Lifestyle Worship

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds (Romans 12:1-2)."

These two passages have a deep but practical meaning to them. Our thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and decisions are visible signs that point to what influences us. The way we choose to live, the way we make decisions, the things we care about, and the way we define ourselves, are all indicators of what we deem to be the most important in life. If someone took an assessment of our attitudes, thoughts, and decisions for the purpose of trying to figure out what drives us as individuals, we would probably be rather embarrassed. 

In the passage above, Paul is making quite a statement. How we choose to submit our lifestyles and what we choose to submit to, is actually worship.  When my thoughts, emotions, and choices are driven by the fear of what other people think, then I am worshiping other people. When my life is being driven by the pursuit of creating an image for myself, by the drive for success, fame, and glory; then I am worshiping myself. When I limit my language, my actions, my interests, and my interactions to what is normal/expected then I am worshiping the culture. 

Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world. . . there are many, many, patterns of this world that we are influenced by, but we don't need to be. A lifestyle of entertainment, a perpetual attitude of entitlement that leads to complaining, or justifying compromise because it is just 'human', are all ways we conform to the pattern of this world. We are prevented from breaking those patterns by the fear of what other people think, the expectations we have built in ourselves about the way things 'ought' to be, and our relentless insecurities that tell us to lie low, stay comfortable, fit in, or strain for achievement. 

You see, worship isn't just about singing songs that have words of adoration, true spiritual worship is when we conform our lives to His. It is the practical human reality of how we function, how we think, and how we decide to live that is worship. It is about how we 'present our bodies as living sacrifices'. We worship what we submit our lives to. It is one thing to set aside time to 'worship' God; it is another reality entirely to worship Him by changing the way we function on a fundamental level.

That is why John drew such a hard line in one of his letters; "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them (1 John 2:15)." Certainly that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the world. God has given us the beautiful gift of creation, but there is a difference between using and enjoying the world, then being owned and enslaved to it. We are meant to be above the ways of the world even thought we choose to participate in them, unfortunately we are often victims to it's patterns, attitudes, and expectations. 

There is one mentality that is detrimental to our understanding of worship. You see, we often live with a dualistic perspective, we live life as if the secular and the sacred are separate from one another. Jesus, in the incarnation, united the physical and the spiritual.  Our time with God and our worship of Him cannot be minimized to a once in a while, in church, 'i'm going to worship', experience. God is everywhere, and we can exalt Him in our lives by how we live and how we function in this world. It isn't what we do in public that reveals the most about our connection and worship of God, but what we do in private when no one is looking.   

Decide in yourself what kind of person you want to be. What sort of relationship with God do you want to make a priority? Will it be the sporadic kind, where you 'go to worship' once in a while, or will your life take on the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ as your entire being is influenced by who He is and what He has revealed to be true about reality? 

Our Redeemed Image (Part 1)

In the beginning God created man in His image, after His likeness (Genesis 1:26). God, Elohim, is plural. You see, God's essence is one of other centered love, connection, wholeness, and safety.  We were created in His likeness, bearing his same characteristics; in other words, we were created to live the kind of life that He does within Himself. We were created to walk intimately with both God and the rest of humanity in all truth and wholeness; we were created to be naked (completely vulnerable/exposed) and unashamed (no insecurity or pretense).

Satan came into the garden and did the one thing he could to undermine God's children, he tactfully placed a lie at the core of what made us His. 'Did God really say?. . . You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good from evil (Genesis 2:1,4-5).  Already bearing God's likeness, humanity believed the lie that Satan presented, and the lie produced in them thoughts and actions that went against their true nature.  We call those thoughts and actions sin.

The lie came to Adam and Even, imparting a very powerful belief at the core of their being; the belief of 'I am not'.  For the first time they had reason to question God's goodness, and began to wonder if He was holding something from them. It gave birth to pride in them, a new experience, where they felt entitled to have what they thought they needed. This lie of 'I am not' birthed sin in them. They eat of the fruit of the tree, and immediately lose their innocence. They cover themselves up because now they have been introduced to the shame of doing something wrong. Out of that shame and insecurity Adam lashes out at both God and Even by blaming them for the mistake, 'The woman you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate (Genesis 2:12).' Sin then, led to death, which is the opposite of the life were created to be in. All human suffering, shame motivated actions, idol worship, and depravity stem from the believed lie, 'I am not'.

It is this lie that still dictates much of the world today, and much of our lives. I am not good enough, I am not beautiful enough, I am not smart enough, I am not strong enough, I am not popular enough, I am not spiritual enough. . . the list can go on and on.  What is your, I am not?

We never actually lost our God-likeness, but we fell into a lifestyle of functioning out of lack. We began behaving and feeling like children of the devil rather than children of God.  We can tell we weren't created for that kind of life because of how destructive those thoughts and actions are to the world and our own well-being. Again, God's image never left us, but we adopted a way of living that waged war against the life of our design.  Instead of feeling secure we feel ashamed, instead of focusing on others we focus on ourselves, instead of having empathy we have jealousy, instead of giving we take, instead of gladness we are angry. Sin birthed all of these in us, because sin is actions/thoughts/emotions that are outside of the life of our design; they blind, numb, destroy, and kill our capacity to be whole. That sounds a lot like Satan's life goal, to 'kill steal and destroy'.

God never forsook us, but continually worked within and through our blindness to reveal Himself and our true selves.  It culminates when God Himself comes to Earth in human form; Jesus, the image of the invisible God. God's ultimate plan to reach us in our blindness, to reveal Himself to us, and in so doing to introduce us back to the life we were created to live. He starts telling stories about coins bearing Cesar image, 'give to Cesar what belongs to Cesar, and give to God what belongs to God.' He talks about the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the prodigal son. He talks about the treasure hidden in the field that the man gives everything he owns to redeem. These parables and more we will look at in the next blog.

There is no doubt, when we see Jesus we see the Father, but we also see something else. As we gaze upon Him we are suddenly transformed from glory to glory into His likeness (2 Cor. 3).  As in a mirror we see ourselves made in His likeness, and the life of our design is revealed in us through Christ. The Holy Spirit testifies with ours spirit that we are God's children, He teaches us, reminds us, and reveals Christ in us, the hope of glory!

What's The Big Deal About Sin Anyway?

Sin, a word that seems less and less relevant in the world today. It is a concept viewed as primitive, unnecessary, and or too harsh.  Outside of the religious world, and even sometimes within it, sin is re-named or not directly talked about. Yet sin seems to be such a key component for us in understanding God through the Bible; sin is a big deal in the Old Testament, with Jesus, and with the rest of the New Testament.  Even grace preacher Paul took a very hard stance when it came to sin. So what do we do with it? We certainly don't want to throw it out just because we don't like the context sin has been delivered in.

There are two ways of looking at sin that really stem from two different ways of looking at God. The first, is to see sin as merely wrong because God said it was. This perspective assumes a few things. First, it assumes that God is controlling, that He is set apart from the natural world, and that He demands our obedience.  It therefore also assumes that we need to do something in order to placate this god, to position ourselves in a certain way in order to get his blessing or avoid his punishment.  It perceives a God that is primarily about legal justice, a distant score keeper in the sky that only involves himself with us once we score high enough; or when he decides to pull out the whip to punish us. This perspective is pervasive both outside and inside 'Christianity'.  I put that in quotes, because I think that Christianity is truly about the breakdown of that entire perspective, but we will get to that later.

The first way of looking at sin is right in the fact that God has told us that certain things are good and bad, right and wrong; but it falls short when interpreting why those are labeled as such. We find the reason behind sin in the second perspective, which I would like to say is the Christian perspective.  In this understanding god isn't an egotistical solitary deity demanding our obedience, but a relational God that is completely other centered.  A God who is whole, lacking in nothing, and who's very essence desires all goodness, truth, and fulfillment.

Depending on which God we start with, we come up with a different understanding of sin. The solitary disapproving god makes sin to be a ladder we must climb in order to get into His good graces. The God of love, truth, and wholeness however, reveals sin to us because He wants us to know how to avoid hurt, suffering, relational disconnect, shame, and all sorts of other negative consequences in our lives. This loving God starts as 'for us', the distant god starts as 'against us'. The distant god hates sin because his own ego is injured, the God of love hates sin because of what sin does to His children.

In our world today 'sin' is an ugly word, but talking about healthy and unhealthy behavior is very acceptable. There is a large movement, in even secular society, that pursues wholeness, well-being, healthy living, and intentional loving relationships. Just scroll through your Facebook news feed and you'll probably find 50 articles about healthy living in one area or another. Never has a culture been so focused on learning how to make the best of their lives. Surrounded by options, our society is desperately trying to figure out how to live balanced, whole, and happy lives; and that is what the conversation about sin is really about, which makes it very applicable in this day and age.

People don't want to enter into a conversation about sin, because they believe in the distant god that demands their 'proper' behavior in order to gain his approval.  Unfortunately much of the 'Christian' world has played a role in reinforcing this idea of a solitary deity in the sky. We need to regain a more holistic and relational understanding of God so that we can properly understand why sin is such a big deal as the bible makes it out to be.

Salvation Made Simple: The Mystery Revealed

The idea of salvation has been complicated on one hand, and overly simplified on the other. Take a moment to define salvation for yourself. . . . chances are you came up with a statement like 'accepting Jesus', 'asking for forgiveness', 'asking Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior', or 'saying the prayer of repentance.' What do these actually mean, and how does that actually save someone? Too often we think we are saved by some weird sort of allegiance we give to 'Jesus'.  As if our small amount of will power in positioning ourselves alongside Jesus changes God's perspective about us.  Let me be clear, Jesus is not calling us to have faith in Him in order to change God. Jesus is God's mind made up about us, and it is our faith that allows us to see it. 

 What are we saved from? Again answers are given  that are vague and elusive. 'Saved from the devil', 'saved from our sins', 'saved from hell', again these statements aren't wrong, but don't necessarily give us the depth of understanding how this actually plays out in our human experience.  Let's just say it is hard to 'nail down' what salvation is really about, thankfully that has already been done for us.  


I want to try and simplify what it means to 'be saved', and at the same time I want to show how it is shrouded in such mystery that our pat answers barely scratch its' surface. Jesus Christ is the 'mystery revealed' (1 Corinthians 2:7), and it is in Him that we find the true meaning of salvation. 

Jesus says it this simply, "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3). What is eternal life? Knowing the Father. There is only one problem with that, "No one knows the Father (Matthew 11:27)."  They definitely knew a God, and related with Him throughout the Old Testament, but Jesus is very clear in saying that nobody actually knows the one true God.  It is here that we start our journey into understanding salvation. God's will for mankind is for us to come to know Him, which proceeds the fact that we do not currently know Him. God accomplishes this by entering into our world to reveal Himself in the midst of our confusion and brokenness.

This is the essence of what Jesus came to accomplish on earth, to reveal God to us. "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Matthew 11:27)." Being saved then, is coming to know who God actually is! Who did we think He was before? And how does knowing who He is now save us? Well to answer that we must go back to the very beginning. 

In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.  Elohim is plural, the first sign that the center of God's being is relational.  We see the Spirit hovering over the waters, and John shows us that in the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the word was with God (John 1). Jesus also talks about being with the Father before the world was created in John 17. The apostle Paul goes further in telling us this, "For in him (Jesus) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16)." Creation started with a relational God; it is the Father, Son, and Spirit that collaborate together to bring things into being. 

This is essential, for we see later in Genesis that God created humankind in His image (Genesis 1:26). In what way are we made in His likeness? We were created to be in relationship, both man and woman He created us.  We are created to have unbroken fellowship with a God that knows nothing but connection, wholeness, and safe relationship; out of this flows the relationships we have with other people. The 'fall' then, was the breakdown of these relationships.  Satan deceived humanity by planting a seed of doubt about God's goodness. He imputed to us insecurity by telling us we could become 'like' God even though we were already made in His image. The fall keeps progressing further when Adam blames Eve for their mistake, causing a rift in their perfect connection. No longer can they stand naked and unashamed, instead, realizing their nakedness they are filled with shame.  

Adam and Eve flee to the bushes. Filled with self-loathing, shame, pride, and hurt, they now perceive God through a lens of their own making. God walks right into the Garden looking for them, but they, in their own brokenness can do nothing to please the god they believe Him to be. So instead of fessing up to their mistakes and asking for forgiveness, they make excuses, play the victim, and cast blame. In an act of mercy, God sends them from the garden so they do not eat of the tree of life, which would cause them to stay in their brokenness forever. Out of their brokenness, shame, anger, and selfishness, humanity created a God in their own image; a distant, solitary, deity that demands some sort of act on their part to appease him.  In comes pagan religion, volcano gods and other nature gods that inspire fear, obedience, and sacrifice in order to receive blessing or to escape destruction.  This is what God has to work with, and work with it He does. 

Because He is love, God (Elohim) can only be purposed towards one end, to reconcile humanity to Himself. He seeks to break into humanities fallen identity to accomplish three goals. 1) To reveal Himself to be who He is in all goodness, love, and wholeness. 2) To reveal to humanity who they actually are, bearers of His own likeness who are created to live a life of abundant freedom. 3) To help people see and treat others in accordance to their divine origin and not with their current worldly standard.

In order to help us see these things in truth, God needed to work with us in our fallen state. He needed to use a form of communication that we would understand and that could eventually lead us to see Him as He actually is. In comes the Levitical law, the practice of sacrifices and burn offerings, and the order of the priesthood. God works within the constraints of the brokenness of His children, by allowing them to have kings, to build a temple for Him to live in, and to ultimately create a system within which, they feel comfortable to engage Him in.  All this God allows and uses in order to reveal Himself later on. 

We see a beautiful picture of this early on in the Old Testament. God starts his redemptive work with a pagan named Abram, who He later names Abraham. Abraham means 'Father of a multitude' (imagery of God's true identity already being expressed).  God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, who was born according to a promise from God Himself.  Although this is a very challenging request, it would not be unusual for Abraham's understanding; all god's required sacrifice and obedience in order to be appeased. Abraham chooses to obey god. Abraham takes Isaac all the way to the mountain, and at the apex of his religious obedience God stops him. You see, God needed to take Abraham to the deepest part of his misconception about God.  He needed to get real and personal. Abraham's lost mentality was never so evident as when he became willing to kill his own child out of religious duty. It is there, and only there that Abraham would have a chance to see God for who He actually is.  God, with a prophetic act of things to come, provides the sacrifice rather then demanding it, a ram caught in a thorn bush (Christ with a crown of thorns). He breaks apart the pagan understanding of an angry deity in the sky, revealing himself to be the provider and lover of the human race. 

This is Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice that brings an end to the whole system of works. A system put in place only as a way to communicate to a confused and lost humanity. God set humanity up, constantly working with His children to speak in a language we would understand. He provides the final sacrifice and brings an end to the curse of our perpetual struggle. Jesus, the lamb slain before the foundations of the world, enters into our brokenness, stretches His arms wide, and with His dying breath, pulls our old selves and our old perception into the grave with Him. With His resurrection we rise with Him in newness of life, our old selves have been put to death with Him, and we become new creations in Him. 

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves (John 14:6-11)."

Jesus came to reveal the Father whom nobody knew. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (Colossians 1:15). When we see Jesus we see the Father in truth, and He definitely challenges the way we think god ought to be. God is not an angry deity wanting us to jump through the hoops of religion and moral reform in order to gain His pleasure; He is a God of other centered love who has always been in relationship with us His children. We see in Christ that God would do anything to reconcile us to Himself.  Because of our fallen state God needed to meet us in our brokenness before we would be able to see Him in all his completeness; He does this by doing the very opposite of what we think a god should do.  Rather than demanding our subservience, He submitted Himself to us and embraced us at our worst point. 

Jesus let go of His divinity and God stepped into the world as a man (Philippians 2:6). He came to reveal Himself to those who did not seek Him, to a people who did not know Him (Romans 10:20). He submitted himself to the harsh judgement and brokenness of His own children. "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him (John 1:11)." Our shame, brokenness, and insecurity did not know how to deal with a God who showed mercy instead of justice, a God who came to meet man rather than demanding man meet Him. Out of our own bondage the human race persecuted, tortured, and murdered a God they could not understand or accept; and in their act of judgement, God united Himself to humanity. The very act of our damnation was the occasion for our salvation. In one fell swoop God took all the sin of the world by using it as the necessary ingredient of our inclusion in Him. "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6)."  

It is not sinners in the hands of an angry God, it is God in the hands of angry sinners (Baxter Kruger). God  is love in the purest form, because of that He is willing to submit to the rejection of His own creation in order to convince us of His good pleasure towards us.  Jesus is God's ultimate yes to mankind, and in Christ the Father displays His true nature and character.  Jesus' Father is a God of love, mercy, forgiveness, joy, and purity; He is for us, not against us, and nothing can separate us from His love. He is the lover of the entire world, and the redeemer of every person. He has already met us in our weakness, He has already united Himself in our own brokenness. "He died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8)."

You see, our faith is merely coming to know who God actually is. Knowing Jesus is knowing the true nature of God and His commitment and love for us, as opposed to thinking He is a disapproving score keeper who keeps us at arms length waiting for us to break a rule.  Our salvation is the salvation from our own dead works of religion, our striving and straining to please a God that we believe is distant and eternally disapproving. Our faith acknowledges the fact that God is for us, that He isn't keeping tabs, and that He remembers our sin no more.  When we believe in Jesus we are saved from a lifestyle of religion, of self effort, and of perpetual insecurity. 

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father (Romans 8:15)."

Not only does Jesus show us the true nature of the Father, but as in a mirror we see our true nature reflected in Him. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children (Romans 8:16)." The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus in us, He helps us to see our holiness, our purpose, and our unbreakable, unchanging union with God. In Jesus our old way of living and self-perceptions fall away because they can no longer co-exist with the truth we now recognize.  Our minds are renewed to see God in truth, and as we gaze at Him we see ourselves in truth as well.  

Now our 'Christian' journey is one of discovery, of moving from Glory to Glory as we are increasingly transformed into the image of Jesus. Or, in other words, we are realizing and becoming who we were meant to be all along. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)."

Just like there are three persons in the trinity, there is a third reality that is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. The incarnate God also reveals the true nature of all humanity. God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the cosmos to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). He didn't just die for my sins, or meet only me in my depravity, but He 'died for the sins of the whole world.' Now we see no one according to the flesh, but according to Him and who He has revealed us to be (2 Corinthians 5:16).  Since we now know the one true God as revealed by Jesus, we can proclaim the good news of our reconciliation; inviting people to participate and experience God for who He actually is. "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died (2 Corinthians 5:14)."

 As a result of our union with with the trinity our whole lives take on new qualities like love, peace, joy, and hope. This is what makes us the light and salt of the world.  Knowing the truth about who God actually is sets us free, and we are able to live in that freedom. That freedom permeates our lives which in turn announces the glorious good news of Jesus Christ to those around us.  What does that freedom look like? It looks like a life lived without fear, anxiety, and worry.  It looks like making decisions that are grounded in wholeness and truth. It looks like hope and an expectation for good. It looks positive, inventional, and joyful relationships; filled with wisdom and thanksgiving. Faith looks like the object other centered love. 

Thinking of faith in Jesus and salvation is this way, helps us understand hard scripture passages like in 1 John where it says, 'If we do not love our brother then the love of Christ is not in us.' Or 'If we keep on sinning we make Him out to be a liar and the truth is not in us.' These passages are not demanding us to try to will power our way into a free and loving lifestyle, they are simply emphasizing the reality that in Christ we necessarily see the world differently and live in accordance to what we see. We have complicated so many things about Christianity by trying to simplify it into a system we can easily 'apply' to ourselves. The Gospel cannot be applied it can only be experienced.  The Gospel doesn't demand faith it produces it. 

The Christian life is not about asking Jesus into our hearts, it is about realizing the fact that He has wrapped us up in His heart  "If it is our job to get Jesus into our lives then we will spend our entire life trying to get Him in; and the rest of it, trying to convince ourselves that He is actually there (Baxter Kruger)." When Jesus talks about returning to the Father so that the Holy Spirit can come He says, "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you (John 14:20)." The Holy Spirit's job is to show us our true redeemed image, and to know that our Father has been with us, and for us all along. We all will see it, and we will all realize how much we have gotten it wrong.

When the Apostle Paul realizes the truth of the Father, he doesn't say he was 'converted'; he says that 'God was pleased to reveal His son 'in' me (Galatians 1:16). That is salvation, that is the mark of a believer. We do not make it happen, our faith does not save us.  Salvation is simply to know Jesus.  To know Jesus means to know that he is God's stamp of approval on us as His children, no matter what we have done. Knowing Jesus is to know that our silly failures and even sillier performances do nothing to change his perspective on us. Salvation is not a transaction that we participate in. 

 It is not as if our verbal, emotional, or spiritual 'allegiance' to Jesus makes God change His mind about us. When we think like that we are rejecting the very essence of who Jesus is! Allegiance mentality is basically paganism; it is thinking that if we offer God something worthy He will treat us different. It is this mentality that Jesus proved is absolutely wrong about God! An allegiance mentality causes us to think ridiculous things like, 'if I go to church God will treat me better', 'if I say my prayers Jesus will bless me'. We then start getting cross tattoos, putting pictures of Jesus on our walls, and making sure we say 'under God' extra proudly when we say the pledge of allegiance.  We think if we 'live by the bible' and politically align ourselves with people who say they are Christian we are doing God some sort of service. It is disgusting.  When asked, 'are you a christian', our system of allegiance has people believing they are if they 'go to church', 'pray', or 'went through confirmation'.  We understand belief in Jesus to be some sort of mental assent, when if we actually believed in Jesus we would see that God was never in the condemning business to begin with, and that not only is he satisfied with me but he has rested from all of his works!

This altogether 'simple' way of looking at salvation has given us an 'us and them' mentality that is a religious breeding ground. Faith in Jesus should produce in us hope, love, joy, and goodwill towards everyone; instead we often see 'Christians' battling over petty arguments, defending Jesus as if God is in danger from the world, jumping on a political bandwagon, and creating a lifestyle rooted in elitist pride. We see insiders and outsiders, feel proud for making 'our choice for Jesus', and miss the boat when it comes to what Jesus has revealed about the true nature of both God and humanity. Listen, all of our religious striving, all of that activity motivated by fear, envy, pride, and shame, find their end when we believe in Jesus.  When we see Jesus, we see the Father, and all of our comparison driven lifestyles fall away and are replaced with peace and joy. When we see Him we are at rest, when we know Him we are set free. "The Gospel is nothing more than laughter and joy (Martin Luther)."

Likewise evangelism is not some work that God needs us to do on His behalf. It is the natural consequence of our own realization of reality. We love because He first loved us. We do not produce or manufacture it Godly character or love, we just reflect it (2 Corinthians 3). 

So rest in Him today.  Allow your mind to be renewed to who God actually is; a loving Father who knows nothing but unencumbered, unconditional relationship. A Father who has united you to Himself at your worst, a Father who has displayed Himself to you through His son, and a Father who has invited you to participate in His life and love through His Holy Spirit; truly a life of abundance (John 10:10).

Are you still interacting with Him as if He is far away and solitary. Are you seeking to please Him by posturing yourself a certain way, thinking you need to sacrifice your life in order to get Him to bless you? Do you picture a god not interested in your affairs, and demanding you to jump through certain hoops in order to get him to intervene on your behalf? He does not demand our worship, our prayers, or our wimpy attempts at mustering up faith. He is inviting you and I to see Him in truth, to see ourselves in truth, and to watch His life permeate our own. Knowing the Father is eternal life, our salvation is simple and yet very mysterious. Jesus, the mystery hidden for ages, has been revealed as the savior of the human race.  Our salvation is far more real and tangible then we could ever hope to imagine. 

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him (John 14:6-7)."

To dig deeper, read Jesus prayer in the garden in John 17 before His crucifixion.  It is quite powerful with this perspective. 

  

1 Corinthians 13: Love Does Not Dishonor Others

The word dishonor, is also translated as 'acting unbecomingly', or being rude.  Dishonor only makes sense in understanding honor.  Honor is thoughts, words, and actions that purpose to respect and lift up others.  Dishonor is the opposite, its' goal is to tear down, to make others feel bad or uncomfortable.  Dishonor stems from believing you are better than others.  This could be in regards to intellect, physical capability, good looks, spiritual zeal, or any characteristic, action, or thought, that makes one feel superior and others inferior.

Dishonoring someone is attributing less worth  than they actually deserve.  We do this by talking about people behind their backs, by making snide remarks, and/or by labeling them in any form to paint a negative picture of them. In the same way, it is an attempt to paint a more positive picture of ourselves. 


"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29)."

It is quite a common thing in our society for our language to lean towards negativity.  Everything is made out to be tough, frustrating, and not what we want it to be. We pick apart groups, ideas, and individuals; gossiping and tearing others down like we are paid for it!

"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky (Philippians 2:14-15)."

Being negative and dishonoring others takes little courage, anybody can do it; but to attribute worth and value to individuals we don't consider deserve it, takes a humility.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:3-4)."

Humility is a backwards way to live in a world governed by pride and the pursuit of making an image for ourselves. Humility doesn't build a platform on which people can see us, but on which people can see God.  It is elevating others, encouraging them, being 'for' them. This lifestyle is completely embodied in the person of Jesus Christ. Notice how the following passage starts; it is instruction on how to deal with our own personal relationships. 

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8)!" 

We are equipped to 'build' each other up (Ephesians 4), and to 'encourage one another as long as it is today (Hebrews 3:13)'. 

While negativity, pessimism, and cynicism, are fruit of unbelief and doubt; hope, joy, and good will, are fruit of faith. When we see Jesus, our honor of people matches their attributed worth, which is measured according to what God was willing to pay for them. When wet have eyes to see 'no one according to the flesh', and to have love that is characterized by the very things in this 1 Corinthians 13 passage, we will see people begin to live the way they were created to be, in wholeness, peace, joy, and confidence.  If we dishonor those around us, then we will cause everyone involved to fall short of the lifestyle we are created to enjoy!

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:12-17).".

1 Corinthians 13: Love Does Not Boast, It Is Not Proud

Boasting is the act of 'showing off'.  It is the desire for attention.  Boasting occurs when an individual wants recognition. It stems from pride; which is the mentality that I have accomplished something that deserves recognition.  It is gaining fulfillment and feeling self-actualized because of personal performance and/or talent.  Pride comes when an individual defines their worth by their own ability.

Boasting often looks like confidence, but in fact it is only a manifestation of deep insecurity. When someone boasts, they are revealing that they feel the need to be validated for their achievements.   Pride is about building up personal image, it is rooted in the fear of man, and therefore is driven by the opinions and expectations of others. Pride only exists in the realm of comparison, where someone feels gratified by being 'better' or 'different' than other people.

The world lifts up self actualization.  There are hundreds of articles written about the defining characteristics of introverts and extroverts, about personality types, and emotional pre-dispositions.  Articles like '10 Problems Only Tall People Will Understand', or '5 Steps To Reach Your Full Potential'.  Although we are meant to feel comfortable in our own skin, how we grow into personal freedom isn't through the self-centered justification.  Although, personality tests, and articles can be helpful in gaining perspective, we will not find personal freedom by primarily focusing on ourselves.

The scriptures show that it is when we fix our eyes on Jesus that we realize who we actually are.  It is when we are focused on Him that we are set free to be ourselves (1 Corinthians 3).  The greater capacity that we have to see Him in all of our situations defines our capacity to relate freely in them.

When we see Jesus and realize what He accomplished for humanity, our petty concerns, irrational expectations, and fear of man strip away as we gain an eternal perspective. When we are satisfied in Him, we don't look for fulfillment from the world.  We are set free to live in the world but not be of it.  We are free to enjoy the pleasures of living without being controlled by them.  We grasp hold of life in all its complexities rather than being tossed to and fro by the winds of circumstance.

Pride is self-focused, it is rooted in insecurity. And boasting is what is verbally produced out of a prideful heart. Pride causes us to boast in ourselves.  We talk up our experiences, our wisdom, our accomplishments, so that we can feel fulfilled in comparison to those around us.  Eyes that see Jesus on the other hand live from fulfillment rather than towards it.  Psalm 23 begins with, 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."  Shall not want! What? That seems impossible huh?

It is possible to live a life of pure bliss, of supernatural satisfaction, divine complacency.  Hebrews 4 says that we can rest from our works just as God has rested from His.  We can function in life from a place of wholeness where we are free to love, laugh, and bless; rather than living from anxiety and dissatisfaction.  The flavor of faith is joy, hope, and peace that is above circumstance and reason.

Pride ceases to exist when we see Jesus in truth.

Read the following scriptures, the meaning of life has been revealed, discover the mystery that is Christ!

"Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:4-6)."

"God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.  It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written; 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:28-31)."

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:11-13)."

What is the secret? 

"I resolved to know nothing but Christ and Him Crucified 1 Corinthians 2:2)."

Look to Jesus and you lose sight of everything else. Lose sight of yourself and we will be free to live as you were created to be!

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longe rlive, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20)

1 Corinthians 13: Love Does Not Envy

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)."

Power (dunamis) is the miraculous ability of God that can transform, heal, and set free. Love (agapos) is good will and benevolence towards others. A sound mind (sophronismos) is the ability to do what 'fits' a situation.

Love without power does not have the ability to bring transformation, it can only empathize. Love with power not only cares for the individual but has the capacity to set them free. Add wisdom that knows what to do when, and you have someone that can change the world.

A powerless person is subject to circumstance. They say they are victims to their own circumstances, pushed to and fro by ideas, struggles, and unhealthy expectations. Powerlessness either manifests in passivity, where the individual makes excuses for their behavior and situation; or it results in control and manipulation, where the individual seeks to manipulate people and circumstances because they are afraid of the the unknown.

A powerful person on the other hand takes responsibility for their own actions. They don't make excuses for poor decisions but, own them and learn from them. A powerful person doesn't place blame, and has the capacity to decide how they will act regardless of the circumstance. A powerless person finds it difficult to love because they are focused on self, a powerful person has the capacity to love because they are free enough in themselves to focus on others.

Love Does Not Envy

At it's core, love is other centered. Love desires benefit for others, which is why jealousy is polar opposite to the way of love.  Envy says, 'I dislike you because you have something I want' or 'I would not be miserable if my circumstances were different.'  Love says, 'I am so thankful that you have that blessing, give them more Lord.'  It isn't that we shouldn't desire good things in our own lives, but out of the goodness of our hearts we want those same good things for those around us.

Envy can produce entitlement; which is the belief that we 'deserve' one thing or another.  Entitlement doesn't give thanks for what we have, rather it looks at what we don't have, and either lays blame for why that is the case, or just fills us with regret.  Entitlement kills thankfulness, because it doesn't have eyes to see what is already possessed.  More often than not, entitlement causes the individual to be a victim.  'Well if only I had your circumstances I would never make these decisions. . .' If I had better friends I would be happier'.

Envy and Entitlement believe that fulfillment comes from the outside, and unless something changes in our circumstances our inner being will remain the same bitter, depressed self. Jesus dealt with both sides of that unhealthy perspective, and when we come to Him our minds can be renewed to a whole new way of looking at things.

1) Jesus showed us how silly it is to feel entitled. 'All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).' 'The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).'  We actually don't deserve anything! Any goodness in our lives is a gift of grace. Most of us don't believe that, but it's true. If we saw reality for what it truly is, every blessing in our lives, every bit of love, would be an occasion for thanksgiving.

2) On the other hand, Jesus shows us great worth through His choice for us. Even though the 'wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:24).' Jesus died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).' He proved that our worth has nothing to do with our outward behavior or circumstances. We were dead in our trespasses, bankrupt before God, and He still chose us!  Worth is measured by the amount that someone is willing to pay for it, and God gave His own life in exchange for ours.

When we see Jesus in truth, jealousy no longer has a foothold in our lives.  How can we feel entitled when we know we don't deserve anything and yet have been given everything? Seeing what Jesus has done for us, and for the rest of the world, is the only thing that can cause us to 'consider others greater than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).' Otherwise that is pretty much impossible.

The apostle Paul was so focused on blessing others that he said he would forfeit his own salvation if the Jews would realize theirs (Romans 9;3)! How incredible! How supernatural!!

This doesn't mean we neglect ourselves.  After all we are instructed to 'love our neighbors as ourselves.'  If you don't know how to love yourself, you certainly will not be able to give to others in a healthy way.  Some people out out of the motivation to serve and give all of themselves to others, end up suppressing growth because they do everything for them, rather than building them up to be able to function wholly themselves.

Envy kills joy.  If you struggle with jealousy look to Jesus.  You deserve nothing, and yet have been given everything.  The Gospel changes our perspective to the extent that we view no one according to the flesh; no one in accordance with the 'way of the world'.  Stop being a victim and take charge of the life that you have. How you live in the present is going to dictate your life in the future.