Jesus associated LOVE with OBEDIENCE. He said, “If you love me you will obey what I command.” [John 14:15] If we claim to love Christ, but make no effort to live as He calls us to live, it would seem that something isn’t right. So, it’s important for us to look to God’s Holy Spirit and admit that we need His help, His direction, His encouragement, and His strength.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Do You Want To Be Perceived As "Cool"?
The culture in which we live, or the opinions of the people we know will tend to have increasing influence on us to the degree that we hope to be perceived as “cool”. So serious followers of Jesus are challenged to care more about God, and trusting Him and pleasing Him, than we care about being hip, or popular, or culturally savvy, or cool.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Pure Joy...A Day Off From School
Rachel came into the room where I was simultaneously reading and creating an online playlist of “Dan’s favorite” music. (Yep, I REALLY know how to live it up, don’t I? Later on, I’m planning to really kick up the level of excitement by laying face down on the floor and breathing.)
She asked, “Is tomorrow Martin Luther King day?”
I said, “Yes it is.”
Rachel looked at me with the most incredible expression of pure delight. She had a huge smile lighting up her entire face. I haven’t seen a look of such intense joy since the time I announced that I would be cutting my sermons down to 10 minutes.
Just to see what kind of reaction I would get—with great earnestness—I said, “So, you’ll have to be up bright and early for the school bus. Martin Luther King day is a time of study and reflection on some of the important civil rights issues that impact our lives. It will be a busy day at school tomorrow.”
I watched expectantly for the response.
Nope. That didn’t shake her. Uh uh, the smile didn’t diminish even a little bit. She raised a fist in the air and with great enthusiasm, she said, “No school!!!”
Even after all these years as a dad, it’s still interesting and amusing for me to see the unadulterated spectacle of joy that a day off from school brings.
Letting Loved Ones Learn Hard Lessons
Sometimes, if you really love someone, you will let him fall down because you realize that there are lessons he has to learn that can only be learned the hard way. This can be difficult to do because our impulse is to rush in immediately and help. And how we respond certainly depends on the size of the fall. But real love doesn’t always run rescue missions.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Recognizing What We CAN Know And What We CAN'T Know
It’s a very good thing to try to grow in learning and knowledge and our understanding of things. But it’s helpful, for our peace of mind, to realize that there are some things that are beyond us and we will never understand them [it’s part of being a finite creature]. Recognizing the difference between the things we can know and the things we can’t know is an aspect of wisdom.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Loving The Un-lovely...That's What Jesus Does
Jesus, who was sinless, seemed to be very comfortable loving broken, hurting, troubled, flawed, sinful people. This bothered religious folks who suggested that “these types of people” should be avoided. But that never stopped Jesus from loving. When we love others the way Jesus loved, our love is generous and lavish and far-reaching. When we love like Jesus, our love extends even to the un-lovely.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Learning Lessons From Life's Difficulties
“…Sportswriters have long appreciated the fact that there’s often more wisdom among losers than among winners.” –Stephen Hall. I read this quote in a book on the subject of “wisdom” and it reminded me that in many different fields of endeavor people have learned that there can be valuable lessons in the difficulties of life.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
All Other Gifts Are Meaningless In The Absence of Love
Some of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible can seem sort of impressive, so, they might seem a little bit more desirable than others. But the gift which is to be eagerly desired is love. In fact, The Apostle Paul tells us that all the other gifts become meaningless in the absence of love. “And now these 3 remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1Cor.13:13
Monday, January 10, 2011
Let's Be Willing To Take A Risk And Love
Some people are done taking risks. They’ve been hurt yet again and they’ve had it! This means, however, that in a certain sense, they are done living. Oh, they’re still breathing and they’re still walking around the village, but they’re partly dead. Life, true life, involves risk. Love involves risk. Let’s not give up. Loving people will involve some hurts. But let’s be willing to take a risk and love anyhow.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
We Can All Tell Our Story
We don’t all have the gift of evangelism, but all of us can tell our story. If Christ has changed your life, you have a story of how that happened, right? And when the time is right and the opportunity arises, you and I can tell the story of God’s authentic activity in our lives.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
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