Antigone7

Jesus Loves You

I read this today:

Now, most Chris­tians (at least the ones that know the Bible) would point out that God only loves believ­ers — that unbe­liev­ers are looked upon with wrath by God… not with love.

Jesus loves you no matter who you are or what you believe or whether you believe in him or not. He still loves you. He’s like the kid at school that no one wants to talk to.  He reaches out his hand to you, and says, “Be my friend. I can help you code better than you ever will alone.” And you answer back, “Nah, knowing you is too much baggage; no one will talk to me. And besides I write pretty awesome code, as it is.” So you live your life, and you do write really awesome code. But then you’re 110, and dying. And you’re walking toward the light at the end of the tunnel that everyone sees. And then you see, there’s that kid again with his hand out. And you say to yourself, “Oh whatever, I can be his friend now; there’s nothing to lose.” And you take his hand, and then you suddenly realize that being his friend would have been no trouble at all. And he would have helped you code better than you ever did alone.

What Does God Require of Us?

We want to do good works for the Lord.  We want to serve others.  But sometimes no matter how good all our ministry or service is, we become “chaff driven by the wind.” We run and run, serving here and there. But we just get worn out, exhausted, and used up. But is this what God wants from us?

Micah 6:8 says:

He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
(NASB)

In Mathew, Jesus says:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
- Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)

These two sets of verses say the same thing.  “Do justice” and “love kindness” - “Love your neighbor.” “Walk humbly with your God” - “Love the Lord your God.”

That’s all that’s required of us. The rest is only good.

Plans

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jer 29:11 (NIV)

This is a great verse for young people; it’s especially appropriate for writing in graduation cards.  It implies that God has a plan for your life; look forward to it with hope; you can go anywhere and do anything.

That’s great for young people when their life out in the big world is just beginning, but what about someone older.  What if your life abruptly changes? What if a spouse leaves? What if you get laid off or need to leave an intolerable job? What if you’re creeping up on retirement age? What then?

The verse from Jeremiah doesn’t mention age or what’s happened to you. No matter where you are in life, this verse is still true.  You have a future, and God has plans for you.

We Are His

Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

 ~ Psalm 100:3 (NIV)

The Lord is God; He can do anything.  He made us.

We are His; we belong to Him; He will care for us.

Slander

It’s easy to complain about people and what they do. We all do it. We expect better from people - our spouse, children, friends, co-workers - than they are able to do.  David says something about this:

I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
       when will you come to me?
       I will walk in my house
       with blameless heart.
[…]
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
       him will I put to silence;
[…]
My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
       that they may dwell with me;
       he whose walk is blameless
       will minister to me.
[…]
From Psalm 101 (NIV)

David says that he won’t tolerate slander, that he would lead a blameless life, and that he would silence those who talk about others.  More importantly he says that he would look to those who are faithful and blameless to minister to him. 

So what are we doing today? Are we talking about others or listening to the slander of others? Or are we blameless so that we can minister to others?

Amazing Love

Chris Tomlin’s “Amazing Love” says,

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,
I’m accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,
Because You died and rose again.

The song goes on to say,

Amazing love,
How can it be
That You, my King, should die for me?

We’re forgiven. Jesus forgave us. He forgave us for anything we’ve ever done or anything we might ever do. He’s forgiven us because He loves us with an amazing love. He forgave us by dying for us even though He is our king.

In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asks Jesus about forgiveness.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”  Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.  -NIV
(Note: Some translations say “seventy times seven times.”)

People sin against us all the time.  The are neglectful of us; they make our jobs more difficult or impossible; they ignore us or make fun of us. they say things that hurt us. Sometimes people are cruel and abusive to us.

But even then Jesus says to forgive them.  Why? Because He’s forgiven us. And His Spirit is within us. His amazing love for us makes it possible for us to forgive over and over again.

God’s Love

When Jesus began His ministry, He went to the synagogue in Nazareth, and read from Isaiah (Ch 42 and 61):

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
(Luke 4:18-19, NIV)

Then Matthew says of His ministry,

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. (Mat 4:23-24, NIV)

Then later when John the Baptist was in prison, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus,

“Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” ( Mat 11:3-6, NIV)

Near the end of His ministry, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest!” (Mat 21:9, NIV)

Then when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, He drove the money-lenders out of the temple, saying that God’s house should be one of prayer, and not a den of robbers. But He did something else, as well,
“The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.” (Mat 21:14, NIV)

So Jesus began and ended His ministry by telling people the good news of the kingdom of God and healing people everywhere He went.

Jesus came to tell us how to know God, and to heal our hurts, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. He came to show the love God has for each of us, not just by telling the news of the kingdom, but with the real, tangible evidence of healing. Jesus wanted us to know how much God loves us. Jesus showed that love even more by becoming the ultimate sacrifice for us when He died on the cross.

Jesus came, not only to bring the good news of God’s kingdom to us, but He died to bring us to God. That’s how much He loves us.

Rain

All day Michael W. Smith’s song “Healing Rain” has been humming through my head. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t rain much, but today it’s rained all day.

Healing rain is coming down
It’s coming closer to the lost and found
Tears of joy, and tears of shame
Are washed forever in Jesus’ name
- Michael W. Smith, “Healing Rain”

Rain always reminds me of washing the earth, making everything new, making flowers grow. And for Christians that’s what salvation does - washes the sin, the wrong, away forever, and brings new life with Jesus -  being “washed forever in Jesus’ name.”

A New Year

2010. A new year. A new decade. It sounds like the future - the future that would never come, but it’s here, right now, today. What will it bring? A blogger I read posted that they were glad it was a new year because it was one year less on earth. And while that is true and life with Jesus in heaven is something to look forward to, there is something even more exciting to look forward to this year.  And that is still a life with Jesus, but here, right now, today. He is here with us, to help us, to guide us, to answer our prayers, to help us believe, to help us live for Him. And that’s what I’m looking forward to in this new year, a future with Him, here, right now, today.