15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:15-21)
If Jesus had stayed on earth, his physical presence would have limited the spread of the gospel, for physically he could be in only one place at a time. After his ascension, he would be spiritually present everywhere through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent so God would be with and within his followers after Jesus returned to heaven. His Spirit would comfort them, guide them to know his truth, remind them of Jesus' words, give them the right words to say, and fill them with power.
Jesus instructed his disciples to witness to people of all nations about him. But they were told to wait first for the Holy Spirit. God had important work for them to do for Him, but they had to wait until they were given the strength and wisdom by the power of his Spirit.
The Spirit marks the beginning of the Christian experience. We cannot belong to Christ without his Spirit; we cannot be united to Christ without his Spirit; we cannot be adopted as his children without his Spirit; we cannot be in the body of Christ except by baptism in the Spirit. The Spirit is the power of our new lives. He begins a lifelong process of change as we become more like Christ. When we receive Christ by faith, we begin a personal relationship with God. The Holy Spirit works in us to help us become more like Christ.
Peace and love,
Sue
"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
With Jesus everyone has a new beginning
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:1-11)
Jesus did not focus His message on sin. He took people where they were at, not emphasizing their past mistakes. With Jesus, everyone had a new beginning. His approach was to teach love, love of God, and love of neighbor and everyone was a neighbor. His emphasis was on the need to care and to be concerned for God, for others and for all of God’s creation. It was a positive message about love and relationship.
Jesus spoke in very down to earth parables about life, His values and His vision of what our life could be. He preached a message of hope and freedom and salvation. He gathered thousands of people into a new community, a community in which there would be no vestige of the complex structure of laws and prohibitions and rituals that had so burdened their lives. Setting people free was part of His main goal. Bringing people back to His Father's family was part of His gift to us.
Jesus realized this life He was sharing was fragile and easily shattered, so He gave His apostles the authority to reconcile those who had drifted or damaged their friendship with God. He also gave His disciples a food, which would nourish the divine life within them. He promised His followers that when they accepted His friendship, He and His Father would come and live within them.
The gift of God's living within us is the basis for the natural growth of the divine life received in baptism, except in many cases the relationship is not nourished. The intimacy with God was the source of Jesus' own strength in His humanity. It flowed from the rich prayer life that He nourished constantly. This is the secret to intimacy with God. We must maintain constancy in prayer, because it develops within the soul a communion and a sharing of thoughts and feelings between the soul and God.
On earth, Jesus tried to help people understand that God knows our weakness and our efforts. He understands our struggling, our pain, and our determination to do better. As long as we are sensitive to the pain and loneliness of others, and reach out to heal, our own sins, as many as they may be, will be forgiven. This is the Good News!
Share the good news with someone you love.
Peace and Love,
Sue
"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:1-11)
Jesus did not focus His message on sin. He took people where they were at, not emphasizing their past mistakes. With Jesus, everyone had a new beginning. His approach was to teach love, love of God, and love of neighbor and everyone was a neighbor. His emphasis was on the need to care and to be concerned for God, for others and for all of God’s creation. It was a positive message about love and relationship.
Jesus spoke in very down to earth parables about life, His values and His vision of what our life could be. He preached a message of hope and freedom and salvation. He gathered thousands of people into a new community, a community in which there would be no vestige of the complex structure of laws and prohibitions and rituals that had so burdened their lives. Setting people free was part of His main goal. Bringing people back to His Father's family was part of His gift to us.
Jesus realized this life He was sharing was fragile and easily shattered, so He gave His apostles the authority to reconcile those who had drifted or damaged their friendship with God. He also gave His disciples a food, which would nourish the divine life within them. He promised His followers that when they accepted His friendship, He and His Father would come and live within them.
The gift of God's living within us is the basis for the natural growth of the divine life received in baptism, except in many cases the relationship is not nourished. The intimacy with God was the source of Jesus' own strength in His humanity. It flowed from the rich prayer life that He nourished constantly. This is the secret to intimacy with God. We must maintain constancy in prayer, because it develops within the soul a communion and a sharing of thoughts and feelings between the soul and God.
On earth, Jesus tried to help people understand that God knows our weakness and our efforts. He understands our struggling, our pain, and our determination to do better. As long as we are sensitive to the pain and loneliness of others, and reach out to heal, our own sins, as many as they may be, will be forgiven. This is the Good News!
Share the good news with someone you love.
Peace and Love,
Sue
"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Kingdom living? Now or Later?
"For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you," (Luke 17:21).
How does His kingdom become a part of you? Within you? The kingdom of God is a Spiritual realm, attained by walking in God's Spirit, and producing the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. We obtain these characteristics from walking in His Spirit. This holds true today as it did in the 1st century.
There are the Beatitudes that are results of kingdom living and walking in His Spirit, not suggestions. Those in His Kingdom are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. His greatest commandment is for us to show love. There is no love in discrimination. God accepts everyone. His kingdom is for all and opens to all who will receive His love. This was true back in the first century and it still is true.
The fruits of the Spirit, the Beatitudes, love for all, these are what His Kingdom is about. On earth, His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. His Kingdom resides within us. When we leave earth, we will go to live in His physical Kingdom called Heaven. Kingdom living is both spiritual and physical. The spiritual and physical work together, for what is done on earth, is done in heaven. "And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). Giving us the keys to the kingdom was not a onetime gift, it was meant to be one that carried on to all generations.
Where are you? Are you living in the kingdom, or are you looking at the kingdom from the outside?
Peace and Love,
Sue
"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)
How does His kingdom become a part of you? Within you? The kingdom of God is a Spiritual realm, attained by walking in God's Spirit, and producing the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. We obtain these characteristics from walking in His Spirit. This holds true today as it did in the 1st century.
There are the Beatitudes that are results of kingdom living and walking in His Spirit, not suggestions. Those in His Kingdom are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. His greatest commandment is for us to show love. There is no love in discrimination. God accepts everyone. His kingdom is for all and opens to all who will receive His love. This was true back in the first century and it still is true.
The fruits of the Spirit, the Beatitudes, love for all, these are what His Kingdom is about. On earth, His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. His Kingdom resides within us. When we leave earth, we will go to live in His physical Kingdom called Heaven. Kingdom living is both spiritual and physical. The spiritual and physical work together, for what is done on earth, is done in heaven. "And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). Giving us the keys to the kingdom was not a onetime gift, it was meant to be one that carried on to all generations.
Where are you? Are you living in the kingdom, or are you looking at the kingdom from the outside?
Peace and Love,
Sue
"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Be Compassionate as God is Compassionate
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect". (Matthew 5:43-48)
I don't think that Jesus meant that we have to be perfect. Some translations of this passage substitute the word compassionate for the word perfect. We will never be perfect as God is perfect in all things. But we can show compassion to others as God shows compassion to us.
Compassion is an emotion that is a sense of shared suffering, most often combined with a desire to alleviate or reduce the suffering of another; to show special kindness to those who suffer. Compassion essentially arises through empathy, and is often characterized through actions, wherein a person acting with compassion will seek to aid those they feel compassionate for.
The practice of compassion as Jesus talks about it, is not only wanting to ease the suffering of those we love, but even those who mistreat us. That's is a tall order, so how do we do that? Here's a suggestion. When we encounter someone who mistreats us, instead of acting in anger, withdraw. Later, when you are calm and more detached, reflect on that person who mistreated you. Try to imagine the background of that person. Try to imagine what that person was taught as a child. Try to imagine the day or week that person was going through, and what kind of bad things had happened to that person. Try to imagine the mood and state of mind that person was in — the suffering that person must have been going through to mistreat you that way. And understand that their action was not about you, but about what they were going through. Now think some more about the suffering of that poor person, and see if you can imagine trying to stop the suffering of that person. And then reflect that if you mistreated someone, and they acted with kindness and compassion toward you, whether that would make you less likely to mistreat that person the next time, and more likely to be kind to that person. Once you have mastered this practice of reflection, try acting with compassion and understanding the next time a person mistreats you. Do it in little doses, until you are good at it. Practice makes perfect.
Peace and love,
Sue
Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things. --Thomas Merton
"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)
I don't think that Jesus meant that we have to be perfect. Some translations of this passage substitute the word compassionate for the word perfect. We will never be perfect as God is perfect in all things. But we can show compassion to others as God shows compassion to us.
Compassion is an emotion that is a sense of shared suffering, most often combined with a desire to alleviate or reduce the suffering of another; to show special kindness to those who suffer. Compassion essentially arises through empathy, and is often characterized through actions, wherein a person acting with compassion will seek to aid those they feel compassionate for.
The practice of compassion as Jesus talks about it, is not only wanting to ease the suffering of those we love, but even those who mistreat us. That's is a tall order, so how do we do that? Here's a suggestion. When we encounter someone who mistreats us, instead of acting in anger, withdraw. Later, when you are calm and more detached, reflect on that person who mistreated you. Try to imagine the background of that person. Try to imagine what that person was taught as a child. Try to imagine the day or week that person was going through, and what kind of bad things had happened to that person. Try to imagine the mood and state of mind that person was in — the suffering that person must have been going through to mistreat you that way. And understand that their action was not about you, but about what they were going through. Now think some more about the suffering of that poor person, and see if you can imagine trying to stop the suffering of that person. And then reflect that if you mistreated someone, and they acted with kindness and compassion toward you, whether that would make you less likely to mistreat that person the next time, and more likely to be kind to that person. Once you have mastered this practice of reflection, try acting with compassion and understanding the next time a person mistreats you. Do it in little doses, until you are good at it. Practice makes perfect.
Peace and love,
Sue
Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things. --Thomas Merton
"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
God gives us all life and breath
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' (Acts 17:24-28)
Christianity is not just a religion; True Christians experience a deep personal relationship with the Creator God of the universe. The God of the Scriptures reaches out to people in love. He has provided a way for you to be united with Him. The way is through His Son, Jesus Christ.
SALVATION PRAYER
Pray this prayer from your heart, and speak it out loud if you are able.
Lord Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God and you became a man to suffer and die on a cross to pay the penalty for my sins, and I believe that you rose from the dead and you are alive, and you are Lord of the universe. I confess that I have sinned against you and against people, and I pray that you will forgive me and wash me clean through the blood that you shed on the cross. I pray that You and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, will come and live in me and I will live in You. I give my life to You to do Your will and not my will. Please give me the faith to believe all the promises that You have written to me in Your Word the Holy Bible. Lord Jesus please baptize me in the Holy Spirit and fill me with your presence. Please give me the strength and the faith to accomplish the plans and the destiny that You have for me and give me the courage to be a witness for You. Please fill me with Your love and compassion for people so I can be like You, I pray all these things in Jesus name, Amen.
Peace and love,
Sue
"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)
Christianity is not just a religion; True Christians experience a deep personal relationship with the Creator God of the universe. The God of the Scriptures reaches out to people in love. He has provided a way for you to be united with Him. The way is through His Son, Jesus Christ.
SALVATION PRAYER
Pray this prayer from your heart, and speak it out loud if you are able.
Lord Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God and you became a man to suffer and die on a cross to pay the penalty for my sins, and I believe that you rose from the dead and you are alive, and you are Lord of the universe. I confess that I have sinned against you and against people, and I pray that you will forgive me and wash me clean through the blood that you shed on the cross. I pray that You and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, will come and live in me and I will live in You. I give my life to You to do Your will and not my will. Please give me the faith to believe all the promises that You have written to me in Your Word the Holy Bible. Lord Jesus please baptize me in the Holy Spirit and fill me with your presence. Please give me the strength and the faith to accomplish the plans and the destiny that You have for me and give me the courage to be a witness for You. Please fill me with Your love and compassion for people so I can be like You, I pray all these things in Jesus name, Amen.
Peace and love,
Sue
"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
