DON'T DEBUNK AMERICA'S HERITAGE

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Appreciate what you have before you risk losing it.

 

FAMILIAL
The weekend we celebrated my father's 90th birthday gave me pause. I've reflected on his life, what my father taught me, and why I value my traditional Christian upbringing. My folks were young when their five children were born. Yet they understood the important aspects of parenting. They raised us within a biblical framework. They taught us to be people of character, to value honesty, righteousness, integrity; to do the right thing even when no one is looking. Our family's spiritual beliefs colored everything we did. A Christian heritage blesses when done rightly and lived lovingly. It influences for the good since it is based on godly, gracious principles and loving, unselfish actions.

NATIONAL
What about our country? The beliefs upon which America was founded colored the building blocks of our nation. Often we read and hear degrading comments regarding the USA. America, in times past, was defined by its values, many of which were based on its heritage and the principles of its citizens. People strove to better their lot and to contribute to the American dream. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" predominantly influenced culture at large. Truth and justice were held dear. Hard work and personal achievement were unwritten codes that strengthened people's resolve. The Ten Commandments were guidelines that mattered, that incorporated honorable ways of behavior in people's deeds, actions, and loyalties. Brave people they were in many respects. I believe we should look with favor on the blessings of our country instead of demeaning them.

INTERNAL
God has blessed America. Liberty is tied to the heritage that our founding fathers understood as human rights. Justice for all was not an academic phrase to them. They knew that respect for humanity, respect for God-given principles, respect for law and justice guide a nation well. We were given gifts by the people who went before us. Many lived with a higher purpose tied to divine enabling. Though not perfect, they contributed moral astuteness and strength of character; they were good people whose influence outlasted their lives. I am grateful they stayed the course. May their example not be lost. May we not debunk the blessedness of  our American heritage. May we also determine to correct America's areas of blindness, where Americans have not been treated with equal justice or equal representation; where we as a people have not been loving, kind, or fair.

 

LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS 

The "American Dream" is what people from world over come to America for, and for the "hope" it promises them, a country governed with laws "by the people, for the people." Most in America, even those who criticize her, are in some way participating in this dream. The belief in the goodness inherent in people comes from a belief that every person has intrinsic value. That is one reason why pro-lifers won't ever give up. That is why the marginalized speak up. That is why we must be fair in our dealings. That is why we as a nation believe in liberty and justice for all.

CHRISTIAN LIBERTY

People of faith live out their faith with a responsibility to family, friends, community, co-workers, the government and, ultimately, to God. That responsibility to one another and the communities in which they live, in what is now a divided nation, has been tested in recent months... as the pandemic rages and cuts into people's way of life, as the protests, riots and unrest take a toll, and as the election controversies continue to spew anger, doubt, and discord among us. Do we care? Do we love? Do we respect our leaders? Do we take our mandate seriously? As ordinary citizens it is hard to remain positive when we don't agree with what's coming down, or when we suspicion or are convinced that we are being lied to. We can't just roll over and play dead. That begs the question. What to do?

 

WWJD

What would Jesus do? We are called to love, Christ loved. We are called to respect those in authority, "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's, to God what is God's." I admit to struggling with how our American civil liberties are being treated right now. Some authorities are misusing or abusing them. Some haters are hating, despising, and destroying. Some core values are being compromised and disregarded. Power can be used for the good or for the bad. Nevertheless, I will always defend liberty and justice for all. I will follow God's ways. I will bless them that curse me. I will defend the poor and downtrodden. I will strive to do what is right, even when uncomfortable, like what Jesus did with the money changers while defending His Father's house and God's honor from thieves who were taking advantage. Jesus wasn't soft on the Pharisees, either. Jesus spoke truth. So should we. Jesus sewed love. So should we. Jesus lived justly. So should we. I am convinced there is a way through this season without destroying America's heritage. 

 

What would Jesus do? He would do what He taught.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 

¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  

¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

-Matthew 5

JUDGING OTHERS HURTS US

WHEN THE SPIRIT CONVICTS

NOTICE WHEN your spiritual life is getting out of balance. The thing is quite painful when your spiritual life is out of whack and God reveals it to you. God gets your attention. Then He shows you where you are acting like a hypocrite. The sting of that knowledge awakens you to the inner damage it is causing to your spirit. The way you react to this knowledge shows you your heart.

It reveals what matters to you. 

Though it may take some time, once we know there is a problem, our inner person is motivated to face this error and deal with it. People and circumstances can easily get us off track enough to where we don't see the error of our ways. Something comes up and we begin to notice that we're off-kilter, which arrests our attention.

We start to pay attention.

The Holy Spirit reveals this to us, gently but firmly. Should we ignore the Spirit's prompting, further distancing from God will be the result. Darkness may come in. The joy in our hearts most likely will lessen. Frustration and discouragement builds as greater levels of bitterness and resentment increases. This deflates us as it hardens our spiritual awareness. 

We have stalled out. 

This can go on for quite some time, but it doesn't have to. You can blame God for your problems, for the spiritual distancing, lethargy, and dispiriting deadness. That's not the truth, and definitely not where the problem originated. It's not really God's problem.

This is our problem.

I recently had one of those situations. My self-righteous side passed judgment on an elderly woman who was out of line. She was using the force of her will to dominate another elderly person. She was behaving improperly, but so was I when I criticized her to someone else. The Spirit of God took me to task. That night, I knew in my heart that what I had said about her should not have been said.

I felt the pain of it in my heart. 

A deep sadness came over me. I acknowledged, apologized, and sorrowed. I sensed a great need to pray spiritual life for the woman I had criticized. She needs a relationship with Jesus. I now did what I should have done in the first place. She needs love and she needs tenderness. I had been offended by her words and actions. I felt justified in speaking about her "without mercy." That is not God's way, and it shouldn't be my way either. 

I took it up with my heavenly Father. 

After I confessed to God and asked Him to help me, the light came in. This activated compassion in me. God is love. God calls us to love the difficult people in our lives. His conviction of our wrong-mindedness about a person or thing causes a stop. We know we have to put a lid on it. We are compelled to extend grace to that person.

We follow God's leading. 

The "stop" effects a re-thinking of the thing in light of the Spirit of God. We are given the ability to make right, to turn in a new direction, and to seek His face. The darkness leaves and the light comes on. Pride leaves and a humble spirit is released. Joy returns, re-imagined and reawakened.

God is at work in us. He is bringing many sons and daughters to glory. We get to be a part of what He is doing.

Praises.

. . .

Photo by Ben White, Unsplash 

 

WE ALL NEED GOD'S LOVE

God's Love Is What We Need

Love is where peace is found. Love is the greatest equalizer. Love demonstrates peace when it is lived in its purest state. Love's peace is something anyone can experience.

Love is tested and tried. Love does the right thing in the right way. Christ is our best example of this. Christ shares His love with us. His helps us love others with pure, tender love. Rigid religion is not what Christ offers His children. He is gentle and kind.

God's love embraces all people. God's love is life-giving. His love touches people from every walk of life. Those who fully respond to God's love are dramatically changed. Love enters one's soul as the Spirit of God reveals godly truth. The more you seek God, the more your spirit enlivens.

God's love shows. A true believer will demonstrate God's love to others. It is seen in their acts of mercy, love, kindness, justice, honesty, and fairness. The heart is changed. It springs to life. It opens up to the sunshine of godly love.

A loving heart acts in love. Loving well is seen in this biblical admonition: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) Love desires right relationship and gives from out of its self. 

Love is kind, good, and caring. Here is one place where Jesus taught this concept:

 An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” (Luke 10)

We are God's children. Father God cares for His children. We, in turn, love Him back.

As Joseph Girzone says it, "[God] created us to become His children. He placed us in the midst of a magnificent creation and asks only that we love Him and love and respect other human creatures, and treat all His creatures with respect and gratitude.” 

God's love is supernatural. It is beyond our human ability to manufacture godly love. God is the giver of supernatural, godly love. Christians should be known by their love. God gives them His love. When Christians are not loving and known by their love, there's something not quite right in their spirituality. Those who give God their life experience God transforming them in almost every aspect of their being. 

But we do struggle at times. That is why we call our Christian life a spiritual journey. Every step we take is an opportunity to get closer to God. It is also a process of yielding our stuff to Him. We stumble when we come to areas that trip us up or set us back. This is a frequent occurrence. Instead of pretending everything is okay, this is when we learn to trust in God to carry us through, which He does when we step out of the way and yield our will to His will.

Today is the day. Let God transform the inner you. Let Christ's love enter and make you anew. Embrace God's love with your whole heart. God will forgive, change, and heal you. You are precious to God. I know, it's not that easy, but it's worth it.

Give every circumstance to God. I suggest you pray over every decision you make. I suggest you quit trying so hard and let God do the leading and providing. You show up and move forward. There's relief in this. I'm still learning how to do this. God's love carries me through.

I see God everywhere.

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Photo by Johua Hoehne , Unsplash

 

JESUS AS BREAD IN LIFE

Think About It

Bread is common to experience in most cultures, both past and present. My grandmother, my mother, myself, and my daughter all were known to make homemade bread. The yeast in the bread gives the pungent taste to the dough and pleasant smell as it bakes. 

In third grade I memorized the verse, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." It was the first verse in a little red booklet of verses. I was on the top bunk and my little sister was on the bottom bunk. I taught it to her, then we recited it together. We said the verse many nights before we said our prayers. I wondered at its meaning. Somehow I knew it was an important concept.

Scripture mentions bread in many passages besides the Last Supper. Some are well known.

"Give us this day our daily bread." We ask God for our daily sustenance. Spiritual sustenance, physical sustenance, God's enabling for the day; the bread is like manna in the desert. We are given what we need.

"Cast your bread upon waters." We share what God gives. The bread multiplies. It becomes spiritual nourishment to many. Freely received, freely given.

"I am the bread of life." Jesus is the bread of life. He is the source of our spiritual sustenance. He gives to us what we need for the day. He is the supplier. We are the receiver.

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

Jesus is the bread of life. Let's expand on the thought. Our daily supply for what we need is found in Jesus. What an astounding realization. Dwell on the thought for a moment. He is all that and more. I'm thinking of the many ways Jesus meets my needs, day after day; be they emotional, physical, relational, spiritual, or financial. I depend on His sustenance. Just wow!

These Covid-19 months have been hard for everybody everywhere. I've listened to the stories of family and friends. One elderly widow said how she got up, couldn't see any purpose in the day ahead of her. She didn't bother to get dressed for the day. After all, she couldn't go out, and no one could come to visit her. So she went back to bed. Isolation is not natural for us.

Jesus understands. He is with us even when we are all alone. I get discouraged. I get lonely. I live like a hermit except for the occasional family visitor. Jesus holds my hand as we walk through it together. He gives comfort and strength. He is bread in new ways not experienced before 2020. I depend on Him to meet my emotional needs and to provide my spiritual filling. We need Him all the more when our access to human contact is limited.

Every experience in life teaches us something more. I call this the power of more. We are empowered by the things we know for sure. I know God is with me. I know Jesus will give me my daily bread. I know there is life in what He gives which will last me as long as needed. I know I am here for a purpose; one that has positive repercussions.  I also know I can't do life well without Jesus.

Application

• A - Accept the Bread of Life  
• B - Believe on Jesus Christ as your Savior. 
• C - Confess your sins; Cherish Christ's life in you. 

We have been given everything we need in Jesus Christ. When you pray the Lord's prayer, think through what you are saying to God. Pray each phrase and meditate on its meaning. This prayer impacts every aspect of life. Jesus is pleased when we want Him. He expects us to rest in Him. He is the lifter of our souls even during a pandemic.

The Lord's Prayer aka Our Father:

• "This is how you should pray: 
• 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, 
• Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
• Give us this day our daily bread.
• Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
• And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'" 
• Amen
  

(Matthew 6:9-13)

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Photo by Dominda Perera, Unsplash