One

How many bosses do you have? Do you have multiple bosses? Do you have a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss? Is it confusing at times wondering what will be the next thing to come down the chain of command? Is it frustrating?

We all have bosses. Some are very apparent and direct. Others may be a little fuzzy and indirect. Yet every single person has someone or several someone’s who tell them what to do. There isn’t a person alive who doesn’t have to answer to someone.

Oh, there are people who think they don’t have to answer to anyone, but they do. Even a president answers to someone. They answer to a board of directors or shareholders or congress or voters. Sometimes, it’s the spouse of the president who provides the most guidance and direction.

Do you think serving God is confusing, too? Do you wonder how to explain the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Here’s the good news—they are One. I know this may appear to be confusing, and we may not fully understand it in this life, but they are One.

Take a look at how many times one appears in today’s passage. Do you get the drift of what Paul’s point was? There is only One. Why would Paul make such a point? I believe his point was to eliminate division among the believers in Ephesus. His point was they were all serving the same God, in the same Spirit, with the same faith and hope, because they had the same baptism.

I believe Paul wanted to emphasize they were all the same in God’s eyes. And notice what he says about God. He is over all, through all, and in all. Wow! Do you understand? God is in each believer, just like the lifegiving blood that pumps through our arteries and veins.

Why go to such extremes to state one over and over again? To build unity. To let the people know they were all part of one body. They were part of a living, breathing organism called the body of Christ. Our unity in Christ is what holds the body together. Sure, Jesus’ blood washed us clean, but it is the unity we have in Him that brings us together and holds us together.

I pray we all understand we are part of one body. I pray we realize there is one God. I pray each of us holds on to our faith, pursuing unity in the body of Christ. Keep the unity of the body. Know that God is in you. Hold on to your faith and hope. Live in the one Spirit.

Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Jesus in Us

What does it mean to be in someone? Have you ever heard of someone being in someone else’s head? Have you heard someone say a child has a lot of their mother or father in them? What does it mean if someone had a lot of a mentor in them?

Having someone else in your head can be good or bad. Typically, when we hear that phrase, it is used to mean a person is allowing another to overpower them mentally. One person controls the thoughts of another by their mere presence.

On the other hand, we may see physical looks or mental attitude in a child they inherited from one of their parents. We also may see dependencies, such as alcoholism or drug addictions passed on to children. Even in adopted children, we see them take on the tendencies of their adoptive parents, especially if they were adopted at a very young age.

We also may take on habits or traits of a mentor. This is particularly true when mentors come into a child’s life. I think of the Big Brother and Big Sister programs. But I’ve also seen it happen in the military when mentorship programs are implemented.

Jesus wants to be in us. He wants us to take on His traits, His attitude, and His thoughts. How do we do that? Just like children with parents, or a mentee with a mentor, we must spend time with Him. It may be quiet time in mediation or prayer. I may be through reading God’s Word. I may be spending time in Bible studies. It may be reading theological or Christian authors.

What is the purpose for us to take on being like Jesus? It is to be His representative on this earth. It is to show Him to others. It is to make the world a better place. It is to save the lost. All in order to execute God’s plan.

As we become more like Jesus, we also become of the same mind. We unify as the body of Christ. We stop allowing division over preferences, instead pursuing the mission God set before us. We come to understand the important things in life, setting aside the world’s priorities.

I pray we all spend time with God. I pray we pursue being the image of Jesus here on earth. I pray each one of us long to be Jesus’ representative to everyone we encounter. Take on the traits of Jesus. Have the same attitude as Jesus. Have the same thoughts as Jesus. Be Jesus’ representative. Pursue what is important to God. Be of one mind. Be unified in Spirit.

John 17:25-26 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

One Mind, One Voice

What does it mean to be of one mind? What does it mean to speak with one voice? Why is it important for an organization to do so? What does the organization gain from being of the same attitude?

Being of one mind as a group of individuals is key to accomplishing goals. A team with the same focus functions better. A company, especially a startup, is more likely to be successful when every employee has a singular goal. A military unit trained for a mission is more likely to succeed.

Being of one mind also helps us speak with one voice. We hear members of sports teams often repeating the same phrases as they pursue their season goal. Corporations develop mission and vision statements as a means of speaking with one voice and maintaining focus.

Can we apply these principles to the body of Christ? Absolutely. In fact, the apostle Paul told the church in Corinth to do just that. He asked that God bless them with the same mind and same voice—the same as Christ. It is important we be of the same mind as Christ to carry out the mission He set before us.

What is the mission Christ gave us? To go, make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). We call it the great commission. Much like an employee must know the mission of the company they work for, we must know the mind of Christ. Just as each member of a military unit needs to know the orders from their commander, we need to understand what Christ desires us to do.

What is the purpose of knowing Christ? To glorify the Father. Notice there is no designated number of souls to save. The goal is to save as many as possible. There is no designated hill to defend. The goal is to save the entire world. All to glorify God.

Make no mistake about it, we cannot save the world by ourselves. That is why it is important we are all of the same mind and same voice. As each one of us tells others about Jesus’ saving power, what He has done in our lives, and how their lives can be changed, we carry out the mission given us and glorify the Father.

I pray we all have the same mind as Christ. I pray we speak with the same voice as Christ. I pray each one of us pursues glorifying God the Father in all we do. Be of one mind. Speak with one voice. Be in concert with Christ. Perform the mission Christ gave you. Glorify God.

1 Corinthians 15:5-6 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pride and Arrogance

Humility is hard for us, isn’t it? After all, we are blasted with the message “You deserve this.” But do we really understand what it means to be humble? Is your belief that being humble means you should walk around with your head down?

Being humble, as the Bible describes it, does not mean we are everyone’s servant. Rather it means we are not proud or arrogant. It means we don’t think higher of ourselves than we do others. It means taking a reality check.

Too often, we compare ourselves to others. This creates all kinds of problems. We become jealous of those with certain talents or skills. We are jealous of those we think are beautiful. We are jealous of those we think are wealthy. We long to be someone we are not.

Comparison also causes us to judge others. We look down on those who are not as smart as we are. We don’t want to be around those we think are less than we are. Our view of others is tainted with a worldly point of view.

Oh, we can, and will, say there are systemic problems in our society. We will talk about how certain types of people are discriminated against. Yet, we won’t go into their neighborhoods. When “one of them” comes near us, we are on alert, watching them closely, even if only out of the corner of our eye. Now, make no mistake about it, I’m not advocating being careless. Yet, the person we are looking down on is also a child of God.

It isn’t really about the other person being of lower standing than us, it is about our haughty attitude. It is about our high opinion of ourselves. It is about our pride and our total lack of willingness to look at the other person as an equal. Again, we are blasted with the message that we deserve better, implying we are better than others—and we listen to it, feeding our psyche and pride.

It is only when we start seeing every person as someone God loves and cares for that we can begin to change our attitude about ourselves. It is only when we are willing to set aside our pride and arrogance that we can start to have a caring heart like Jesus. It is only when our heart has been changed that we will become a person of action, doing what God wants us to do. Then we will be a humble person who represents Jesus here on earth.

I pray we all rid ourselves of pride and arrogance. I pray we see others as children of God. I pray each of us clothes ourselves in humility and become a true representative of Jesus. Throw away your pride. Rid yourself of arrogance. See everyone as a child of God. Be humble. Put the love of Jesus into action.

Philippians 2:3-4 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.

Stumbling Block

Do you like to exercise your rights? Do you revel in your freedom? Do you flaunt your freedom? Do you believe you are entitled to the freedoms you have? Do you ignore anyone and everyone around you as you exercise your freedom?

We have all seen the person who does whatever they want whenever they want. Perhaps we know someone who fits that description. Perhaps we are one of those people. We all take our freedom for granted to some degree. We often don’t realize just how obnoxious we are.

We have heard the person cussing like a sailor in the amusement park while we walk by with our young children. We cringe as we walk by and hope our five-year-old didn’t hear those words and repeat them. And we have wondered who their parents were and what they taught them.

We have seen the popular kids in school flaunting their popularity while other kids hide in the background so as not to be made fun of. We have seen those kids on the fringe crying or looking downcast as they watch the popular kids, wishing they were popular.

We may be a successful businessperson, enjoying the good life. Are we flaunting our wealth in front of those who are less fortunate? Perhaps we have not even considered the question. We may the strong who have become a stumbling block for the weak.

Paul admonishes the church in Corinth not to be a stumbling block. The context for his admonishment was eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. In the example Paul used, many of the Jews and Christians believed meat sacrificed to idols was unclean. They believed it should not be eaten. But there were some who realized it was just meat and they could eat it, so long as they were not worshiping the idol.

The principle applies to any situation. If we believe we are free to take advantage of our wealth to go on a European vacation, we should not brag about that in front of those who cannot. If we believe we are free to speak our mind, we are not to use that freedom to offend others with harshness or rudeness.

I pray we all use our freedom wisely. I pray we are not a stumbling for those who do not believe they have the same freedoms. I pray each one of us think carefully about our speech and actions. Be aware of others. Treat one another well. Do not be a stumbling block. Show love to everyone.

1 Corinthians 8:9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

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.