What's in a Name?

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9

If you are a peacemaker and a Christian, you cannot call yourself a conservative. And if you are a peacemaker and a Christian, you cannot call yourself a liberal. If we are to follow Christ and be his disciples, we must drop these labels and love one another. That’s His message.

Jesus also said, “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” As long as we continue to call each other names and elevate ourselves by our own labels, we continue to pridefully defile ourselves, hate each other, put ourselves before God, love ourselves first, put our wills first, and take judgment out of God’s hand and into our own.

This includes, by the way, taking sides in any conflict we think we know everything about, even Israel and Palestine. Do you forget that there were Christians living in Israel at the time Jesus walked on that soil – and are still living there today? Do you forget that the people of Palestine were Christians, and that Christians, Jews and Muslims lived together in peace before the United States ever got involved? Do you forget that it is not Muslims who are encroaching on Christian land, but Israelis? Do you forget that the new covenant Christ brought to us was to love your neighbor and your enemies and to bring all nations to himself?

And if you didn’t vote for our current President, are you praying for him? If you disagree with the majority in Congress, have you been praying for wise decision-making and hands that reach across party lines to honor commitments to God and to the people they serve? Have you prayed for an end to lobbying and favoritism on both sides of the Senate and House, and a productive term that accomplishes the best of God’s will for our country?

Whether our enemies are across the sea or across the aisle, a church member who disagrees with our stance, our neighbor across the street or a disagreeable family member, we are to act in love, and in so much as it depends on us, we are to live in peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18).

Why have we as Christian chosen to become increasingly difficult as models to those of the world? We act just like everyone else, and still expect others to see our humanity, our faith, our love, our patience, our self-control, our generosity of spirit, when our hearts don’t abide in love. For if our hearts had love, we would certainly bear the fruit of that love in our actions. Jesus said that the world would know we were his disciples by our love for one another. It’s no wonder they don’t know us; it’s sadder still they don’t know Him through us.

And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. James 3:18

Spiritual Adultery, plain and simple

They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. Romans 1:25

Romney or Obama. Obama or Romney.

Whose philosophy do you worship? Which man do you idolize? Have you become a spiritual adulterer during this election year? Is your email, Facebook or blog consumed with hate for the “other” candidate? Do you smirk or post cynical remarks, causing discomfort in the heart of your friends who may disagree? 

When is the last time you read – and embodied - Galatians 5:22-23?

But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Is your attitude or the words that come from your mouth or keyboard serving as a stumbling block to the Holy Spirit? Are you even willing to look there?

 “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.” Isaiah 8:12

When you argue and seek to lift your opinion over others, you glorify yourselves, not your Creator. You create division, not peace. James (the brother of Jesus), Peter and John, the three pillars of the early church community exhorted us all to follow the example of Jesus and speak to each other in peace and love.

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

During these heated times, let’s not open the door to the enemy and give him a foothold. Let’s remember what our Lord told us.

 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’  

“The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31

My Guide

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you, God, and bless you for being a force and presence in my life. You are a miracle to me, Lord. You are my Portion, my Glorious Inheritance and the Only One I desire or will ever need. You smile upon me in so many ways, Lord, and I am so very thankful. I can feel You placing in my heart day by day a love for You that surpasses all others, Lord. You are my Hope, my Faith, my Love, my Heart. You are my Friend, my Father, my Husband. You are my Family. I adore You, and I put no one before You.

You take my worries and turn them into lessons and blessings. You take my sins and convict me and forgive me. You take my heart and enlarge it. You give me peace and love and joy and patience and promises and faithfulness beyond measure. You provide food and shelter and plans and wealth in the form of a fullness of heart that cannot be explained or fully understood. You commit to a treasure in Heaven even beyond what You provide on Earth. I am in awe of the extent of Your generosity.

Lord, when I am still and quiet enough to hear Your voice, Your encouragement and wisdom reassure me. Your gentle hand reaches down to guide me, and Your face seeks mine as I seek yours.

Your warmth and loving advice is always available, just as it was for Tamar and for Rahab and later, for Priscilla. Lord, I confess and repent that I have not always taken Your advice, and know that You forgive me and see my heart.

I thank You for continuing to love me through my foolishness, for continuing to help me place one foot in front of the other back to Your path from my own, helping me every day to hear Your voice over the din of deceivers, and holding my hand while You lift me around or over the stumbling blocks, increasing exponentially my trust in You.

All I ask, Father God, is that You continue to place in my heart a growing love for You like no other, a desire to embody the fruit of the Spirit in thought, word and action, and a yearning to glorify You in everything I do and say.

Thank you for directing my path today, Lord, and allowing me to serve You.

Your loving daughter, 

Susan

A Thicker Coat of Stubborn

Do not be stubborn as in the past when you turned against God, when you tested God in the desert. Hebrews 3:8 NCV

How often has the Lord given you a way out? How often has He pointed you to scripture to show you the way? How many times has He shown you, through friends, pastors, songs, or other avenues, what you need to do to follow and, just like Jonah, you have fled in the opposite direction?

You have grown, what my eloquent, newfound, friend KK Jones calls, “a thicker coat of stubborn.”

All through the Bible, God warns us not to be stubborn. He tells us to change our ways and listen to Him. 

The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. Psalm 95:8 NLT

He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are people from a nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have rebelled against me to this day.  I am sending you to these defiant and stubborn children. Tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says.’ Whether these rebellious people listen or not, they will realize that a prophet has been among them. Ezekiel 2:3-5 GW

Stephen continued speaking: "You stubborn people! You have not given your hearts to God, nor will you listen to him! You are always against what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you, just as your ancestors were.” Acts 7:51 NCV

That’s why the Spirit said, “If you hear God’s voice today, don’t be stubborn as in the past when you turned against God.” Hebrews 3:15 ERV (ref Psalm 95:7-8)

You’ve been hurt or rejected and refuse to let go of your anger; you want a certain job and won’t open to another path; you bear guilt and shame like a badge of honor and use it as an excuse to keep you from moving forward. You blame others for disappointment or lack, you fail to give grace or forgiveness, and you take offense at minor perceived insult. You become angry with God when He rewards others that in your judgment should be punished.

But we must also remember The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:8-9 NCV

When we begin to judge God’s decisions, we are placing ourselves higher than the Lord. And do we really want to do that? 

I have learned over the years not to ask, “Why.” That is part of my trust in Him. When I had breast cancer in 2007, I asked Him to get me through it with grace and humor, and He did.

Take off that coat of stubborn. Ask Him to clothe you in grace, forgiveness and peace.

He will.