Where's the love?

Okay, I don't usually do this, but look at this...

Now, I want to comment about this. For me? This was not the right approach. He went with the right idea to tell people about Jesus, but the rest where he told parents they were lying to their kids, intentionally upsetting the crowd, and then playing the victim when they got upset is the wrong approach. Yes, share the truth but in love. I didn’t see much love in how he approached the crowd. Jesus didn’t go to upset people, He told the truth in love. There were times He needed to address people like the religious leaders publicly about they hypocrisy, but what does it say in 1 Corinthians 13:1 – 3? If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. So here in this circumstance, all the people heard as evidenced by their reactions, was a resounding gong and a clanging cymbal, not the message of love that Jesus is all about at Christmas.

There is a right way and a wrong way to deliver the message of hope at Christmas, the approach used above? Not the way I would recommend! 

From my family and I, Merry Christmas!

Seasons of change

As we look toward the fall coming soon and the onset of fall routines like school and work, small groups and more - we can also look to seasons of change in our lives in a spiritual sense.

What do I mean? 

While life physically changes for us, it changes for us spiritually too - at least it should as a believer. The physical changes can affect the spiritual too. Sometimes we will go through times of great joy and excitement and it seems like we're on top of the world, other times, we can be in the valley of the shadow of death as Psalm 23 describes it. When we're there we can take comfort that God is there with us, empowering us through the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 23:4 says, 

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

See that? Comfort in times of trouble. God is there walking with us no matter what. He won't leave us when we need Him the most. How do we view the good and bad times? The temptation is to view only the good times as God's blessing and the bad times as not from God. The bad times? They can be times of testing God has allowed to mature us, and if we don't get it He may allow it again and again until we get it right.

In times of rest and happiness and overflowing blessing, we need to be on our guard ready for the next spiritual attack from the enemy as 1 Peter 5:8 says, 

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

It's those times of ease and comfort and blessing that we can get complacent and not be ready for the attack of the evil one and his forces. The need to stay vigilant is always necessary. 

We need to be ready at all times for the next season of our spiritual walk. There really are 4 seasons - before the spiritual attack, in the midst of the spiritual attack, coming out of the spiritual attack, and getting ready for the next spiritual attack. That may sound bleak, but it's true when you think that the enemy's goal is to devour or destroy us and our testimony for Christ.

To wrap this up, we need to be ready at all times. Reading our Bible daily, praying, trying to memorize Scripture, serving in our local church to help build each other up and in turn grow ourselves.

How are we doing today? I admit that I am not always at peak performance, but God is gracious ready to forgive and ready to help us do better.