maturity

Galatians 3:23-25 (The Message):

"Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar; who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for.

But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God."



Vs 23: We had the law until we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, the Holy Spirit

We have long been surrounded and protected by the law, the rules and traditions of our churches. It is time to walk in  the maturity given to us by God to respond freely in faith to the living Spirit of
God residing in us. It is time to stop doing things JUST because that is how we have always done them. It is time to stop relying on tradition and rote for our salvation. It is time to look to the living God who is leaning towards us, yearning for relationship with us, wanting us to hear and understand the love, the joy, the forgiveness, the redemption, the salvation, the life that he is speaking to us every minute of every day.

Vs 25: We have arrived at our destination, a direct relationship with God, through faith in Christ.



Rejoice! devotional (June 25, 2016) by Tyler Hartford:

"When our lives are reoriented toward Christ, outward appearances might not change, but our personality is transformed and renewed. Only when we clothe ourselves in Christ and allow him to change our behavior does harmonious unity become possible."



Unity with God and those around us becomes possible when we choose to look beyond our own wisdom, our own preferences, our own wants, and allow the living Spirit of God to transform us into the likeness of Christ.




Rejoice! devotional prayer from the same article as above:

"Holy Spirit, there is so much about me that cannot be changed, but help me clothe myself with you."




Amen.

true freedom

When someone treats me badly or rudely or just not the way that I think they should, I need to acknowledge the pain that I feel, give it to God, and then choose not to walk around with "hurt feelings".

I have treated God callously, ignored him, disregarded his wisdom and direction, sinned against him and in return God has loved me, shown me mercy, forgiven me, and always stayed turned towards me with open arms.



Oh God, help me choose to love, show mercy, forgive and remain turned towards others with open arms.

Christ, you are my example. You reached for the outcasts, the sick, the sexually immoral, all those regarded as sinners of the worst kind. You, also, reacted with strong words and actions against the Pharisees; the religious leaders, those who had grown up in the "church", those who had judged others, those who should have known the Father's heart; me. You called them white-washed tombs, perfect by all appearance on the outside but full or disease, decay, jealousy, anger, judgement, unforgiveness, greed, self-righteousness, death.

Oh God, forgive me for being a Pharisee, sure of my salvation because of my religious upbringing and knowledge, because of my rejection of the "obvious" sins, because of my own self-righteousness.

God, help me be like Jesus, who knew who he was because he was in you, Father, and you were in him. Help me accept your salvation, based not on what I do but on what you did, and share THAT salvation with all others. You yearn for all of your children, sinners and Pharisees, to live in freedom in you. Help me feel the same yearning and choose to love and reach out to all the other Pharisees and sinners around me according to your wisdom.

I praise you, my God, my Saviour, my Guide. You are the Three-in-one and my All-in-all. It is only in you that I live and move and am who you created me to be.

Oh, God, help me to walk in freedom; freedom from sin, pride, condemnation, self-righteousness and "hurt feelings". Freedom to run and dance in love, mercy, grace, joy, humility, with arms open wide to those around me so that they can know your love, forgiveness and salvation.

In you alone. Amen.

the PLAN

If a merciful, loving God put into action a PLAN to have his Son harmed and killed by evil men for my redemption, how can I not be willing to be hurt and mistreated by others, according to God's PLAN, in order to show redemption to others?

longing and purpose

Sometimes it's easy to rest in the knowledge that this is not my final home; that this aching, this longing is as it should be.

It's what keeps me searching and yearning for you, oh God.

Many days though, God, I need your help to choose contentment, to understand that it is your Spirit residing in me that completes me here.

That's what keeps me yearning and searching for ways to show you, oh God, to others.

identified by Christ's love

I do not want to be identified or defined by what I am against, but by the showing of the characteristics of the One who saved and forgave me.

I will not be effective in showing anyone the path to acknowledgement of and forgiveness for sin if I do not first feel the Father's love for them.

Think of the sin that most offends you in others. Are you, am I, being asked to pray for, intercede for, plead for those who struggle with and/or give in to that sin? Do you, do I, love them enough, even as Christ loves them, to sacrifice yourself, to sacrifice myself, for them?

love

Does someone else's sins take away my salvation? Does someone else's sins even threaten my salvation?

I am saved because I accepted Christ's sacrifice for my sake, for my sins.
You are saved because you accepted Christ's sacrifice for your sake, for your sins.

Your choices or sins, even the ones you don't acknowledge as sins, cannot take my salvation from me.
My choices or sins, even the ones I don't acknowledge as sins, cannot take your salvation from you.

I am first commanded to love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind. Then I am commanded to love my neighbor as myself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

If I cannot love my neighbor as myself because I do not love myself then I need to immerse myself in the Lord my God, my Creator in order to see myself as he sees me. If  I do not choose to love that person whose behavior or lifestyle offends me or goes against God's commandments, love them as myself, then I am not worthy to do anything about it. I cannot even confront them about their sins or talk to others about it. If I am unable to love them, I must go to God for help with the "log" in my eye.

God, show me how to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind.

God, show me how to love myself as you love me, so that I can love my neighbor, my brother, my sister as you love them.

God, help me first to love so that I am worthy to be used by you to show others your Light, your Word, your Life.

Oh God, use this weak and broken vessel, that is only made whole by your forgiveness, grace and love, to show others love, forgiveness and grace.

home

Whenever my attention is drawn to the sky, whether it be the beautiful colors of a sunset or the ominous, awe-inspiring clouds of an impending storm, my thoughts go to the Bible account of the disciples looking to the sky as Jesus ascended to Heaven after his death and resurrection.

My heart aches to see Jesus.

My soul longs to go home.

I look forward to spending eternity with an unadulterated, unobstructed view of the face of my King, Lord and Savior.