GOD’S LOVE MOVES US

GOD’S LOVE MOVES US
THROUGH MANY STAGES – as we grow with God, through prayer and action. As we live with God every day, the love that is God moves us into new and unknown experiences. We may not feel ready until we are tested. If God is moving us, then we are ready. God has been preparing us for new and bigger challenges God needs us to face. We have been given lives of purpose, in order to help change the world and bring it into God’s sphere of love. God needs us. If and when we have taken God into our hearts, we will begin to know how God wants us to help in the plan of transforming the world with love. This is not the burden the world tells us it will be. Just when we are feeling overwhelmed, we can remember these words of Jesus, from Matthew 11, and know God is and will always provide the support we need to do God’s work – 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Because we are human and imperfect, we have trouble relying on this promise from Jesus. When we are living with God in our hearts, we may take a leap and do something to see if it is true. God will forgive our testing and lack of trust, while providing just what Jesus said would happen. Our burdens no longer feel heavy and the weight is literally lifted from us. It becomes easier to do this the next time. We move forward in our path of learning how to love God, ourselves and the world.

When we allow God to live within our hearts, we keep moving forward, changing into the person we were created to be, instead of being weighed down by the world. Each time we let our day move toward living with God, we grow closer to loving God from our very souls. When we approach this level of loving God, our selves have not disappeared. We have actually become brighter and our light shines into the darkness of the world, a beacon to those looking for God’s light and truth. As we love God from our souls, we will see more clearly how we have been created to share what we have been given, in ways that glorify God and honor the work of God’s transforming love in the world. Everything that we find joyful to do has some practical application God has in mind for our ministry in the world. Even our past suffering has a purpose in God’s matrix. Our lives are blessed with purpose, in this life and beyond. That is the connection at the soul level – that we know God’s love is with us every step we take. Our steps are sure and untroubled. We will be contributing substantially in this life and beyond, to the great work God is doing in our midst – of loving us and loving creation without boundaries or limits. God will transform creation and needs us all to be a part of this vital work. When we reach for God from our souls, we will know the certainty of this love and mercy transforming all the ugliness and hatred in the world and we will see our part in God’s plan.  God of love and mercy, we want to be your servant in the work of transforming the world through love. Bless our souls and help us see the vision of what our place in your work is. We are grateful for the transformative power that is working within all of us.  Amen.     PEACE    

FROM MIND TO HEART TO SOUL

OUR LOVE FOR GOD
MOVES FROM MIND TO HEART TO SOUL – as we grow in our bond with God.
Growth in our relationship with God comes in stages as we grow in our faith – through life experiences, our ability to allow God to work in us and our level of trust which we are able to place in God – for whatever we are facing. This is accomplished through reading scripture, prayer, discussion with others and most importantly, listening to the Holy Spirit. We can get stuck at different stages, finding it hard to move on past where we are and move further into our relationship with God. Many of us, probably the majority of us in the world are unable to get past the mental idea of God. We rationalize the truths God has for us and are not able to take them to an emotional level. We have discussed this often in the blog – how fear stops us from moving forward and growing. This phenomenon happens at any stage in our growth. As we grow closer to God, it will be less likely to happen. Prayer is the tool that will help us overcome the obstacles, whatever they may be. The Spirit will help us. Our fear of things in the world can creep into how we see God. This does not have to happen. God is steadfast in the unconditional love offered to us and our sins are forgiven before we even do them. Such is the depth of God’s love for us. Because of the world and what it constantly says, it is difficult for us to take that in. If we are relating to God on an intellectual level, then we are blocked by the world’s view of how unlikely and illogical God’s actions and motives are. God still loves us anyway. The Holy Spirit is always present in us – to hear our fear or misunderstanding and to guide us toward the truth.

36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ Matthew 22  A smaller number of us, with God’s guidance, have seen God is in our very hearts and have been blessed with the gift of connecting at a deeper level, so that understanding how God works and why has been shown to us. How is this possible? Scientists have discovered there is brain tissue in the heart. This means the heart has much more capacity to use God’s wisdom and respond in the way Jesus says in Matthew 22, below. 

We are all given eyes to see and some of us have been able to use this sight to let God re-order our lives. Again, prayer is an important way we have of communicating with God, as well as other ways God develops through the wisdom of our hearts. Visioning, in our dreams or during the day, also becomes more important and happens more often. We will be given ways to operate in the world with more certainty, with the assurance we have from God. When we falter, the bond we have with God will bring us back sooner, as we grow in these experiences with God. Our hearts will make it possible to be more in tune with God’s love and purposes. God’s voice will be more certain within us, so that the voices of the world will not be as compelling, having less influence over us. We get to this level by wanting to connect more deeply with God and then letting God accomplish this within us. Again, we let God know our hearts through prayer and not necessarily with words.  Loving God, you know our hearts and our greatest yearnings for you. We do not have the words to express our dismay over the emptiness the world offers. Show us the fullness of your unconditional love in our hearts and teach us to express it to all whom we meet, that this love may spread and infect the whole world with its transformative power.  Amen.     PEACE     

34-36 ”When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?” 37-40 ”Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”  Matthew 22, The Message    

JESUS DIED FOR US ALL !!!

BY GOD’S LOVING GRACE
JESUS DIED FOR EVERYONE – yes all of us. “ God is the One who made all things, and all things are for God’s glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory, so he made the One, who leads people to salvation, perfect through suffering.” Hebrews 2: 10  When we consider this verse, we see part of God’s plan at work, that God loved us enough to plan his only son’s life with a purpose – to redeem our sin. There is nothing more considered and mindful than this. When God gave us free will, sin came into the picture. So God planned for a way to release the hold sin would have over those who ask for forgiveness.

As we approach the experiences of Holy Week – Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, we need to consider the suffering Jesus endured for each of us. In John 10 Jesus forewarns us that he is a “good shepherd” who gives his life for the sheep, who literally makes his body the door of the sheepfold, to protect the sheep from thieves and robbers who would not think twice about killing anyone who got in their way. We then hear that the authorities tried to take Jesus from the crowd, but he slipped through their fingers. Later in John 15 he directs all who heard him, to “love one another just as I have loved you”, and describes the extent to which this love should go – “the greatest love one can show is to lay down his [or her] life for a friend. You are my friends”, he tells us. We are called by God to live as Jesus showed us how to live. We gain strength when we humble ourselves before God and share a little of the suffering and sorrow endured for our sake. Consider and contemplate this and God will support us as we put ourselves into the place where Jesus showed us so much love as to lose his own life for our redemption. What an spectacular gift that is !!!  O loving God, we are humbled by the experiences of Holy Week and the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, for our sins. We are blessed by the unearned love you shower on us all. Help us to return your grace by loving those around us, no matter who they are. Guide us in the footsteps of Jesus in this present world, that we may be part of the reconciliation you have in mind for us all.  Amen.   PEACE  

JESUS ENTERED JERUSALEM

JESUS ENTERED JERUSALEM
KNOWING HE WOULD BE KILLED AND DID IT ANYWAY – with strength and courage, and to fulfill God’s goals. Near the end of chapter 13 in Luke, it says some Pharisees warned Jesus that the authorities were looking for him. “Herod Antipas wants to kill you!”  Jesus did not waver. He continued on his journey of teaching the disciples and preaching to the crowds that gathered, and those that were following him. We get two important messages from this: first that this ministry was too important to change the course he had set, and second, that he would not let fear get in the way of doing what God had set as his path to take.

It is all the more impressive, that we know how Jesus was determined to do God’s will, no matter what the risks or outcome. He entered Jerusalem as the next step in the great task of spreading the gospel, as God had shown him. He met the challenge with the strength and courage given him by God. Jesus modeled this for us, so we may do the same, relying on God as well, not in our own strength. The human side of Jesus felt pain and fear just as much as we do, but he opened himself to God, with the knowledge that God would support him in whatever he was asked to do. We, like Jesus, can know the ways God has ready for us, to follow our path, and persevere no matter what evil puts in our way. God’s love will support us in our faithfulness.   O God, who shows us our pathway, may we connect to you and know the way to dispel evil, when it blocks our pathway. We are thankful for the unwavering love we are shown, and the infinite forgiveness available as we stumble along toward the goal you have shown us. Guide us with your presence each day, as we share your love with others.  Amen.     PEACE    

IN A STATE OF EXPECTATION AND ABIDING

IN A STATE OF EXPECTATION AND ABIDING
AS THOSE WHO FOLLOW CHRIST – we are called to journey through life in this way. For many of us, this seems impossible to make happen. If we follow the advice we hear around us, even if it comes from a church source, what we hear may not be very helpful. The worldly influence in the church has so thoroughly melted into what many Christians think that it can be hard to figure out what is sound and what isn’t. So how do we get to this state of abiding in Christ? If this is our goal, then God’s grace will guide us, as we allow God to do that. In Matthew 11 we hear some good counsel.   28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”   As we talked about recently, this passage shows us how God gives us energy for the work we are called to do and all the other tasks in life. It comes to us through the connection to Jesus’ Spirit as we walk each day in this guidance.

When we abide in Christ, we will learn about how to live a life we are called to live. We will be shown the paths to walk and the ones to avoid. This is a product of a personal relationship, a part of our transformation into the life God wants for all of us. Through prayer and learning to hear God’s voice within us, we will come to the place of abiding in Christ. Through living in the grace from God, as we spend successive days abiding in Christ, we will be graced with the expectation that life will be different and joy-filled. Living in the abiding love of God in Christ, we will see and be grateful for the expectation and assurance of our days being filled with love, as long as we continue to allow God in Christ to abide within us. This comes from our allowing God to work in us. We give up control to God, knowing to the very core of our being, that God is better at guiding us than our feeble attempts are at making the right choices. We give up control to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves.

We can expect to be a part of a great movement of love and what that is able to accomplish. We will be able to expect a different world, one that is very different from what seems like the reality around us. We will be blessed with the vision of what the world as the new creation of God will look like and feel like. For many of us, this vision alone will get us through difficult days, and allow us to still have joy in our hearts, and an eagerness to face the next day too. Most of all, we will be given new eyes that allow us to see the world’s influences that we can reject, instead of letting them take us down destructive paths. God will be helping us make the choices for good. We will be able to see the choices toward love.   Great and loving God, we are grateful for your abiding love that comes to us in Christ. We are humbled by our invitation to be able to live and work in this state of abiding in Christ and the gifts that life brings with it. We are in awe of the choice we have to live in Christ each day and the expectation and assurances about a life lived in love can bring to us. Thank you for this opportunity and give us the strength and wisdom to use these experiences to share the love and vision with others around us. We pray in that abiding love of Christ for us.  Amen.     PEACE    

THE HOLY SPIRIT BRIDGES THE GAP

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN US
BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN THE BIBLICAL IDEAL – and our ordinary lives. To labor on through life’s difficulty, with only Biblical ideals is to leave God out of the process. Having the inspiration of the Bible as our only guide is leaving out the immediate revelation of the Holy Spirit – not acknowledging that God is with us now, to inspire and help us with the decisions we make and is present with us, always. If it is our aim, our heartfelt desire, to follow Jesus in the way we live, then we need to add the Holy Spirit’s input as well. In fact, we can not possibly live our lives for God without the Holy Spirit’s [God’s] input. This means we have to develop a relationship with God, however that might begin. Guessing what God wants, after reading the Bible stories is not fulfilling the path Jesus showed us. It would be like trying to follow directions to finish a project, with the directions written in an unknown language. We wouldn’t get very far into the project, and then get discouraged. So the Holy Spirit is our interpreter, helping to translate how we follow the general path and then to know what particular adaptations we need, to make progress toward completing the project.

The apostle Paul is the best-known example of those who relied on the Holy Spirit to do the work God had for them. The New Testament did not exist as we know it. There were very few written stories, so it was from the personal testimony of Barnabas and other early Christians, in addition through the Holy Spirit that Paul gained the authority to teach the gospel and plant churches, as well as pass that all on to us, through the letters he wrote to the new churches. Paul never knew the human Jesus, so he relied on the Holy Spirit to keep him on the path and to know what God wanted him to do in each situation. In Acts 14, we hear how Paul and Barnabas had preached God’s word to non-Jews and were received into the hearts of the people, while many Jews reacted with jealousy.  26 From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had completed. 27 When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there with the disciples for some time.  Barnabas and Paul were empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit, through God’s grace, to accomplish what God needed them to do.

Following Paul’s example, we are not able to faithfully accomplish what God wants each of us to do until we also have such a relationship. Then we will know how the Holy Spirit is helping us fulfill our call. God is with us, showing signs every day, to let us know we can trust God to be there, while helping us in our calling. Watch for the signs God is leaving for us to find, in our minds and along our path.  Loving God, who walks with us 24/7, we are grateful. You are always there to help our thinking and when we make our choices. Help us rely on you more and more, as those choices become more like the choices Jesus would make. You are with us as we encounter others. You put love and understanding in our hearts, so we may see others the way you see and love them and us, in all our imperfections. Help us trust the results of the choices we make, when those are the ones you would have us live out.  Amen.     PEACE     

GOD SHARES LIMITLESS LOVE WITH US

GOD SHARES LIMITLESS LOVE WITH US
AND THEN SUPPLIES ALL OUR NEEDS – out of love, not to manipulate us. Many through the ages have considered God as manipulative or coercive in how we are treated. It may seem like that to some of us. If we look at it from the perspective of what we know about God and God’s actions, we can see it differently. God is first and foremost acting from love. Creation came about through love and we are part of creation. God created us in order that we would have relationships with God and each other, all in an atmosphere of love and joy. Jesus reminded us that the two great commandments center on love. Since true love cannot be coerced, we were given free will, in order to love God through our choice.

Self interest is a part of everything we do, by design. So when we consider our choices in life, we naturally think of how they will affect us. When we make choices that lead us toward God, it will always be in our self interest because of God’s love for us. Choices toward God will never harm us. When Moses led the Israelites from Egypt into the wilderness, God supplied their need for food and water, but also a longing for God. They got distracted many times and got into a lot of trouble because they lost focus. We have been imprinted with a longing for God to match the longing God has for a relationship with each of us. That longing plays out in us in many ways and when we respond – it leads us to many blessings. It also leads us to the grace we have available to us. In Philippians 4: 19 Paul says, “My God will use the wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need.” So in love for all of creation and our creator – may we pray, as in verse 23, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”  Loving God, we are grateful for this grace-filled love, present from the beginning of creation, and given freely to us every day.  Teach us how to accept this gift, and then to share it with others, without limits.  Amen.     PEACE     

THE STRENGTH AND PASSION TO FIGHT INJUSTICE

THE STRENGTH AND PASSION TO FIGHT INJUSTICE
COMES DIRECTLY FROM GOD – and is channeled through us to fight for what must be, in order to bring God’s creation to fulfillment. Injustice of any kind is the antithesis of love. How can we possibly have an atmosphere of love and respect for one another while there is unjust behavior in the situation? Many have shown us that the way to combat injustice is that very love that shows us how we can live with tolerance and mercy for one another. Non-violent protests that began in Selma so many years ago were a weapon of love that eventually won the fight. Jesus own example of steadfast love and non-violent reactions to injustice can inspire us to ask God’s help in following that path.

Where there is injustice, there is judgment. Who of us is perfect enough to judge anyone else? We are reminded of this in Paul’s statement in Romans 3:  23 “Everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard, ” but we gain the strength and tools to fight injustice and judgment, with what we see in verse 24, “all need to be made right with God by grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ.”   Christ sets us free from sin, and gives us the gifts we need to fight injustice, through God’s grace, received through prayer. This means we have not earned any of it, but through the power of God, we are enabled to do God’s will, and fight the injustice around us. We can rise above unjust treatment, in the power we are given by God when we do it in the name of God and for the outcome God has set before us. I know this does not sound logical. However, throughout history there are examples of those who trusted in God and this process. There are far too many to be named. At anytime, when we can say “wait a minute, this is not right,” we have stood up for justice and have brought mercy into the situation. This is God working in us because it is only through God that we know what mercy is. May the power of God’s grace and love flow through all of us who ask for it, so that we too may fight injustice for God.   Loving and powerful God, we sometimes doubt your ability to work through us to change injustice. Help us to depend solely on your grace and love, working so powerfully in us to change the injustice in our world. Help us leave fear behind, that prevents any change for the good. Instead give us the courage to believe you will act through us in power, to show mercy and love to others, for your dear sake.  Amen.     PEACE    

LET US HEAR CHRIST’S VOICE

LET US HEAR CHRIST’S VOICE
AND THEN ACT – in response wherever it is needed. In Matthew 25, Jesus explains why we are called to respond to human need.  “35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ …  ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  More than 175 years ago, church folk from some of the Congregational Churches in Connecticut answered God’s mandate and followed what Christ would have done in the face of injustice. They visited African prisoners, taken from the ship Amistad, in the jail in New Haven, CT. Aid and comfort didn’t stop there. They figured out how to communicate with them, and then sued the government on their behalf, for their right to be treated as human beings, against the claim of their owners who thought of them as property.

The article linked below shows sketches of some of the captives. The faithful, seeing them as God’s children, while others viewed Africans as sub-human, saw to it that these captives were clothed, fed and sheltered until the landmark Supreme Court decision came down. Then the freed Africans worked and lived in Connecticut two years more, until they and more church folk raised the money to go back to Africa and establish the country of Liberia. I feel humbled by what these faith ancestors of ours did for those who had no voice in a foreign land. It was not a popular thing to do, as they listened to Christ’s voice. Those people who partnered with the captives were living out, in mercy, the words from Hebrews 13 – “Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!  3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. … For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. 6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear.”   O God, who loves prisoners and free people alike, we ask for your guidance in these troubling days, to act as our ancestors did, fighting injustice in whatever ways we can, knowing that you give us the wisdom and strength to do it, following Jesus’  path.  Amen. PEACE  

  http://news.yale.edu/2016/03/07/175-years-later-amistad-affair-lives-yale-library-s-collections

LIVING WITH GOD

LIVING WITH GOD
HOWEVER WE CAN DO IT – needs to be real for each of us. There are as many ways to begin a relationship with God as there are individuals created by God. God knows who we are and has placed in us unique ways to connect with our creator. It isn’t as hard to figure out these connections as we might think. For many of us, the touch point is a need we have. We only have to pay attention to the clues God gives us and not discount what is happening. Since God wants to be in a relationship with each of us, and knowing the exquisite care God has used in the creation of all that has been brought into being, how could we doubt that God has provided ways for each of us to make the connection to our creator?  Psalm 23 speaks uniquely and profoundly of how we can know God in our lives, and what God is already doing in us.   1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.  2 God lets me rest in green meadows; I am led beside peaceful streams.  3 God renews my strength. I am guided along right paths, bringing honor to God’s name.  4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, Lord.”

As I have prayed about and thought about my childhood I can remember many experiences I had that were God connecting to me, letting me know there was a comforting presence offering unconditional love. When I learned to meditate, I discovered that God had been giving me a similar experience as a child when I would go to sleep. As I grew up in the church, I know that other people brought God to me, through scripture, by offering up what God meant to them, and living lives of love and devotion to God. God has ways of working within us, supporting us even before we come to God and commit our lives. God’s ways are often subtle. We need only watch, listen and feel for God, to realize how close God’s presence is. When we stop dismissing experiences we wonder about, it will no longer delay making a stronger connection to God. These hints are invitation, full of love, forgiveness and grace.   Loving and reaching God, we are grateful that you take us in and surround us with your gracious love. Help our senses to be open to knowing your presence around us and in each of us. Guide us to know the love and comfort you offer all of us, for the blessings it brings with it. May we use that love and comfort to share that love with others today, for all of us need to know this love.  Amen.     PEACE