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Today’s Reading : Zephaniah 3

“I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant. I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt…

“Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed…

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.”

‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬-‭8‬, ‭16‬-‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Over the years, there’s been one  movie that has really captured the full aspect of emotion that has been a fan favorite of my kids, INSIDE OUT.

 

In this movie, it looks inside of the person’s emotional brain and  shows the core emotions: joy, fear, anger, disgust, and sadness.   There is a second movie where some of these emotions evolved to additional emotions: anxiety, envy, embarrassment, and boredom.  This parody of life really shows the complexity of emotions that we have and how to interact and how to manage emotions.

One of my professional friends gave me insight to the emotions that we all have.  We had a conversation about depression and the mechanism of depression. He gave me insight into depression theory.  Depression can be viewed as a societal suppression of our pure emotions that we are told not the express, but to suppress such as our grief, anger, fear.

 

On a daily basis we attempt to not feel certain emotions. We attempt to dismiss our fears. We attempt to dismiss our grief. We attempt to downgrade our joy. We’re not allowing our bodies to feel the extent of our emotions and become confused in ourselves.

In this passage, we can see that God actually has a complexity of emotions as well. In the first chapters, God is angry. He is giving the prophet his emotions and expressing his frustrations with the people. He is upset about the way that people have forgotten his generosity. God  is angry that he has given in a special place that they have reluctantly giving it away. But then in the last chapter, God shows his compassion. He shows how he loves despite the hurt,  He gives love.

We are reflections of God’s emotional self. We have similar complex emotions that God has given us and we also have the ability to show compassion through our pain and grief.  Throughout our lives, we will experience the highs and lows of different emotions. But we have to remember that examples God is given.

We all are capable of expressing our emotions, but we have to be able to do it in a matter that is gracious.  Let us ask ourselves if there is someone that is in need of our compassion that has caused us hurt in the past. 

Be Blessed 

 

Today’s reading is Romans 8.

What is the strongest force in the universe?

A quick search would tell you the 4 strongest forces are weak nuclear, electromagnetic, gravitational and strong nuclear with strong nuclear being the strongest force that exists. I would make the argument that this is incorrect. Romans 8 tells us the power and the strength of God’s love.

It was God’s love that brought the universe into being in Genesis 1. It was God’s love that made everything in it, including us in His image (Genesis 1:26). God didn’t have to create and do any of this and then when man brought sin into the world (Genesis 3:4), He could have said he was done with us. If not then, He could have been done with us we continued to sin against Him. Jesus could have been perfectly happy and comfortable in Heaven and could have left us dead in our sin, separated from Him forever. The Bible tells us He wanted to rescue us while we were still sinners, undeserving of His love (Romans 5:8). Why? The first part of John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world..” That is why He came down and died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. If this doesn’t tell us enough about the power of his love, Romans 8 does.

Not only does it say He loves us so much that He works all to be good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28, but it goes on. It expands by asking the question in Romans 8:28-29..

“What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with Him graciously give us all things?”

It puts it right out there, if we have God on our side..what do we have to worry about!

Paul doesn’t stop there though, He expands on the greatest force in the universe, God’s love.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation. or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Romans 8:37

And then to bring it all home. The mic drop.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

And although he said nothing in “all creation” can separate us….I might add not even strong nuclear force can separate us from the most powerful force in the universe which is God’s love.

No matter what you’re going through, the power of God’s love for us should bring us great joy. It is greater.

This past summer I was fortunate to have the lead singers from my favorite band, Sister Hazel, play a private show. One of their songs has become popular as a first dance at weddings. While it fits in that setting, I’ve told my family for years I think it’s really about God. At the show Drew, who wrote and performs the song, said he wrote the song for his kids about God’s love.

The song is “This Kind of Love”.

Check it out here..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLqcf__Jib8&list=RDQLqcf__Jib8&start_radio=1

Psalm 136

If you read Psalm 136 you will quickly notice that all 26 verses in the chapter end with the same words every time.  “His faithful love endures forever.”(NLT Version)  I see purpose throughout this chapter right away.  The psalmist is repeating one truth and driving it deep into our souls.  This chapter is equivalent to a training manual in a sense.  I feel like the author is telling the reader, “Whenever you think you have failed beyond recall or you feel that there is no path to becoming one with God, remember, His love endures forever!”

• No matter who’s in charge politically, culturally, or economically – God is still sovereign. His love doesn’t expire.
• The God who made the stars is the same God who watches over your daily life. He is not overwhelmed by your everyday stresses and worries.
• You can’t physically see it, but He sees the wrong. He intervenes.  He breaks the chains.
• When you have no clue what direction to go, there appears to be no progress, and you don’t understand what God is doing……remember He has not abandoned you.
• He knows when you are at your lowest. He supports you every day.  He sees you battling on the inside.

Just like in Psalm 136, after you read each of those bullet points you should be reminded, “His faithful love endures forever”.  Repeat it often.  Engrave it into your soul.  I am not even upset if you tattoo on your arm!?   Look at everything He has created for you and in you and remember most of all, His faithful love will never run out.

I leave you with an excerpt from the most recent Bible I was recently gifted, “Every Man’s Bible”(NLT version)……

“At times, moving through life can be like a lonely walk through the wilderness.  But God is able to lead us out of the wilderness if we are willing to surrender our lives to Him.  He will never abandon us, because “His faithful love endures forever”.

1 John 3 shows God’s love as adopting, transforming, and practical.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). God’s love doesn’t start with you getting your act together—it starts with God giving you a new name: child. In the real world, that’s the difference between living like an employee trying to earn approval and living like a son who’s already welcomed home. When you blow it—lose your temper, cut corners, drift spiritually—God’s love doesn’t revoke your family status. He calls you back to it.

John says this love also changes what you want: “everyone who thus hopes…purifies himself” (3:3). Not perfectionism—direction. Think of the dad who starts going to bed earlier because he wants to be present for his kids in the morning. Or the friend who stops feeding a habit because they’re tired of being owned by it. God’s love produces that kind of new hunger: “I want to look like Jesus.”

Then John gets concrete: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us…let us not love in word… but in deed” (3:16–18). Love becomes groceries for a struggling neighbor, a calm apology after a heated argument, showing up when it’s inconvenient, forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve it, or quiet generosity no one applauds.

Today, receive God’s love as your identity—and then let it move through your hands.

John 14

Jesus loves you.

Within this chapter, we see a few different ways that Jesus displays His love to us, undeserving sinners. Before we dive in, I want to note a key verse. In verses 9-11, Jesus gently rebukes Philip for not fully understanding Jesus’ nature yet. Philip had not yet seen the love of Jesus displayed on the cross or the power that came from the resurrection. Philip didn’t fully understand that the Father was in Jesus and Jesus in the father. This oneness is exactly what Jesus prayed the Church would have with one another (John 17).

The love of God is not accepting and affirming of all the decisions we make. It is God’s love that rebukes, corrects, and disciplines when we fall into a sinful lifestyle. How can that be loving? He created you and wants what is best for you. His best for you is a relationship with God where you are growing more and more into the image of His Son. So, that means He is actively correcting us when we act in a way that is contrary to the absolute truth we find in God’s Word. This brings us to some key points of how God loves according to John 14.

The first point is that Jesus provided a way to bridge the gap between God and man (John 14:6). Sometimes man will want to be inclusive because we tend to want to be nice and not hurt other’s feelings. We will hear phrases like, “all religions lead to heaven”, “be more open-minded, you are too closed off”, or “If God really loves, then He wouldn’t be so exclusive”. The truth of this passage is that the path to God, and salvation, is very exclusive. It is God’s love that He even provides a way to take care of the sin that separates us from Him. We shouldn’t ask so many questions about how God bridged the gap, instead we should be in awe and amazement that He bridged the gap between man and Himself.

The second point is that Jesus loves us by giving us a Helper and a Comforter who indwells believers (John 14:16,26). This is an amazing gift and blessing that every believer experiences. Elsewhere in the NT, we see that the Holy Spirit is what seals us and is the guarantee (or deposit) of our salvation. The Holy Spirit will convict us of sin, give us gifts to edify the Church, and bless us with the fruit of the Spirit.

The last point of Jesus displaying His love to us in this passage, is the truth that He is preparing a place for us and is coming back (John 14:28). God will not just leave us as orphans. He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell Christians and to come upon them with power to serve. He will come back.

So, what is our response to His love? What do you take away from this chapter? Read verse 21 with me, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” It is quite simple. You love God by loving His Word, rightly dividing it, and staying obedient.

Today’s Reading: Ephesians 3

1-3 This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you’re familiar with the part I was given in God’s plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief.

4-6 As you read over what I have written to you, you’ll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God’s Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I’ve been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board. – Ephesians 3:1-6

One of the biggest weapons that the enemy has against us is, isolation.

It is the use of isolation and loneliness and separation that the enemy allows us to forget that we are to be in community and to be strengthened by each other. Over the last several weeks and months, we have been inundated with the thought that we are separate and different from each other. The fear that we have been given has been exploited. But in today’s passage, we are shown that no matter how different we are, no matter what we go through, we all are in the same family.

In this letter to Ephesians, Paul shows us a much needed reminder, we are connected.  He shows that it’s not by accident or coincidence that God reveals to us our connections at the right time. 

We may look different, we may speak different, we may eat different, we may dance different, but at the end of the day we all are one family. 

We all have that same connection to each other. It is our differences that make us unique and make us exciting. It is our differences that make us stronger together. 

I may be a great cook, but I am not a great builder. My brother may be a great builder, but not a great cook. When we come together, we are able to lift each other up together with our differences and our unique traits allow us to grow together. We do not have to be envious of each other because of the other traits. We should be able to celebrate each other and to enjoy each other’s greatness and uniqueness to build us up together.

There’s a couple of examples that I was just given this week of how isolation can cripple us.

The first example is from a patient. While counseling her about medications and giving  her these reminders, she informed me that the past month she has had so many difficulties, and she doesn’t know how to make it. At that point, I gave her compassion and let her know that no matter what happens, “We are here to help you.”  

This is a critical point where another pharmacist could’ve browbeat her, but I gave her a soft hand of compassion and of love. And when she saw my compassion, tears started to flow. It only took 10 seconds of compassion and kindness to show this person that she mattered.

One of my friends  just shared a very moving testimony on his behalf. He is remembering the departure of his brother 10 years ago. He also shared the difficulties that he has experienced over the last month.   In his sharing, he opened himself up to connections with others. He was able to push past this isolation and by sharing the community is able to uplift him and give him strength.

It is hard to get out of isolation and out of our own mind. It is hard to become vulnerable to anyone. It’s hard to become vulnerable to your family, to your friends, to others. But when we have the love of Christ in us, we can become vulnerable. This vulnerability allows us to be strengthened. When we become vulnerable, we do not have to worry about the ramifications of someone using that to their own advantage. When we  become vulnerable, we allow Christ to strengthen us and protect us from others who would use it against us. 

That’s what isolation does is tries to keep you insulated from others’ love and compassion.

As we go through this week of love and compassion and joy, allow us to be more vulnerable and open to strength and for love and for mercy.

 

Be Blessed

 

Romans 5

When asked, “How much is enough?” John D. Rockefeller famously replied, “Just one dollar more.”   In the movie Wall Street, Gordon Gekko responds similarly. “It is a zero-sum game,” He says.  They May have been motivated by greed and selfish ambition, but they did know one thing: there is no such thing as enough.

“How much more?” Paul asks three times in Romans 5. Paul, however, is not talking about greed, riches, and ambition. He’s talking about grace—the grace that covers our sin, the grace that redeems us, the grace that makes us worthy.

If you have ever considered that you might have just outstripped God’s grace, that you’ve stepped over the line one too many times, that you keep repeating and going back to that same old infraction, you might be tempted to to give up and surrender to your sin.  It would be easy to believe that God’s punishment and wrath are coming for you. But that’s not what Paul is saying. He’s making it clear That there is more grace. How much more? “SO much more” He says.

Grace is a zero-sum game. It’s infinite.