Break the chains of slavery.

7Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you,brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
8Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10I appeal to you for my son Onesimus,[a] who became my son while I was in chains. 11Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
12I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. 15Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— 16no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
17So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask. (Philemon 1:7-21)

Slavery was universal in all ancient nations and the very economic basis of the old civilization. Slaves were employed not only in all the forms of manual and industrial labor, but also in many functions which required artistic skill, intelligence, and culture; such as especially the case in both the Greek and the Roman society. Their number was much greater than that of the free citizens. In the Greek civilization the slave was in better conditions than in the Roman; but even according to Greek law and usage, the slave was in a complete subjection to the will of his master, possessing no rights, even that of marriage.
Paul, as a Jew, had little of pagan conception of slavery; the Bible and the Jewish civilization led him already into a happier and more humane world. The bible mitigated slavery and enacted a humanitarian legislation respecting the ownership of slaves; but the Christian conscience of the Apostle alone explains his attitude towards Onesimus and slavery. One the one hand, Paul accepted slavery as an established fact, a deeply-rooted social institution which he did not attempt to abolish all at once and suddenly; moreover, if the Christian religion should have attempted violently to destroy pagan slavery, the assault would have exposed the Roman empire to a servile insurrection, the Church to the hostility of the imperial power, and the slaves to awful reprisals. On the other hand, if Paul does not denounce the abstract and inherent wrong of complete slavery, he knew and appreciated its actual abuses and evil possibilities and he addressed himself to the regulations and the betterment of existing conditions. He inculcated forbearance to slaves as well as obedience to masters (Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22; 4:1; Philemon 8-12, 15, 17; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9). He taught that the Christian slave is the Lord's freedman (1 Corinthians 7:22), and vigorously proclaimed the complete spiritual equality of slave and freeman, the universal, fatherly love of God, and the Christian brotherhood of all humanity.

For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
(Galatians 3:26-28; cf. Colossians 3:10-11)

Paul's letter is a personal one and can appear cryptic to outsiders. His tactful address to Philemon was labelled "holy flattery" by Martin Luther. Commending Philemon's Christian compassion, but at the same time subtly reminding Philemon of his apostolic authority over him, and the spiritual debt Philemon owes to him, Paul pleads with Philemon to take Onesimus back. Paul notes that because of his conversion, Onesimus is returned "no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother" (v. 16).
The German Protestant theologian Martin Luther saw a parallel between Paul and Christ in their work of reconciliation, which is also in fact contained within the concept of Christian Grace.
In our own way, we too are slaves to the situations and possessions in our lives. It might be beneficial during our times of slavery to read this letter from Paul to Philemon. When we realize that slavery can be a state of mind and not and not just a state of being, this letter may offer us the inspiration we need to turn to Jesus to help us break our chains of slavery.

Peace and love,

Sue


"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

Faith does not rest on the wisdom of humanity, but on the power of God.

1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

The words of any minister have authority only insofar as they are the repetition, unfolding and proper application of the words of God in Scripture. A minister's words have authority only when they stand under authority. The corporate symbol of that truth is the sound of your Bibles opening to the text. My deep conviction about ministry is that a minister must show the people that what he/she is saying was already said or implied in the Scriptures. If it cannot be shown it has no special authority.
My heart aches for the minister who increases his or her own burden by trying to come up with ideas to preach to his or her people. As for me I have nothing of importance to say. But God does. Of God's word, I hope and pray that I never tire of speaking.
When a person goes to church he or she often hears a minister in the pulpit rehash everything that he or she has read in the editorials, the newspapers, and the magazines.
However when a person comes to church, actually what he or she is saying to the minister, I know what the TV commentator has to say; I hear him every day. I know what the editorial writer has to say; I read it every day. I know what the magazines have to say; I read them every week. Minister, what I want to know is, does God have anything to say? If God has anything to say, tell us what it is.
Why is it so crucial that our faith not rest in the wisdom of humanity but in the power of God? Does it really matter what your faith is based on as long as Christ is the object of your faith? For Paul it made a great difference what a minister offers as the basis of faith.
Why?
This is why: if you try to base saving faith on the "wisdom of men" it ceases to be saving faith because the content of that faith is regarded as foolishness by the world's wisdom. The genuineness of faith, and with it eternal life, is at stake in the basis we offer for faith. It is possible to offer a basis for faith which ruins faith. There is a kind of foundation which will destroy the superstructure of faith. That is why it is so crucial for our faith not to rest in the wisdom of humanity but in the power of God, because if it rests in the wisdom of humanity it is a mirage, a bogus faith, it is a hollow faith.
Now I hope you will understand when I say: I come to you today as a person with many weaknesses (which you probably already know if you read my blog on a regular basis). It is not that I distrust the power and promise of God to speak through me, but that I distrust myself. It is not so much that I will fail, as the world counts failure, but that I might belive that I succeed on my own strength and wisdom, and so fail as God counts failure.
There is a kind of paradox here. We are told: Be anxious for nothing. "Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." (Isaiah 41:10) Yet Paul does have fear as he undertakes to preach the gospel, I have fear at the awesome responsibility of ministering the word on this blog. Is it because Paul and I lack faith? Partly, yes.
But there is another reason why we fear. During this age in which the sinfulness of the human heart remains even among God's people, and in which the temptation to self-exaltation and self-sufficiency is relentless, God has appointed that his servants fear with a profound sense of insufficiency so that we will never forget that it is God's power and not the wisdom of humanity which creates and sustains saving faith.
Therefore, do not put your faith in the minister of the word of God. If you do that, in the long run, you will only be disappointed. The minister of the word is only as good as his or her faithful understanding of the word of God as God reveals it them.

Peace and love,
Sue


"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

Humility is the root of all happiness.

[17] My son, perform your tasks in meekness;
then you will be loved by those whom God accepts.
[18] The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself;
so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord.
[20] For great is the might of the Lord;
he is glorified by the humble.
[21] Seek not what is too difficult for you,
nor investigate what is beyond your power.
[22] Reflect upon what has been assigned to you,
for you do not need what is hidden.
[23] Do not meddle in what is beyond your tasks,
for matters too great for human understanding
have been shown you.
[24] For their hasty judgment has led many astray,
and wrong opinion has caused their thoughts to slip.
(26] A stubborn mind will be afflicted at the end,
and whoever loves danger will perish by it.
[27] A stubborn mind will be burdened by troubles,
and the sinner will heap sin upon sin.
[28] The affliction of the proud has no healing,
for a plant of wickedness has taken root in him.
[29] The mind of the intelligent man will ponder a parable,
and an attentive ear is the wise man's desire.
(Sirach 3:17-29)

Humility is perhaps one of the most characteristic, yet least imitated of all Christian virtues. It stands in direct opposition to the deadliest of the seven deadly sins: pride, which C.S. Lewis called “the complete anti-God state of mind.”
Full of practical teachings on how to live a happy life, the book of Sirach is a distillation of centuries of accumulated Jewish wisdom. Humility has an attractive quality, which is why the truly humble person is loved more than a giver of gifts.
This isn’t just a piece of practical advice about how to conduct yourself at a dinner party; it is about our relationship with God. Pride is essentially rebellion against God. It is the most diabolical sin and the most insidious because the more we have it, the less we can see it in ourselves. The humble person, in contrast, sees himself clearly because he sees himself in relation to God. “God is immeasurably superior to yourself,” C S Lewis said. “Unless you know God as that, you do not know God at all.”
“It is the complete anti-God state of mind.” The cure for pride is humility, which not only acknowledges one’s unworthiness before God, but also imitates Christ who “did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). If pride is the root cause of human misery, then humility is the way to true happiness.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

God uses us in our weaknesses.

17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. (1Cor 1:17-25)

Paul had been bred up in Jewish learning; but the plain preaching of a crucified Jesus, was more powerful than all the oratory and philosophy of the 1st century world. This is the sum and substance of the gospel. Christ crucified is the foundation of all our hopes, the fountain of all our joys. By the death of Jesus we live. The preaching of salvation for lost sinners by the sufferings and death of the Son of God, if explained and faithfully applied, appears foolishness to those in the way to destruction. The proud and ambitious of the world see that the gospel opposes their favorite pursuits. But those who receive the gospel, and are enlightened by the Spirit of God, see more of God's wisdom and power in the doctrine of Christ crucified, than in all his other works.
God left a great part of the world to follow the dictates of man's boasted reason, and the event has shown that human wisdom is folly, and is unable to find or retain the knowledge of God as the Creator. It pleased him, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. By the foolishness of preaching; not by what could justly be called foolish preaching. But the thing preached was foolishness to wordly-wise people. The gospel ever was, and ever will be, foolishness to all in the road to destruction. The message of Christ, plainly delivered, ever has been a sure touchstone by which humanity may learn what road they are travelling. But the despised doctrine of salvation by faith in a crucified Savior, God in human nature, purchasing the church with his own blood, to save multitudes, even all that believe, from ignorance, delusion, and vice, has been blessed in every age. God uses the weakest instruments. These instruents used by God are stronger in their effects, than the strongest humanity can use. Not that there is foolishness or weakness in God, but what humanity consider as such, overcomes all their admired wisdom and strength. God continues to use us in our weakness and with us God can overcome the strongest of perceived human strength.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

Therefore keep watch.

42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:42-51)

One of the questions that the disciples asked of Jesus to prompt this discourse was: “When will this”, that is, the destruction of the Temple, and the end of the age, “happen?” Jesus did not answer this part of the question. Instead of telling them “when” these things would happen, he tells them: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come”. It is the wisdom of God that we should not know when the end will come, or when Jesus will return. Since we do not know “when” these things will happen, we must be ready at all times, as Jesus illustrated.
It is a test of our faith that we do not know when Jesus will return. It is the “faithful and wise servant” that lives his/her life as if Jesus could return at any time. The faithless ones assume, because of the long delay before his return, that he will never return. Their lack of faith leads to sin. “The delay of Christ’s coming, though it is a gracious instance of his patience, is greatly abused by wicked people, whose hearts are thereby hardened in their wicked ways.
However, mere disbelief in the Master’s return will not keep Jesus away: “The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of”. At that time, the wicked servant will pay the price of his disobedience.
Jesus promised us many times that he would return. If Jesus’ own promises are invalid, the entire Christian religion collapses to ruin. Jesus will return. He said he would. He will return at a time when we are not expecting him. We must all be prepared for his return, and obey his command to, “Therefore keep watch”.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

God is love.

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[b] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
(1 John 4:7-21)
Jesus' best-known command, 'Love one another,' is also the least obeyed. It's the most difficult thing Jesus asked us to do. Jesus' message was simple. You do not have to be a great scholar who has dedicated one’s life to religion with its traditions and practices or have an accurate understanding of religious teachings. You only have to be a person who cultivates love, compassion, and forgiveness towards others.
Jesus cut through all the nonsense concocted through the centuries and touches the very core of what is important in our lives: our relationship with God and our relationships with others. The person who is pleasing to God is focused on God and sensitive to all the pain and hurt that surrounds them. The accuracy in belief and disciplining human weakness are not important, but what is important is to love God and to care for others in need. These were teachings that were critical to Jesus. This was the Good News.
Jesus reveals to us a God who is wholly different from the vindictive and punishing God to which we were introduced in our youth. He was a God that Jesus knew intimately. Jesus expresses tenderness in his relationship with his Father. But most of all, Jesus prayed with expectation. He knew the Father heard his prayers and would respond. Jesus tried to teach us to pray in the same way; to pray to a God who already loves us as we are and who wants to give us all that is good for us.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

What makes us happy?

Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Is happiness a goal or a result of a goal achieved? Many people go through life seeking happiness, only to find it elude their grasp. Others always seem to be happy, even in the face of tragedy. Why is this so? Could those who seek happiness struggle to find it in the wrong places, with the wrong people, and with the wrong agenda? Is happiness a goal or a result of a goal achieved?

Psalm 1 proposed happiness was the result of a lifestyle. “Happy the person...” According to the psalmist, the happy person was one who avoided evil and studied the ways of God found in the Law. In other words, the happy person made God and his will (found in the Torah) the primary goal of life; “feeling good” was a secondary effect of faith. By implicit contrast, the unhappy person was the cynic and evil-doer, the one who cared little for God’s will, the one who thought he could make himself happy. By extending this logic a little further, the happy person placed God above self and lived for God; the unhappy person lived only for the self.
The faith-filled person is happy.” I have found that statement to be true by experience. The people I most admire are those who live happily with God. That commitment shades their entire existence in a joyful glow. Their smile is genuine, their love for their spouse and children overflows. These are the people I want to be around; these are the people I am proud to call my friends and my heroes. I find their happiness is infectious, because it finds its roots in something I value most of all: a deep love for God.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

How do we live our lives?

21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of spirit cried out, 24"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
25"Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." 28News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
29As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
32That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33The whole town gathered at the door, 34and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. (Mark 1:21-34)

The Gospel of Mark has much to say about the way we live our lives. Mark, at the outset, writes of "the way of the Lord," which is the way of Jesus. In one sense, the way of the Lord is literal: Mark depicts Jesus' journey from Galilee in the north to Jerusalem in the south. Far more significant are why Jesus takes the journey, how he goes about it and what he accomplishes. By depicting a literal journey as the setting for the way of Jesus, Mark invites us to join Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. We learn the way of the Lord by walking with Jesus. The Gospel of Mark, then, will inspire us, as individuals and as a church, to follow Jesus wherever he leads.
Jesus crammed as much into the day as possible for the glory of God and the good of God's children. He taught in the synagogue at Capernaum, cast out devils, and healed Peter’s mother-in-law and many in the city who were sick.
Every event in Jesus' life upon the earth, every word which fell from his lips, every act he performed, ought to be regarded by us as matters of immense importance and deep interest.
In all that he said, in all that he did, in all that he refused to do, Jesus is both our example and our teacher, showing us both what we are to believe and how we are to live in this world for the glory and love of God.
Martin Luther once wrote, "Christianity consists of personal pronouns." It is one thing to say, "Christ alone is Savior." It is another thing altogether to lift your heart to heaven and say, "Christ alone is my Savior." The demons of hell acknowledge the first. Only a child of God can truthfully state the last.
Being a follower of Jesus is not to simply reform your life or to follow a creed To be a follower of Jesus is to have the personal knowledge of Jesus Christ revealed in your heart by the Holy Spirit. It is not information in you, but Christ in you, which is the hope of glory. It is from this personal knowledge of Jesus that we gain an understanding of how we should live and how we are to love. Simply to know of Jesus is not enough. To be a true follower of Jesus is to carry Jesus within us; it is to have a personal knowledge and relationship with Jesus; it is to allow the Jesus within us to love and care for those we encounter on our journey through life.

Peace and love,

Sue


"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

Jesus heals us and wants us to heal one another.

1When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
3Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. 4Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
(Matthew 8:1-4)

Jesus is the same today as he was then and he still lives on earth through his Holy Spirit in us. We are his ambassadors. Through us, he wants not only to proclaim the gospel in words, but also to heal the sick. He wants to save people and set us free from captivity and sickness.
Why is it so difficult for us to expect and to experience that he heals our sicknesses? Unfortunately we can limit God through our thinking, through our beliefs, through things in our heart which we trust. Now we want to tear down these old walls and clear the way for Jesus, who is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for or even think of.
Just as we are healed by Jesus, our duty is not primarily to pray with sick people for healing, but we are instructed to heal them. This is possible only if we have the necessary faith in our heart. To receive this faith we should indeed struggle in prayer. This faith can be expressed in different ways. Some receive a word or an impression to bring healing to a sick person. This gives faith of the heart for the healing. Of course the sick person will then be healed.
We must seek Jesus, that he will change our hardened hearts, that he will fill us with a living faith which trusts in him. We must soak ourselves in his word and beseech him to change us into his image, to give us a heart after his heart. In this way we become his instruments to heal others and to bring others the gift of Jesus love. Just imagine the power we have if we have faith and trust in Jesus. With Jesus, there is nothing we cannot do.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

God is the just judge.

1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Cor 4:1-5)

The notion of divine judgment carries more than its share of religious baggage, thanks to those who enjoy using it to break the backs of prospective converts. At the same time, many of us consider it our inalienable right to judge others, to be the arbiters of commendation and degradation—especially when we can find a chance to approve ourselves and reprehend our neighbors.
In this passage full of judicial language, Paul speaks positively about God's judgment and warns those who would judge others within the Christian community. Behind Paul's comments lies a strong concern for unity. Paul emphasizes that Christian ministry and corporate existence must reflect a unity formed by the gospel, a unity threatened by an atmosphere in which people usurp or deny God's right to judge.
God will always be a fair and just judge. We cannot say the same about ourselves or others. God will judge kindly, gently, fairly, and compassionately. God will judge with loving eyes and with the object of bringing us back to himself.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

God uses us in our foolishness.

26Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." (1Cor 1:26-31)

God uses us our foolishness. This is something that is illustrated all throughout church history. Did you know that most of the movers and shakers of the Christian faith down through the years had no formal training in theology or church administration, or Christian education? Most had never been to seminary.
Don't get me wrong, we need to be grateful to God for what he has given us by way of education, experience and ability. But we must recognize that the power to do significant things for God, does not come from us, it only comes from God's power. The minute we begin to think that we can stand on our own ability and our own strength, we have lost the ability to influence people for eternity and advance the Kingdom of God.
Therefore, what Paul is saying that if we ever get to the point where we believe that our strength and effectiveness for ministry resides in who we are or what we've received through formal education, or business experience, or human abilities, we have lost the opportunity for God's power to show itself in our lives.
If you think you aren't useful to God because you don't have much, think again. When you come to realize that you have nothing that God needs, that's when he can unleash his power through you.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

We are God's Children.

1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3)

The intimacy of this truth is staggering. We all have different experiences of being the children of our earthly parents. For some of us, it was not easy growing up to sense being cherished and welcomed over and over by our parents. But what John is saying here is that our earthly experience is not as deep as the truth that we are truly children of God. We have come home, to our real home in God, the home we were always meant to one day know and enjoy. God heals our past as he not only says we are his children, but makes us truly his children in his son Jesus.
God has made us His children truly, really in Christ. We are now his daughters and sons, and while it is sometimes painfully obvious to us that we are still not living in that truth completely, we can set our hope in his completion of this work he has started in us. John wants to remind his readers of this awesome truth to encourage them to abide, live, obey out of hope in the greater work of God in our lives and in the lives of others.

Peace and love,

Sue




"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

Sorrowful endings. New beginnings.

1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5"Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'
8"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
15"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
16"Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' 19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. (Matthew 23:1-22)

The Roman Catholic Church has been losing both priests and congregation for many years. The Vatican has asked for us to pray for vocations and many have been doing so. The pope declared last year the year of the priest in hopes of focusing on the need for vocations, to encourage those who wish to serve God in a priestly ministry.
Although I believe that God always answers our prayers, God does not always answer them in the way in which we think appropriate or in a way that we determine is correct. In the vernacular of the day, "God does God's own thing".
So ironically, it was in this year of the priest that I said yes to the call to be a part of that priestly ministry, but not in the Roman Church. Instead I have been called to join the priestly vocation in the National Catholc Church. Now some will say I am committing a sin against the sacraments; some will say I have no right to seek ordination; some will say I am no better than a pedophile. But, my first question is, what will Jesus say? Will Jesus be angry with me for trying to enter a ministry that is solely open to men, by his own design? What did Paul mean when he said that we were all one in Christ? What did Peter mean when in Acts when he made reference to both men and women receiving the Holy Spirit and prophesizing?
It has not been easy to make this decision and leave the Roman Church. I have a comfortable place in my church. I have lots of friends. I am recognized by many. For a woman, I have done well in the Roman Catholic Church. But I feel Jesus calling me to give up everything and follow him. Giving up everything is not aways about things and money. In my case it is about people and friendships. My decision will cause some to turn away from me. It will cause some to look down on me. I will no longer be held in esteme in my parish church; I will lose many friends.
But, I know in my heart that Jesus walks with me on this new stage of my life journey, guiding my footsteps and carrying me when I no longer have the strength to walk. I know that even though everyone may turn against me, Jesus will remain at my side. So, who else do I need?

Peace and love,

Sue



"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

Do we follow the Pharisees of today?

42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:42-44)

Why did the Pharisees dislike Jesus?
The Pharisees disliked Jesus for many reasons, two of which I will list here.
1.) He was forcing them outside their comfort zones. They were used to being in charge and knowing everything, and Jesus came and changed everything,in their eyes, at least. 2.) They liked the power they held over the Jewish people, and Jesus was "taking" their followers. He was a "threat" to their authority, and they did not like it.
Just because someone calls himself a religious leader doesn't mean that he is always preaching the message of Jesus, the "Good News". Even those in high places who are thought by many to speak for Jesus, may not be following in Jesus footsteps.
If what is being said is not loving as Jesus loved, it is not the message of Jesus. We need to be careful in this age, as Jesus warned in the first century, of those religious leaders who have their own agenda of prestige and power. We must not be afraid to stand up for what we believe is right and loving. We must not be afraid to challenge the status quo just as Jesus did in his time on earth. We may be shunned and persecuted for being true followers of Jesus, but we know we are in good company. Jesus will always be with us.

Peace and love,

Sue


"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

What can we do to help one another?

Whatever you did for the least of My brothers and sisters, you did for Me. (Matthew 25:40)

Yesterday, I returned back from a trip to Haiti. I went down with a couple of other people to bring supplies, food, toiletries, and some medication especially antibiotics. The view of Port-a-Prince is one of crumbled buildings and twisted steel. People were living where their houses used to be located. They protected what little they had and worked to make a meager living to support their families. You would think that this would be terribly depressing. You would think that the people would be in a constant state of despair.
However, that is not what I saw. There were children playing and laughing. Mothers and fathers were looking lovingly at their children as they try to teach them the lessons of life. There was singing and dancing and eating and talking among the people living in the rubble. There were also colorful signs on walls, cars, and busses, thanking God for his gift of life. They were happy to be alive and to be surrounded by friends and family. They were grateful to us for what we brought to them. However, we were not the source of their joy. God was their source of joy.
This was a great example of understanding what is really important in life. God provides us with what we need. That is not to say that we should not help one another. We need to help one another and be present to one another during times of disaster. However lots of things do not create joy, sometimes they cause just the opposite. The best way to help others is to be the face of God for one another. Food, clothing and shelter are important to life, but what is most important, is that we have enough, not that we have an overabundance. We must ask God to "give us this day our daily bread" and be happy to have enough.
So, I guess Haiti has taught me a lesson. I have an overabundance of lots of things. I need to just have enough, which will allow me to share my abundance with others so that they may have enough. I ask God for help in order to do this.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

Do we understand?

14The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15"Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."
16They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no bread."
17Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? 19When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"
"Twelve," they replied.
20"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"
They answered, "Seven."
21He said to them, "Do you still not understand?" (Mark 8:14-21)

Have you ever noticed the warning labels on certain products? They warn us about not drinking things that are bad for us, or not to use something the wrong way. Warnings are important because they help protect us from bad things.
This is exactly what Jesus was trying to do for his disciples. He was trying to warn them about bad influences. They did not understand Jesus, again. Jesus warned his disciples to watch out for bad influences, but He was also warning us.
Things around us can influence us: internet, music, TV, friends, video games, books, magazines, etc. There can be positive influences, but there can also be negative influences. If something tempts us to do what is wrong, then it is a bad influence. If it starts to take up more time than we spend with God, then it is a bad influence. We must choose carefully what we surround ourselves with.
Jesus must have been a little frustrated with the disciples; they had spent time with him and had seen him do amazing miracles, but they still did not completely understand who Jesus was. It was not until after Jesus died on the cross and came back to life that the disciples really knew that Jesus was God’s Son.
Do we understand Jesus? We are probably just as dense as the disciples. We fail to understand the warning signs that Jesus talks about. We fail to realize that we, too, must be aware of bad influences and try to stay away from them. However, we do not have to do this using our own strength of will. Jesus is there to help us. Jesus is the only one who can remove all the bad things from our hearts and minds. All we need to do is to ask him.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

God knows us and loves us.

4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. (Jeremiah 1:4-5)


When Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to Israel, God declared that even before he was conceived, he was known by God and set apart for His divine purposes. The road that Jeremiah would walk in his ministry life would not be an easy one, for he suffered much abuse at the hands of his fellow Israelites. I wonder if he ever reflected on these words when he was going through his darkest times? When he was alone in that cold, damp prison cell, did he ever go back to the beginning of his ministry and meditate on God's words to him? I believe the revelation that he was known by God, and set apart for His purposes, gave Jeremiah the strength to continue to walk out his destiny, even in the darkest of times.
Knowing that it was God who knew us, and formed us, and called us into life, is the bedrock of our existence. When everything else around us is not making sense, this truth can give us the grounding that we desperately need to go on. We are all looking for a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. Many people have not received this affirmation from their parents, but it was not their parents who knew them before they were conceived, but God. It was God who formed each one of us in our mother's womb and called us to life. It was God who set us apart for God's divine purposes and plans. It is God who will always love us.

Peace and love,

Sue



"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

What really is faith?

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.
3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

What really is faith? Is it believing something that you know with your mind isn't true? Is it some kind of overdrive that you push in with a button of some kind in your mind or your emotions? Or, is it somewhere down in your heart, to get you to accept something that you know with your intellect could not possibly be true. So many of us, in this world today, are skeptical of the whole idea of faith, because we think of it as something not connected with the ordinary processes of the mind at all. It is actually opposed to the convictions of the intellect. And so many of us who have been through some kind of education and especially some kind of scientific education, get the idea that to have faith you have to in some way close your mind, or put your intellect to sleep, or ignore the conclusions of science and research.
That is absolutely ridiculous. Faith is not that kind of an irrational thing at all. Faith, in fact, is something that you and I exercise every day in our lives. We have exercised it from the very moment we were born. I suppose it is true that your mother even encouraged you to feel that we could trust her when we lay in her arms. We learned day by day that was true, she would not drop us, that she was reliable, and we could put our faith in her arms.
Are you aware of faith or belief in your everyday life? Think a moment about the next breath you take. Are you sure there isn't anything in the air you take into your lungs which might damage your health?
You are just about to go over a bridge en route to work. Why do you believe the bridge will hold the car, bus or train on its journey across it? Is it because you believe in the integrity and character of the engineers, contractors and construction workers who built it? That sounds like faith to me.
What does this have to do with God? Isn’t that what we ask ourselves about what is faith for?” Is believing in God the same thing as believing in the people who constructed the bridge. Having faith in God is believing in his character and what that means to each of us personally. You might now ask, ‘how can we know His character?’
We can find out God’s character through a book that was written many, many years ago. It is called the Bible. In it many men and women had real everyday dealings with God and his Son, Jesus.
God created not only the world we live in but he created us. Why did God create us? God created us in God's own image, after his likeness so he could have a relationship with us. So if you compare this type of relationship with a good family relationship, God is our parent and we are God's children, sons and daughters. As an earthly parent loves her children so very much to provide their worldly needs of food, shelter and clothing, so does our God desire to look after us as his children. This is the characteristic of God, a loving parent who sees and feels what we do.
But is God reliable for me today? Can I really put my twenty-first century faith in God? I think even more so as our world is changing so very rapidly, do we need to have faith in God. As technology keeps changing and improving our quality of life, this allows us to have more time to ponder our world around us. Let us ask ourselves honestly what do we believe in and why do we believe it. Are we basing our faith on an institution or on the character of someone? We have seen over the years many institutions and religions come, change and go. But the character of our God does not change. God is our eternal parent, and as the men and women of the Bible were able to put their trust in God back then, so can we now in the twenty first century. If we truly put our lives into God's hands, God will not let us fall. We can trust that God will always be there with us.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

We need God's love and God provides it to us.

5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:5-11)
Millions of tax dollars has confirmed through research what good parents have long known through common sense. From failure to thrive of infants deprived of physical nurture, to higher incidence of unwed pregnancies and divorce for children from broken homes, the connection is clear. All things being equal, apart from the intervention of the grace of God, all of us know that for a human being to grow to a full emotional and interpersonal maturity, the stability of a loving and disciplined home is an indispensable ingredient.

The same thing is true in the spiritual arena. To be sure of the love of his or her parents is almost indispensable to the healthy emotional development of a child. To be sure of God's love brings even richer blessings. It is the major secret of joy, peace, freedom, confidence and self-respect.

This is also the major path of healing for those of us who were deprived of healthy love in our families of origin, or who are having to raise children in broken homes. Many of us can testify how becoming sure of God's love has substantially healed deep wounds and mitigated the damage we pass on to our own children.
How can you know that God loves you? How can you become increasingly confident in his love so that you grow into the person he designed you to be? In Rom. 5:5-11, Paul discloses the two avenues through which God does this: one is a "demonstration" and the other is a "pouring out."
God "demonstrates" his love by sending Christ to die for us. Now according to the Bible, the essence of love is giving. And the degree of love is measured partly by the costliness of the gift to the giver, and partly by the unworthiness of the recipient. The greater the chasm between these two, the greater the demonstration of love.God gives his most precious gift, his own Son. The gulf between the preciousness of God's gift and our unworthiness is humanly inconceivable. Only a love way beyond our own would do such a thing. Yet this is exactly what God has done!
God "pours out" his love within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. But while this "pouring out" happens initially when you receive Christ, God wants it to be an ongoing shower on your soul. How does God's Spirit continue to pour out his love within our hearts? He opens our hearts to understand that Christ's death was not just some abstract gift that God gave to humanity in general, but that Christ died for each of us because God loves us. He takes passages and "brings them home" to our hearts so that they nourish our confidence in God's love and goodness.
We need both God's "demonstration" and his "pouring out" for healthy growth and development. Christians who focus only on the work of the cross and neglect the work of the Spirit become sterile. Christians who focus only on the work of the Spirit and neglect the work of the cross become unstable. We need to be anchored securely in the work of the cross and animated regularly by the work of the Spirit if we want stable and vital spiritual development.

Peace and love,

Sue





"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

God's Word is our moment of truth.

9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
16But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" 17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 18But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:
"Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world." (Romans 10:9-18)

The Bible is far more than a record of human experience or a report of spiritual realities by long, dead, people. Through the Scriptures the incarnation, the cross, the resurrection and the ascension are as real
today in our lives as if they were happening today; the reality of a present day Savior and a present day salvation.
The Word of God is a living and active power, a timeless moment at which, in our own time and space, we can meet the living God. Christ died on a Roman cross at Jerusalem, and his death was effective then and is effective now to bring forgiveness to sinners. God expresses himself in his revealed Word and continues to act through it. The Word is both recorded truth and our moment of truth, both truth about God and the place where we meet God personally. It is content, giving shape and form to historical reality; and it is confrontation, that moment of meeting God that calls for our personal response of faith.
The biblical Word cannot be separated from God’s personal presence and power in believer’s lives. The word that Jesus spoke was the word of transforming power; by his word the sick were made whole and demons were driven out. The word that Jesus spoke was the word of salvation that brings life to the dead, and continues to transform lives, today, and in the future.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

So what if the world does hate the disciples?

18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'

Why would Jesus, who talked of love, now talk about hate? Why did he feel it necessary to say this to the disciples? Why is he saying it to us? Jesus, by giving his disciples notice of trouble, hoped that the terror might not be a surprise to them, or consequently to us. I believe that Jesus wanted to warn all of his disciples of the fact that it is possible for those who are real enemies to God’s service, to pretend to love it. This does not lessen the sin of the persecutors; villainies will never be changed by putting the name of God to them. As Jesus did in his sufferings, so his followers must do in theirs. We must look to feel and experience the love of God and to share this news with others.
Jesus knew that the problems of the world would come soon enough for the disciples. He did not warn them about it sooner, because he was with them to teach, guide, and comfort them. They did not need to be concerned about the problems that they would face while he was still present to them in the flesh. It was when Jesus was no longer visible to them, that they would need to remember the warnings he was giving them.
As followers of Jesus, we need to know that we will face our share of troubles. We may be persecuted for following Jesus. This persecution may come in many forms that may include being considered outcasts from the world around us, to the loss of our lives. Although most of us will not experience the latter, many of us will experience the former.
But Jesus is saying that we are in good company. Those who hate us or persecute us because of our love for Jesus will not know the joy that comes from being his followers. We must remember that Jesus was persecuted too. As followers of Jesus, we will experience a gift greater than any hardship we may have to endure. So although it may be difficult, we must remember that the problems of this present life will pass. We must remember that knowing and loving Jesus and experiencing the love Jesus has for us, will far outweigh any troubles we may experience from the world.

Peace and love,

Sue
"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

What is law?

10All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." 11Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." 12The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them. "13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. (Galatians 3:10-14)

Everyone is concerned with following the law and to a certain extent they should be. There are certain things that people should and should not do to each other in order to live in a civilized society. But think about how laws are created. Laws are usually created because people cannot always be trusted to do what is right and good all on their own. They must be told where to draw the line on their behavior.
The speed limit on roads and highways, for instance, has been legislated based upon what has been determined to be the maximum safe speed in order for people driving a particular road not to kill themselves and others. In order to drive safely, we must stay below the stated maximum limit. Now perhaps, in certain driving conditions, that maximum limit could still be too high for safe driving. If we were to use our own judgment, we would drive slower and some of us may use that judgment. Others may not be concerned about driving safely, and must be told to limit their speed. However, as long as we maintain our speed below the limit posted, we are legal, yet an accident can still occur.
Jesus did not want us to mindlessly follow the law. Jesus was never about looking for the minimum or maximum limits of love and compassion. Jesus never said, this is the least that you can do for one another and still get to heaven. The law of Jesus is one that looks for the most we can do to be loving and compassionate, not the least, and there are no limits on love. Jesus did not preach about what we can get away with and still be legal. Jesus talked about doing and giving our all to God and to others. Doing what is legal in the human sense is following what someone else tells us to do. God's law is knowing what to do in our hearts and minds.
Paul saying that the righteous will live by faith means that we do not need the law to tell us what is right and good. We know what is right and good because that knowledge has been put into our hearts by God and our trust is in God.
We do not blindly live in the law of humanity, because the law of humanity is not always right and good. Even the laws of the church can be wrong at times. However, if we trust in God and allow God's law to be written on our hearts and minds, we will live in peace with one another. We cannot receive the promise of the Spirit though following human law. Only in allowing God to guide our path can we hope to reap the blessings of the Spirit.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

Why do we doubt?

22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance[a] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
29"Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Completely depending upon God is essential, regardless of our level of spiritual maturity. When we begin to rely on our own understanding, we are in danger of ignoring God’s assessment of the situation. But by remembering his past works and his present power, we can be sure that we are not cutting off his potential help.
Doubt blocks your receiver; just as we know that there are signals all around us, radio waves, television signals, and all we have to do to receive their transmission, is to tune in.
Doubting skeptics are limited in what they might see or know, while Jesus said “all things are possible to him who believes” (Matthew 9:23). Peter walked on the water until he began to doubt. Immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said to him, you of little faith, why did you doubt?
We resist doubt by practicing trust. Trust in God grows as we faithfully seek him on a daily basis. To stabilize your trust, commit yourself whole heartedly to God. If your faith is new, weak, or struggling, remember that you can trust God. Ask for Jesus' help as often as you need to strengthen your faith and trust in God's love and guidance. Please remember, you can never ask to often for God to help you have trust in him. As a matter of fact, I think that it is the prayer God most waits to hear.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

Do we really follow Jesus?

1Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?
5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. (1 Cor. 3:1-9)

Paul is making a good point. Are we following Jesus, or are we following mere humans? We have to remember that we as humans are only preachers of the word of God, but that it is God who has given us this purpose. Only God can make us grow in love and goodness.
Through our own human limitations, we do not know, nor profess the truth, but it is through Jesus that we have the truth revealed to us. Our focus and our example of how to live must always be gained by looking to Jesus. If we focus on others and look to others as our example and our inspiration, we will always be disappointed in the long run.
This is why we should not be placing our faith in the institutions of humanity, even the institution of the church on earth. If our faith is in Jesus, it will not matter what our imperfect human institutions may do or say. Our example for our words and deeds rests always with Jesus.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)