Loving Jesus Style

Works Righteousness vs. Works of Faith   Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10 8  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9  not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.   Meditation             Many Christians today are afraid of “works righteousness”. They tend to use part of the above scripture passage as justification. Namely “For by grace you have been saved through faith…not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” This is true, but it is not the whole truth of this passage.             Paul continues “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works [emphasis mine] which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk...

  Scripture: Philippians 2:12-16 12  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14  Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15  that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16  holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.   Meditation:             Today’s scripture calls us to obedience to God first. By obeying God’s commands we open ourselves to God’s work of love within us. A work of love that ultimately leads to our salvation. Some may be surprised to see that we are ...

I heard several talking heads on a cable news outlet discussing the situation in America with the series of murders that have happened. These highly educated news people could not agree on what the root cause of all the violence was. Some blamed race relations, another deteriorating families, another guns, and on and on they went. All they were doing was listing the symptoms of the decay that has been plaguing America and the west for many decades now. These folks overlook the simple fact that has contributed to the decaying of America. The fact that we kicked God out of our country decades ago and now we who have sown the wind are reaping the whirlwind. You really can't expect folks to have a respect for their own lives let alone the lives of others if they do not believe that they are creatures created by God. If they do not believe that there is any plan for their lives and will not have to face eventual judgment  for the acts they commit. A bad act is no different from a go...

Scripture: 1 John 5:11-12 (ESV) 1 1  And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Meditation: What is salvation? If you asked many Christians that you would get an answer like ‘Salvation is having faith in Jesus to save you from your sins’. But I have a feeling that Jesus would say that it is something more than just a mental assent to Jesus being the Savior. For example the scripture verse above seems to indicate that eternal life is something that is lived through Jesus. Not merely some mental picture of Jesus dying on a cross to save us from our sins. Although it is that, but I believe that salvation is so much more. Salvation is a way of life for Christians to live out daily.             Somehow, modern Christianity seems to have disconnected the idea of salvation from its practi...

Scripture: (Luke 18:15–17 NRSV) 15  People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. 16  But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 17  Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” Meditation:             Most of us have heard that bringing a canary into a coal mine can help keep you alive. You see the canary is far more sensitive to the poison gasses that sometimes exist in the mines than we humans are so they get sick and die earlier than we will. Giving us ample warning to get out and save our own lives.             This past Sunday Pastor Cindy Marino of Rochelle UMC used the illustration that I th...

Scripture: Psalm 63:1-4   1     O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2      So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3      Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4      So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. Meditation:             The psalmist here gives us some beautiful words regarding his affection for God. I don’t know about you but I have met very few people (including myself) whose affection for God is this obvious. I think it in our day and age it is simply not cool to love God like this.             When we do meet someone who loves God this passionat...

Scripture: 17  So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see everything has become new! 18  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20  So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NRSV) Meditation:             What wonderful good news Paul has for us in these verses. However, there are days when we feel like anything but a new creation. Often we simply just feel old. We strain to be an ambassador for Chri...