When Jesus Has Spoken...

When the Bible tells us that Jesus is the “head” of the church one of the things that means is that a church should not knowingly, willfully disregard or contradict the direct teachings of Jesus. In a true Christian church there are some issues that are not “up for a vote” because The Head of the church has already spoken on the matter.

Audio Message: The Work of the Holy Spirit

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We Are Here On Purpose

Each one of us is a totally unique, one-of-a-kind creation of God.  We were made by Him lovingly and carefully and INTENTIONALLY.  We are not accidents or the result of random chance.  The all-knowing, Lord God, the Supreme being, who stands over and above all things, put you here ON PURPOSE.

Is This A Game We're Playing?

There was a cute little boy sitting in a high chair at the table next to mine.  He was probably about a year old.  (I’m not good at estimating the age of children but he definitely was not a new born infant because he was able to sit up in the high chair all by himself and he was definitely younger than 12 because there’s no way I could picture him at a jr. high event.  So, I’m going to use my irrefutable powers of logic to determine that he was about 1 year old.)

The little boy kept turning around in his seat and smiling at me.  And then—I’m pretty sure he thought we were playing a game together—he would throw items from their table onto the floor.  When he did this, I raised my eyebrows and then he laughed.

Napkins on the floor.

Raised eyebrows.

Laughter.

Bottle on the floor.

Raised eyebrows.

Laughter.

Grandpa’s cell phone on the floor.

Raised eyebrows.

Laughter.

The little boy was with his grandparents and I think his grandpa was getting a little tired of picking things up off the floor because grandpa started watching me out of the corner of his eye to see if I was instigating these activities with the little boy.

I wasn’t!  I was just an innocent bystander.  But grandpa was definitely keeping a peripheral eye on me.

When they finally got up to leave, grandpa walked past my table carrying the little boy and as they passed by, one of my books fell off the table onto the floor.  I looked at the book on the floor with surprise.

Hold on, I thought.  Did grandpa do that?!?  Did he just knock my book off the table?  Was he making me pick my book up off the floor because he thought I instigated the game with his little grandson and he was giving me a taste of my own medicine?  I don’t know.  It was probably a complete coincidence.  Yes, of course, what am I thinking?  It had to be a coincidence.

But as they walked out the door, I’m reasonably certain that I saw grandpa, grandma, and the little boy dancing around and high-fiving each other.

The Greatest Thing Is Knowing Christ

Here’s what the Apostle Paul considered to be the greatest thing in life:  “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.” Phil.3:8&9(a).  Interesting, huh? What is the importance & value of “knowing Christ” to you?

God's Love Is Wide, Long, High and Deep

Here’s some good news: Someone loves you so much that it is impossible to fully comprehend. “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Eph.3:17-19

A Shift In Our Thinking Will Occur

Somewhere along the way, in life, a significant shift in our thinking occurs. The shift works like this: instead of thinking of life as how far we are from birth, we gradually begin to think of life as how far we are from the end. As that shift has been occurring for me, I think of this old saying more often: “Only one life twill soon be passed…only what’s done for Christ will last.” –Author Unknown.

When We Love People We Give Them Room

It’s not uncommon that we want people to fit into a certain mold and do things a certain way because to our thinking: “this is the way that you do it.”  When we really love someone, however, we give them room to explore and learn and try some new ways; and to do things in ways that are different than we do them.

Peace In Times of Trouble

There are times when a troubling or difficult situation comes along and the follower of Christ feels calm and confident—this is not a denial of reality but it’s a sense of peace in spite of the trouble. Perhaps this doesn’t happen every time, but it does happen. When it does happen, it is a work of the Holy Spirit and it is an authentication of the genuine presence of God in our lives.

Be Willing To Give Love Time

Love requires time.  We do not love people in a hurry.  Some aspects of love are similar to exploration and investigation and they don’t tend to be done well when they’re rushed through quickly.  Be willing to give love time.

I'm Puzzled When People Are Indifferent To Jesus

For me, the most puzzling reaction to Jesus is not anger or astonishment or even rejection. The most puzzling reaction is indifference. I’m surprised when people try to choose to just ignore Him. I want to say to them, “Why would you ignore someone who loves YOU so much?” “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom.5:8

Loving People Who Are Different Than Us

It can be difficult to love and accept people who are very different than us.  But God’s work in us will help us to love people we would have never loved without Him.  God’s love is wide and generous and comprehensive and powerful.