Day 16 – Galatians 5:13

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” NIV

Freedom…a state in which somebody is able to act and live as he or she chooses, without being subject to any undue restraints or restrictions.

In this verse, Paul is writing to the churches in Galatia because many of the new believers here are Gentiles who are heavily influenced by Jewish church leaders. The Jewish leaders themselves struggle between growing up as strict followers of the law, and the liberty they have found with faith in Jesus. Now they love Jesus, and accept his teachings, but boy is it hard to let go of that legalistic training! How can these Gentiles be welcomed into this faith without having to go through all the red tape we’ve already endured? Why shouldn’t they have to suffer like we did? The message in this letter from Paul is that we all are free from trying to earn God’s favor through following rituals, or obeying a set of rules. He wrote to refute the Jewish leaders and move them back to the pure gospel – that salvation is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus and nothing else.

However, Paul says pretty clearly that we are not to use this newfound freedom to do as we please. “Well, I’ve got Jesus, it’s all good. I can do whatever I want…sin, not sin, doesn’t matter anymore because I’m free.” We are given this gift of freedom for a purpose – to glorify God by loving service to others.

Our freedom includes not only releasing us from the impossible task of following the law as prescribed by the Jewish leaders, but in a broader perspective, we have a freedom from the DESIRE to sin. If I am a Christ-follower, I am a new creation, the Holy Spirit lives in me and actively works at decreasing my desire to sin. That’s freedom!

I pray the Holy Spirit guards our hearts and keep us from being legalistic (high in truth, low in love). Help us to not be judgmental. Rather, bless us with unending opportunities to serve others so that we may glorify God!

Day 15 - 1 Corinthians 9:22-23

Essentially Paul says that he will do anything short of sin to reach the lost. I want that to be a theme of my life.

This is a toughy for some because it means letting go of tradition to gain a hearing for truth; to choose people over programs. To create ministries and ministry tools that are new and different in order to reach new and different people.

I personally have never have had a problem letting go of an older paradigm in order to make room for a new one if it is effective. When I read 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 though, I have to ask how this applies to me personally. I think it means I put myself in uncomfortable situations in order to build relationships. I think it means I sacrifice "my time" in order to meet people. I think it means I prioritize evangelism in my life.

This is near and dear to my heart because I want to do this for the community I live in. As I lead the launch of the East Campus, I realize more and more how important it is for me to be an integral part of the community we want to reach.

Day 14 - Romans 12.9-16

Marks of the True Christian

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Last week I got to watch one of my favorite movies, Sargent York. One thing I love about the movie is Alvin York's crisis of faith that brought him to the place of becoming a true Christ-follower. In fact, at a later spot in the movie his pastor tells him that he has the "livin' kind of faith, not just the readin' kind" due to the fact that Alvin was going to take a stand against the government concerning his draft status because he would have to go to war (WW I), and killing was "agin the book". Of course he did decide to accept his draft into the army during WW I and the rest is literal history.

This short passage in Romans tells us about the "livin" kind of faith. How God expects us to live with other Christ-followers and with those that do not have a relationship with him yet. This reminds me of a few people I have known who zealously strive to follow all of these instructions. I am in awe of them, of their faith, their grace, their generosity and their love. Love for others, love for God, and love for all things good and true. They are truly humble but they draw others to themselves simply by their passion for following Christ and doing His Word.

I want to emulate them, to act in ways that please God. But then someone says something I don't like. Or someone persecutes me, and instead of blessing them as the passage says, I think of ways to get even. And who can be patient in tribulation???

I can. I can if I seek His grace, His love, His patience. It seems impossible for me. If you knew me well you might think the same thing. But God does the coolest things if you let Him.

God, please help me to be a model of you. To do those things you ask in this passage. Help me to be patient and loving, and constant in prayer.

Day 13 - Romans 12:6-8

Wow, this really is a powerhouse chapter of the Bible- Romans 12 has so much to say (starting with the passage Jared blogged about yesterday)! Today's text reads:

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

We have such a tendency to categorize ourselves in our culture; in our jobs, our social circles, everywhere, we know exactly what rung of the "ladder" we're on. Certain careers, traits, even hobbies are looked on as superior or inferior to others- some have "it", others don't. How the life of a Christ-follower stands in contrast to that!

Here we have a passage in which God says to me, "of course you're going to act differently, and have different passions than the people around you-- I made you different from them for a reason!" I'm so glad to be part of a church family that encourages each other to find and use their strengths to make a difference in the lives of those around us. My mind drifts to the launch of the east campus this fall... not only is it a chance to show God's love to a whole new area, it is a chance for many who have felt God's love to use their gifts, how He created them, in His service. And that's a great thing!

God, help me understand my uniqueness better, and how my gifts can best be used to do your work in this world!

Day 12- Romans 12:1 and possibly verse 2

I was incredibly excited when I saw that I got to write on this verse. I think this is one of the most critical verses in our lives as Christ followers, and it has been my favorite verse for close to 10 years now. However, to separate it from verse 2 and I cannot accept it, these 2 verses go together so well and build on each other that the thought of separating them is a crime to me. So we are going to look at both verses, I have posted them in the New Living Translation. In my opinion it makes these verses much more understandable.

"1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

The first thing that jumps out at me as I am reading these verses is the words "And so" or in the NIV "Therefore". I can still hear my youth minister using this phrase, "When you are reading the Bible and you see the word therefore the first thing you need to do is figure out what the therefore is there for." I know it is a little cheesy, but that simple teaching forces me to take these verses and put them into context of the entire book of Romans and it helps us understand what the author was trying to teach.

I would love to spend hours teaching through the beauty of how the book of Romans was written but most of you would stop reading and go back to whatever you were doing before you started reading this blog. So let’s look at what is going on right before these verses. In chapters 10 and 11 Paul is explaining that Salvation is for everyone and that God has poured out his mercy on the Jews and on all people. He is teaching how lucky all people are that God was willing to let his son die to pay the price of our sin and as a result of that mercy and grace being poured out on our lives these verses where written.

Paul is saying look at how amazing God's mercy is, and when you see that you should respond with living your life for him. You life is no longer you own but a life of service to live for God. Then he goes on to tell us that our lives should be different from the rest of the world; because our lives are about living for God and not about living for ourselves. Then God delivers a promise to us as Christ Followers.

The promise that God delivers to us as Christ Followers is that we can know what His will is for our lives. I have talked with a number of people over the last 12 days and they are talking about how they are trying to find out what God's will for their life is during these 21 days. I am excited when I hear from people and tell me "God is calling me to step up and serve at the East Campus". I believe that many are finding one aspect of God's will for their life is to step up and serve. I honestly believe that some of you are searching for God's will and thinking about the East Campus and God is tugging on your heart to go to Africa as a missionary or to quit your job and go into ministry full time. Those things are scarier, but just as important for the Kingdom of God. I pray has not changed over the last week, I pray that you listen for God’s will for your life and that when you hear it you will be open to God’s will.

"but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

Day 11 - Acts 1:8

This one verse has more and more become one of my favorites. One of the reasons is that Jesus gave His disciples (and us) such a clear strategy for reaching out. A simple yet profound strategy for figuring out where they should start. It works for us as well.

The starting point is where you are at. It makes so much sense yet I forget that the place to start making a difference is where I live; in my family, in my neighborhood; in my town. That's my Jerusalem.

The second place Jesus talks about is Judea and Samaria which were very different areas of ethnicity but essentially were just a little farther away from Jerusalem. For me, I think about somewhere else in the nation. Is there a mission I need to be involved with around the country? One of these missions I have been involved with in the past are trips to New Orleans. Soon after Katrina hit, me and 3 others from Suncrest went to New Orleans to deliver some relief items and pitch in where we could. That led to another trip just 3 months later which involved another church I had served with. On that trip several people caught a passion for serving that area and are still making trips down there. While my schedule has restricted me from going this year I love the fact that God has worked through that first trip to connect so many with the need that is still present in New Orleans.

The third place Jesus mentions is "the ends of the earth." I have recently (just last night, actually) been wondering where it is I need to serve on this level. I got a call from a former student of mine last night who told me about her upcoming trip to Mexico. It lit a fire in me again for getting out of the country. Don't get me wrong. I love our country, but I also like to get out of it so I can appreciate better what we have. More than that, I just love to connect with people who live very far from here and who live very different lives than I do. This is my prayer I think. Lord, where can I make a difference around the globe?

Day 10 - Luke 10:25-37

I like a fast pace. The more I multitask and check things off the more energized I feel. So when it comes to taking as much time as is needed to really stop and talk with someone (you know, not just have intersecting monologues) I sometimes want to cut it short and go about my tasks.
The thing that strikes me about this passage in Luke is that Jesus refers to two obviously religious people that decide not to stop and help. He didn't mention what good thing they might be going to do or why they needed it to be done right away, instead He demonstrates the better choice even from an unlikely source.
Today I spent more time than I thought counseling someone with regard to their marriage. I left that conversation thinking, “I’m behind and I just blew part of my day.”
I'm glad to have read this today. I wrestle with how to spend certain segments of the day. Do I stop the fast pace of good things that need to be done? What things should I stop for?
Stopping, I've learned, is what helps me find the better choice.
There are tasks that need to be accomplished (like this journal) that are good things. These things help deepen the well so that we are able to give when we need to.
When it really comes down to it, it's how we spend our day that tells us if we’re being used by God.
God help us to stop in our busy day and look for hurting people to help.