Loving Jesus Style

Jesus Comes Quietly Scripture: Mathew 24:36-44(ESV) Selected Verses  36 "No one knows about that day or hour. Not even the angels in heaven know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows.  37 "Remember how it was in the days of Noah. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes.  38 "In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking. They were getting married. They were giving their daughters to be married. They did all those things right up to the day Noah entered the ark…. 42 "So keep watch. You do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 You must understand something. Suppose the owner of the house knew what time of night the robber was coming. Then he would have kept watch. He would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at an hour when you don't expect him. Devotion:             This is the season. Although Christmas is still 29 days away by my count, People are mobbing the stores l

Scripture: Isaiah 2:1-5   2  The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.             2           It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord                         shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills;                         and all the nations shall flow to it,             3           and many peoples shall come, and say:                         “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob,                         that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”                         For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.             4           He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples;                         and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears in

Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-25 (ESV) 19  Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20  by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21  and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.   Meditation;             These words by the author of Hebrews give us great comfort as Christians. They let us know that through Jesus we are clean from all sinful thoughts and actions by the blood of Jesus. They

Scripture Zechariah 7:8-13 8  And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9  “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10  do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” 11  But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12  They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13  “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts   Meditation:             Today is “black Friday”, the day when our country sinks into a cesspool of greed and hedonism. The strange thing is that it comes the day after thanksgiving. A day to give thanks for what we already have. A da

Nov 25, 2009 Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:2b-10 See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. Devotion:     It’s Thanksgiving time again. I admit it. I have not

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1–6a (NRSV)  First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2  for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3  This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4  who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5  For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all . . .   Meditation:             We have so much to be thankful for in our country. Although our country is not now nor ever has been perfect we still have much to be thankful for here in the U.S.A. Both in the scripture above and in Romans chapter 13 Paul urges prayers for those in power. We need to be on our knees thanking God for the blessings of liberty. We should also be interceding for all those in public office that God

Scripture: Galatians 5:16-25 (ESV) 16  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20  idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21  envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25  I

Scripture: Colossians 1:11-20 (ESV)   11  May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18  And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20  and through him to reconc

Scripture: John 16:12-14 (NIV) 12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. Meditation:             Today I want to give thanks for the Holy Spirit. This is the Spirit that enters into us confirming to us our salvation. The Holy Spirit is responsible for bringing into being the church as we read in Acts chapter two: (NRSV) “ 2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2  And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3  Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in othe

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-16 12  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13  But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14  If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16  Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.   Meditation:             Does anybody know you are a Christian besides your immediate family? Could someone tell that you were a Christian by the way you live your life? Would anyone be able to mock you for your faith? These are all important questions. If we are to be true Christ-Followers we must be able to answer them in the affirmative.             We know that it is easie

Scripture: Genesis 1:27–28 (NRSV) 27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28  God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”   Meditation:             The creation of humankind from the book of Genesis is one of the most maligned and misunderstood passages in the Bible in my opinion. Modern science claims to speak with one voice and say that humans were not created as Genesis states, but we are rather a product of evolutionary forces acting in a totally random universe. It is just understood on college and university campuses that evolution is the sole mechanism that determines the survival of the species.             Indeed, much of our modern world revolves around the assumed truth of evolution. Humanity must be the pro

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-42 38  “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39  But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40  And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41  And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42  Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.   Meditation             These words from the Sermon on the Mount are some of the most difficult for Christians to put into practice. Jesus is here overturning once and for all the law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. As Gandhi said “such a law leaves the world blind and toothless”. Some of the statements of this law in the Hebrew Scriptures indeed say it is to be carried out without mercy.             With that statement perhaps one does begin to see why Jesus would find the ne

    Scripture: 1 John 2:9-11 (ESV) 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.   Devotion: How many times have you heard the expression Love One Another? Probably more than you can count. We use the phrase so much I am afraid that at least some of its core meaning has been lost. That’s why I want to explore liking one another just to see what we may be missing out on with all this “love talk”. John in this letter I think gets right to the root of the problem. I have heard Christians say that I love “person x” in the lord but I really hate the way he thinks about (name your church issue). Thus my problem with Love as we use it like this is that it becomes so shallow as to be meaningless. As

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-20 (ESV) 3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5  he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8  which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.   Meditation:             Here at the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians we read one of the most powerfu

Scripture: John 3:16–17 (NRSV) 16  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17  “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Meditation Today I want us to give thanks for Jesus. These familiar scriptures from the Gospel of John tell the story of our new life in Christ. I am so thankful that God sent Jesus into the world. I would be so lost in my sin without the ability to rely on God’s grace. First I am grateful to God for just sending Jesus so that we can look at the testimony about how he lived his life among us, so that we might be able to have the ability to follow his example. I know that without that example I would be lost as to how to live my life. Second I am grateful for Jesus because he died for my sins and yours on a cross. Crucified like a criminal between two thieves Jesus did away with t

    Scripture: 1 John 4:7-12 (NRSV) 7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.   Devotion:             In my own life I find it difficult to understand why I so often forget the simple truth of these words of scripture. In today’s culture we often sacrifice the commandment to love one another on the altar of our need to be “right” about a specific issue. Our culture has also trained us to seek our “rights” even if we viol