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.
1 Corinthians 14: 1-3 Let love be your highest goal, but also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives, especially the gift of prophecy. For if your gift is the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking to God but not to people, since they won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. But one who prophesies is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting them. I’ve found that the gift of speaking in tongues is either greatly sought after or greatly despised. To some degree, it seems much more common than the gift of prophecy. I’ve only known a handful of prophets, but I’ve met many people who speak in tongues. The verses make an interesting distinction between the two gifts. Speaking in tongues is speaking to God, but it doesn’t necessarily edify or help others in the church. But prophecy can be helpful, encouraging, and comforting. This is very true. I have a dear friend who has the gift of prophecy, and her words have encouraged me countless times when I was struggling and frustrated. In a sense it’s a little confusing sometimes, if the prophecy comes in the form of a vision, but it’s also very soothing to be reminded in a physical sense that God’s it worked out. I think the gift of prophecy would be an amazing gift to have, but I’d imagine a prophet would need lots of courage. I tend to think of prophecy as always encouraging, but I’m sure there are times when God sends a message that is less welcome to the recipient. That would be a bit scary to deliver. Think back to some of the prophets in the Bible, like Elijah and Elisha. Boy, people were so happy about their messages that they almost got killed on a regular basis! Thankfully, I don’t think the dangers are quite so extreme today, but it could still be an act of faith to speak a message that is not wanted. But, to those of us who don’t have these amazing gifts, like prophecy, there is love. And Paul says that this is greater than any gift. Yeah for us! Love is something everyone can do and everyone has access to. It’s not something that we have to be given (although God pours it on us continually) and it’s something that we can easily do for others (small acts of love and kindness aren’t that difficult). So, while I think it would be amazing to be able to prophecy, Paul says that my highest goal should be to love others. And that’s something I can do today with the people I have around me… starting with my classroom full of students.
1 Corinthians 10:31 Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God. I’m starting a new semester today at my job. And because we’re on block scheduling, one of my classes will be completely new and the other two will be a little mixed up with new students. It’s always a little nerve-wracking walking in on that first day of class to discover what those students will be like. Last semester my kids were, for the most part, great. I had a good time teaching them. I’m hoping and praying the same for this semester. Sometimes it’s really hard to remember to do things that glorify God when I get frustrated with my students. There are a lot of times when I don’t show God’s love very well. And especially with my students, many of whom come from families where they don’t see their parents much or don’t have a parent to live with, I may be the only person who cares about them during the day. That’s sad and scary, especially when I get irritated and am short with them. So, as I start this new day with new students (mostly), I’m praying that God would give me a supernatural love for my students, exceptional patience, and joy in the students that I have this semester. I’m also praying that I would truly be “Jesus with skin on” for my students and show them the love that Jesus showed me. … And if you’re a praying person, would you mind praying that, too?
Romans 16:25 God is able to make you strong, just as the Good News says. It is the message about Jesus Christ and his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. I’m thankful that God can make me strong because there are so many areas where I need strength today and every day. Today I need strength to forgive and to love because I’m dealing with a situation where I’m expected to put someone first by someone who isn’t doing the very thing I’m supposed to do. Confused? That’s okay. I’m just being a mom trying to protect her cubs. Sigh. I’m thankful for this situation because it’s making me more patient, and because when we finally have our own home, there are so many many things I will be grateful for.
I was reading Skip Moen’s blog this morning, and instead of the usual digging into a particular verse or concept, he addressed a concern by one of his readers about simplicity and losing the simplicity of salvation and grace in the complexity of the Old Testament life. You can read the post here. It’s really interesting. In a lot of ways I agree with the three points that the gentleman made to Skip. But at the same time I’m fascinated by the complexity of Jewish life and love seeing the connections between their lives and the symbols used by God when He speaks to His prophets, or when Jesus tells His stories. What do you think? Have we lost the simplicity of the message of Christ by burdening it with our own set of rules and regulations? Do we encumber ourselves with Old Testament law when it should just be about the love and sacrifice of Yeshua? If that’s the case, what role does the Old Testament have for us today (why did God think it was important to include books like Deuteronomy and Numbers?)? I’m not sure what the answer is, but I’d be interested in your thoughts.
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 12:9 Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. This is an area where my husband really shines, and I wish I could do better. He stands up for what is right all the time, even when it’s not popular or easy. He hates injustice and works really hard to make sure he’s fair and good to his employees. At his work place, he constantly fights to make sure those under him don’t get thrown under the bus by corporate and often stands up against those higher up than him in order to make sure somebody says what is true and right. I, on the other hand, tend to be more timid and less courageous to stand up when everyone else is doing something else. It’s gotten me in trouble in the past, and it frustrates me that I’m not always strong enough to stand firmly in what I know is right. Now, I’m a horrible liar, which is a good thing, so if someone asks me what I think I’ll probably tell them (couched in the nicest possible terms, of course). This irritates me about myself. I want to be courageous and bold, but I’m not. Pretending to love people is something that I see a lot, especially in workplaces. It’s expected that everyone will smile and be nice to each other and generally “fake it.” As mentioned above, I’m awful at lying and am pretty bad at the smile and fake it game. This can be really annoying, or it can be really good. At my job right now, it’s bad because my boss wants everyone to have “a good attitude” which equates to smiling and being happy and cheerful and positive all the time. I struggle with this because I’m not always thrilled with things all the time and pretending that I am makes my stomach flip. However, being “real” with him about my concerns and frustrations would get me fired. Sad. So, from this verse I realize two things… my husband is an awesome man (I already knew this, but it’s always nice to be reminded) and there are ways I wish I could be more like he is, and I need to work on loving everyone in my life, even the unlovable ones who drive me nuts.