LOVE OF CHRIST EXPRESSED

Posted on April 24, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Philippians – Radical Joy
 
Who is that person who has stuck by you through thick and thin? Who are those persons who love you no matter what mood you are in, what you say to them, or how you respond to their love for you? How long has it been since you thanked God for them? How long has it been since you told them what their tenacious love has meant to your life? Well, that’s too long!!
 
Paul, inspired by God, with the great love of Christ exuding from every fiber of his being, shows us how to express our love and joy for another brother or sister.
 
Philippians 1 thanksPhilippians 1, The Message
3-6 Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
 
7-8 It’s not at all fanciful for me to think this way about you. My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality. You have, after all, stuck with me all the way from the time I was thrown in jail, put on trial, and came out of it in one piece. All along you have experienced with me the most generous help from God. He knows how much I love and miss you these days. Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does!
 
AND this is how we lovingly pray for each other:
 
9-11 So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.
 
This is my prayer for all you who are reading this each day, for those of you I hold dear to my heart, for those who stuck with me and loved me still with the deep love of Christ. I love you, too!
 
In Jesus Name, Amen
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RADICAL JOY

Posted on April 23, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Philippians – Overflowing Joy
 
Philippians 1 uncommon joy1-2 Paul and Timothy, both of us committed servants of Christ Jesus, write this letter to all the followers of Jesus in Philippi, pastors and ministers included. We greet you with the grace and peace that comes from God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ.
 
A Love That Will Grow
3-6 Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
 
Have you ever been so happy and joyful, grateful to God because of your excitement in living for God, that you could not contain it? Did you notice everyone around you get excited, too, because of your sheer enthusiasm for God? This is Paul. But wait, what? Paul is in a dark jail cell and, at times, chained to the underground cave wall. Yet, he rejoices because he is full to overflow of Christ in him! He wants the world to know. He spills out words that exude his joy of the Lord in nearly every sentence. Can you imagine getting this letter and reading it to the church for the first time?
 
Yes, this is Paul’s happiest letter, states Eugene Peterson. “And the happiness is infectious. Before we’ve read a dozen lines, we begin to feel the joy ourselves–the dance of words and the exclamations of delight have a way of getting inside us.”
 
But happiness is not a word we can understand by looking it up in the dictionary. In fact, none of the qualities of the Christian life can be learned out of a book. Something more like apprenticeship is required, being around someone who out of years of devoted discipline shows us, but his or her entire behavior, what joy is. WHO is that for you? Who showed you happiness and inner exhaustible joy no matter what the current circumstances to you, in front of you, causing you to be joyful, too? Thank God for this person right now!
 
Philippians 1 joy in journeyWhen we read what Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi, we find ourselves in the company of a joy master. Paul doesn’t tell us that we can be happy, or how to be happy. He simply and unmistakable IS happy! NONE of his circumstances contribute to his joy. He wrote from a jail cell, his work was under attack by competitors, and after twenty years or so of hard traveling in the service of Jesus, he was tired and would have welcomed some relief. But he is full of joy!
 
But circumstances are incidental compared to the life of Jesus, the Messiah, that Paul experiences from the inside. For it is a life that not only happened at a certain point in history, but continues to happen, spilling out into the lives of those who receive him, and then continues to spill out all over the place. Christ is, among much else, the revelation that God cannot be contained or hoarded. It is this “spilling out” quality of Christ’s life that accounts for the happiness of Christians, for joy is life in excess, the overflow of what cannot be contained or even explained within any one person. ALL because of Christ in us.
 
Philippians 1 joy guideDear Heavenly Father,
We look forward to reading, meditating and chewing on the words of joy in excess, inspired by you, as we live in the wide open spaces of your love, mercy and grace. Thank you, Lord. Continue to transform me with overflowing joy. Transform your church. Transform the world.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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APPLICATION

Posted on April 22, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Ephesians – Belief and Behavior
 
Ephesians 6 rub it in“It doesn’t work unless you rub it in!”, said the little boy to his sister. The boy had overheard his mom telling him how to apply sunscreen to his body before battling the rays of the sun. Now he was passing on this good information to his sibling who was just dabbling it on. Yes, he’s right. We have learned from experience these last few days being in Florida, reading on the beach or playing in the pool, it doesn’t work unless you rubbed it in.
 
Paul is telling us the same method of application of our spiritual armor. “Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life”, advises Paul. We don’t go anywhere without sunscreen but if it stays in the bag, hidden, it doesn’t work. If we don’t apply it and rub it in, it is useless to us. We must take all the help God gives us because we cannot do life without His help. Learn to take it, use it, apply it and RUB IT IN so that it protects, teaches and guides.
 
“Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words.” Apply them and rub them into our hearts, minds and souls!
 
Ephesians 6, The Message
A Fight to the Finish
10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
 
13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
 
19-20 And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.
 
21-22 Tychicus, my good friend here, will tell you what I’m doing and how things are going with me. He is certainly a dependable servant of the Master! I’ve sent him not only to tell you about us but to cheer you on in your faith.
 
23-24 Good-bye, friends. Love mixed with faith be yours from God the Father and from the Master, Jesus Christ. Pure grace and nothing but grace be with all who love our Master, Jesus Christ.
 
Ephesians 6 faith shieldThink about it and be joyful…
–God provides all we need to defeat evil. We have to apply it.
–Prayer is essential to warfare. Use it. Pray for yourself and other brothers and sisters. This is where our strength comes from when we pray in Jesus Name.
–Encourage each other in battle, especially those who are on the “front lines” of battle such as our church leaders, missionaries, and volunteers.
–May God’s grace be with us all, in Jesus Name, Amen!
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
Sometimes we only dabble with Your help without really rubbing it in. Help us to fully apply your armor, rubbing it us so that it becomes more and more a part of who we are in You. Continue to transform me. Transform your church. Transform the world.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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HONOR

Posted on April 21, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Ephesians – Belief and Behavior
 
“Honor your father and mother” were the words whispered to me one day as I was going about my work. What?, I do love them. Again, “honor your father and mother” in an almost audible voice to my heart and impressed on my mind. My parents lived in Oklahoma. We lived in Indiana. It was difficult for them to come for visits because of aging. They loved their home and church friends but it was getting more difficult to get around. I had asked mom and dad if they would consider moving near us. Our grown children lived near us, too. It made sense to me, but not them. I understood and stopped asking until this whispered moment, “honor your father and mother”.
 
IMG_4466I did some research of homes they might live in near us that would be of less care and work for them. I was browsing online when a brand new area of homes that fit exactly what I was looking for appeared. These homes were less than five minutes away from where we lived. I saved the information, cut and pasted it to an email that I would later send to mom after a phone call. Lord, is this what you want for them? Tell them.
 
I made the call and was shocked to hear mom open the conversation with, “I think it’s time for us to move closer to you.” God had already been speaking to her heart. Dad was not yet convinced but was warming to the idea. This would be a major decision to leave where they were born, worked, tenaciously served God in His church, raised a family and all they cherished in life to begin a new life near us about a thousand miles away.
But mom was ready. This was uncanny to me for it was mom who vehemently said no, often and with determination, to the idea of leaving. Later, I would understand why.
 
I broke the news to our kids who helped us by their own efforts and encouragements to mom and dad to make this major move possible. I went to Oklahoma to take pictures of their home so I could sell it for the best price on a homes by owner website. It was sold in three weeks for a great price! God did that! (A few months later, the bottom fell out of the realty economy and they would have gotten about $20,000 less.) Timing is everything. Obeying as God leads means everything.
 
Mom and Dad loved their brand new home with the “new home smell”. Yes, we had to downsize but it seemed to go well with them. They were ready to be close to us. They were at all the family gatherings for birthdays, graduations and other significant events. This was only for a few quick years. Mom was failing fast. I didn’t know how bad it was until I was with her, checking in on them almost daily. Breathing was very labored. We took her to the hospital. In her room, with no one but me, the oldest child, at her bedside at that moment, she said, “Honey, I’m tired. Let me go.” I’m a fighter. Ask anyone. But I knew what she wanted. I knew, now, why she had said yes to the move.
 
I knew why God, at that time and place, whispered his command to me, “Honor your father and mother.” Taking care of mom and dad meant taking time away from our ministry and put a pause on some of our ambitions. But it was necessary, vital to our own lives as believers whose desire is to obey God.
 
Dad was heartbroken and a mess in all kinds of ways. His health was not great, either. He moved in with us and lived with us for a little over six years until he passed with one last, fatal heart attack.
 
I always knew I would take care of my parents. It was a clear assumption. I just didn’t know how it would happen until God moved our hearts with “honor your father and mother”. As we obeyed, He made the path clear and provided the means.
 
Now, both are with God enjoying all the benefits of heaven and worship. They love to sing to God here on earth and now they are doing it all day long with new bodies that will never cause them pain and agony. I can still here them singing in my mind and heart…a gift from God for obeying, I think.
 
My obedience to God is very small in comparison to what my parents gave to me and what God has done for me, is doing and will do in our continually maturing lives with Him. I have no regrets.
 
“Honor your father and mother is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, ‘so you will live well and have a long life.'”
 
Yes, it is well with my soul. And I’m now singing…
 
Ephesians 6 honor parentsEphesians 6, The Message
1-3 Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. “Honor your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, “so you will live well and have a long life.”
 
4 Fathers, don’t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.
 
5-8 Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.
 
9 Masters, it’s the same with you. No abuse, please, and no threats. You and your servants are both under the same Master in heaven. He makes no distinction between you and them.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the opportunity to honor my parents.  Continue to transform me.  Transform Your Church.  Transform the world.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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CHERISH IS THE WORD

Posted on April 20, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Ephesians – Belief and Behavior
 
“Cherish is the word” was a popular song of my youth. I only remembered a few lyrics to this catchy classic so I looked it up. It’s really kind of depressing when you see all the words sung by a mournful guy who cherishes his girl more than she obviously cherishes him. So sad. Hope they didn’t marry.
I only like the first two lines….
 
Cherish is the word I use to describe
All the feeling that I have hiding here for you inside…
 
Then I think, why hide it? Tell them you love and cherish their existence. Show them how much you cherish their presence in your life. Paul tells husbands and wives exactly how to do this. “Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ.” Same love for our spouse as we have for Christ, Himself! “The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing.”
 
Cherish is the word to describe our relationships with each other.
 
Ephesians 5, The Message
 
Ephesians 5 marriage for lifeRelationships
21 Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.
 
22-24 Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.
 
25-28 Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage.
 
29-33 No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.
 
Yes, cherish is the word for today. If you want to remember how Christ cherished His church (people who believe, love, accept and follow Him) read Philippians 2 as a refresher. Christ cherishes us. He laid down His life for us. We cherish Christ and each other in relationship. Cherish is the word.
 
Remember the fine points of cherish:
–Go all out in your love for each other…like Christ.
–Submit (serve) each other….like Christ.
–We are “one flesh” from two bodies. Cherish the thought. Abuse it not.
–Every thought, action and behavior is for bringing out the best in each other. What can we do to make that happen today?
–Cherish, love, honor…like Christ…holy relationship.
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the holy union of two souls who love and cherish each other. You bring us together as “one” in Your Presence. We cherish You. We cherish each other. Continue to transform us. Transform Your church to cherish each other more. Transform the world so they will know and follow and cherish You and each other, too.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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WASTES OF TIMES

Posted on April 19, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Ephesians – Belief and Behavior
 
Ephesians 5 time wastedWe waste a lot of time doing things of no real value. We worry over getting things done and miss what is in front of us who need our attention most. Our favorite phrase is “why put off today what you can put off tomorrow”? Then there is the extreme opposite thinking that is just as bad. “I must get my list done today so I don’t fall behind with my list of to do’s for tomorrow.” We waffle between doing nothing and doing everything. All thing done without God in it is a waste of time. We waste enormous amounts of time to indulge ourselves and our lists.
 
It took me a lot of years to learn to work smarter, not harder in problem solving. For the believer, that means to ask God what HE wants first in any situation or circumstance that is bewildering to us. Then WAIT before responding and acting on a problem for His Holy Spirit to guide us. Pray for God’s strength to stop us from knee jerk human reactions that get us into more trouble. Think before responding to anyone who has hurt you with their words. Hurting people who are walking in darkness hurt people.
 
Exposing their dark deeds, as Paul recommends in our passage today, is tricky. It might mean merely saying, “Ouch, that hurt”, when words fly. Letting people know it hurt without flinging words of retaliation back to them will stop the conversation dead in it’s tracks many times. It might cause the one who is abusive to stop and think. To continue to argue back and forth is a waste of time.
 
“Don’t drink too much wine.” This is another time waster. Impaired thinking leads to harmful decision making. We have seen marriages break up, children hurt for life over the break up and many others harmed in the time waster of drinking to excess. There are other bad habits that also demand our attention to it’s addiction. Addictive behavior leads to more time wasted.
 
“So watch your step”, says Paul, inspired by God who wants HIS best for us! “Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get These are desperate times!” As Paul is writing, Christians are being harassed and persecuted for being followers of Christ. Are these desperate times, today? Mm. Yes. Pray for those who are being persecuted and at the very least disowned by family around the world who have said yes to Christ.
 
Ephesians 5 waste of time thinkingDon’t be a tormentor or teaser of the faith by making fun of those who wish not to drink alcohol, overeat or take drugs that impair judgement. This has happened to me…inside a church of believers…in the United States! (I don’t go there anymore.) I was called a prude and being “judgy” because I don’t see the need for it in my life. I don’t need to drink to have a good time. In my mind, I’m thinking, “And whose’s judgy here?” It’s amazing how darkness turns the tables in our thinking as we humans try to justify what we do. Just because I didn’t drink I didn’t fit into their social circle. Ouch, that hurt.
 
Time wasters. We all waste time. We all need to repent of wasting time on stupid stuff when there are millions who are searching for authenticity, acceptance and unconditional love. Jesus Christ is all that and more. Yes, make the most of EVERY opportunity to “Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the Name of our Master, Jesus Christ!”
 
Ephesians 5, The Message
 
11-16 Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.
 
Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!
 
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!
 
17 Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.
 
Ephesians 5 sing song18-20 Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
We repent of wasting time. Our sings your praises this morning as we think and meditate on all that you have provided. You are faithful, loving and kind to us. May we make the most of every opportunity to be kind and loving to others. Transform me. Transform your church. Transform the world.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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GET ON WITH IT!

Posted on April 18, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Ephesians – Belief and Behavior
 
Randy and I were very young and not always very wise. We decided to take a trip from Oklahoma to the Grand Canyon in Arizona…in July…with two toddlers…in a Pinto station wagon…pulling a trailer with our camping equipment…with $150 dollars in our pocket with only a gas card. The A/C in our car stopped working in Texas. Our plan was to get as far as we could on half our money, giving us the other half to get back. Faith or stupidity? That’s a toss up. But we did exactly that and enjoyed the Grand Canyon in all it’s splendor. God was with us.
 
But there were challenging moments along the way. With no GPS in those days, armed with maps that were out of date as soon as they were printed, we made our way, groping for the right roads to take to get us to our destination. We got a little lost in one town that seemed to be a town full of sand, making it harder to maneuver a car with a trailer. We discovered we were going the wrong way and tried to do a u turn. We got stuck in deep sand. With sweat pouring from our faces and bodies from digging out the tires, we finally got it turned around and headed the right direction. The toddlers were happy as long as they had snacks.
 
I think of getting stuck in the shifting sand as I read this morning’s passage of wisdom from Paul, inspired by God. “You groped you way through that murk once, but no longer.” WHY would we want to repeat the episode of being stuck in shifting sand? That gets us nowhere. But we find ourselves sometimes doing just that. We return to the sinful habits of the old life that bring us down. We get stuck there. Unless we work together, in Christ, to get out, we remain spiritually stuck in the shifting sand of this opinionated world thinking.
 
There was no greater feeling than to be released from our sandy dilemma and get back on the open road. We were shouting praises and I was singing songs to the little ones. Happy day indeed to be free and back on the right road again! WHY would we want to go back to being stuck? No thank you!
 
Ephesians 5 8 10Ephesians 5, The Message
 
8-10 You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for protecting us all these years in all kinds of challenging situations. Sometimes we win and most times we learn. Thank you for Your Word that speaks wisdom, help, clarity, insight and understanding of You and You in us. Continue to transform me. Transform Your church. Transform the world.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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IDOLIZED RELIGION

Posted on April 17, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Ephesians 5 – Belief and Behavior
 
How does it make you feel to be used for someone else’s purpose to get ahead in this world….using church work as the tool? Our one and only desire as believers should be to help others find and follow Jesus like Jesus taught us. Do we lead people to church then use them for our glory. Do we invite people to sit with us and use them to get a pat on the back for bringing them? Do we use new people to do the work we don’t want to do anymore with the motivation to see someone do what you don’t want to do? Yikes!
 
Sometimes we push people into performing a work they are not trained to do, are not gifted to do so they do not feel comfortable doing it and are not led by God to do it…only led by our own personalities to please us. Yikes!
 
Sometimes we do things for the church like lead a Sunday School class “because no one else signed up to do it”. Is this the motivation we should have for ministry? Yikes. Maybe it would be better to wait and not fill a position with wrong motivation of heart? When we put a warm body in a position without training do we immediately criticize every move they make because it is not the way we would have done it? Yikes!
 
Do we sign on for “church work” because of how great it makes us feel? Are we discouraged easily when no one notices what we do for people? Yikes!
 
Could these motivations be MEnistry verses ministry? Paul boldly states that this motivation of heart and soul is a variation on idolatry! We worship what we do and what we can get out of it! Yikes!
 
Ephesians 5 let no manEphesians 5, The Message
5 You can be sure that using people or religion or things just for what you can get out of them—the usual variations on idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God.
 
6-7 Don’t let yourselves get taken in by religious smooth talk. God gets furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but want nothing to do with him. Don’t even hang around people like that.
 
Ephesians 5 walk in loveWhat?! Let’s rethink. What IS right thinking?
–Love God. Love Others…not for what they can do for you…just love others.
–Pray. Ask God what He wants you to be and do. BE first with God. Worship God. Then as a response serve God by serving others with no thought to what you hope to gain. Our gain is His glory! Not ours.
–If God asks you to train others, then do it. Here are the stages:
Do it with them watching. Do it with them. Do it while you watch and encourage. Let them do it while you move on to another work God has for you next.
–Andy Stanley said it best, “I take more joy in seeing others do what I did better than I did it than in doing it myself.” Yes!
–God is not “for sale”. We do not sell people on following God. God opens hearts. We are His people who demonstrate His love to others…like Christ. (See Phil 2 and John 13)
 
Run from idolizing religion. Run to God. Run to growing an intimate relationship with God then with others because of our relationship to God through Christ, our Lord.
 
He is God. We are not.
 
“Be still and know that I am God” –God
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
 
Then Do.
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
There is a fine line between following You and performing religious acts that we cross at times. Religion or relationship. Worship of you or worship of what we do for you? How ludicrous to choose something else than You! We repent of crossing the line. Our desire is follow you, glorify You with our lives and to live in Your Kingdom. Help to be then do with your Kingdom thinking that guides our behavior. Transform me. Transform your church. Transform the world.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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IN STYLE

Posted on April 16, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Ephesians – Belief and Behavior
 
What’s in style is always at the top of any talk show whose purpose is to tell us what to wear, how to get it all, what to eat, where to eat it, how to put on makeup, what make up to buy, how to smell and be appreciated for doing it all. Whew! What a tall order. All that is mentioned does nothing for our spiritual health as a follower of Christ. Mm.
 
Let’s see what’s in style for a Christian. Paul tells us what “fits” and what doesn’t fit our style. These words come from God. We remember that as we read this morning…
 
Ephesians 5 no gossipEphesians 5, The Message
3-4 Don’t allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.
 
Think about it…
–We worry way too much about fitting in and being “in style” in this world. We are not OF this world, friends. As followers of Christ, we are only passing through. For instance I don’t dress as a Floridian just because I’m here. I won’t invest in this style. I’m only passing through. I’m grateful to be here, but it is not home. It is the same with our spiritual lives. We should not invest in the things of this world just so we can fit in, we invest in love, peace, joy, patience, forgiveness, mercy, humility, and grace so we can be “in style” and fit in our forever home with Christ. Yes, we are just passing through this world.
Ephesians 5 gossip hurts–Gossip maims and often kills spirits for life unless forgiveness intervenes. I have watched gossip kill a church who indulged in this way of life and forgot to help people find and follow Christ. Gossip sucks the life from anyone trying to fit in as they strive to become whole from being hurt. The “taste of gossip” might be tantalizing for a nano second but turns bitter when used as our way to obtain power over someone else who does not know what we think we know. “That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style.”
–The very next time someone tries to give you a juicy morsel of gossip, turn the conversation immediately to what is true and right and noble about that person and situation. Love like that.
–Thanksgiving is our dialect. It is what we think and speak. Let us rejoice and be glad! Let’s just praise the Lord, our Father in heaven who is our Creator. Thank Him right now for all He has done, is doing and will do in our lives! Be in style! It’s a spiritual thing. It’s a God-thing.
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
A few of Your words pack a punch this morning. Thank you for reminding us what is “in style” with You. Thank you for helping us live life to the full with You. Thank you Holy Spirit for guiding our thoughts. Thank you for creating us to praise and worship You. Thank you for real Life because of Your work on the Cross. Continue to transform me. Transform Your church. Transform the world.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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LOVE LIKE THAT

Posted on April 15, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Ephesians – Belief and Behavior
 
Ephesians 5 like Jesus1-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
(Ephesians 5, The Message)
 
How does God love us? He sent His One and Only Son, Jesus, to earth to save us, teach us how to love, then laid down His life for us so that those who believe can life forever with Him. He taught us to live a life of love and forgiveness by showing us exactly how to do that.
 
Why does God love us? He created us as His very own Masterpiece. When you create something that is “good” as God said so many times as He created, it is very valuable to the Creator. We are very good, but in need of a Savior, so God met that need magnificently.
 
Love like that. Treat everyone with value, respect, dignity with unconditional love, mercy, grace with quick forgiveness. The Creator only created masterpieces. It’s time we understand that and realize we are all His created.
 
Yes, Love like that.
 
Ephesians 5 turn hearts
Dear Heavenly Father,
May we dwell not on things of this world and it’s unbiblical view of thinking but dwell and abide in Your love. Help us to love like you love us. May we love like that. Transform me. Transform Your church. Transform the world.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Ephesians, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, Macedonian Call, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment