Open Eyes

John 9:1-4a - As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day…

In this passage, Jesus and the disciples meet a man who has been blind since birth. The disciples, who exist to show us how we would react in similar situations, immediately ask Jesus who we should blame for this. Did his parents do something wrong to have a child like this? Did he do something and deserve to be blinded? Often, we have a voice inside us that tries to convince us not to help someone in need. 

We have thoughts that say, “they probably deserve this because of the choices they made,” or “they got themselves into this situation they should get themselves out.” Unfortunately for those thoughts, we were never called to be the arbiters of who deserves what. You can see this in Jesus’s response.

It wasn’t about the man, his parents, or anything they had done, it was about an opportunity for God’s work to be displayed. And this is the key to anyone in need that you might come across in your day-to-day life. You did not meet them to feel better about yourself or to look down on them. You met them so you would have an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that so desperately needs to be healed of blindness.

Jesus leaned down to the man, spat in the dirt, rubbed mud in his eyes, and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man did it and came back with his sight! Jesus didn’t give the man a sermon, he didn’t make him feel bad about who he was, Jesus saw a person that needed his help, and gave it happily. 

You may not be able to heal the blind, but you have the opportunity every day to reach into someone’s life and show them the light of Jesus. Even if, like Jesus, you need to get your hands a little dirty to do it.

History of Faith

Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

This past week has been a whirlwind for sure. We went from having a building option that would work but was far less than ideal, to meeting an amazing group of saints who were kingdom minded, and happily asked the question, “what is the best thing we can do for the Lord?” This is an amazing opportunity that God put together right when we needed it the most.

Looking at the history of Restore, this is the fourth time we have been asked to find a new place to worship. And each time God has come through. We have been provided a place that is a little bigger and a little better. While these past few months we have been wracked with anxiety and sleepless nights looking back we can see how God has been putting things in motion that outshine any of our expectations

Our hope and prayer is that with this move we are going to the place where we will plant our flag, that this will be the place our kids can point to as the church they grew up in. Through all the moves one thing has remained true, Restore is a community of people that care about one another. A barn, a school, a building that sits on partially condemned land it didn’t matter because the community of Restore is what’s important. As we move forward, let’s take this small pearl we’ve found and bring more people in to see it. We know the love we have so let’s share it with everyone we know. 

We all were lost, and we are found, no one can stop us or slow us down. We are the named and we are known, we know that we'll never walk alone. Ten days ago, our future looked very different from what it looks like today. Our future was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Remember this as a time you saw God working.

Welcome the Interruption

If you have been involved with Restore for more than a few months, you will know that we are well acquainted with interruptions. There have been moves, pandemics, and plans that don’t come to fruition because of things outside of our control. Even in your own life I’m sure you can think of hundreds of times when you thought, “I am in control of my life, and next I will go and do XYZ.” When we have all these master plans laid, out it becomes difficult to deviate. Then something happens that changes our plan, and instead of trusting the process we often choose to grip tighter, hold on longer, and fight for something that we know in our hearts wasn’t meant to be.

It is in times like this that we need to look to God and say I trust. I need to trust you. Now, more than ever I need you to light my path because I feel lost. Having something not work out the way you planned is hard, and it is a loss you must take the time to grieve. However, it is also an opportunity to do something different.

James tells us in chapter 4 starting in verse 13, “13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

When your plans get interrupted, feel the way it makes you feel, just don’t stop moving forward. We are called to trust the plans that God has for us and live the life to which we are called. It is a hard call, but when we learn to welcome the interruptions, we can find paths that we never thought possible.

Where has God called you to go, and what needs a little interruption?

If I Knew Then

Have you ever heard this phrase? “If I knew then what I know now.” It usually refers to how we could have avoided pain or found some benefit if we understood a few things that we didn’t recognize at the time. If I knew I was going to break my leg on the first day of summer, I wouldn’t have run around the pool! 

As you get older and look back at your younger self there are going to be times when you will be angry or disappointed at the choices you have made. It’s okay to evaluate your life. It’s okay to have a few things in your past that you regret. What’s not okay is to let those poor choices that happened in the past define who you are in the present.

One of the best examples, in the Bible, of not being defined by your past is that of Paul. At one time he made his living hunting Christians and persecuting them for abandoning the “right way” to worship. God saw him, knew all he had done, and still said, “that’s my guy” I want to use him to help change the world. Psalm 103: 12 says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Transgression just means the things we’ve done wrong). God saw Paul’s potential, God saw the person Paul could be, and God interrupted Paul’s life to spread the message of love and salvation.

This is how God sees you too. We’ve all made mistakes in the past, choices when we know what was right, what was wrong, and knowingly and intentionally chose the wrong. What we need to recognize as we look back on those times is that we can’t change our past, but we can do our best to make the future better. 

You are called to try and live like Jesus. This is a pretty high standard. Paul in his letter to the Philippians wrote,

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (Philippians 3:12-16)

Life can feel like a constant battle between the past-you and the present-you. Sometimes it feels like past-you only leaves problems for present-you. Past-you could have completed the project last week, and now present-you needs to finish in the next two hours. Past-you could have exercised more, past-you could have tried harder in school, and all the other things past-you could have done better. 

Thankfully God has forgiven past-you, and I hope you can find a way to do that as well. Past-you was young and dumb and didn’t have the benefit of knowing all the things you know now. Forgiveness does not free us from the consequences of our past choices; however, it can inspire us to not make the same mistakes again. 

God forgave you then, God forgives you now, and God is going to forgive you in the future. How can you forgive past-you? What can present-you do to make up for past-you’s mistakes?

Anticipation

John 15:7 - If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Texting has become a regular part of our lives. When you text with someone, occasionally a bubble with three blinking dots comes up. It means that the person you are contacting is typing and anticipation begins. It draws you in, it creates a sense of expectation, it holds your attention as you await the message. Those three little dots could become anything. 

In life, it is easy to get caught up in anticipation. We get our hopes up that what we think should come next is exactly what is going to happen. We expect God to speak, to give us an unmissable sign from heaven, or show us something special. 

Sometimes we let that anticipation slide into inaction because we are unsure of where to go. Maybe you’ve said this phrase “I just wish God would tell me exactly what to do.” Unfortunately, we are rarely given step by step instructions. We are asked to simply live out our calling. God has called each of us to use our gifts to live for him. 

That desire for a message is the same as the 3 dots in texting. However, it is misplaced anticipation, because God has already given us his message. We don’t have to wait! God has given us the Bible, his Word, as a message to us. It is the story of redemption and love that we want. It is a guide for our life. Yet, because we worry more about expectations than substance, we miss it.

God wants to speak to you through his Word. It’s not going to tell you explicitly whether you should buy this house or take that job, but it will show you what kind of person you should strive to be. Jesus wants to connect with us so that we can abide in him through his Word. You don’t have to wait or get stuck with endless blinking text dots. God has spoken, connect with him today in his Word. God’s message is already waiting for you.

Strong and Courageous

Joshua 1:9 – have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Once a youth worker and I were going to see a concert with a couple of our students. As we were heading out of the suburbs, we suggested grabbing some McDonalds so we could just eat on the way downtown. The students protested saying they wanted to eat some place cool in the city. Knowing that we had plenty of time before the concert started, we kept driving. After we found a place to park we started walking. And walking. And walking. We probably walked eight or ten blocks trying to find the perfect restaurant. 

Don’t get me wrong, we passed plenty of places that would have been delicious, but each suggestion was met with, “I don’t think I’d like that,” “that place looks sketchy,” or some other version of no. Until we turned a corner and they saw the perfect place to eat. It was a different McDonalds. My eyes rolled so hard they almost fell out of my head. All this work just to end up where we started. 

There are times in our lives when we ignore great things and settle for what we know. In Joshua 1, Moses has just died, and God is calling Joshua to take on the leadership role. Moses was definitely a tough act to follow. He did miracles. He went head-to-head with the Pharaoh. He led an entire nation. This would cause most people a little trepidation, but Joshua knew the Lord was with him and Moses had helped to prepare him. 

You might not be called to lead a nation into the promised land, right now. Maybe you’ve just been called to take a small risk for the Lord. Big or small we are called to be strong and courageous because the Lord is with us wherever we go. When you are called to step out of your comfortable life, do it boldly. Even if it’s something as simple trying a new restaurant. Every big change in your life started with a small change.

Pray and ask God what small steps you can take today.

Legacy

Deuteronomy 32:2-3  

2 Let my teaching fall like rain
    and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
    like abundant rain on tender plants.

3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord.
    Oh, praise the greatness of our God!

Deuteronomy 32 is the last recorded teaching of Moses to Israel. He uses this opportunity to remind them of all the ways God has been faithful in their journey out of slavery, and he begins with gentleness. He wants to praise God and guide the people to do the same. Moses knows that you don’t reach anyone by beating them over the head with the truth. It must be revealed softly like dew descending on to new grass.

Verse 4, “God is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” Moses has seen and experienced a lot in his long life. And at the culmination of all of it he wants his people to keep their focus on God. The God that loved them from the beginning and rescued them even though they went astray time and time again.

We have been called to live life differently as a holy and set apart people. Our trust in God sustains us through the hard times and joins in our celebration of the good times. It is this hidden strength that allows us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. We won’t always have the answers to the big questions of life at our fingertips, but we have access to the one who does.

The most important task in this life is simply to share the love you have found with the people around you. While we may never have been enslaved by the pharaohs of Egypt, we all have a story of encountering a challenge that feels insurmountable, and seeing God provide in a way we could never have imagined. We are prepared, when strife rears its head again, to fix our eyes on our creator and say, “Lord, I need you now!”

We don’t like thinking about the last time we will get to speak to the ones we love. So, let’s call it legacy. What legacy do you want to be known for, and how can you share it with gentleness and love to those around you?

Future From the Past

1 Corinthians 13:10-13 10when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The first year of your life you were a selfish little baby! Instead of just talking about being hungry or disparaging the state of your diaper, like a mature person would, you just screamed your head off until someone else solved all your problems. Thankfully, almost everyone grows out of this phase of life as they gain a little language and life experience.

Growing up is the experience of learning how to be more self-sufficient. When you feel hungry, you don’t start screaming, you go find food. If now-you wrote a letter to much younger-you there is a lot of wisdom you’d want to impart. Most of these would be lessons on how to avoid heartache, make better choices, and maybe sprinkle in a little bit of how to get rich.

You might even want to tell your younger self which childish things they should have put away a little sooner. If you were to make a list of 15 things you would want to tell yourself from 5-10 years ago, what would they be Further how many of them can you apply to your life in the future?

Obviously, some of the advice would be specific: don’t do this, avoid this person, etc. But a lot of it would be strong words for the person you would like to become. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul is talking about loving one another and keeping an eye on the person Jesus is revealing himself to be in your life. 

You don’t get to know what will happen in the future, but you can use your past to help prepare for it. It is only after you fully come out the other side of hard times that you are able to process and take something that felt like evil and turn it for good.

Paul ends this section in verse 13 saying “now faith, hope, and love abide…but the greatest of these is love.” When you make it through the hard times of life you are better able to give love, and have love, and share love. You’ve made it out of the depths of despair; you know how to turn around and help pull other people out.

You can’t know the future, so how will you use your past?

Rebuilding

Ezekiel 36:33-36 33 “Thus says the Lord God: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. 34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by.35 And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.

Have you ever seen a building fall into disrepair after it has been abandoned? Maybe you passed by it during your commute and watched as the years took their toll: windows broke, paint peeled, and bricks crumbled. Our usual response it to think that someone should just knock it down. We should clear that space so that something new and clean can replace it. We saw no value in something so run down.

Thankfully, there are people who see past the shabbiness. They look past the dirt and grime and see that this building has good bones. It can be refreshed and renewed, it just takes a little time and effort. After this place that was in ruins has been restored our amazement grows. This is what God wants to do in our lives!

Most of us only look at people the way they are right now. We only see the flaws and the shortcomings and think “that person is a desolate waste.” But we serve a God that saw past that desolation in us. God took someone others had forsaken and turned them from hopeless to hope-filled. We can be amazed at the work that God has done.

God will rebuild the ruined places and turn our wastelands into fortified and inhabited lands.

The Crowd

Jesus taught in many places during his ministry, and when he did The Crowd was drawn in. No matter how long he taught or the number of people he healed The Crowd wanted more. And Jesus wanted to help them, however Jesus knew that after a long time of giving of yourself you need to take time to revitalize yourself.

At the beginning of Matthew 14 Jesus was told about the death of a close friend, John the Baptist. The Crowd either didn’t know or didn’t care that Jesus might be going through some stuff and sought him out anyway. And this is where we find him starting in Matthew 14:14, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Even though Jesus was dealing with the loss of John he still makes time to show compassion. 

There will be times in your life that you just feel done with everyone and everything, and it is in these times that you need to remember who you are called to be. You may need to dig deep but taking a moment for a deep breath and searching for that little spark can give you the push you need to do the right thing. 

The disciples knew what Jesus was going through and tried to get him to send the people away. Matthew 14:15-18,

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 

The disciples were being great friends to Jesus and trying to get him some time away, but Jesus knew the crowd needed one last push of compassion. Jesus fed The Crowd, more than 5000 people, using only the meager supplies they had available. You may not be able to give extravagant gifts or tons of money. You are able to give your time. Jesus wants to use your time and your talents big or small. 

God will put people in your path who will look to you for help. You just need to be available to answer the call through the power of Jesus Christ.

Memorial Day

Isaiah 25:8 – He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day, and for most of us this only signals a three-day weekend and the unofficial start of summer. We make plans for cookouts and vacations, and in all these fun activities it is easy to forget those who mourn. If it wasn’t for the sacrifice of others, we wouldn’t be able to celebrate the way we do at this time of year.

Unfortunately, mourning has never been a one-day thing. When we experience a loss, it comes in waves. It starts as a sharp, sudden shock and the news of the loss is so unconscionable that we almost refuse to believe it. Then the deep sadness sets in as you realize that things will never be the same again. This is the time when you just put one foot in front of the other and try to make it through the day. This walk is slow but over time you are able to pick up the pace. You are able to go on even if it means that you walk with a limp. 

This Memorial Day, let us remember those that we have lost, and the loved ones left behind. As we weep with those who are weeping, I hope we also look forward to the glorious day when Jesus returns, and all is made right. We look forward to a time when death is no longer something to be feared. Isaiah 25:9, “It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’”

When you are going through a hard time cling to that still small spark of hope that the next day might be a little better than the last.

Nostalgia

Did you know that nostalgia used to refer to a medical condition faced by soldiers? In modern language, nostalgia refers to the warm feeling we get when we think about “the good old days.” Back in the 17th-19thcentury however, it referred to soldiers that so badly wanted to go home it was driving them into a manic state. They were so distracted by wanting to be somewhere else that they could do little else than think about the past.

While far from a medical diagnosis nostalgia can still be a problem for many people today. When you look back on your life and where you’ve been, your memory is often unreliable. Things that were good become better, and things that were bad become worse. If you need an example, just think of that one uncle’s story about the fish he caught. Each time he tells it the fish gets a little bit bigger and the struggle gets a little bit harder. Our brains are weird. This is why we are called to keep our minds on the things above.

Colossians 3:1-3 says, “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”

While it’s easy to remember the landmark moments that make up our lives, it’s easy to lose the little ones. We don’t store what we had for lunch 6 weeks ago on Tuesday in our long-term memory because it will almost never be important. So, when you are choosing the thoughts to hold on to, choose everlasting truths.

Christ came for you. Other people got in on the deal too, but Jesus came that YOU might be saved. There are so many earthly things that we think about things that our mind says, “if everyone just went back to this the world would be better.” 

It can be fun to rest and reminisce in “the good old days,” just don’t get stuck there. There are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in your memory. Dwell on the everlasting truths.

In A Pickle

The other day I learned that I had a small paper cut on my finger, and I learned this when I reached into pull a pickle out of a jar. It was a small surprise for sure because I didn’t remember buying the pickles that had thorns. It’s the surprise and sudden pains that can sometimes hurt the most. But it can also be that these pains serve as a reminder that there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

This is how it works when we feel convicted by the Holy Spirit. There are times that we have lost our way and find ourselves stuck in some sin. We know the difference between what is right and wrong, and then we choose wrong. This is the nature of being a sinner. Sinning is something we can do effortlessly, and it is the thing we need to try so hard to fight. 

Thankfully this is not a fight we need to take on alone. 1 Corinthians 15:53-56, 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We’ve all heard that the wages of sin is death, and if all we had is sin, then we would have nothing to look forward to. However, we have a savior who has blotted out our sin through his sacrifice on the cross. This means that we who are weak and perishable are given the gift and the ability to put on the imperishable. 

We are allowed to share in the victory because of Jesus Christ’s revolutionary act of love. As believers, when our time comes, we will be able to say, “’death where is your victory?’ I have been set free through Jesus!”

Sin will always be something with which we struggle. But there will also always be little reminders that you can come home and be welcomed with open arms—even if those reminders might sting from time to time. 

Pollen Season

It is pollen season in New Jersey. Meaning that many of us are suffering. We are suffering with itchy eyes, runny noses, and we constantly needing to reassure those around us that it’s because the trees are attacking and not the Rona. I’m thankful that this is not my lot in life. The worst part about pollen season for me is that it turns my normally red car orange. And while I am always thankful when it rains hard enough to wash my car, I wouldn’t call a dirty car suffering. 

While the pollen is annoying, we know it serves a purpose and heralds a better time to come. It means that we have survived another cold dark winter. The days are lasting longer and because of the pollen the world will go from dull grey to vibrant green. We just need to muddle through the hard times and be patient for the future glory that is to come.

In Romans 8 Paul puts it this way, “18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

When we look at our day-to-day lives, it’s easy to feel bogged down in the mundaneness. Wake up, deal with kids, go to work, eat dinner, watch TV, go to bed, and repeat for the rest of your life. Every now and then though, we get to take a break from the routine. We are able to slow down, to relaxed. And in this relax state we can gain a little perspective. Day-to-day life can at times feel like we’re stuck in a rut, but we do it to secure a better future.

As Christians, it’s easy to have a “what have you done for me lately” attitude towards God. But if we can take a break and look forward to what is to come, we will be reminded that we should be waiting with hope and expectation for the glory that is to come. We have hope in a savior who is coming back to set the whole world free.

Pollen season can be painful, thankfully the growth and beauty to follow make it all worth it.

Where to?

Psalm 119:105-106 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.

Do you ever start traveling without knowing where you’re going? I’m not talking about just going for a ride, then traveling is the destination and 99 times out of 100 you end up where you started. No, I’m asking about those times when you are undertaking a journey. It might be trying to get from point A to point B, but this could also mean when you are setting out to plan your career, your life, or your children’s’ future. 

More often than not, we want to have a full plan in place—with strict step-by-step instructions and regular progress reports—a clear path to get us to our goal. Unfortunately, that’s not always available. Sometimes we can only see our next step, and we’re asked to move. We may not be ready. We may not know where this path will lead. We just know that God is calling us to move forward on a path that will ultimately bring us closer to Him.

There’s a quote (that is much older than Frozen II) that says, “when you don’t know what to do next, just do the next right thing.” And how do we know the next right thing? By having the word as a lamp to our feet. By using the word of God to guide our actions. Now in our modern world we have a lot of people claiming to do that, and it reminds me of another old quote, “people too often use the Bible the way a drunkard uses a lamppost, for support rather than illumination.”

When we interact with the word of God, we should be looking to receive knowledge, instruction, and illumination. Sadly, many people scour the scripture for vaguely related and out of context verses that support their political opinions. As Christians, we have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep God’s righteous rules. This sounds a lot weightier than it actually is.

One of the earliest instructions God gave to his people was “be Holy for I am Holy.” This is the oath we are agreeing to when we call ourselves Christians. It is an oath we will fail from time to time. Thankfully God only wants us to get up, try again, and let his word that we’ve returned to be the lamp for our feet and the light for our path.

For you today, what is the next right thing you can do?

Maybe Be Nice?

Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

This verse from Matthew is commonly referred to as “the Golden Rule.” Like so many things, Jesus takes a common idea and turns it on its head by pointing out the higher calling we have been given. We usually think of this concept in the negative, “don’t do anything to others that you wouldn’t want them to do to you.” However, Jesus calls us to take it one step further. It is not enough to just be passively kind; we should be actively seeking out ways to serve and love those around us. 

As Christians we love the idea of the Golden Rule. Living it out becomes a different animal. We always want other people to treat us with kindness and respect. When we have a need, we expect someone to be there and to be available to help us. The problem arises when we realize that it’s a lot easier to receive those things than it is to give those things.

Living by the Golden Rule requires us to recognize our own selfishness and push it to the side. Think of life as trying to merge on to a busy highway. We all want to see someone slow slightly to let us in. When they do, we give them a courtesy wave, and when they don’t, we have no shortage of names or gestures to express our frustrations. Now reverse the roles, how easy is it for you to slow down and let someone in? It’s easy to get selfish, we all have places to be, and letting in the wrong person could slow us down. So, what do you do?

Sadly, this isn’t an easy switch to turn on in our brains. Other places in the Bible it says, “don’t murder.” It’s probably one of the easier commands; I’ve made it my whole life and never committed murder. The real challenge comes in passages like the one we are looking at today. We are given a call, a task, a responsibility to live out every day: to treat others the way we would like to be treated.

You know how you want other people to treat you. Now how can you do that for someone else?

Now What?

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

This past Sunday Christians across the world came together to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The most important miracle to our faith. We spend a week recalling, in vivid detail, Jesus’s journey starting from his triumphal entry and ending with his death, burial, and resurrection. 

In many traditions, Christians break down his journey into what is called the Stations of the Cross. Each station meant to be a point where we rest and reflect on Jesus’s experience and the sacrifice that was made on our behalf. The crucifixion wasn’t a quick experience for Jesus. A mob of angry people didn’t just grab him and murder him. He had to live through a process of being condemned by the people he came to help and betrayed by some of his closest friends.

However, throughout it all, he did it willingly and out of the love he has for you and for me. And it is because if this love that we are now called to live for others. He showed us the ultimate example of sacrificial love. He died once for all so that we can put an end to living for ourselves.

This past weekend we contemplated the events of Jesus’s sacrifice and return. It’s easy to think of that as the end of the story: Jesus died, came back, and now I’m saved. And while that is true it neglects that, as believers, we have been given a calling to live out. This sacrifice of ultimate love should inspire us to share that love with others. We have been given new life through Jesus. We once were lost but now we are found. We know the way to salvation and can help others see it too.

The celebration of Jesus doesn’t need to end just because the chocolate and eggs are gone. We should spend our lives inspired by the work done by Jesus on the cross. He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him [Jesus] who for their sake died and was raised.

Holy Week

John 1:6-10 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.8 He was not the light but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

We are in the midst of Holy Week, the days between Palm Sunday with Jesus’s triumphal entry and Good Friday with Jesus’s crucifixion. These seven days are a picture of how quickly people can be swayed by worldly powers. It is the week in which everyone’s opinion of Jesus changed because he didn’t act the way we pictured a savior would act. He didn’t fit into the box we wanted him to live in.

Jesus came so that we might have life and have it abundantly. This is something the people who celebrated his arrival had heard about. Here comes Jesus the man who healed the sick, brought sight to the blind, and he came to solve all my problems. These people fell into a trap we can all fall into on occasion. They wanted “vending-machine Jesus”. I gave him my time, my money, and my faith so now he owes me something!

Hopefully, we all bristle at the thought of our faith being so transactional, but therein lies the danger. We would never define it this way to others, but we do sometimes act like we deserve better because of something we’ve done.

We don’t. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Thankfully, we have a savior who came knowing that we were sinners in need of saving and he willingly sacrificed himself on the cross for us anyway. The Romans didn’t kill Jesus. The Jews didn’t kill Jesus. It was my sin and your sin that yelled “CRUCIFY!” louder than the mob that day.

As witness to the sacrifice that was made on our behalf, we have been called to share the good news that we now know with those that don’t know it. We are not the light, but we’ve seen it and we can show it to a world that needs it.

Springtime

As we look out our windows, we see the first signs of spring starting to peek out around us. Birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the grass is getting a little greener. After winter snowstorms, we are ready and excited for the ability to walk out our front doors without considering how many layers of protection we might need. We enter this season with the hope that maybe this year will be better than the last. 

In a year where the days felt like they lasted forever, the months have seemed to have flown by. We are not back to where we would prefer to be, but we are closer than ever before. And being close is sometimes harder than being far. We can see the finish line but know that getting there will take just a little longer and that we must continue to be patient. 

As Christians waiting is nothing new. We are reminded of this in James 5:7-9, “7 Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

In our instant gratification-based society we hate being told to wait. As soon as an urge or need hits us we rush to find a way to fulfill it and make the desire go away. Unfortunately, not all our wants or desires can be met quickly. In James’s example of the farmer, we see the kind of patience we are being called to. We can feed and water the seed, but it will only grow if we give it time. 

There are seeds that you are planting every day: with your family, with your career, with your neighbors, and so many others. We don’t always get the instant gratification we want of seeing our desires grow and flourish. Sometimes it takes a really long time, but that’s okay.

Whatever you are waiting for, I know it is hard to be patient. However, we can establish our hearts in knowing that the coming of the Lord is at hand. God is with us in the waiting. There are the things that we want and can get right now, but there are also times when we are called to wait and trust.

Goodbye

Psalm 147:1-3 Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
    for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the outcasts of Israel. 
He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.

This past weekend my grandfather went to be with the Lord. When I think of him, I remember a strong man that could fix anything, I remember the big black boots that were the only shoes I ever saw, and I remember going to hear him preach when we went to visit. I know there is no small connection to seeing that as a kid and me being in ministry now. I hope that you have someone in your life that you can look to as an example of life-long, steadfast faith. For now however, the world feels a little worse off without him in it.

Thankfully as believers we know that this is not the end of his story. Praise the Lord! He is in heaven rejoicing free of the shackles and pain of our earthly form. And though we need to deal with the complicated feelings of grief in the here and now, we can look forward to being reunited one day in the future.

Grieving is hard and so much more complex than just being sad. No matter how imminent or expected a loss may be, it still hits like a ton of bricks when the time comes. Fortunately, we have a God that is ready for anything we are going through. 

1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for you—not some cares, not the socially acceptable struggles, not just the ones you’re ready to admit. No, God wants to hear all of what we are going through. We gain nothing by trying to white-knuckle our way through the hard times.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. The pain will eventually dull, even if it never fully goes away. There is more life to live past these sad times. And though it feels like a piece is missing you are surrounded by people that love you and support you. The world lost a great man this weekend, and he will be dearly missed. May we be the ones that use the losses we face to grow closer to God and each other.

Go tell someone how much you love them.