Face to Face

A week ago Paul and I received a call that our niece had overdosed and was being rushed to the hospital.  Off we went to the ER where we sat until around 2 in the morning.  The hospital policy is that only two people can be in the room at a time so we took turns visiting.  When it was my turn, as I sat next to my niece's bed.......it struck me.  She was sleeping as I sat there and while she slept her face looked like the little girl I used to play with.  The little girl we had funny nicknames for and who used to spend the night with us snuggled in bed between the two of us.  The little girl I watched Charlie & the Chocolate Factory with a thousand times.    And I had to ask myself..........how do you go from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory to a suicide attempt at 19?  The answer...........PAIN.   It doesn't matter if I understand the pain, approve of the pain or what I think.  It's not about me.  It's about a young girl who for a moment in time thought death would be easier than life. 

It was scary coming face to face with the reality that she wanted to die.  That she could have been gone from my life forever.  I was surprised at how sharp that pain was.

The pain that was equally as sharp was knowing that there have been times when I have resisted getting involved and trying to help because I thought she really didn't want my help or because her life was too messy.  Ouch!  Not exactly what Jesus would do, huh? 

I know that I can't save her.  That's between her and God but I can do my best to be more involved in her life and to point her to the answer for her pain - a relationship with God.  At 19 that probably doesn't look that interesting but I was only 24 when I was right where she was and it was God and God alone that intervened and saved my life.  He never gave up on me.  Never turned his back on me.  Just like Jesus.  Jesus waded right into the middle of people's messy lives and when he showed up - circumstances changed.  The blind saw.  The deaf heard.  The lame walked.  

Lord my neice needs a miracle.  She needs you.  She needs your love.  Use me Lord to reach her for you and forgive me for all the times I didn't reach out with your love.  Give me your eyes to see her.  Your heart to love her & your wisdom to guide her.  Amen.

What Does Love Look Like?

This is what I picture love looking like.

It's loving regardless of mistakes that have been made.

It's loving those that don't always appear very loveable.

It's accepting that I am imperfect and yet I am loved.

I didn't do anything to earn it.

I don't deserve it.

Yet I am loved.  Perfectly.

The Royal Rule

Read James 2.

Discuss:

Don't let the opinion of others influence your faith. Our faith walk is not supposed to be about doing things to please other people or to "look good" or to get a better "position". James gives an example of a rich man and a homeless man entering a church. Would you usher the rich man to the "best seat in the house" and ignore the homeless man? Our motives matter. We can make ourselves look great by serving others but if our serving has strings attached or is covering up a selfish motive it will not please God. Jesus should be the reason behind everything we do.

The Royal Rule - Loves Others As You Love Yourself.

Jesus loved the down & out. He ate with them. He hung out with them. He entrusted his church into their hands. By today's standards Jesus' disciples would probably be labeled "losers". They had no homes, they didn't hold down regular jobs. They didn't ride the nicest camels. (Okay I couldn't help myself there). The point is ........... Jesus saw something in them that the rest of the world didn't. Just like Jesus sees things in you that others don't always see. We will only see these things in ourselves and in others when we walk and talk and act in LOVE. Talk and act like a person exepcting to be judged by this rule. Love Others. This is the rule that sets us free. If you refuse to act kindly you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy will beat harsh judgment every time.

NOW GO & DO! LOVE OTHERS. YOUR MOTHER, YOUR FATHER, YOUR SISTER, YOUR BROTHER, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR ENEMIES, THE HOMELESS PERSON ON THE STREET, THE BULLY, THE LONELY, THE LOST. LOVE THEM ALL.

So You Want to be A Leader?

Jesus got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet. John 13:4-5.

Ponder this: Jesus had to kneel before each disciple in order to wash their feet.... Jesus - King of Kings - knelt on the floor before each of his disciples and washed their feet. Jesus washed the feet of the disciple who would betray him and the disciples who would abandon him. He knew what they would do. He knelt before each of his disciples as a servant would & washed their feet.

In his own words Jesus said "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to be first [great] among you shall be your servant." Matthew 20:25-26.

 In his own words Jesus said - if you want to be a great leader you must be a great servant. You must learn to serve. According to Jesus, great leaders are servant-leaders. They love people enough to get down and get dirty with them. That means the leader of any ministry serves the very people he leads.

Want to be a Leader? Learn to be a Servant. Learn to love the very people you want to lead. Ask God to give you HIS heart for those very people. Find ways to serve them & you'll be on your way. So what are you waiting for? Learn to Serve.

Real or Imitation

1 Corinthians 10:33 reads ..."Imitate me just as I also imitate Christ".  This is the formula for making disciples.  Everyone of us, regardless of our age or our schedule or our family situation or our financial situation should be disciple makers.  If we are livin like the real deal people should want to follow us.
Paul is challenging us here - to walk the way that Jesus did.  Paul was a disciple maker.  He followed Jesus and in turn challenged his followers to follow him:  To live lives not seeking their own well being - but putting the well being of other people in front of their own.  To have every interaction edify or lift up the other person.  How many of us can say that - that every interaction we have leaves the other person being lifted up, loved & supported?  To do everything that we do from brushing our teeth to taking a test to cleaning our rooms to how we treat our brothers and sisters for the Glory of God.  If we are truly disciples isn't this our job?
Paul wanted people to live like the real deal.  Just like Jesus did.  I read this & thought "Wow I've got some work to do".  My thought life still largely centers around me & my wants and needs.  I have interactions that I'm sure don't leave the other person feeling "lifted up". 
Here's the challenge!  Start identifying those things in your life that you really want & start praying for them - for someone else.  Want to really be challenged? - start praying for those things for someone who you don't like.   Spend one week trying to leave every person you talk to feeling better than when you started your conversation.  Say hi to some people you wouldn't normally talk to.  Do an act of kindness for someone every day.  Shock your parents & do something without being asked!  See living like a "real" disciple doesn't have to be about doing big things (although I encourage all of you to dream BIG) - it can be the little things in our life that we do every day that make a BIG difference.  GO & MAKE SOME DISCIPLES!

CHOOSE LIFE!

Deuteronomy 30.  
Verse 16 - ...I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes and His judgments that you may live and multiply and the Lord your God will bless ....

Verse 19 - ...I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live.

Verse 14 - But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

Verses 1-3 - Now it shall come to pass when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you and you call them to mind....and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice....that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you....

Obedience Again.  This is old testament stuff.  Full of "you shall" and "you shall nots".  I used to find myself feeling hopeless when I read this stuff because it seemed God wanted me to be impossibly good and I knew I was a sinner.  But look again.  It is clear that God is commanding us to love Him, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments.  He even refers to this choice as choosing life over death (meaning that disobedience will result in death).  How in the world am I supposed to live up to this?  I mess up.  Alot.  He gives me the answer in verse 14 - the WORD.  If I read the Word, speak the Word and have the Word in my heart I CAN walk in His ways.  I can avoid temptation.


But look.  God knew we were going to mess up.  That's where verses 1-3 come in - when we realize we've messed up and we turn back to God and obey His voice he will have compassion on us and bring us back from captivity.  Captivity from what?  The sin or bondage that we have fallen into.


This gives us an amazing look at God's heart.   He made a way out for us.  Why?  Because he loves us so much he doesn't want a single one of us to face death.......so he gives us chance after chance after chance to choose life.

What are you choosing today?  Life?  Death?  Are you trapped today?  God is the way out.  The directions are found in a book we call the Bible.  Crack it open!  Dive in!  You will find life inside its pages!  A life more exciting than your wildest dreams!

The way of Obedience

Deuteronomy 28 & 29. 

Obedience vs. Dis-obedience.  God tells us clearly in these verses that there are tremendous blessings in being obedient to God's word.  There are also huge consequences if we choose not to.  So how obedient am I?  Am I obedient in all areas of my life?  Or are there areas of my life where I know I am doing things contrary to the Word of God?  The Bible is God's word.  All of it.  From the Ten Commandments to the Resurrection to the work of the Holy Spirit.  It all counts.  What are your chances of living a life of obedience if you don't get into His word?   So find that Bible, blow the dust of it & dive in.  The rewards of living a life of obedience will overwhelm you.

Father God I pray for a spirit of obedience.  Reveal to me Father those places in my life that just don't line up with your Word and show me how you would have me change those things about me.  I want to live a life worthy of being called "child of God".  Amen.