Galations 2:20 I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. This is one of those verses that is very deep and is often quoted in Christian circles. The part that caught my attention today wasn’t the first half, though, but the last. I live… by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me… I like that. This week it’s really been rough for John (and me by default). It seems that everywhere he turns something is crashing down or falling to pieces. Yesterday it was the schedule that he had written at work, as several people called in last minute and he was left scrambling to cover their positions. Before that it was an irate guest and a demanding client. At his work, only he and his supervisor are the only ones that haven’t been fired (or quit), so it feels like the rope is fraying and it’s just a matter of time before they get replaced, too. At home things are touchy and kind of like egg-shells. We are truly in the hands of God right now. But for His mercy, John would be unemployed and we would be in big trouble. We (or at least I) live by trusting God to provide for us each minute of each day. And He’s been so faithful to put people in our lives who love us and give us opportunities to make up the differences. He loves me. It’s such a simple statement, but it’s so profound. And it makes all the difference in the world. If He didn’t love me, nothing would matter. It’s His love that keeps the sun rising and setting. It’s His love that protects me and my family. It’s His love that provides for us. It’s His love that holds me through rough times. I am blessed by His love. I am blessed to still have a job when so many are unemployed. I am bless to have such a wonderful husband and children. I am blessed in so many ways. And it all starts with His love.
2 Corinthians 5:16 So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, as though he were merely a human being. How differently I think about him now! The first part of this verse caught my attention. It’s a good reminder that we are called, by Christ, to stop judging people by the way others see them. Jesus loved people. He loved them whether they were good or bad, whether they were tax collectors (who were horribly hated) or adulterous women (a crime that carried a death penalty) or everyday citizens. The world judges people by what they look like or what they do or how they live. Even if we totally disagree with that part of their lives, Jesus still loves them. And we should to. We don’t have to love their actions or their lifestyle, but we should love them and accept them and try to be Jesus with skin on (showing them His love). Jesus never condemned people (except for the religious leaders – isn’t that ironic?). We shouldn’t either. I can hear you now – but Jesus was God! He was super-human. It was easy for Him to do that. Maybe. He was in a human body with human emotions. And even if he did have an easy time doing that, it’s His strength that He gives us that help us to be like Him. We’re not in this alone. God loves us. We should love others. The end.
2 Corinthians 4:9 We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. I am feeling hunted this morning. At work I feel like “Big Brother” is watching every move I make so he can pounce on any small mistake to use against me. And now, I get that feeling at home, too. I haven’t felt like this since I was a child. It’s really frustrating because I can’t ask the questions I want to ask or make the observations that I want to make. So, I’m praying for God’s grace and patience in the situation. This verse spoke to my heart because God doesn’t abandon me. He’s not like the watchful, vengeful spirits or people that are just waiting for something to comment on or use to make a point. He doesn’t lay in wait for me to make a mistake or do something he doesn’t like. He is always there and doesn’t leave me when I’m in a precarious position. When I feel crushed under the weight of the fishbowl, He is there to give me His support so that I can get back up and keep going. That’s what I need now.
1 Corinthians 15:58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. There are a lot of times when I feel like the things I do are useless and don’t seem to make a difference. But this verse is encouraging because it says that nothing I do for God is ever useless. I guess an example of this would be the experiences I had a long time ago in college. I’m not sure if I did them for God or if, rather, they were done to me to be used by God. But, whatever the case, they were not useless experiences because God can, and has, used them to touch other people’s lives. He has been faithful to turn death into life. Also, just because I can’t fix a situation doesn’t mean that it was worthless. I’m not meant to fix every situation. That’s not my role. That’s God’s role, if He chooses t fix it. Not doing something because I feel like I can’t fix it is a bad excuse. Nothing I do, if God is at the helm, is useless. It also says to be enthusiastic about God’s work. Sometimes I find myself mentally moaning about the perception of something I should do because I think it’ll be a lot of work, or it seems like something I don’t want to do. An example, sometimes I dread working with people less fortunate than me because I feel awkward or afraid, and I don’t know what to say or do. But, I should welcome these opportunities and dive in enthusiastically. To hold back is pride and fear, and neither of those are things I want to work further into my life. It’s easy to be enthusiastic about the stuff I want to do, but it’s being enthusiastic about the other things that helps me to grow and lets God work more good stuff into my life.
Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements. Love. It pretty much sums up the entire Bible and all of Christianity in one word. Not that Christ followers are always very good at loving others. Clearly that’s not true or we wouldn’t have a somewhat tarnished reputation (tele-evangelists anyone?). Christ followers are human and therefore, flawed. But we are all called to love the people around us. That’s not always as easy as it seems. There are a lot of people in this world that it’s really, really hard to love. Like that woman at work who lied about what she did, blaming you for it. Or the husband who cheated on his wife. Or the child molester or murderer. (I struggle here, especially since I have children.) No matter who the person is, no matter what he or she has done, we are called to love. We aren’t called to love what he or she DID or DOES. We are called to love the PERSON. Jesus doesn’t love our actions. More often than not, they hurt Him. However, He loves us more than words could ever say. And that is the point of it all.
Romans 10:3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Instead, they are clinging to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. They won’t go along with God’s way. Man! Isn’t this the human way to do things? God has a way for us that is good (and maybe difficult), but we stubbornly persist in doing it our way! We don’t go along with God’s way because, of course, our way makes more sense or seems easier or we “have a good feeling about this”. I know I’m guilty of this. So often I do the same thing over and over and over, ignoring God’s way because I’m too busy doing it my way. I think that’s called tunnel vision. Maybe it’s called pride, too. Sometimes we don’t do things God’s way because we think it can’t possibly be that easy. For example, here it’s talking about salvation. Just believing seems so ridiculously easy that it can’t possibly be the right way. But it’s that simple. It says so just a few verses down – Romans 10:10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. And later in Romans 10:13 For “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. We must like to complicate things… which could be partly because of our guilty consciences and the whispers of the Enemy of our souls, “you’ve got to do more, be better, to be saved.” But Jesus did all the work, and because He loves us so incredibly much, we reap all the benefits simply by believing that His hard work made us right with God. And, yes, it’s that simple.
Romans 9:18 So you see, God shows mercy to some just because he wants to, and he chooses to make some people refuse to listen. This has always been a point that amazes and kind of saddens me. God created and creates some people to refuse to listen, to be the “bad guys” in history. For example, He made Pharaoh in Egypt refuse to listen and let the Israelites go so that He could show His glory through the situation. He chose Jacob, but rejected Esau (even before they were born). So, God makes some people bad in order that His glory may be shown more clearly. I guess it’s kind of like bad things happening. God could stop all of them and we’d never suffer, but then God’s miraculous provision and mercy wouldn’t be as obvious. I don’t think we’d depend on Him as much if we never had a need. So, God’s allowing or creating some people to be the bad guys makes His glory and His love and His mercy shine that much more significantly. Maybe that’s why God still saves those people who are on death row for horrible crimes against people. He made them, too, and maybe they’re like Pharaoh, chosen to reject God for a purpose, but given a chance for repentance in the end so that all people may come to know the love of Christ. That’s pretty hard to fathom, and I’ve never understood how God could love some people like child molesters and murderers who torture people. But if I look at it in light of this verse (and the other ones in context), it makes a little more sense.