Reflections

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians also admonishes us to thank God, but he changed a preposition. The passage is in chapter 5, “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I don’t know why Paul changed from thanking God IN all situations to thanking God FOR all situations. My first thought was maybe Paul had forgotten what he wrote 10 years earlier to the Thessalonians. (After all, as I get older, I find I don’t always remember things.) He seems to be implying that we should give thanks for the good things and also for the evil that is around us – the things that we do to each other like wars, hatred, murder, etc., the things that life throws at us like cancer and loss, and even the sins that we do that keep us from our fellowship with God. I even looked at the Greco-Roman attitude of thanksgiving. The Gentiles who were in the churches where the Ephesian epistle would be read, would have been familiar with that culture. The culture expressed thanks for favorable circumstances and blessings. Paul brought a radical level of gratitude to God. He tried to show that a Christian’s thanksgiving was not based on circumstances, but rather on the character of God and His role as our Father. That’s what Romans 8:28 tells us. “28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.” In all things – the good and the challenging.

I have an example to share. Several years ago, I had a kidney stone. Quite painful, and no fun whatsoever. I asked the Lord to heal me, but it didn’t go away. I went to the doctor who did some tests on me. He discovered that I had the beginning of cancer. They were able to treat it and to kill it. I have not had any recurrence. At the time I was dealing with the kidney stone, I really didn’t feel like thanking God for that particular problem. Because of the

second problem they discovered I was healed of a much worse problem. I have since be able to thank God for the kidney stone.

“20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This command calls for action. Giving thanks is a part of living within God’s purpose for all believers. Gratitude is portrayed throughout Scripture as an act of obedience and trust in God, regardless of circumstances.

In Philippeans Paul wrote, “6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Make a practice of thanking God for everything, both the blessings and challenges you face, as each situation can be a source of learning and growth.

May the peace of the Lord be with you,

Larry

They spend very little time on Thanksgiving. It doesn’t produce nearly as much income as Christmas.

The Lord has a different idea. As Christians, we are encouraged to give thanks to our God and King.

17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-19)

17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. (Psalm 116:17)

14 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, 15 and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” (Psalm 50:14-15)

15 “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.” (Hebrew 13:15)

What is a sacrifice of thanksgiving or praise? It is a recognition of God’s sovereignty. It underscores belief in God as the ultimate source of blessings. When given voluntarily, it reflects our heartfelt submission to God. We acknowledge God’s grace to us in all situations we find ourselves in – the good ones and the bad ones. It is an act of humbling ourselves before God. Micah 6:8 tells us what the Lord requires of us, “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” The sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving is a way for us to walk humbly with God.

Let us spend time this season offering God our praise and thanksgiving. Here is a Bible passage to help us get started meditating and thanking God for His faithfulness. I have included a song, Give Thanks (English), Dad Gracias (Spanish) to help with our time of thankfulness.

12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord; 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 116)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xccZYSdngDE Give thanks – Cece Winans (English)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nL9HFyrSQ0 Dad Gracias (Spanish)

Larry

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

18 “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’[c] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”

20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

(Matthew 19)

The rich man wanted to see Jesus

1. Took action to approach Jesus

2. Bragged about what he does – centered on ME

3. I do keep the commandments

4. Love your neighbor as yourself

5. Show you have a change of heart by helping others

6. Could do this, but does not want to relinquish any money to help others

7. Went away sad

The second event tells us who was involved in this encounter with the Trinity.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19)

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus.

1. Took action to see Him

2. Called by name by the Lord

3. Spent time breaking bread with Jesus

4. Reacted to the meeting

5. Will give to the poor

6. Would obey the law and pay back 4 times what he cheated people out of

7. Today salvation has come to this house

Which story would you like to be part of?

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39)

Larry

I cannot tell you why the Creator of the Universe said, “22 the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrew 9) It was through the sacrifice of Jesus going to the cross, shedding His blood for us, raising from the dead and returning to the right hand of the Father that we can participate in the grace and mercy of God.

A prophecy written in Jeremiah 31:33 says, “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Jesus explained how this would happen. Jesus told His disciples that He had to return to the Father so He could send back the Holy Spirit. 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the 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[c] in you.” It is the Spirit of God that Jesus sends to us that brings with Him the law of love and plants it in our hearts. It is the Holy Spirit Who activates the image of God in us.

The Lord Jesus Christ sends the Holy Spirit into our lives. The fruit of the Spirit becomes part of who we are. Our lives can become the reflection of God’s love. The Spirit gives us the ability to live a life that shows God’s love to the world. When we do things we shouldn’t, or we don’t do things we should, we can call on the name of the Lord. The Lord forgives us and strengthens us through the Holy Spirit.

Because of the work of the Spirit in our lives we can know how to act in our relationships with God and our neighbors:

1 Corinthians 13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God reacts to us in this way.

1 Corinthians 16:14 tells us to “14 Do everything in love.”

What if sin isn’t what we think it is? What if sin is anything that isn’t done in the love of the Lord?

Instead of everything being dependent on what WE do; the forgiveness of sins, the transformation of our lives, and the fellowship with God and our neighbors are all dependent on what God has done. God didn’t send Jesus Christ to die for our sins because nothing else seemed to work. Jesus was always Plan A. The Book of Revelation talks of “the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world”. Before Genesis 1, the way was made for you and me to be brought into fellowship with God. God provided the sacrifice so we could be forgiven for all those times we do not show His love to our neighbors or to Him.

“I will put my law in your heart. I will be your God.” Jesus told us what the greatest law is, “37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” By the power of the Holy Spirit, God has put His law in our hearts.

Larry

A prophecy written in Jeremiah 31:33 says, “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” I am giving you the conclusion to this series so you can keep it in mind as we look at God’s response to our sin.

There is a Jewish tradition that says God asked His angels what they thought of Him making human beings in His image. They were appalled. They began to argue among themselves. Some asked, “Why? Humans will be self-centered, selfish, prone to rebellion. Uncontrollable. They won’t accept Your love, and they won’t love You. You shouldn’t do it!” God said, “While you were discussing it, I already did it.”

I need to lay a little groundwork on this study, so let’s start at the beginning.

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

26 Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created humans in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Being made in the image of God, we have the attributes of God built in. Galatians 5:22-23 tell us of some of those attributes:

22 … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. These are part of who God is, and therefore are part of who we are, since we were made in His image.

Everything looks pretty good, doesn’t it? God saw His handy work and deemed it very good. He was quite pleased with what He had done.

So, what happened?

The things the angels said would happen were in fact what did happened.

If someone says, “That’s a sin! Don’t do it!” What do you think of?

I grew up with lots of don’ts…

Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t cuss, don’t chew, and don’t with girls that do.

We have made sin a check list of things not to do. Besides making it sound like Christians aren’t allowed to enjoy life, it taints our idea about what God had in mind for us. When we look at a list of things we shouldn’t do, we think, “I must be OK because I don’t do those things”. This makes my Christianity dependent my ability to not do things. It is like the rich young man in Matthew 19.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

18 “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’[c] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”

20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

I know the Lord surprised the man when He told him what he lacked. The poor fellow was expecting an “Ata boy! You’re doing great!” The young man thought that there was a way to enter heaven by doing or not doing certain things, by being in control of his life. Jesus

looked into his heart, saw something that was not right, and brought it to the man’s attention.

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Jesus wasn’t making a general statement that everyone should give away all they have before they can follow Him. He was pointing out the one thing in this man’s life that he was clinging to, the inability to help those around him even though he could. The one thing that his heart was focused on was his wealth, not how he could use what God had given him to help his neighbor.

If we do things in our own strength, then we see no need to be transformed. We’re OK. We have a handle on this, we are in control and we can do what is needed to be a good person without anyone’s help. And that kind of theology keeps us from seeing the need for Jesus’ sacrifice.

Next week, we will look a little deeper into God’s plan to “…put My law in their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Larry

1. Knowledge

Knowledge can come through study, faith, and experience. It can be spiritual and practical. It is also one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12.

2. Understanding

Though God is unchanging, our cultures and societies around the world change constantly. It is important as Christians that we recognize how God asks each one of us to respond to those changes

3. Discernment

The ability to separate truth from lies and identify what is biblically sound versus unbiblical thinking. It is also one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12.

In 1 Chronicles 12 there is a list of men who stood by David after he had been banished from King Saul’s presence. One group is mentioned with this description:

32 from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command.

The tribe of Issachar was known for its wisdom, scholarship, and discernment. Today, this tribe is still known for its wisdom, which is discerning insight into current times and the ability to act on that knowledge. From the internet,

“Issachar is associated with scholarly pursuits, understanding of the religious calendar, and a deep study of scripture. Wisdom is seen as a prophetic gift that involves both spiritual insight and practical application. It’s about knowing what to do in each moment, guided by faith, rather than just having knowledge of scripture in isolation.”

Karl Barth, a 20th century Swiss Reformed theologian once said, “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.”2 Whatever else we might want to say about Barth—and there is much that we could say about him—his words rightly highlight not only the necessity of understanding the times but also the priority of the Scriptures in showing us what we ought to do in the times in which we find ourselves. (Karl Barth, Time Magazine, May 1, 1966.)

Holy and everlasting Father, we come before you today to do Your will. We ask You to grant us wisdom and understanding so we can understand the times and discern what Your will is for each of us. We ask that in wisdom, we can share Your love with our neighbors, friends and even our enemies. May Your Holy Spirit guide our thoughts and actions, so that all we do will be done in love. We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

15Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5)

Larry

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever. (Psalm 111:10)

Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom has been regarded as a key virtue in philosophy, religion, and psychology, representing the ability to understand and respond to reality in a balanced and thought… Wikipedia

We are encouraged to get wisdom, to get understanding.

5 Get wisdom, get understanding; (Proverbs 4)

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

The Bible mentions many people who were wise. King Solomon was probably the first person who comes to mind.

When God asked King Solomon what he needed and wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom to guide Israel. God gave him wisdom generously.

Others considered wise were Daniel, a prophet known for his wisdom and interpretation of dreams, as well as some contemporaries of Solomon: Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Darda, all recognized for their wisdom and skill in various aspects of worship and leadership.

The traditional author of Proverbs 4 is Solomon. He wrote it to his children. As an exercise, I suggest you read this passage as a message from our Father to you.

1Listen, my children , to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. 2 I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. 3 For I too was a son to my was a prophetfather, still tender, and cherished by my mother. 4 Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. 6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get] wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. 9 She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.” (Proverbs 4)

Since the day I heard of your love for all the saints, I have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, (Colossians 1:9)

Larry

One version of this scripture says,

“The Lord your God is with you as a hero who will save you. He takes great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”

What a delightful image: He will quiet you with His love!

John wrote, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. (1 John 3:1, 16)

I encourage you to ponder, to weigh in your mind, to chew on, how great is God’s love for you.

Using the words of Paul’s prayer to the church at Ephesus this is my prayer for each of you this week.

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)

Larry

Why would I wonder about that you might ask? I know this is a stretch, but look at John 20.

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

When I looked at the Lexicon, verse 7 portrays an intentional, careful wrapping or folding, normally with cloth. Verse 8 states; 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. . 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

Since John saw and believed, I wonder if he saw the cloth neatly set aside as a message stating that Jesus wasn’t finished yet, He would be back.

I will leave you to ponder this – to weigh in your mind, to chew on.

I would be interested to hear what your thoughts are.

We at HMMN always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people. (Colossians 1:3)

Larry

The most important scripture in Hebrew is Deuteronomy 6:4.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with

all your soul and with all your strength.

This scripture starts with “Hear” and then moves to a command – “Love”

Jesus reminded the Pharisees and Sadducees that this scripture was the first and greatest commandment.

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22)

Let me leave you with a question to help you meditate on “Hear the Word of the Lord.”

How does the call to «hear the word of the LORD» challenge you in your daily walk with God?

15I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. 16 I shall [g]delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word. (Psalm 119)

Larry

So, what is the antithesis of injustice? Here is what I came up with.

Injustice –

15 “‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great,

but judge your neighbor fairly. (Leviticus 19)

Love-

Here is the Bible’s definition of love:

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13)

When testing Jesus, the Pharisees asked Him, 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22)

As I mentioned in Part 1, “Without love, it is impossible to treat others justly.” But, how do we bring love to our neighbors today?

One way might be to examine our hearts. The Bible’s definition of love shows us how God treats us and how we are to treat each person we encounter. As an exercise this week, meditate on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Ask our Holy Father to allow the Holy Spirit to activate that kind of love in your heart for all those you meet this week.

The psalmist wrote, “The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.” (Psalm 33:5) Justice and love go hand in hand. After you have spent time meditating on love, look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 again. This time, change the word “Love” to “Justice” and meditate on the passage. Once again, ask the Lord to allow the Holy Spirit to activate that kind of justice in your heart for all those you meet this week.

May your thoughts and actions this week reflect the love God has bestowed upon you.

Larry

Finishing chapter 5 through chapter 10, Isaiah pronounces the Lord’s judgements on Judah for not being just in their treatment of people. Chapters 11 and 12 show God’s plan to bring justice back into the world.

11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

Jesus Christ is God’s plan for bringing justice to the earth. We have word pictures of the peaceful kingdom to come, of the New Jerusalem, and other things that God wants to give us in the future and during our life on earth.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on

David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and

righteousness from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:7)

Jesus upset his disciples when He talked about His suffering, dying, and rising from the grave. They didn’t understand what He meant. He told them He had to go through those things so He could return to the Father. After He returned to the Father, He would send the Holy Spirit to us so our hearts could be transformed; so we could show the love and compassion of God to our neighbors.

1 Corinthians 13 gives us a word picture of how God treats us, and how He wants us to treat one another.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails.

I encourage you to spend time meditating on the above passage. Think about times when God showed you this kind of love. Think about the times you showed this same love to others. Think of a time when you withheld this kind of love from someone.

I will close Part 1 with this thought: Without love, it is impossible to treat others justly.

Larry

Today there are many other things that can be as disruptive or disturbing as noise. We have social media, the internet, TV, smart phones, music and a host of other things that can capture our attention and cause us to focus on them. They can disrupt, distract, and cause us to be isolated from those around us. Then we have jobs in the home, outside the home, raising children and all the activities they have – getting them to ball games, practices, school, etc. So many distractions.

But God…

God has given us His way to combat noise and distractions. Before you think “not another thing to do”, check this out.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

Be Still! What a wonderful invitation from a loving God. The verb points to a quieted heart that ceases striving, acknowledges God’s sovereignty, and finds security in His exaltation among the nations.1 As we accept the invitation, the act of being still becomes an act of love, and acts done in love are not burdensome.

To be still is to turn our eyes from those distracting, disturbing, and disrupting things around us, and look to the Lord, the author and finisher of our peace and joy. A friend of mine, Rev. Tom Heger used to say, “Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly. Do it again.” This calms the heart and allows us to be still before the Lord.

As a pastor, I’m blessed with the ability to go into our sanctuary daily and be still before the Lord. Most people do not have that luxury, but it is possible to “be still” anywhere. To begin, you may only have a few minutes a day to do this. That is OK. When you can, take what time is available and be still before the Lord. God wants to spend time with us and wants us to spend time with Him.

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” (Psalm 37:7)

Larry

1 From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

Kindness, Holy Father,

Thank you for Your abundant provision and for the unseen ways that You take care of me. Thank You for Your kindness.

I pray that I may be a vessel of Your kindness today. Help me to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. May my actions express Your love and compassion to all I meet, so they can experience the unconditional love of God. I ask this in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Goodness, The Goodness of God – CeCe Winans (English) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sE5kEnitqE&list=RDLq4PXLxTuVU&index=2

La Bondad de Dios – Becky Collazos (Spanish) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvUBpLsCefY

Faithfulness, We often refer to Christians as “people of faith,” because so often our worship practices ground us in things not seen. As people of faith, we show up in a hurting world with our hearts fixed on all that we hope for – for the brokenhearted to be comforted, homes rebuilt,

lives restored, and communities feeling safe once again. In these difficult moments, when grief is fresh and our wounds are laid bare, God’s faithfulness will find a way towards ours. It’s the least we can hope for.

Gentleness, Jesus echoed this same message. Matthew 11 quotes our Lord, 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Self-control Grace is defined as God’s unmerited favor and love towards us. The most important part of Strong’s definition of self-control is “a grace-driven capacity to bring every faculty under the lordship of Jesus Christ for holy living and effective service.” Self-control is given because of God’s grace to each of us.

Speak to me God, and let me quiet and listen.

Speak to me God, and let me know Your way.

Speak to me God, and let me do Your will.

Amen.

Larry Sears