JOY

Philippians 2:1-4

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

JOY – Jesus, Others, Yourself

As a child, I was taught that this is the order in which we should be focus, first on Jesus, then on others, and yourself last.  This certainly does not line up with the worlds falsify that if you don’t take care of yourself first, no one else will.  Philippians clearly tells us that others should be put above ourselves. 

Today I just wanted to bring this simple reminder to each of us as it’s so easy to get caught up in our own world and not even notice when someone around us is suffering and needs to see Christ in us.  I encourage you today to reach out to someone else and just let them know that you are praying for them.

Thurs Devo: Jesus Reigns!

Often it is hard for me to keep it in perspective that this life isn’t all there is. Jesus will return, destroy evil, judge the ungodly, reward believers, and righteously reign for all eternity! 

Revelation 11:15-19  ¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
    the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
    and he will reign for ever and ever.”

¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,¹⁷ saying:

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
    the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.
¹⁸ The nations were angry,
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

Evil seems to prevail now, the ungodly rewarded and believers oppressed, but that will all change in a moment.

Do you and I think others are thwarting God? Or do you and I truly believe God will reign forever? How will you and I let that change our perspective on life today?

Alice

A Change Of View

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2

How often do we see a problem and look to place blame on others.  For example, let’s start by looking at how children behave today.  There is a part of me that saw today’s children as being somewhat self-centered and narcissistic.  My thought went, “They only think of themselves.  Whatever happened to sharing and giving?  They only see the world as something they are entitled to, and they want everything right now.  That explains why they are so distant from the church, right?”  They must certainly be punished for this!  Then, I said to myself, “What if God did that to me?”  What if He looked and saw all of my flaws and imperfections and said, “Enough!  Kent is no good, and let him burn for all of eternity!”  Instead, He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins with the hope we would come around and serve Him.  With that in mind, I took my own view and tried to see the world as God would.  What if children’s feelings of narcissism were not really the problem at all?  What if the issue is the world crushes their spirits such that they do not feel special?  Thus, the problem is no longer their focus on self.  The problem is helping them understand their own value and both lifting up and serving others as a greater than serving self.

When we give ourselves to God, we are offering everything including our minds so that we learn more of God’s plan for us.  We often look at what goes on in the world, and give up saying to ourselves that is just the way of the world.  We rarely believe that we can make a difference.  However in serving the one true living God, we must always remember to see things through His eyes and not our own.  Through our own grace, we gained something special and God inspired.  Someone you see begging on the street becomes the motivation to volunteer for a food drive, and seeing poverty motivates you to give time toward a troubled youth program to help uplift others from their situation.  We no longer see problems as an issue with the world.  Instead, it becomes something God can inspire action toward truly making a difference.

Each day that we walk with God gives us greater insight into His plans for our lives.  Today’s verses talk of God transforming us.  To do this, we must learn to toss away our worldly view, and learn to see the world as He sees it.  If we realize how much God gave us through the gift of grace, we can begin to see the depth of His love for us, and through that, we can love others such that it may transform them as much as we have been. What problem can stand a more godly view in your life?  How can you continue to push your thinking toward allowing God to transform you?  My prayer is that we take off our worldly view on things and allow God to change our view to His.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Mind to the good

Colossians 3:1-3 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (NASB)

Hello,

This past weekend my wife and I were spending some time with the kids, and I recall several times telling them to think positively about what they were doing – that they could achieve what they were doing. Now, just thinking something doesn’t make it happen – but your starting mindset will set you up towards success or failure. I think about this when it comes to the spiritual battles we face as well. If we are constantly thinking about we are trying to not do or avoid – that is all we will think about! When we mentally spend time on things, they tend to become our focus – the opposite of what we were hoping for. Instead, we should put on our minds on whatever it is we are trying TO do, the things we want to see accomplished.  Where we set our mind is reflective of our focus and priority. Our walk with God is not to be focused on what not to do, but rather what will glorify Him.

Where is your mind set?

Will Hill

RLD Week 6 - Creating a Relational Environment

 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 Timothy 2

Last week was about your own leadership abilities, but this week is about how your group responds to each other.  In reading through the study guide, there's lots of talk surrounding how well you know the other people in the group.  (Keep in mind that this study guide is to be done in a small group, I'm doing it on my own)  I've been through a variety of small groups over the years, and I've never felt the type of small group they're describing.

They're talking of a small group that knows the needs of others within the group and responds to it.  A widow didn't have to move anything when she moved houses, because everyone from her small group showed up to help her.  A man was in the hospital and everyone from the small group showed up to be with him and his family.  A new mother turned away a neighbor bringing a casserole dish because everyone from her small group had already filled up her fridge.  Maybe I'm cynical, or maybe I haven't been in those types of groups, but whenever a situation arose with someone, everyone else would offer to pray about it, but never gave up their own time to do this type of service towards each other.

I started to think about it, and when I say that no one in the group did that, I include myself.  I didn't give up my time to this level to support others in the small group.  Nor did I share enough about myself to let others in the small group even know when I went through difficulties that may have warranted this type of a response.  This type of environment doesn't just happen when a group is brought together, it has to be created.  You have to put yourself out there first, and offer your help first, before others will start to do so.  It's exceptionally hard for me to really open up in these types of environments, so the next group that I join, I'm going to make an effort to always put out a prayer request for me.  I might include a friend or family's request, but I'll put out something about what I need help with.  The few times that I did do that, I'd get people coming up to talk to me later about it, and I would do the same for others who brought up their own requests.  That's the start of creating that relational environment.  It feels risky and awkward, but it's the first step.  Put yourself out there, and you'll be able to support others.

Praise the Lord

Psalm 103:1-4

Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion.



Just one week after his death and five days after his resurrection, all I can think about is Praise the Lord! I am alive today because of his willingness to die for ME. Yet without the resurrection, it just wouldn’t hold the same meaning. Christ didn’t just die for me, he rose again to proclaim that he had conquered death.


For many Easter is past, it was a day of getting together with family, egg hunts, and candy. Now we had all of that, however for my household, Easter is not past, it is always the reason we are able to live and know what our future looks like. He has forgiven our sins!


I hope today you continue to praise the Lord for all he has done for you.

Thurs Devo: Come Here!

Last week we were trying to skype with our granddad, but it wasn’t working on my sister’s computer. Since granddad was waiting on the other end, Jane yelled “come here!” to her husband, Sean, so he might expedite the resolution.

It usually isn’t a good thing when we hear “come here!” loudly. If it’s directed at a kid, spouse, or employee, often they’re in trouble. At a minimum, there’s usually some sort a problem (as with our skype situation).

When God says “Come here!” it’s a good thing! It means He has huge blessings for us. After the two witnesses were killed and their deaths celebrated, God does the impossible.

Revelation 11:11-13  ¹¹ But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.
¹³ At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Has God said “Come here!” to you? Has He drawn you to Himself? How have you and I responded? Have any of you told God “Just a minute?” Do you have a few things you want to do first and then you’ll spend time with him? Or, have we responded with “Coming now!” by getting to know Him, spending time with Him daily, and placing our full life in His hands? It’s already in His hands anyway and then we will get to join Him in Heaven for all eternity, just like the two witnesses!

As Jesus said:

Matthew 11:28-30     ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Alice

Where We Started

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.  Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  1 Corinthians 13:11-12

One of things I marvel at is how much you grow when you are under duress or being challenged.  There was a time like that at work where things did not start off so well in this period of transition.  Things that I normally did well were not done well, and where I believed I was good suddenly became areas where I began to question.  Months later, I paused and reflected to see where I was. There were a number of questions I had. Did I do as well as I felt I should? No.  Were we on schedule to make it to the ultimate goal?  Yes.  Did I learn something from it?  Definitely. It all boiled down to a very simple phrase; I’m not where I want to be, but I’m a lot closer to it now then from where I started.

Spiritual growth is an essential process from which we come to know and love God better.  In reading 1 Corinthians 13, my thought was these verses felt out of place considering that this is known as the ‘Love’ chapter (Love is patient, love is kind . . . ).  However after reading it more, it was a good place to remind us of the importance of continually seeking to learn of and grow in God.  Love is of course the most important part of the relationship (Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:13), but how does love grow?  If it does not grow, it becomes stagnant and eventually will start to fade.  These verses are thus prescriptive for how a healthy relationship with God works.  While our dependency of God is to be childlike (see Matthew 18:3-4), our relationship with God is to be where we dive into its complexity (puzzling reflections in a mirror) and pause to reflect both where we are and where we must go (all I know now is partial and incomplete).  Call love and spiritual growth the yin and yang.  Both are necessary for us to feel whole with Him.

Loving God requires all of our entire being.  Jesus said we must love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, and soul.  To capably do so, we must continue to push ourselves to learn of God and seek Him through His word.  One of my favorite R&B songs talks about maturity this way:

So we search for answers to our questions

Looking for a(n) answer

No answers but we're taught a lesson every time

Through mistakes we've learned to gather wisdom

Life's responsibility falls in our hands

                                                  - 'Boys to Men' – New Edition

 

Seeking God in all things and learning both through successes and failures give us the necessary growth for us to become better lovers of God and others.  What obstacles are inhibiting your spiritual growth?  What is you plan to have a continually growing and healthy relationship with God?  My prayer is that we understand our spiritual growth is not where we want it to be but we are closer than where we started.  Amen.

Tues Devo: After Easter Attack

Hello,

So, here we are…after Easter. It is quite common with the thought of what Christ did for us to have some renewed energy and desire to respond well and focus more on being obedient to Scripture. But the enemy seems to know that game! He likes to come in and disrupt our thought processes and plans. One of his favorites I believe to be doubt. He loves to have us live in the past. He tells us “Sure, I see you now – but what about 5 years ago? What about last time you were excited? Remember the time when you failed?” I think there is great wisdom from Paul as he writes to Timothy about acknowledging the past and who we were – and really, that is the greatest part of what God does. Sure, we have a past – we have failed time and time again…but God is faithful and forgiving and still loves us. Even more reason to push harder for Him!

1 Timothy 1: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.” (NASB)

Have a blessed day – and remember that even though there is a past, God wants you now to move you forward!

Will Hill

Politically Correct

Then Saul confessed, “I have sinned. Come back home, my son, and I will no longer try to harm you, for you valued my life today. I have been a fool and very, very wrong.”

“Here is your spear, O king,” David replied. “Let one of your young men come over and get it.  The Lord gives his own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the Lord placed you in my power, for you are the Lord’s anointed one. Now may the Lord value my life, even as I have valued yours today. May he rescue me from all my troubles.” 1 Samuel 26:21-24

There has been a great deal of political discourse in the United States this year.  If you have not paid attention, conversations have been incredibly tense and unfortunately at times violent.  It worries me that there is such passionate disagreement for I fear we have not learned as Martin Luther King once said, “I think we have got to learn to disagree without being violently disagreeable.”  It begs the greater question, “What do I do when I have such strong words or feelings toward someone I have strong disagreement toward?” How do we as Christians hold ourselves to obeying God’s word without crossing the line of being disrespectful or indifferent to others of opposing views?

God asks us to love others even as He expects us to follow Him.  I was given the words of David in my own personal dealings with political discourse.  The end of 1^st Samuel gives great insight as how one should respond to those who oppose us.  In the relationship between King Saul and David, Saul had attempted not once but twice to kill David, and was jealous of David’s growing success.  David knew this, but when given the opportunity to be rid of Saul once and for all David, in the 24^th verse, still showed humility, compassion, and love for him and obedience and honor to God.  He asked God to value his own life as he valued Saul’s. This parallels to the teaching of Jesus when speaking of the greatest commandment saying “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37b, 39b)  When faced with discourse, we must not only remember to obey what God asks of us but also love on others while doing so.  In fact, you cannot do one without the other!

Through all the rhetoric and concerns we may have in the world, we must always remember that God is always in control.  Whether we worry about how truly sane one candidate might be or question the integrity of another, our answer is to respond not with anger and disdain.  Instead like David, it is to choose one based on what God would ask of us, and then love and pray for the other.  After all as said in Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”  How will you respond to those who do not agree with you even if your view is foundationally God centered?  What can you do to be more loving and prayerful of those who do not share your faith/values/political views?  My prayer is that we value others views while following God to be truly ‘politically correct.’  Amen.