To Meet Or Not To Meet

Do you like meetings? What if those meetings become long? How long do you daily, weekly, and monthly meetings last? How upset do you get if they last longer than scheduled? What percentage of your meetings are productive?

Having spent many years in the corporate world, I know meetings can be a drudgery. A good many of us don’t like having to attend meetings. However, meetings can be productive. The key is developing an agenda and sticking to it. Keeping everyone focused can be like herding cats.

One of the keys to a team is to meet regularly. The purpose is to inform each team member what the other is working on and the progress being made toward the goal. An iterative software development team will meet each day for no more than fifteen minutes. Each member provides three basic pieces of information—what they did yesterday, what they plan to accomplish today, and any impediments to progress.

One of my favorite sports is football. They meet every twenty-five seconds—they call it a huddle. The next play is articulated in a way that each player knows what their assignment is. Of course, each player has memorized the playbook, thereby knowing their part for each play.

We are called to meet as Christians. No one can walk the Christian life on their own. Meeting together regularly is a necessity. Otherwise, we simply go off on our own, making our own interpretations, and falling prey to Satan’s schemes. We need one another, including hearing one another’s viewpoints on Scripture and experiences with God.

Proverbs 27:17 states “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Without meeting with fellow Christians, we cannot sharpen one another nor be sharpened. A dull weapon is of no use to the solider on the battlefield. And make no mistake, our lives are lived on a battlefield.

Another reason to meet is to encourage one another. We need encouragement to continue doing the good God has appointed for us to do. How does it feel if you are working hard at a task and receive no encouragement? After a while, we all feel like giving up. We feel as though no one cares.

Showing love for one another is also a reason for meeting. How can we show love to one another if we don’t meet? If the pandemic has shown us nothing else, people need contact with one another. We need physical touch. We need intellectual interaction. We need to show and be shown love.

I pray we all decide to gather together. I pray we meet to encourage one another. I pray each one of us decides to meet to show and be shown love for one another. Continue meeting. Go to church. Attend Bible studies. Sharpen one another. Encourage one another. Love one another.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Team Play

Have you ever played team sports? Is it something you like to do? Does it feel good to be on a team working together toward a common goal? Have you ever wondered why many organizations develop a team-like environment?

I believe the majority of us like to be part of a team. Most of our sports require us to play them as a team. Even track and field has a team concept to it. We even have teams in office jobs. The concept has become so common there is even software to enable or enhance it.

My favorite sport is baseball. There are so many nuances to the game I’m not sure anyone ever captures them all. It is a sport played by a group of individuals collecting individual statistics, yet you can only win as a team. Each individual has their specialty. They play their position. They use the skill they have developed to help the team be successful. When one of them has an off day, the others must pick up the slack or suffer a loss.

This is much the same way the body of Christ is to work together. Each of us is to develop the skill we are blessed with. The purpose of our skill is to help the body be successful. We are to play our part to the best of our ability. When one of us has a bad day, someone else must pick up the slack. If we don’t, the body breaks down.

When we do just a little thinking, the body of Christ is like a team. Each of us are to play our part based on the gifts we’ve been blessed with. When we do, we succeed, not only as a local body of Christ, but by contributing to the growth of the kingdom of God.

Here is the best part, we are part of the winning team. We know the final outcome. The only question remaining is, how many more people we want to bring on to the team? Who else do we want to join the team? I believe God wants the team to include everyone. So, let’s use our gifts to build the body, or team, to the extent humanly possible.

I pray we all use our gifts to build the body of Christ. I pray we seek to expand the team. I pray each of us seek to do our best to be a productive part of the body. Use your gifts. Be a team player. Be a productive member. Work toward the team goals, God’s goals.

Romans 12:4-5 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Strong Foundation

Do you wonder what God wants you to do? Have you ever tried to get to the root answer to that question? Would you like to know the central answer from which all other answers build on?

When we take a serious look at life, we often look at our current position and how we got there. If we take a serious look at the future, we focus on the possibilities and how we can achieve our dreams. Yet we really need to ensure our foundation is firmly set.

A solid foundation is set on something unchangeable. When skyscrapers are built, the builders prefer to lay the foundation on bedrock. When the Gateway Arch was built in St. Louis, they dug sixty feet deep to get to the bedrock.

What does this have to do with what God wants you to do? Everything. God wants each of us to believe in His Son. He wants us to build our lives on the bedrock of Jesus Christ. We must build a strong structure on Him. That structure is built on the command He gave us—love one another. If Christ is not our foundation and love is not our structure, our lives will crumble. We won’t stand strong in the storms of life any more than buildings stand in a hurricane without firm foundations and strong frameworks.

We will know if our love is the love of Christ by the Spirit God put in us. His free gift of His Holy Spirit in us will tell us God lives in us and our structure is built on Him. If we do not hear the Holy Spirit or feel Him inside us, convicting us, we need to take another look at ourselves. We need to ask if we really have Christ as our foundation.

Believing in Jesus Christ and loving as He commanded us is a commitment. It can be difficult to hold on to at times. Yet holding on to our commitment to Him and obeying His commands will stand the test of time and see us through the storms we will inevitably face.

I pray we all believe in Jesus Christ. I pray we commit to obeying His commands. I pray each one of us holds on to our belief and commitment, making successful lives for ourselves. Believe in Jesus Christ. Obey His commands. Love one another. Hear the Holy Spirit. Follow as the Holy Spirit leads.

1 John 3:23-24 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

What Love Is

Have you ever been asked to define love? Have you ever tried to define love? What are some key ingredients to love in your mind? Love isn’t an easy thing to define, is it? It isn’t unless you use the Bible’s definition.

Humans have been attempting to define love since the beginning of time. Well, perhaps not quite the beginning of time. After all, God created quite a few other things before He created man. Also, I believe the original humans knew what love inherently as when they walked with God in the Garden of Eden.

As time wore on, after the deception of Satan, and the hate of Cain we forgot how to describe love. We started trying to define it with feelings, emotions, and human words, rather than with the human heart. True love can only be defined with the heart.

Since we talk, write, and think, we do need a way to define true love as best we can. If for no other reason, to reinvigorate our hearts. To renew our hearts. To remind ourselves that God wants our hearts. To remind us our hearts long for God.

In an effort to describe what love is, today’s passage describes what does and does not. Isn’t that how we are? We describe ourselves by what we do. In fact, I am having T-shirts made that say, “Disciple, Pastor, Marine” on the front of them. Why? To give people, at a glance, a description of who I am.

Today’s passage lists patience, kindness, protection, trust, hope, and perseverance to describe love. It also says love is not proud, does not dishonor, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil. Love does and does not.

This is a passage we might want to keep handy. Perhaps we keep it on our smart phone, post it on our dashboard, set it on our desk, post it on our mirror, put it anywhere we will see it on a daily basis. As we read it over and over, it will become second nature for us to know what love is.

I pray we all know what love is and is not. I pray we commit to demonstrate love as defined in the Bible. I pray each one of us post today’s passage where we can see it each day. Know what love is. Know how the Bible defines love. Demonstrate love. Be a loving person.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Sincere Love

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word devotion? Is it love? What do you think when you hear the word honor? Is it love? How about hearing the word sincere? Do you think about love?

As you may have guessed, we are going to discuss all three of these words as they relate to love today. We may not think about all three of these words when we think of love. One or two of them might come to mind.

We all likely think of love being devoted. After all, if love doesn’t include being devoted, it isn’t really love, is it? Loving someone must be more than a fleeting feeling. Otherwise, it isn’t the love God desires nor the love Jesus and the apostles spoke of.

That brings us to sincerity. Sincerity is closely tied to devotion. We might also tie sincerity to honesty. Being sincere in our love means being honest with ourselves, rightly identifying our desires, emotions, and dedication. It we are not sincere; we lie to ourselves and to others.

What about honor? We likely don’t think about honor much when we think of love. Perhaps that is one reason love fails over time. Honor is putting the other before yourself. It is holding the other person in high esteem. It isn’t simply looking at someone with googly eyes or putting them on a pedestal. It does include seeing the good in them, acknowledging they are a child of God, and desiring the best for them.

When we honor someone else, we typically honor their actions. We honor military personnel with awards and medals for actions in combat. We honor first responders for running into a burning building to save someone. We honor our doctors and nurses for risking their lives to tend to someone with a deadly disease.

Our love, if we are to demonstrate the love of Christ, must also honor others. Jesus’ love is sincere, devoted, and honors others. When we include all three of these in our love, we see others and the world from a different viewpoint. We see them as Jesus sees them, rather than through faulty human eyes.

I pray we all love with a love that is sincere and devoted. I pray we honor others with our love. I pray we seek loving people as Jesus loves them. Love with sincerity. Be devoted in love. Honor others with your love. See people as Jesus sees them. Love as Jesus loves.

Romans 12:9-10 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Taking Care of the Body

Have you ever been in need and not know where to turn? Have been approached by a homeless person and struggled with what to do? Do you ask yourself what God wants you to do? The answer doesn’t come easy, does it?

Many of us have been approached by someone on the street at one point or another asking for something to eat. Unfortunately, we often discover they don’t really want you to give them something to eat, they want you to give them money. We immediately wonder if it is a scam.

Scams have happened so often, whether against us or someone we know, that we are immediately skeptical when someone asks for money. We have all heard stories, or may have one of our own, of someone scamming them for money. The scammers make it harder for those who are truly in need. How are we to handle these situations?

First, we can offer to provide a meal. Second, we can educate ourselves about the services available to those in need. There are numerous organizations that can provide assistance. Those organizations have case workers who are trained to determine the need. They work with each individual or family to provide the assistance needed. Point people in need to them.

But what if the person in need is a member of our church? That makes a difference, doesn’t it? We know the person, or someone else in the church knows them. We are called to help them. As a body of Christ, we are to provide for one another. We may still need to point them to other organizations to provide long-term assistance, but we should provide for their immediate needs.

Much like our physical families, we are to help our brothers and sisters in Christ. Here is where some misunderstand what the Bible says. True, all are children of God, but all are not brothers and sisters in Christ. This becomes tough. Outsiders will attempt to shame us into taking care of everyone. Yet, we are instructed to take care of those in the body of Christ first.

Today’s passage can be misunderstood. The point James makes is, we are not to send a fellow Christian away without taking care of their physical needs, if we have the ability to do so. This speaks to selfishness. We are to be willing to give our fellow Christian the shirt off our back.

I pray we all desire to help our brothers and sisters. I pray we ask for discernment from God. I pray each one of us gives up our selfishness when we see a fellow Christian in need. Educate yourself about assistance organizations. Be willing to help a brother or sister. Take care of fellow Christians. Ask God for discernment.

James 2:15-16 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?

Perfect Unity

As Christians, we are expected to have certain virtues. We see the Apostle Paul telling the church in Colossae what these virtues are. Let’s take a deeper dive into these virtues to understand just what Paul was getting to.

Compassion: literally refers to the inner parts or bowels of a person or animal. It is the concept of experiencing empathy, mercy, and compassion as referring to the inner person. It means to have a physical reaction.

Kindness: means to provide something to someone. You do so out of an act of kindness. You make a conscious decision to perform an act that has a positive effect on someone.

Humility: is an attitude. It is in stark contrast to pride or arrogance. We are to serve God with humility, following the example of Christ. False or vain humility is inappropriate and considered opposing God.

Gentleness: is very similar to humility. It includes the idea of meekness in conjunction with humility. We might consider being gentle similar to being kind, but with a bit of humility added in.

Patience: is forbearance. Forbearance contains the idea of being able to bear pain without complaint. Patience also includes remaining calm without becoming angry or irritated. It means not taking vengeance into your own hands—being slow to anger, relying on God.

Forgive: means to give to someone without expecting anything in return. You are generous on someone else’s behalf. You may forgive a debt or a sin committed against you.

Love: agape in this verse. It includes the idea of benevolence or goodwill. It is an affectionate regard for another. Often used to refer to God’s or Christ’s love for us.

Notice Paul says to cover all the other virtues with love. We are to acquire the virtues and wrap them up with love. When we do, the result is perfect unity. Ever wonder why we don’t have unity? Look for these virtues and ask if they are wrapped in love. If not, our unity will not be complete.

I pray we all pursue the virtues of a God’s chosen people. I pray we forgive one another. I pray each one of us wraps our virtues in the love of God for people. Pursue Godly virtues. Forgive one another. Wrap up Godly virtues with love. Pursue perfect unity.

Colossians 3:12-14 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.

Simple Not Easy

How well do you obey when you are told to do something? Is your initial reaction to rebel? Do you work harder at making excuses for not obeying than it would take to simply complete the task? Do you quickly take on the task, but fail to complete it? Or do you complete it as requested?

We are all given orders by someone. There is no escaping it. We work for someone who works for someone who works for someone. Orders come down the chain of command or line of bosses. Some orders are simple while others are very complex.

If there was not a hierarchy in our workplaces, could you imagine the chaos? We would all do what we thought was right and nothing would be accomplished. You see, we naturally migrate toward a hierarchical system. We either long for someone to tell us what to do or we become a leader and tell others what to do. There must be organization to accomplish tasks, especially large tasks.

Jesus flattens the organization. He tells us to keep His commands. Where does He get His commands? From the Father. There is no other. What is the purpose of His commands? To make our joy complete. How do we keep His commands? By remaining in His love.

Isn’t that amazing? As long as we remain in Jesus’ love, which is done by keeping His commands, our joy becomes complete. Seems simple, doesn’t it? But we all know it isn’t so simple. We have our own goals in life. We want what we want, not what someone else wants, meaning we disobey Jesus’ commands.

The most honored leaders our country has ever experienced were people who had an aura about them. They naturally commanded respect and love without ever asking for it. Their orders were obeyed willingly. They accomplished great things. Jesus is the same.

We cannot see Jesus in the flesh right now. That makes it a bit harder to follow Him. Yet, if we read His Word much like we would a great leader’s guidance from our past and follow it, we show our love for Him, and our joy is made complete. It is simply yet not easy.

I pray we all commit to obeying Jesus’ commands. I pray we remain in His love. I pray each one of us reads Jesus’ Word and follow Him as the great Leader His is. Obey Jesus. Remain in His love. Make your joy complete. Show His love to others.

John 15:10-11 “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Unseat Divisiveness

What kinds of arguments are you having with someone else? Are you arguing over politics? Do you argue over vaccines and masks? Are you allowing your differing opinions, whether based on fact or not, to be divisive? Do you see the destruction all around you?

There is more divisiveness today than there has been in my lifetime. We are divided on virtually every issue with hard lines drawn by both sides. We see people who are on the same side on one issue and opposing sides on other issues. These divisions are causing us to be divided in a checkerboard pattern.

The divisiveness we see across our country is not to be the case in the body of Christ. This is not to say we cannot disagree, but we are to continue to treat one another with love and respect. We are to be kind to one another. When we believe strongly in one point of view, it can be very challenging to show kindness toward another. How can we overcome our quandary?

We must first believe with all our heart in God. We must take to heart the two greatest commands as stated by Jesus—love God, love neighbor. Those beliefs must take precedence over our belief in anything else.

We also must see our fellow Christian as a follower of Christ. We must see them as a brother or sister. We must see them as Jesus sees them, a child of God whom God loves and cares for. When we do, the love of Christ will show itself through our treatment of one another.

As we serve one another in love, we find many of our differences are less important. As we get to know one another better and grow closer to God, we learn to care for one another deeper. Our love for one another and for God grows both through understanding and serving.

As we grow closer, God’s plan works more smoothly. Serving one another in love prepares us to serve our community. As we serve our community, showing them the love of God, we draw more people to Him, enlarging His kingdom.

I pray we all commit to loving God and one another. I pray we show the love of God to our community. I pray each one of us serve one another in love. Treat one another with respect. Love your brothers and sisters. Show God’s love to your community. Defeat evil with love. Draw others into God’s kingdom.

Galatians 5:13-15 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Celebrating With Angels

Do you like a good party? Would you like to participate in a celebration with some very important people? How happy would you be to celebrate with the team who wins a championship? Do you know you can?

We like celebrations for winning. There is the celebration in victory lane following a NASCAR race. There are celebrations following a football game, a baseball game, a basketball game, and soccer games. Yet, it is rare for us to have an opportunity to celebrate with the players and owners who won.

We have an opportunity to celebrate with the winner and the owner. When we celebrate with a person coming to Christ, we are celebrating with the player and the owner. You see, God is in the midst of that celebration. Not only God, but all the angels are there as well. Think of it this way—God is in the owners’ booth and the angels fill the 70,000-seat stadium and all are celebrating with those of us on the field. The cheering is deafening. And we stand on the field hoisting the championship trophy.

This analogy only goes so far. We know we did not win on our own. God carried us at times. There were times we leaned on one another. At times we weren’t sure we wanted to make the commitment. Yet, when we finally decided to commit, the celebration was wonderful.

Much like a championship team, we celebrate for a while. But we know there is the need to get back to work once the celebration is over. There is more to be done. We need to continue to seek more of the lost, bringing them into the kingdom, and celebrate once more.

Any time a sinner accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, there is a celebration in heaven. They celebrate another soul being won over by God. They celebrate another piece of God’s plan coming to fruition. And we get to celebrate with them!

I pray we all celebrate when someone accepts Christ as their Savior. I pray we enjoy celebrating with God and the angels in heaven. I pray each one of us long to bring another lost soul into the kingdom of God. Celebrate with God. Celebrate with the angels. Celebrate a lost soul coming to Christ.

Luke 15:10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”