Tag: #love

Faithful

Good morning, friends. Today, I am sharing a short sentiment with you instead of unpacking the Word of God. It isn’t necessarily what I aim to do here; but I imagine you guys have days and seasons just like this one that I am in. So, this statement I shared with my husband, Josh, yesterday may benefit you as well and I want to share it just in case. Friend to friend, like we are chatting over coffee (which I would love to do, by the way).

We are in a season of change. We know one is coming. One is necessary, actually. But we don’t know what it will be. From my point of reference today, most of our options kind of look like they will suck. Some worse than others; but a lot of unknowns either way. Have you been there?

What. A. Year. I know, Covid, right? Honestly though, that is only the half of it. This year has brought on battle after battle for Josh and me. We felt like we finally got our head above water, then just realized we were drowning in other areas that we weren’t really giving our attention to.

This particular moment in time is a little different, though. These last couple of months I have been intentionally re-connecting with Jesus. I wish that meant days like this didn’t happen. But, it doesn’t. It does mean I can walk it with peace.

I saw a meme the other day that said something along the lines of, “God parted the Red Sea, he didn’t remove it. He may not take away a tough situation but he will see us through it.” I love that imagery.

So, that brings me to what I shared with Josh. I texted him the following:

“God has only been faithful to us. He has never left us desolate and has brought us goodness in every challenge we’ve faced since we have been together. This time will be no different because it is who he is; and we are his.”

This is truth, friends. I have shared some before, and I imagine I will share more at some point; but since Josh and I got together we have basically walked through one storm after another. I mean, the entire time we have been together. But, God. I can look back and really see the hand of God all over our journey. I do not understand many of the ‘whys’, but I still see goodness that he has brought. That deep goodness; the kind that rests in your bones.

Now, do I feel this statement at this time? It literally depends on what minute of the day you ask me. I am kind of all over the place with it. But, when I place aside what I feel and focus on what I know, it is that. I don’t understand all the ways of God, and I certainly would not orchestrate things like he often does. But that is what is so incredible about him; he always does it for good. Real goodness; not good for the moment. There is a difference.

Friends, I love you. I don’t know many of you first hand. But I do truly appreciate you for sharing this with me, I pray for you and I do feel connected to you through our spiritual kinship. Thank you.

God has only been faithful to us.

Bread for all

Good morning, friends. Its Monday, and though these are often tough to get through, I hope you enjoy yours!

“For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:33

This morning, I read about Jesus feeding the five thousand people (plus some according to Matthew 14:21) on the mountainside in John chapter 6. Following this miracle, Jesus and the disciples headed out for Capernaum. Many followers met Jesus on the other side of the lake and began to engage with him about the feeding miracle and other miraculous signs. This exchange is what we are going to unpack together today.

Inclusivity. According to Oxford Languages Dictionary, it means “the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized.” God has been laying this concept in my heart lately; the idea that he is an inclusive Father, calling all people to know him. This seems like such a simple concept, and in many ways, it is. However, it seems that our Christian culture often forgets this truth. I believe the enemy uses division to distract the church more often than any other tool. We were created to connect with God and with each other, so what better way to deceive us from our purpose and God’s character than to separate us from both.

In John 6:35, Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” So, to set the stage, during this conversation among Jesus and the followers, he explains to them that he is the bread of life, given by God to man. Jesus is speaking figuratively here. We are physical creatures, and our physical bodies need to eat and drink regularly to survive. Likewise, we are spiritual creatures, and our spirit requires nourishment. This is what Jesus is referencing here when he claims that he can satisfy that spiritual need for nourishment. And oh, how he can my friends!

Verse 57 reads, “Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.” Jesus came to give us life. Eternal life with the Father, yes; but also, life here on earth. When I say life, I don’t mean this by the definition, the opposite of death. I mean the difference in the notion of ‘being alive’ and really living. Jesus wants to share the goodness of this life with us here on earth as well. He wants to share peace, love, forgiveness and acceptance. Romans chapter eight talks about how God’s intention for us is “good”. Genesis 1:31 tells us that our Creator called us “good”.

So, in summary, Jesus is life and brings life to us. This life that he brings nourishes our spirit and produces love, peace, redemption and acceptance. These products of life through Jesus are good.

Now, where does this idea of inclusivity come in?

In verse 37, Jesus said “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” Never drive away. Jesus does not reject us when we seek to connect with him. He said whoever comes to him is offered this message of acceptance. Notice the only stipulation here is our desire to connect with him. Not whoever comes to me without sin, or whoever comes to me with it all figured out. Nope, just whoever comes.

Why? Well, Jesus tells us in verse 40, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” There is that word I love so much: everyone.

Think back to the story I referenced in the beginning of this post when Jesus fed the five thousand plus. It was miraculous because he did so with five loaves of bread and two fish. Another message I believe he is sharing here, though, is that they all ate. He provided enough for all of them. Not only the men, who were the only ones counted, but the women and children in attendance as well. Meaning, those that man (as in mankind) merited worth counting and those that man did not were all fed.

The Bread of Life can feed us all. We serve an inclusive, loving God who is relentless in reaching for us. For all of us. The only credentialing we need to seek and be found by Jesus is simply being.

Thank you Jesus for grace, love and your seal of ownership on us all.

From a perspective of love

“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” John 1:9

What is the identity of man? I have seen a lot of articles, memes and personal social media statuses lately defining the identity of man. With the current political, social and health climate, I have seen a lot of statements assigning names, labels and classifications of people based on characteristics they display; assigning identity to each subject. The Cambridge Dictionary defines identity as who a person is. So, I ask again, what is the identity of man [mankind]?

The identity of man is found in his creator, indicated by the very definition of creation. Only the creator can assign identification to the object He breathed into life. He says we are called, chosen, wonderful and loved. (See Matthew 9:13, 1 Peter 2:9, Psalm 139:14 & John 3:16-17.) Jesus came to us all; every man and woman, according to John 1:9. That is our identity, assigned by our creator.

The identity of man is not his political affiliation, his opinions on abortion or immigration, her sexual orientation, race or favorite past time. It is not her job or his status. The identity of man is not what he selected on his ballot or how she spends her holiday season. It is not in whether he wears a mask or if she refuses. It is not how she pronounces “pecan” or what team he wants to win this weekend. The identity of man is not where he comes from or where she is going. The identity of man is not his likes and dislikes, or her goals and aspirations. The identity of man is not her sin or his transgression.

The identity of man is not defined by the opinion of man. Jesus shows us this in John 2:24, when “many people” saw his miracles and began believing in His name. They were giving him credit and praise that was well deserved. Yet, the scripture says he did not entrust himself to men because he knew men. This means, he did not place himself under the authority or protection of man because he recognized what man is. That authority and protection can only be held by God. He defined His identity based on God’s words, not man’s.

The identity of man, assigned by the Creator of man, is called, chosen, wonderful and loved. No matter the man or woman, we are because He is. Period.

This can be hard to swallow sometimes. It is easy to imagine Jesus loving on and accepting the little children of the world, or the people who invest in others, and even the ones who display the seal of God (2 Cor. 1:21-22) proudly. But, according to scripture, He loves every man. The ones that hurt others, that abuse, the ones that lie and the ones that persecute as well. He loves us all.

In Matthew (22:37-40), Jesus spoke on the greatest commandment. He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” That is it: Love God, love each other. Everything else stems from that.

What if we really walked this out? What if we viewed man as God does, through a prism of love? What if when we saw an individual, every individual, we saw called, chosen, wonderful and loved? I wonder what kind of impact that would have.

My prayer today is to adopt this perspective for every person. I pray that God softens my heart for others when I cannot do so myself. I pray that I see man through the perspective of love. I pray to look at myself from the same perspective. Father, fixate my heart on You so that the love created in that transaction pours out into my relationships and encounters with others. Give me a perspective of love.