everywhere? How does that change the way you live?   
    3. Pray over verses 23 and 24. Bring to God any of the areas of your life that you feel like a “grevious” to him.   

    1 & 2 Chronicles Introduction

    The word chronicles means “a factual written account of important or historical events in the order of their occurrence.”  The books of 1 & 2 Chronicles list two such important pieces of information for post-exilic Jews.  

    The first is the list of genealogies recorded in the first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles.  This was important for Jews after the exile to be able to trace their lineage to God’s promised people, and therefore to the promises God made to Abraham.  

    The second reason for the name “Chronicles” is that 1 & 2 Chronicles retells the story that was originally told in 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings.  The difference is that 1 & 2 Chronicles gives only information on the kings of the Southern Kingdon (King David and his descendants).  

    These books were written after the fall of the Southern Kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar’s army around 587 BC.  And since the last chapter also includes information about the edict of Cyrus – allowing the Jews to return to Israel –, which took place in 539 BC, these books were likely written in or shortly after 539 BC.

    While 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings share much of the same historical narrative as 1 & 2 Chronicles, Samuel and Kings point out that Israel is being punished for her sins.  Chronicles was written to inspire hope and faith in God.  

    Another example of the difference is that Chronicles shows the kings in a more favorable light, including evil king Manasseh, who 2 Chronicles records as repenting of his sins – a fact not recorded in 2 Kings.

    Finally, Chronicles shows more cause and effect within a king’s lifetime for his decision to follow or forsake God.  

    As you read through 1 & 2 Chronicles, may you too recognize the results of not only the kings’ life choices but also the consequences of your own life choices.  And may you also experience the hope Chronicles tries to convey.  And may you be among those people God is referring to when he said, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

    –Steve

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    He Creates. He Destroys.

    Fear the Lord.

    Proverbs 1

    Saturday, July 16, 2022 

                    “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,  but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

                    The Hebrew word yir-aw can be translated fear, terror, reverence, respect, piety.  We are to fear, be in terror of, reverence, respect, show piety to God.

                But God doesn’t really want us to fear Him, does he?  Isn’t God all about love and grace and mercy and forgiveness?  Why should we fear God?

                Jesus knew God, his heavenly father better than any human being has ever known God, and here is what Jesus had to say: “Never be afraid of those who can kill the body but are powerless to kill the soul! Far better to stand in awe of the one who has the power to destroy body and soul in the fires of destruction!” (Matthew 10:28 JB Phillips translation of New Testament).  That’s what Jesus said about his own Dad.  Ever heard of the, “My dad can beat up your dad” game?  Jesus says, “Wise up people, my Dad can throw you into the lake of fire where you will be completely destroyed forever.”

                Of course God want us to love him.  God longs to have a loving personal relationship with all of His children.  God loves us so much that he allowed his perfect and sinless son to endure the betrayal and beatings and crucifixion and agonizing death on the cross so that we might have salvation and not be cast into the lake of fire which consumes all those who reject God’s grace and mercy through Christ.  God’s love is 100.  If you need a reminder of this go back to Thursday’s reading “His love/mercy/faithfulness endures forever.”  That’s where God wants every single one of us to end up, fully surrendered to His divine love for us.

                But not everyone is there yet.  In order to fully love God we need to know God.  God is powerful beyond words.  God speaks the word and trillions of galaxies are birthed.  Stars with planets swirling about them.  God speaks the word and living things come into being, plants, birds, fish, mammals.  God scoops up a pile of mud and blows into it and a human person is created.  God rolls back a stone and sends forth his spirit and the dead Jesus comes to life everlasting.  That same powerful God speaks a word and a star explodes.  That same powerful God speaks a word and the earth shakes, volcanos erupt, powerful winds swirl and destroy all that is in their path.

                When God was leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt they were terrified to go near the mountain where God came down to speak to them.  After Moses was in God’s presence receiving the ten commandments his face was glowing and the people were afraid to come near Moses because he had been near God.

                To truly Love God we must know God, and to know God means to recognize his unimaginable power to both create and destroy.  In Jude 7 Jesus’ younger brother writes: “ Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”  Yes, our loving God, who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son (John 3:16) is the same God who completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sexual immorality and perversion.  I’m not making this stuff up, it’s there in the Bible.

                I love God, but it took some time to get there.  Before I could truly love God I had to know who God is and I had to understand that God, who is capable of such great love, is also capable of destroying those who rebel against him and his word.  Fear and Love are not mutually exclusive.

                A great old hymn by Isaac Watts begins:

    “Before Jehovah’s aweful throne,

    ye nations, bow with sacred joy;

    know that the Lord is God alone:

    he can create, and he destroy.”

    To know God is to know that he can both create and destroy.  To know God is to know that he is capable of incredible acts of love and mercy, and the power to destroy those who reject his love.

    I like a lot of modern worship music, and yet, I think too much modern worship focuses only on God’s love and mercy and grace, grace, grace.    Maybe some of the old hymns need to be dusted off and revisited.  We need to be reminded that “he can create and he can destroy” because the “fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” and God knows our world is running way short of wisdom these days.

    Isaac Watts hymn started with God’s aweful throne and a reminder that he can create and destroy, but it ended with God’s love:

    Wide as the world is thy command,

    vast as eternity thy love;

    firm as a rock thy truth must stand,

    when rolling years shall cease to move.

    The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but it ends with Love for those who embrace all of who God is.

    -Jeff Fletcher

    Reflection Questions:

    1.        What is your favorite Love passage of the Bible?

    2.       What passage in the Bible really scares you?

    3.       How can you hold these two polarities in your mind?

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    A Center for Ants?!

    Job 41-42 and Psalm 89

    I struggle with the book of Job. I come to the end of it anticipating answers. I’ve read it before, and I didn’t find answers then, so why would I expect answers this time? Maybe I will read it enough times that the key to all of it will suddenly spark into my understanding. But I could be asking the wrong questions. What if the author of Job wasn’t trying to answer the questions I care about? Is it still fair for me to excavate it for the answers I want?

    If I was going to judge the book of Job like I would a television series, I would say it got canceled and they had to scramble to figure out a way to end it in the last episode. But there were too many details and connections to squeeze into one episode. There are only so many options in that situation, and none of them are good. So the producers of The Job Show, driven by the fans’ need for closure, opted for the fairy tale ending where some magical element swooped in out of left field and restored Job to his former glory. Then nothing really had to be explained. It was tied up with a bow without the need to craft all the right connections.

    Somehow having two Ferraris to replace the first and getting a replacement family doesn’t feel like closure or justice to me. Really, I’m happy that Job had a great life after all of that, but that doesn’t wipe away the lingering questions.

    Probably the biggest question everyone has about the book of Job is how a good and loving God can allow such terrible suffering. In Job, it is even more problematic, because God is making some kind of wager with the accuser and giving him permission to take everything from him. It doesn’t really take God off the hook to say that technically he didn’t do anything to Job. It sure sounds like Job was a chip being pushed out into the middle of the table during a divine poker game.

    Another uncomfortable question is about the satan/accuser. The assumption might be that he is the bad guy, and that if justice is done, he should be dealt with. But he isn’t dealt with. He’s not important enough to even mention as the story comes to a close. It isn’t clear at all from the text that he is supposed to be understood as being evil. It sounds like he is just fulfilling a role of someone on God’s staff responsible for playing devil’s advocate, to enact checks and balances against God’s policies.

    Short of having good answers for these questions, the next best thing I can do is suggest that they were probably not on the radar of Job’s author. The book of Job is not really about why we suffer or where suffering comes from, although Job’s suffering is like the emotional setting of the story. It isn’t about who or what the satan is, nor about his relationship to God. Not that these are not important questions! It’s just that the author of Job didn’t set out to address them. I think the real questions on the table are more about God’s wisdom and justice, and that the events at the beginning of Job serve to propel us into a hypothetical situation where we can sandbox the questions with Job and his friends.

    In all the haste to bring the series to a close, there was time for a good bit about Leviathan. He’s a chaos water-dragon type of creature that we are apparently completely powerless against. You could take him to be a representation of our deepest fears and unknowns. How do we face such absolute terror? And if God is his creator, how much more terrifying must God be? Just imagine that we are like ants to Leviathan, but Leviathan is just a tadpole to God. Just a tadpole in a drop of water on a rock orbiting a star, somewhere within a galaxy of billions of stars, somewhere among billions of other galaxies. Do you feel insignificant?

    After reading Job, we are left feeling small and with more questions than we had before reading it. Our status is upset from expert to beginner. This is a good place to be. This is humility that can lead to wisdom. God didn’t inspire the author of Job to answer all of our questions or connect all the dots for us. God is prompting us to ask bigger and better questions.

    God trusted that Job would endure the most severe unrest and still serve him. Job was somehow able to trust that God was a God of justice even though he didn’t have the evidence we’d all require to do the same. Can I really trust that ultimately God will set everything right? Am I willing to accept that I most likely will not see all of this happen in this lifetime? Can I accept that God has the wisdom to enact true justice in his time, to his standards? 

    Little did Job know that having his riches restored was only a small taste of God’s restorative justice. Our ideas of what justice, goodness, and love look like are so tiny compared to the true versions of these that come from God.

    “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” (Psalm 89:14)

    -Jay Laurent

    Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway at Job 41-42 and Psalm 89

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    Your Reputation

    John 3

    What’s your reputation? The Bereans were known for checking Paul´s words against Scripture. Thomas was the doubter. Saul had a reputation for persecuting the Christians before he became Paul. The Pharisees were hypocrites.

    The Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day, and at the time were esteemed by many. But in the eyes of God they were dangerous men who didn’t get it. Matthew 16:12 ¨Then at last they (the disciples) understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.¨ What a common misconception, right? The Pharisees had all the knowledge of the scriptures and Jewish traditions and laws. They were the teachers and leaders of the Jews. Yet Jesus rebukes them because they were missing a love for God.

    This type of thinking reminds me of chapter 5 of Matthew where Jesus keeps on telling the people  that they have all heard what the law says but Jesus comes along and ¨tightens¨ up the law, by changing the outward focus inward- off of the laws and onto the heart. The Pharisees had all the knowledge of the scriptures and Jewish traditions and laws but no matter how much they seemed to do they missed the point- following God, not just the laws.

     From what the Bible tells us about the Pharisees we see them continually trying to trick Jesus into messing up, or catch him red handed going against God´s law. They are the ones who plotted and killed Jesus! With the exception of Gamaliel and Nicodemus and Paul, the Pharisees are recorded as hypocrites, blind guides, lovers of  money, and a brood of vipers. (Matthew 23:23-24, Luke 16:14, 12:34) The Pharisees´ hated Jesus and everything he did and said.

    In John 3 we see Nicodemus, a Pharisee, come to Jesus at night. Even to come at night had to have taken guts. But when Jesus tells him that one must be born again before they can see the Kingdom of God, he is stuck in his thinking as a Pharisee. But he knows Jesus is different from the rest of the Jewish teachers. Later on in John, Nicodemus makes steps in not following the Pharisees when he convinces his colleagues to allow a trial for Jesus, and when Jesus was laid in the tomb, it was Nicodemus who provided the myrrh and aloes and worked with Joseph of Arimathea to care for the lifeless body of Jesus.

    What do you want to be known for? Nicodemus could have been a stereotypical Pharisee but he stepped out to learn from Jesus, the Son of God. He wanted to follow God instead of people. 

    -Makayla Railton

    Today’s Bible passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – Joshua 23-24 and John 3

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    Called and Used by the Generous God

    Jeremiah 1-3

    Jeremiah 1 5 NIV sgl

    These first 3 chapters of Jeremiah have several applications for the reader. In the beginning of this book, we learn about the calling of Jeremiah. Before Jeremiah was even born, the Lord set him aside to be a prophet. God wanted to use Jeremiah to fulfill this calling. Jeremiah at first believed himself incapable of such a thing. But the LORD said he would be with Jeremiah. He would not only guide him; he would also protect him. Jeremiah then trusted God and began this work.

    We can learn a lesson from this. Sometimes it is easy to doubt ourselves and believe that we are incapable of something. We may think that God couldn’t use us because of x, y, and z. In reality, though, it is not by our strength or ability that we serve the LORD. It is rather him working through us. So, by doubting ourselves, we are doubting the ability of the LORD to work through us. Jeremiah also did not believe himself capable of being called, but nonetheless he was. The LORD called many sinners such as David, Jonah, Paul, and countless others. So, do not doubt yourself. The LORD is capable of calling you and through him, you are capable of answering that call.

    Another interesting thing found in these three chapters is the fact that God warned the people of their ways. He did not make them guess. Sometimes when we are upset with someone, we think that the offending party should be able to figure out why we are upset with them. God did not do this. He used Jeremiah to tell them what they were doing and what they needed to do. If I really think about this, I think of how generous and caring this act is. Even though the Israelites were completely in the wrong and should know what it was they were doing, God still communicated with them. He did not keep them in the dark even though they were ignoring him.

    It is interesting also that it seems like the main thing that God is asking of the Israelites in these chapters is for their repentance. Through Jeremiah, he tells them that they should not continue on in their ways as though they are doing no wrong. They should acknowledge what they are doing and repent. They needed to accept that they were wrong.

    It can be hard though to admit when we are wrong. By doing this our pride is injured and we have to humble ourselves. It is far easier to keep doing what we were doing and act like we are in the clear. This, however, is not right. We need to admit when we are wrong. Through doing so, we can grow and mature.

     

    Hannah Deane

     

    Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+1-3&version=NIV

    Tomorrow’s reading will be Jeremiah 4-6 as we continue on our journey through God’s Word with the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan

    It’s All About Love

    Luke Chapter 10

    Screen Shot 2019-12-11 at 7.54.13 AM

    The chapter begins by Jesus sending out seventy-two disciples with the order to spread the news of the Kingdom, and giving them specific instructions.  It is noteworthy that people that heard the message and rejected will be judged more harshly than people that did not.  

     

    Later, starting in verse 25, “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

    26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

    27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

    28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

     

    Those are basic concepts that we can share with others when we have an opportunity to evangelize.  Add to that the knowledge and acceptance of Jesus, and then maybe sharing the Gospel doesn’t seem so hard after all.  We want people to be saved. We want that because that is what God wants as well. As we follow the two tenants of loving God and loving our neighbor, we should naturally want our neighbors to be in a saving relationship with their Lord and Savior.  

     

    Not many of us are going to evangelists on the scale of Billy Graham, but we can certainly each do some small (or medium) part.  If you are worried about failing, and so hesitate to get started, I am sorry to tell you that you are guaranteed failure by doing nothing.  Doing SOMETHING greatly increases your odds for success. And remember, God wants you to be successful? He will help, and then you just have to hope that at least some of the seed landed in fertile areas. 

     

    Greg Landry

     

    Growing Love

    FREE THEME – Loving through Service

    Matthew 22 39

    This past week I went to Love Grows, a weekend youth retreat focused on growing your love for others through service. Throughout the weekend we were striving to follow Jesus’ teachings when he told us the two greatest commandments: Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39).  This is so important to live by daily. If we love God then we will love others. We need to express unconditional love to everyone, always. By doing this we can train ourselves to see God’s work that needs to be done. Ask God for courage to step out of your comfort zone to do His work. Thankfully, God has given us spiritual gifts, talents, and passions to serve those around us. So use them.  

     

    One easy way to show love to others is to serve them. As Christians it’s our responsibility to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Thankfully we can look to the best example of a servant’s heart. Jesus. The most exciting part is that there are so many different ways to shine and serve.  It could be as simple as giving someone a hug or a high five. Or even easier, smiling. Whatever it may be, take a minute of your time to invest in someone else’s life. Compliment. Listen. Encourage. It’s amazing how big of an impact a little kindness can have. We just have to keep our eyes open for opportunities. 

     

     I want strangers to be able to know that I am different. I want people to see God in me. And I hope you all have similar goals. The only hitch is that it has to be more than just a goal. We need to act in order to make it reality. We should make it a priority. Jesus called us to be different. Be the change. We have a higher calling. Higher standards. Higher expectations. Jesus is calling you to love. 

     

    Makayla Railton