Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Who would you rather work for and alongside? People who care enough about you to confront you when you do things that will cause you to crash or those who never tell you when you get it right and say you’re fine.  Would you listen to caring people who want God’s best for you and speak truth to you because of their passionate love for you?  What traits are found to be helpful in nurturing others to be all God created them to be? 

In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul walks through the accountability of church leadership, the mark of suffering in the lives of followers of Jesus, and his desire for the Corinthians to imitate his faith. We learn through this passage that God’s call for his servants is not success, honor, or status, but faithfulness alone.  Imitate Christ, Paul preaches.  His letter to the Philippians bears his motivation for all to know and believe Jesus, but to also do what Jesus did when he walked the earth to love and serve for no other reason but to save the world of their sins and reconcile them to God, the Father. (See Philippians 2)

We learn that the empowered life we seek comes from a relentless faith in God that never quits.  “God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life.”  It is God who gives us the power to live life to the full.

1 Corinthians 4, The Message

^1-4 Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s divine secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge. It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment.

⁵ So don’t get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in. When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. Only then will any one of us get to hear the “Well done!” of God.

⁶ All I’m doing right now, friends, is showing how these things pertain to Apollos and me so that you will learn restraint and not rush into making judgments without knowing all the facts. It’s important to look at things from God’s point of view. I would rather not see you inflating or deflating reputations based on mere hearsay.

^7-8 For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. Without bringing either Apollos or me into it, you’re sitting on top of the world—at least God’s world—and we’re right there, sitting alongside you!

^9-13 It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket. We’re something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We’re the Messiah’s misfits. You might be sure of yourselves, but we live in the midst of frailties and uncertainties. You might be well-thought-of by others, but we’re mostly kicked around. Much of the time we don’t have enough to eat, we wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces, and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living. When they call us names, we say, “God bless you.” When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them. We’re treated like garbage, the leftovers that nobody wants. And it’s not getting any better.

^14-16 I’m not writing all this as a neighborhood scold to shame you. I’m writing as a father to you, my children. I love you and want you to grow up well, not spoiled. There are a lot of people around who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God’s Message to you that I became your father. I’m not, you know, asking you to do anything I’m not already doing myself.

¹⁷ This is why I sent Timothy to you earlier. He is also my dear son, and true to the Master. He will refresh your memory on the instructions I regularly give all the churches on the way of Christ.

^18-20 I know there are some among you who are so full of themselves they never listen to anyone, let alone me. They don’t think I’ll ever show up in person. But I’ll be there sooner than you think, God willing, and then we’ll see if they’re full of anything but hot air. God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life.

²¹ So how should I prepare to come to you? As a severe disciplinarian who makes you walk the line? Or as a good friend and counselor who wants to share heart-to-heart with you? You decide.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Messiah’s misfits.  We no longer conform to the ways of the world but to the ways of Christ who came to earth NOT to be served but to serve with the love of God leading Him.  If we find ourselves “fitting in” then we need to evaluate our motivations!  What Master are we giving ourselves to and serving alongside?  Is our goal to give God glory in all things?  Do we seek God first each morning knowing that being with Him seeking His direction is more important than our doing? 

Being guides our doing!  We should guide others to be the same.  Jesus “got away to a secluded, quiet place” often to be with the Father to get his direction and guidance before doing anything of significance for the Father.  Who are we to think we do not need to do what Jesus, Son of God, King of kings, and Lord of lords, did?

The last thing you should worry about is being a nuisance to God. All you need to concentrate on is doing what he tells you to do—just like Jesus!

Do all for the glory of God!  Paul hoped church leaders in Corinth would regard him and other apostles as fellow servants of God. Paul sought to correct the church, not abandon or demean it. Paul said that ministers were servants accountable to God. Their faithful service would bring praise from God.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.” 1 Corinthians 10:31-33

“Do what He says.”  Consider the miracle Jesus provided at the wedding feast of turning water into wine.  (John 2)  Imagine you are one of the servants at the wedding.  You know what is missing—the good wine.  You watch as Jesus prays over jugs of water you helped to fill at His direction.  You wonder what will happen next.  Then Jesus turns to you and tells you to take some of the “water” to the guests for wine tasting.  What do you do?

Max Lucado helps us understand this scenario of trust and obey:

“What if the servants had refused? What if they had said, “No way”? Or, to bring the point closer to home, what if you refuse? What if you identify the problem, take it to Jesus, and then refuse to do what he says?  That’s possible. After all, God is asking you to take some pretty gutsy steps. Money is tight, but he still asks you to give. You’ve been offended, but he asks you to forgive your offender. Someone else blew the assignment, but he still asks you to be patient. You can’t see God’s face, but he still asks you to pray.

Not commands for the faint of faith. But then again, he wouldn’t ask you to do it if he thought you couldn’t. So go ahead.

Evaluate your service for God. Are you a faithful steward? Are you using your spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ? God’s first call to you, no matter what you do, is to display faithfulness and obedience to him.” –Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible

You decide, carefully and prayerfully…

Lord,

I give you back me—all of me, complete with my imperfections.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul, and restore the joy and peace of you in me and me in you. Speak to my heart for I’m listening.  I am your servant.  May your desires be my desires, your leading be my way to trust and obey what you say.

In Jesus Name, Amen

In our lifetime, Randy and I have been in a position of receiving guidance from pastors who cared for our lives.  As we grew in our faith we became the “helpers” as pastors and mentors of others.  So, we get it, Paul.  We see, feel, and remember those frustrating times when trying to help believers build their foundation of faith in Jesus.  We sighed heavily when believers, both old and young in age, pursued things of the world by keeping one foot in the world.  They demanded their own way—like a baby who wants his pacifier and wants it now!  To love and serve others alluded some of people for they would tell us that we were hired to serve them.  Ouch.

We apologize now to all the pastors/mentors/teachers who lovingly and patiently worked with us through our childish ways and foolish thinking.  As mature adults, we still haven’t arrived and still need work for God is not finished with us yet.  We currently have a pastor in this season of our lives who feeds our souls with God’s Truth pulled from the Wisdom of God in His Word.  We appreciate our pastor who not only knows the Word, he lives Jesus.  He is not perfect but he knows who is and follows Jesus as the One to trust.

Paul reminds all believers of Jesus to avoid demanding our own way while nursing our feelings that come and go like the wind and rain.  This life of Jesus living in us, His Holy Spirit guiding us, while God grows us is indeed a distinct privilege!  We must not muddy the waters with our foolish “know-it-all” thinking.  Allow God to grow us into all He created us to be…and then do.

1 Corinthians 3, The Message

^1-4 But for right now, friends, I’m completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You’re acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast. Well, then, I’ll nurse you since you don’t seem capable of anything more. As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything’s going your way? When one of you says, “I’m on Paul’s side,” and another says, “I’m for Apollos,” aren’t you being totally childish?

^5-9 Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working.

^9-15 Or, to put it another way, you are God’s house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.

^16-17 You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.

^18-20 Don’t fool yourself. Don’t think that you can be wise merely by being relevant. Be God’s fool—that’s the path to true wisdom. What the world calls smart, God calls stupid. It’s written in Scripture,

He exposes the hype of the hipsters.
The Master sees through the smoke screens
    of the know-it-alls.

^21-23 I don’t want to hear any of you bragging about yourself or anyone else. Everything is already yours as a gift—Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future—all of it is yours, and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Be grateful for those whom God calls to pastor us while being one of us in the “herd” of sheep.  Thank God for Jesus who is at the center as Lord and Shepherd of the flock.  “The Lord is my Shepard, I lack nothing.” (Psalm 23:1)  “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” –Jesus, John 10:27-28

Pastor Paul wrote to a church that was young and immature who were listening to their own voices. He corrected some misunderstandings in the Corinthian church and outlined how the people should act, live, and relate.  We will continue in this teaching in the next few chapters to the church. But for now…Paul teaches that mature Christian practices love and seeks to get along with others.

Children like to disagree and fuss. And children like to identify with heroes, whether sports heroes or Hollywood heroes. The “babes” in Corinth were fighting over which preacher was the greatest—Paul, Apollos, or Peter.  When in fact, it is Jesus who is at the Center, the Cornerstone that holds us together, as well as the Foundation whom God builds our lives upon.

God’s ministry “farm” is explained by Paul:

First, diversity of ministry. One laborer plows the soil, another sows the seed, a third waters the seed. As time passes, the plants grow, the fruit appears, and other laborers enjoy reaping the harvest. This emphasis on diversity will also show up when Paul compares the church to a body with many different parts.  (We’re coming to that soon!)

Second, unity of purpose. No matter what work a person is doing for the Lord, that person is still a part of the harvest. Paul, Apollos, and Peter were not competing with each other. Rather, each was doing his assigned task under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Even though the church has diversity of ministry, it should have unity of purpose and unity of spirit.

Third, humility of spirit. The human laborers do not produce the harvest—the Lord of the harvest does. God is the one who makes all things grow! The Corinthians were proud of their church, and various groups in the assembly were proud of their leaders. But this attitude of being puffed up was dividing the church, because God was not receiving the glory.  Jesus expressed the same idea as recorded in John 4:34–38. The sower and the reaper not only work together, but one day they shall rejoice together and receive their own rewards.

Finally, we must always evaluate our motivations.  The world depends on promotion, prestige, and the influence of money and important people. The church depends on prayer, the power of the Spirit, humility, sacrifice, and service.  We are His people, the sheep of His pasture, the church who are people coming together to tell the story of Jesus’s redemption while providing an environment where God can do His best work in and through us as we grow in His love.  Allowing God to do in us what He wants changes everything about us.  Our growth by God begins to yield His character traits, bearing the “fruits of His Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5:

“…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”  Galatians 5:22-23

Lord,

I know you are not finished with me yet, for I have not arrived at perfection.  However, I’m not where I was.  You are patiently growing me to be all you created me to be in ways that give you glory, honor, and praise.  I am so grateful, so humbly grateful.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving, cleansing, restoring, refreshing, and renewing me daily.  You are at the center of my life.  Thank you for not giving up on me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

It was Visitation Night.  The “saved young people” were paired with mature believers. We first gathered as a group to pray for those we would visit to have open hearts and willing minds to hear our testimony of who Jesus is and what He does for us.  We then prayed for our words to be understandably clear to the hearers that night. This is how I grew up in the church through the sixties as a teen.  I was taught to tell the story of Jesus. 

As teens, of course we were scared to death and nervous at first until we realized that God’s Spirit would give us the words.  I remember the night we visited my next-door neighbor as if it were yesterday.  I can still see us sitting in their living room even now. I knew their son well as we played together in our yards since early childhood.  His mom babysat my brother and I when my grandparents weren’t available. 

But this was the first time to tell them what I truly, personally believed about Jesus.  I took a deep breath and words came from my lips that I did not expect or plan.  I remember using the phrase, “Jesus is my Friend,” often when telling how personal Jesus was to me.  I was never one to memorize a program or recite the “Roman Road”—I simply told them who Jesus is and how He became my Savior and Friend for life.  After that, my friend was allowed to go with us to church each Sunday after the “visit.”  Later in life, as a public school teacher, I would enrolled my friend’s son in my first grade class! I still enjoy this friendship on social media of the whole family.

Tell me the story of Jesus…write on my heart every word…

It is in the telling that our testimony and knowledge of Jesus who saved us grows stronger!  Remember God’s Holy Spirit power and wisdom does all the work—God’s way for His purposes!

1 Corinthians 2, The Message

^1-2 You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s sheer genius, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.

^3-5 I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.

^6-10 We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven’t a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn’t have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That’s why we have this Scripture text:

No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this,
Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—
What God has arranged for those who love him.

But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.

^10-13 The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.

^14-16 The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah’s question, “Is there anyone around who knows God’s Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?” has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ’s Spirit.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Tell the story of Jesus—simply Jesus—at the center of our telling. 

We have the authority given to us by God through His Son: 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Jesus, Matthew 28:18-20, NIV

We have help—God’s Holy Spirit—who tells us how and what to say!  “God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.” –Paul, verses 3-5

We have full access to God’s wisdom! “God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes.”  When we ask for wisdom, God generously gives what we need— “God’s determined way of bringing out His best in us”!

Live what we say we believe.  “Your life of faith is our response to God’s power.”  God’s Holy Spirit living in us makes all the difference!  Truth is told through our lips by Truth living in us!  Jesus is Truth.

Lord,

Thank you for reminding me that telling your story began long ago as a young teen who was scared and felt very inadequate until YOU took over and told your story through me.  Thank you for adults who nurtured me as you grew their faith!  Thank you for using us to continue to tell you story for your glory so others may know and believe!  We live to tell your story!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Only Jesus who was without sin could be the sacrifice for all the sins of the world.  Only Jesus makes us right with God while demonstrating the extent of His love for us by allowing himself to be crucified, taking the punishment we all deserve.  Only Jesus can give us this gift of salvation and hope of eternal life!  Only Jesus saves us.  We cannot save ourselves or anyone else.  All praise to God, all gratitude to Jesus, and thanks be to His Holy Spirit who comes to live in us to help us each day as we turn our lives over to Him as an offering of devotion and love.  May His Kingdom dwell in us and be seen all around us.  May His will be done in every detail of our lives here as we prepare for life forever there with Him.  Yes, Only Jesus saves us.

1 Corinthians 1, The Message

The Cross: The Irony of God’s Wisdom

¹⁰ I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.

^11-12 I bring this up because some from Chloe’s family brought a most disturbing report to my attention—that you’re fighting among yourselves! I’ll tell you exactly what I was told: You’re all picking sides, going around saying, “I’m on Paul’s side,” or “I’m for Apollos,” or “Peter is my man,” or “I’m in the Messiah group.”

^13-16 I ask you, “Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul’s name?” I was not involved with any of your baptisms—except for Crispus and Gaius—and on getting this report, I’m sure glad I wasn’t. At least no one can go around saying he was baptized in my name. (Come to think of it, I also baptized Stephanas’s family, but as far as I can recall, that’s it.)

¹⁷ God didn’t send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn’t send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center—Christ on the Cross—be trivialized into mere words.

^18-21 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written,

I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I’ll expose so-called experts as shams.

So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered stupid—preaching, of all things! —to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

^22-25 While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so cheap, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.”

^26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We still do this today—fight among ourselves, vying for position and rank while God looks down over his children and shakes his head.  But with God is Jesus who advocates for us.  I can almost hear Jesus say, “Give them a bit more time, they’ll eventually get it.”  “As they mature in our love, they will understand the futility of this behavior.”

Listen to the trumpet of Jesus!  Ask God what HE wants.  Pause to listen to Him speak to our yielded hearts who have a desire to trust and obey Him.  When we do, it might look silly to others but it is not “others” we follow with all our hearts, minds, and souls!  It is only Jesus who is the Way, Truth, and Life! Then join the band of believers who blow the horn of God through living in His ways, demonstrating His love, telling HIS story of redemption for others to hear and believe! Blowing the horn of God warns those who have not yet heard or believe that Life, real Life, can be theirs, too!

Jesus at the center!  Most people want Jesus and want to be like Him once they hear the Truth.  But surveys of the church today show that many do not attend because His authentic love is not demonstrated.  Many still love Jesus but are not seeing His love displayed in His church.  It is the infighting, jealous actions, taking sides, hidden financial reporting, or being told to follow certain people and make them look good instead of God, the only One good, that keeps them from coming to learn and grow in His love.  If the church gathering as lost her first love—Jesus—then these are some of the consequences.  See Revelation 2:4-5.

Legend of the Boy and the Snake

(As told by Max Lucado)

An old Cherokee legend tells of a boy who was walking up a mountain when he heard a voice. “Carry me with you,” the voice requested.

The boy turned and saw a rattlesnake. He refused. “If I carry you up the mountain, you will bite me.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” the snake assured. “All I need is some help. I am slow and you are fast; please be kind and carry me to the top of the mountain.”

It was against his better judgment, but the boy agreed. He picked up the snake, put him in his shirt, and resumed the journey. When they reached the top, he reached in his shirt to remove the snake and got bit.

He fell to the ground, and the snake slithered away.

“You lied!” the boy cried, “You said you wouldn’t bite me.”

The snake stopped and looked back, “I didn’t lie. You knew who I was when you picked me up.”

We hear the legend and shake our heads. He should have known better, we bemoan. And it’s true. He should have.

And so should we. But don’t we do the same? Don’t we believe the lies of the snake? Don’t we pick up what we should leave alone?

The Corinthian Christians did. One snake after another had hissed his lies in their ears, and they had believed it. How many lies did they believe?  How much time do you have?

The list is long and ugly: sectarianism, disunity, sexual immorality. And that is only the first six chapters.

But 1 Corinthians is more than a list of sins; it is an epistle of patience. Paul initiates the letter by calling these Christians “saints.” He could have called them heretics or hypocrites (and in so many words he does), but not before he calls them saints.

He patiently teaches them about worship, unity, the role of women, and the Lord’s Supper. He writes as if he can see them face-to-face. He is disturbed but not despondent. Angry but not desperate. His driving passion is love. And his treatise on love in chapter 13 remains the greatest essay ever penned.

The letter, however personal, is not just for Corinth. It is for all who have heard the whisper and felt the fangs.

We, like the boy, should have known better. We, like the Corinthians, sometimes need a second chance.

Fortunately, our God, because of Jesus, is the God of second chances.  It is not God’s desire that anyone perish but have life forever with Him! 

Pause, reflect, prayer, and give thanks for all God has provided through Jesus Christ, His Son.

Lord,

Thank you.  I know the words cannot begin to describe my grateful heart, but thank you is a place to begin.  Forgive me when I choose what bites over what is your best.  Help me to love like you love.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1Corinthians 13:1).

Everyone Paul meets gets a letter of encouragement afterwards.  Paul is so passionate and confident in all that God will provide to trusting believers in Jesus, that He must remind all of the benefits of knowing, trusting, and obeying God in Jesus Name!  We are leaving the letters to the Romans, filled with joy, learning simply that we must daily offer our whole being to God while thanking Him for Jesus who set us free to love like He loves us.  We will now glean from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians!

We will learn even more from Paul’s letters sent back to the church Corinth about the challenges that face any group called church who attempt to live for Jesus while also living in the world.  This one foot in the Light while the other foot remains in darkness does not work.  Because of the love of God in Paul driven by the passion of His Son, Jesus, he writes letters to warn them so they will not fall for evil but turn to God.

Paul begins with who he is in Jesus with what God has called him to do—remind the church who have been cleaned up and restored by Jesus to live set apart for a God-filled, adventurous life.  He begins with “I thank God for you…”  Paul begins all his letters with this greeting of sincere love for people because he wants God’s best, Jesus, for everyone he meets. 

1 Corinthians 1, The Message

^1-2 I, Paul, have been called and sent by Jesus, the Messiah, according to God’s plan, along with my friend Sosthenes. I send this letter to you in God’s church at Corinth, believers cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life. I include in my greeting all who call out to Jesus, wherever they live. He’s their Master as well as ours!

³ May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours.

^4-6 Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There’s no end to what has happened in you—it’s beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.

^7-9 Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn from Paul how greet people in love, thanking God for them.  When we pray for people, love all people, and thank God for each life; we begin to see people from God’s perspective—even our “enemies.”  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  (John 3:16-17)  And this same God who created “our innermost being” will not give up on us!

To love like God loves us begins by believing and repenting to Jesus who takes away our sins.  God’s Holy Spirit immediately comes to live in us to do the work of forming and shaping this love as our relationship with God grows more intimate each day. 

May God do this work of love in all of us so we will judge less and love more!

I thank God for all who are reading this right now!  You are so loved by God and by me!

Lord,

May the “evidence of Christ” be seen in all of us today!  May our love for you be contagious to the world who is broken and in need of a Savior.  Help us to make the most of every opportunity to tell your story for your glory as we point the way to salvation to you.  We don’t need a thing when we have you!  God of all, in all, and over all…who saved us from our selfish sins and renewed our lives!  We have it all!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen!

Holding back from you is so ironic
You made me so you know when I pretend
Your faithfulness resolves my indecision
So I choose to yield myself over again
And I’ll do it every chance that I get

You can have it all
You can have it all
Lord, You can have it all
You can have it all

(North Point Worship & Clay Finnesand Lyrics)

Let Him turn it in your favor
Watch Him work it for your good
He’s not done with what He’s started
He’s not done until it’s good

Hello, peace
hello, joy
Hello, love
Hello, strength
hello, hope, It’s a new horizon

(“Fear Is Not my Future”; By Chandler Moore, Kirk Franklin, and Maverick City Music)

May we take the time to pause to remember all the people who came alongside us and helped us on our journey to know God more by believing Jesus?  These people helped us trust and obey Jesus by being examples themselves with how to respond and react in this world. They mentored us and reminded us that our joy is complete in Jesus when we are fully attentive and devoted in our relationship with the One who loves us most and best.  They lived Jesus and were his hands and feet to us.  They were always for us and with us as we pursued God—the most important relationship we will ever have in this world and the next.

Yes, thank God for them!  For God so loved us that He sent certain people into our lives at just the right time to encourage us in our faith!  Paul’s writings always name and thank God for certain people who believed, trusted, and obeyed Jesus with whom He met and walked alongside.  Write them a note if they are walking on this earth offering holy hugs of thanksgiving and encouragement. 

The people who Paul has named are part of our journey, too. Thank God now for them!

Fear is not my future
You are (You are)
Sickness is not my story
You are (You are), You are (You are)

Heartbreak’s not my home
You are (You are), You are (You are)
Death is not the end
You are, You are (oh)

So, Hello, peace
hello, joy
Hello, love
Hello, strength
hello, hope, It’s a new horizon

All because of Jesus…

Romans 16, The Message

^1-2 Be sure to welcome our friend Phoebe in the way of the Master, with all the generous hospitality we Christians are famous for. I heartily endorse both her and her work. She’s a key representative of the church at Cenchrea. Help her out in whatever she asks. She deserves anything you can do for her. She’s helped many a person, including me.

^3-5 Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked hand in hand with me in serving Jesus. They once put their lives on the line for me. And I’m not the only one grateful to them. All the non-Jewish gatherings of believers also owe them plenty, to say nothing of the church that meets in their house.

Hello to my dear friend Epenetus. He was the very first follower of Jesus in the province of Asia.

⁶ Hello to Mary. What a worker she has turned out to be!

⁷ Hello to my cousins Andronicus and Junias. We once shared a jail cell. They were believers in Christ before I was. Both of them are outstanding leaders.

⁸ Hello to Ampliatus, my good friend in the family of God.

⁹ Hello to Urbanus, our companion in Christ’s work, and my good friend Stachys.

¹⁰ Hello to Apelles, a tried-and-true veteran in following Christ.

Hello to the family of Aristobulus.

¹¹ Hello to my cousin Herodion.

Hello to those who belong to the Lord from the family of Narcissus.

¹² Hello to Tryphena and Tryphosa—such diligent women in serving the Master.

Hello to Persis, a dear friend and hard worker in Christ.

¹³ Hello to Rufus—a good choice by the Master!—and his mother. She has also been a dear mother to me.

¹⁴ Hello to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and also to all of their families.

¹⁵ Hello to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas—and all the followers of Jesus who live with them.

¹⁶ Holy hugs all around! All the churches of Christ send their warmest greetings!

^17-18 One final word of counsel, friends. Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth. They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents.

^19-20 And so while there has never been any question about your honesty in these matters—I couldn’t be more proud of you!—I want you also to be smart, making sure every “good” thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this, and before you know it the God of peace will come down on Satan with both feet, stomping him into the dirt. Enjoy the best of Jesus!

²¹ And here are some more greetings from our end. Timothy, my partner in this work, Lucius, and my cousins Jason and Sosipater all said to tell you hello.

²² I, Tertius, who wrote this letter at Paul’s dictation, send you my personal greetings.

²³ Gaius, who is host here to both me and the whole church, wants to be remembered to you.

Erastus, the city treasurer, and our good friend Quartus send their greetings.

^25-26 All of our praise rises to the One who is strong enough to make you strong, exactly as preached in Jesus Christ, precisely as revealed in the mystery kept secret for so long but now an open book through the prophetic Scriptures. All the nations of the world can now know the truth and be brought into obedient belief, carrying out the orders of God, who got all this started, down to the final detail.

²⁷ All our praise is focused through Jesus on this incomparably wise God! Yes!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Paul sent his warmest greetings to his fellow workers in the kingdom of God.  Though often overlooked, the behind-the-scenes service of faithful Christians forms a vital part of any ministry. Paul expressed his thanks to a wide variety of people, most of whom are noted for simple, everyday acts of service.

How often do we give thanks to the unseen as well as the seen up-front?  How often do we pray over and praise dedicated people who faithfully serve because it has become their new nature as they live as new creations in Christ?  Not enough would be my guess.  This is not vain, insincere flattery for what they do necessarily but because of who they are in Jesus!  What if more of our praises began with, “I see Jesus in you when you…” (pray with others without even thinking about it, help others not matter what the cost of your time, etc.)

As giving thanks to God for all He has done for us becomes our breath of life, may giving thanks to God for those who are “helpers” to all people in the Kingdom of God also be a regular, sincere, routine of building the Body of Christ!  Paul has set the example.  Look around, there is always someone to thank God for because of their friendship and service!

I thank God for you right now and continually for reading this and responding like you do!  As habit—

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:3-6)

In Jesus Name, Amen!

Being a recipient of passionately committed pastors and then being a called and devoted ministry leader myself in my growing up years into adulthood; I understand and appreciate the words of Pastor Paul to all his friends in his journey to tell the redemption story of Jesus.  Our passion for what God has called us to be, along with our extreme enthusiasm for the “highly focused assignment” He has given us to accomplish, may sound blunt and harsh to those who have yet to follow God by believing in Jesus who died for our sins.  We are like the Derby horses at the beginning of the race, prancing their hooves, chopping at the bit, ready to run the race to the finish but for us we see  Christ in view at the finish!

Romans 16, The Message

^14-16 Personally, I’ve been completely satisfied with who you are and what you are doing. You seem to me to be well-motivated and well-instructed, quite capable of guiding and advising one another. So, my dear friends, don’t take my rather bold and blunt language as criticism. It’s not criticism. I’m simply underlining how very much I need your help in carrying out this highly focused assignment God gave me, this priestly and gospel work of serving the spiritual needs of the non-Jewish outsiders so they can be presented as an acceptable offering to God, made whole and holy by God’s Holy Spirit.

^17-21 Looking back over what has been accomplished and what I have observed, I must say I am most pleased—in the context of Jesus, I’d even say proud, but only in that context. I have no interest in giving you a chatty account of my adventures, only the wondrously powerful and transformingly present words and deeds of Christ in me that triggered a believing response among the outsiders. In such ways I have trailblazed a preaching of the Message of Jesus all the way from Jerusalem far into northwestern Greece. This has all been pioneer work, bringing the Message only into those places where Jesus was not yet known and worshiped. My text has been,

Those who were never told of him—
    they’ll see him!
Those who’ve never heard of him—
    they’ll get the message!

* * *

^22-24 And that’s why it has taken me so long to finally get around to coming to you. But now that there is no more pioneering work to be done in these parts, and since I have looked forward to seeing you for many years, I’m planning my visit. I’m headed for Spain, and expect to stop off on the way to enjoy a good visit with you, and eventually have you send me off with God’s blessing.

^25-29 First, though, I’m going to Jerusalem to deliver a relief offering to the followers of Jesus there. The Greeks—all the way from the Macedonians in the north to the Achaians in the south—decided they wanted to take up a collection for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. They were happy to do this, but it was also their duty. Seeing that they got in on all the spiritual gifts that flowed out of the Jerusalem community so generously, it is only right that they do what they can to relieve their poverty. As soon as I have done this—personally handed over this “fruit basket”—I’m off to Spain, with a stopover with you in Rome. My hope is that my visit with you is going to be one of Christ’s more extravagant blessings.

^30-33 I have one request, dear friends: Pray for me. Pray strenuously with and for me—to God the Father, through the power of our Master Jesus, through the love of the Spirit—that I will be delivered from the lions’ den of unbelievers in Judea. Pray also that my relief offering to the Jerusalem believers will be accepted in the spirit in which it is given. Then, God willing, I’ll be on my way to you with a light and eager heart, looking forward to being refreshed by your company. God’s peace be with all of you. Oh, yes!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:15

People know when your love is honest and true.  We cannot fake God’s love.  We have it or we don’t.  Unbelievers are seeking authentic love, real life, and acceptance as well as mercy and grace.  They already feel bad for where they are and know they need something better, richer, more real.  Shouting judgement, speaking sarcastically with criticism, or beating people over the head with our Bibles (figuratively) is not the way to tell the Truth of God’s amazing grace.

God has filled us to overflow with His love. Jesus forgave and set us free from sins.  We must tell everyone we meet who God is and what He will do to transform their lives, too!  There is no closer relationship than the love of God shared between believers in Christ.  We share the same interests and we share the same language—the Holy Spirit language of God.  Everything changes about us because of Jesus.  We must tell others!

Many times, Pastor Paul tells believers to “speak the Truth in love.” Paul received this information from Truth—Jesus His Savior, with whom he met on the road to Damascus with deeds of darkness on his mind.  But Jesus came to him and transformed his thinking and being!  Jesus’ love and compassion poured out over this man who wanted to hurt, maim, and even kill His followers.  (See Acts 9)

But the first thing, Jesus said to him was, “Saul, Saul,” (former name/former life name of Paul), “why do you persecute Me?”  Saul’s first response was “who are you?”  Paul did not know who Jesus was, had no relationship with Him, so he did not recognize him when he called him.  Saul had been blind to God and now blinded physically for a few days until He could finally “see” the real, alive from dead Jesus who saved him.  Jesus then gave Saul/Paul specific directions to follow so that his physical sight could be restored but more importantly his spiritual sight would be made new!  This is amazing love!  This is amazing grace!  Jesus came to Saul/Paul and spoke the Truth; delivered with love, mercy, and grace. 

It is not in the heat of the moment that we win souls for Jesus. It is not by shame, either.  It is when extreme love is expressed with no manipulations.  We are driven by God’s love and desire for all people to not perish but to believe in Jesus and have eternal life!  We have help in the delivery when love guides us and His power is tapped!  God’s Holy Spirit speaks through us as we listen to Him!   We then speak the Truth of Jesus to those in need of a Savior by word and deed—sincerely and honestly. Yes, “speak the Truth in love”—Goals. 

Bonus!  When we speak the truth in love; we will develop relationships among all believers in Jesus—our brothers and sisters—in Christ that will last for eternity!  Paul has many friendships who he trusts with pray for and with him!  He can count on their love, care, and concern because of sharing this love of God between them. 

May we all lead with love, remain in God’s love, and speak the truth in love.  Help us to respond and react in love—always.

Lord,

Thank you for Paul’s examples of relationship building that is formed by your love in him.  May your love lead us in all we think, say, and do today.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, and fill us with your love.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“…in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” –Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, NIV

God is God alone.  We are not God. 

God knows our hearts and His purpose for His created beings as we well know from reading His Word and listening to His Holy Spirit.  But God also knows when we are approaching a breaking point—even before we know it!  God stands ready to deliver trusting believers at that exact moment of need by exchanging our weaknesses for His strength coupled with His power working in us. 

Why?  Hope rises within us as we trust Him in our weakness!  In fact, Hope cannot be contained within us—we must serve others in need of Hope because we know the reason for Hope!  Our testimony as we serve, helping other, extends God’s Hope to others!  And this Hope has a name! He is called Jesus, Savior and Lord!

“Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!” –Jesus, John 14:6-7

Romans 15, The Message

^1-2 Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”

^3-6 That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!

^7-13 So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! Jesus, staying true to God’s purposes, reached out in a special way to the Jewish insiders so that the old ancestral promises would come true for them. As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God. Just think of all the Scriptures that will come true in what we do! For instance:

Then I’ll join outsiders in a hymn-sing;
I’ll sing to your name!

And this one:

Outsiders and insiders, rejoice together!

And again:

People of all nations, celebrate God!
All colors and races, give hearty praise!

And Isaiah’s word:

There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse,
    breaking through the earth and growing tree tall,
Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope!

Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Be a choir of Hope to the hopeless with Jesus!  Those who are strong in faith are called to help those who are struggling and feeling hopeless.  We are the hands and feet of Jesus who can help by God’s strength in us in tangible ways while telling of the Hope of Jesus while we help.  “Strength is for service—not status”, says Paul.  Oh church, read that again.  Because we are strong in faith at the moment does not mean we are better than those we help, it means God is blessing us with His character traits, being more like Jesus, so we will serve like Jesus.  Jesus walked this earth, not only observing the hopeless but delivered them with generous helpings of healing and Hope—Himself!  It is Jesus who changes everything!

“I hope it works out for you”, “I hope you find what you’re looking for”, “I hope it turns out not to be as bad as you think.”  We admit, we say this with mostly good intentions.  But, think about it, when we hear or use phrases like these they’re actually loaded with hopelessness. Even though our hearts can be in the right place when we say them, they often form a significant part of our response to situations where it seems that there’s very little hope. While there’s something to be said for aspirational affirmations – vocalizing what we we’re working towards, it’s also fitting that out of hopelessness comes hope – even if it does take and need some work.

Authentic hope requires us to do more than just say the word in a bid to make ourselves or others feel better. If we want to genuinely “hope” for something, we need to understand what that means. Here are some Bible verses that can help.

• Psalm 3:2-6 – Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.
• 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
• Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hope – a four letter word of rescue, for those who know the stifling constraints of a situation that seems utterly hopeless. Hope – the sure knowledge of a future in heaven with a loving heavenly Father. Jesus is Hope.  Jesus delivers Hope through us as we helpfully serve the hopeless in Jesus Name.

Need more Hope?

• Mark 5:35-36 – While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
• Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
• Job 11:18-19 – You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor.
• Psalm 147:11 – The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Yes, Hope and strength—Both rise up to help us in our need and service of love!  That’s who God is and what He does!

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord,
we will wait upon the Lord,
we will wait upon the Lord.

Our God, you reign forever.
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer.

You are the everlasting God,
the everlasting God.
You do not faint,
you won’t grow weary.

You’re the defender of the weak,
you comfort those in need.
You lift us up on wings like eagles.

(Brenton Brown and Ken Riley) 

Lord,

Thank you for your strength given to serve.  Thank you for Hope that replaces all our fears. Fill us with Hope!

In Jesus Name, Amen

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name…

“You’ll catch more bees with honey than vinegar,” said Grandma quietly as she overheard her grandkids’ conversation that was filled with sarcasm and gossip while mocking people we didn’t like being around.  This behavior became our sport when we had nothing else to do.  Putting people down was all for our own amusement as we exaggerated the actions of others that seemed odd to us.  We made fun of how they walked and talked with sarcastic, arrogant attitudes.  However, we soon learned this was not going to be acceptable in Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

I had grandparents who loved well. They accepted all people into their house for a meal round their table—always!  Grandma was the definition of hospitality in epic proportions!  How do I know?  We were a part of the process.  We went to Grandpa and Grandma’s house for a fried chicken dinner EVERY Sunday after church.  By “we,” I mean our family, and the family of mom’s sister.  It was a full house in a modest dwelling built by my grandpa, a carpenter and farmer, who lived a farm.

All the cousins roamed their beloved acres of farmland after dinner to see what we could invent to do with all kinds of animals following along.  But, this meal wasn’t always just “family”.  I remember watching Grandma after church was over as she saw to it that visitors and others who came to church were also welcomed at her table.  She rose early on Sundays to make more than enough food for our family with enough to share. 

After church, Grandma intentionally looked around and then made a “bee-line” to those she knew, but especially those she didn’t know to speak with them.  She would then ask them if they would like to come to the farm for lunch.  Grandma’s biscuits, fried chicken, and pies became famous but the epic part was the welcome people received at their table; full of unconditional love while demonstrating the graciousness of cultivating healthy relationships with all people.

I remember some of the conversations and wondered how my grandparents would react to odd views of life that I knew didn’t match what they believed, but somehow love and respect rose to override the debates that ended in hugs all around as people left for home.  This is amazing love.  For years after that, my parents, myself, and now our kids carrying on this hospitality gene in different ways.  We learn from example so I praise God for the example of my grandparents.  Hospitality such as this seems to be becoming a “thing” of the past. Maybe we need to slow down and bring this method of building relationships back into our lives.  Just wondering…

Let’s see what Paul has to say with how to be and do this relationship thing inways that please God—our goal.

Romans 14, The Message

Cultivating Good Relationships

Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

^2-4 For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

⁵ Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.

^6-9 What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.

^10-12 So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture:

“As I live and breathe,” God says,
    “every knee will bow before me;
Every tongue will tell the honest truth
    that I and only I am God.”

So mind your own business. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

^13-14 Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I’m convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.

^15-16 If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don’t eat, you’re no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Don’t you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning!

^17-18 God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.

^19-21 So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault. You’re certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God’s work among you, are you? I said it before and I’ll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don’t eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.

^22-23 Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESOND?

Prayerfully, carefully and honestly reflect and evaluate your thinking and doing over the last few weeks and months. 

Do I really believe what God says to be really real? 

If I say yes, does my behavior match what I say I believe? 

Yes, I know this is very personal.  This is personal because of our personal, intimate relationship with God, our Father who knows our hearts from the inside out.  Don’t be foolish, thinking we can fool God by hiding what is in our hearts and minds from someone who created us and loves us more than anyone on earth possible can.  Our relationship with God IS the most important relationship we will ever have for all eternity—that’s why He sent Jesus, His One and Only Son to save us!

“As I live and breathe,” God says,
    “every knee will bow before me;
Every tongue will tell the honest truth
    that I and only I am God.”

So, I will leave you alone in your thoughts as I do the same…

Lord,

Thank you for memories and examples in my life and in your Word that teach me what is right and pleasing to you.  As I reflect and evaluate my life and relationships; cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul with your new mercies, remove all that offends you, and restore the peace and joy of you in me and me in you.  Then help me to behave like you have taught me to believe!  May my life tell your story for your glory so others will know you, too.  My relationship with you is the most important relationship of all!

In Jesus Name, Amen

God knows we live in an imperfect world.  God who loves us and delights in the details of our everyday lives provides how to live in this world while loving Him back and loving others like He loves us.  God’s Holy Spirit works through Paul, a good Roman citizen, born and raised in the Jewish faith, to clearly outline what is means to be a redeemed believer in Jesus in this imperfect world. 

Paul dives into the details and gives new believers wisdom to turn from their rebellious ways of grumbling and complaining about the oppressive Roman government they must live under with the opposite attitude of “be a responsible citizen”!  Paul says God will hold us responsible for being a good citizen! 

Stop and really think about it, isn’t this “being a good citizen” an example of living an obedient life for others to see who don’t know God? We work to be a good citizen, obey the rules, stay out of trouble, so we can show the love of God to those who need a Savior in their lives.  By our lives of love, they will see God reflected in our lives. 

God is over all and in all—even our governments.  In our country, we must do our part to vote, serve, uphold the law, and get along with others.  With this attitude, we don’t obey the laws of government just to avoid punishment but because it is the right way to live—according to God.  If we love God, we will obey what He says.

And God delights in the details of our lives…

Romans 13, The Message

To Be a Responsible Citizen

^1-3 Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear.

^3-5 Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you’ll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you’re breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren’t there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That’s why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it’s the right way to live.

^6-7 That’s also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders.

* * *

^8-10 Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.

^11-14 But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Be a good citizen for it is God will and God will help us in all the details.  Avoid extra debt so we are not enslaved to a debtor.  Avoid paying “extra” for goods with interest charges.  Be cautious when borrowing for housing.  Think of your goals.  Ask for God’s wisdom.  Ask yourself, if a financial crisis occurs, can I sell this and pay the debt I owe.  Remember God delights in the details of life—go to God for all of life!  He loves to help us!

Be generous with the love God has given us.  As were freely given love and forgiveness—freely give it.  It’s what God expects.  It’s what Jesus taught us.  And it’s for our best and gives God glory—the originator of real life and real love!

God first. God in the middle.  God at the end.  Pray without ceasing means we are in constant communion with God assured that will listen and guide us.  Spend time with God, unscheduled and free, throughout each day.  The result is a peace that the world does not know until they accept Jesus and have the peace of Christ in them, too.

Lord,

Thank you for being with us always. Thank you for wanting to be in the details of our lives.  You know before we get there exactly what we need most—and you provide. Thank you for listening and speaking to our hearts and minds throughout each day lived for you and with you.

In Jesus Name, Amen