Unity

Are you tired of seeing division wherever you look? Do you ask, “Can’t we all just get along?” How do you look at someone who is different than you? Are you willing to accept a person who looks different, comes from a different culture, or disagrees with you?

It is no secret that we are attracted to and migrate toward people who think and act as we do. We feel comfortable with people of like mind. We prefer to be with people who like to do the things we like to do. This is human nature.

However, we are called to unity with everyone who is in Christ. This means we are to be in unity with people who may not agree with us on any number of topics. Isn’t it sad that we can worship in unity with Cubs or Cardinals fans, but we struggle to do so with democrats or republicans? We allow different viewpoints to hinder us from worshiping in unity.

Let’s go a step further. We may not be willing to worship with someone from a different denomination. We may be unable to be comfortable listening to a message from a Catholic Priest, Methodist Pastor, Baptist Pastor, Presbyterian Pastor, or Church of Christ Preacher. We disagree to a point of division over the liturgy, or the way communion is served.

Why is unity in diversity important? God is diverse. He created us to be different, yet to be unified in Him. He created different cultures. It is true that God has set a few rules. But He did not write a liturgy nor tell us how to worship, other than to worship in truth and with our whole heart. 

If we are in Christ, then Christ is in us. That means all of us. Therefore, when we reject someone who is in Christ, we reject Him. Our rejection may not be obvious. It comes in the form of complaints, gossip, being standoffish, or simply refusing to talk to someone else. We reject others in both blunt and subtle ways.

Christ has called us to complete unity (John 17:23). It is in our unity that we properly represent Him. It is in unity that we can do mighty works in His name. It is in unity we operate as one body. It is in unity we can truly celebrate Christ, worship God, and defy Satan’s schemes.

I pray we all seek to accept one another in Christ. I pray we unify as one body, just as Christ intended. I pray each one of us discard our old ways to be a new creation in Christ. Be unified in Christ. Accept one another in Christ. Be one body. Celebrate as one. Worship as one. Work as one.

Colossians 3:11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Eternal Spring

Have you ever been hungry—I mean truly hungry, having not eaten for a couple days? I have you ever been thirsty—your mouth so dry you can’t even swallow? Have you ever thought your soul may be starving and thirsting?

We all experience hunger to some degree. Otherwise, how would we know it was time to eat, to feed our bodies, to give it the energy it needs to function? We all experience thirst. We know we need liquid, especially water, to keep our bodies from shriveling up like a prune.

Our souls, or spirits, need to be fed as well. Jesus uses the analogy of food and water to make this point to people as He taught. In today’s passage, He is talking with the woman at the well. Now, this isn’t just any woman—she is a Samaritan. If you know Jewish history, you know the Jews and the Samaritans do not like each other.

Samaritans resided in the region known as Samaria. They were a mixed race, consisting of Israelites, Mesopotamians, and Assyrians. They followed the Pentateuch from a religious perspective, which is the first five books of the Bible, also known as the books of Moses.

As you may know, this interaction between Jesus and the woman was quite revealing. Jesus knew she had been married five times and the man she was living with was not her husband. He also knew she needed what He was offering to make her whole and bring her into the kingdom of God.

Jesus knew what her soul needed, and He knows what our souls need. We need to be fed. We need to be given fresh water. Our souls need these to be energized, strengthened, and sustained to be who He desires us to be. Jesus freely offers what we need, even when we don’t realize we need it.

We feed and give drink to our bodies. Yet, we often starve and dehydrate our souls. We feed them junk food and toxic drink. We allow our souls to be corrupted by the world rather than providing them pure spiritual food and drink.

We can only strengthen our souls by turning to Jesus. We do that not only by committing to Him, but by reading and studying God’s Word. We feed our soul by interacting with other Christians. We get a cool drink of water in prayer to God. We are refreshed, strengthened, and energized to continue the work He has designated for each of us.

I pray we all feed our souls with spiritual food. I pray we turn to Jesus to drink from the eternal spring. I pray each one of us give up the junk food of the world in exchange for the healthy diet of God’s Word. Be fed. Drink pure water. Turn to Jesus. Cleanse your soul. Strengthen your soul. Be energized. Be refreshed.

John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

All Can Be Saved

Do you wonder if you can be saved? Do you know someone who thinks they cannot be saved? Do you think there are people in this world who cannot be saved? Do you know who God is? Do you know He is all-powerful and capable to doing whatever He pleases?

There is no doubt there are people in this world who do some horrible things. There is no doubt there are people who willingly and purposely disobey God. We may know some of those people. We may see them in the news. We may experience them at some point in our lives.

Yet, God can save anyone no matter what they have done. The person in question must turn their heart to God. They must repent of their wrongdoings. When they do, God is willing and able to save them from their past and grant them a future of glory.

The Apostle Paul was once a persecutor of those who followed Jesus. He stood by while Stephen was stoned to death. He was carrying permission/orders to persecute more followers of Christ in Damascus when he was confronted by Jesus Himself and turned from his wrong ways. Jesus saved Saul and made him a mighty preacher of the gospel.

With this in mind, we must know that God can save the worst person we can think of. He can turn that person into someone who proclaims the good news in a mighty way. There is no one we can think of who is outside of God’s power.

How can we help in turning these people to God? The first thing we need to do is pray for them. The next thing, if we are able to meet with them, is tell them the good news. Explain to them what Jesus has done for them. Tell them they can be saved from a wretched life and live an abundant life in Jesus. Express to them the glory God has for them for eternity.

Paul gives us an example, himself, to show us what is possible. He wanted Timothy, who had grown up a devout Jew, having learned the Scriptures from his mother and grandmother, to know that God can save anyone. He wants us to know the same is as true today as it was then.

I pray we all spend time in prayer for those who are lost. I pray we tell others about Jesus. I pray each one of us take every opportunity to tell the good news and pray for those we long to be saved. Pray for those who oppose God. Pray for friends. Pray for family. Tell others about Jesus. Tell others of God’s saving grace. Tell them about the glory that awaits them.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

A Simple Work

If you were asked, how would you answer someone who wanted to know what God wanted them to do? Do you know how to answer that question? Can you tell someone what God expects of them? Would you like to know?

The answer to the question is simple—believe in Jesus. However, belief in Jesus and choosing to follow Him will initiate a change in behavior. When we recognize Jesus as truth, we will be spurred on to take action. The simple answer becomes one that motivates us in numerous ways.

Why is this important? First, our belief in Jesus Christ is our unifying force. This is what creates unity in the body of Christ. Our belief in the Son of God, His life, burial, and resurrection pulls us into a relationship with one another. It is the common denominator. It is the reason for loving and caring for one another as brothers and sisters.

Unfortunately, we often allow the motivation to work in numerous ways to show our love to separate us. We allow our interests in doing other works to cause division. We forget we have a common belief in the One sent by God as our salvation, and this to our own detriment.

The work God asks of us is simple, believe in His Son. We are to make it a priority in our lives. Our belief in Jesus is to be first, at the forefront of our minds, and deep within our hearts. As we put Him first, everything else falls into place. Our priorities are set correctly, and division does not occur.

The action we are spurred on to takes shape as automatic as our action based on the sun rising the next day. We have confidence to take on the work God puts before us without the disgruntlement about someone else taking on different tasks. Our confidence in Jesus allows us to take on tasks we know we can’t do without His intervention. We praise God for all He does in our lives and His empowerment of us to complete His work.

When we fully believe in Jesus, we follow His commands. Most importantly, we follow His two greatest commands—love God, love your neighbor as yourself. Love, love, love. The love of God drives out hate and fear. The love of God inspires us to show His love toward others.

I pray we all believe in Jesus Christ. I pray we believe with all our heart, mind, and soul. I pray each one of us seeks to keep the unity created in our belief in Jesus. Love one another. Trust God. Believe in Jesus. Keep the unity of the body of Christ. Praise God for His blessings.

John 6:28-29 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

God Is For Us

Are there times when you wonder who is on your side? Does it feel as though you are left standing alone? Does it seem like you are continually pushing an oversized ball uphill? Are you aware that you are never left alone?

Sometimes we feel as though we are fighting an uphill battle by ourselves. There are times when we feel as though we are Rudolph, floating on a slab of ice across the water taking on the world by ourselves. Sometimes we feel as though we have been abandoned by all others.

Sometimes we have put ourselves in those situations through our own life choices. We may not think it was our choice, blaming our situation on false friends, family, co-workers, classmates, or even a stranger. Yet, we all make choices every day that can slowly contribute to situations we would rather not find ourselves in.

Yet, there is good news. Even when we’ve made bad choices. Even if we intentionally put ourselves in bad situations. Even though we may feel as though the world is against us, God never leaves us so long as we continue to believe in Him. We may not feel Him there. We may think He has abandoned us as well. But God never leaves us nor abandons us. He doesn’t always work on the same timetable we prefer. He is often working behind the scenes, setting up a blessing when we least expect it, yet at just the right time.

You see, God knows what is happening in our lives each moment of every day. He knows exactly where we will be and when we will be there. He knows exactly what we need, whether it’s what we want or not. God is always for us. He is always on our side. He doesn’t always give us what we want, but He does give us what we need. This is just one reason we can trust God.

He doesn’t promise we will never go through tough times. He does promise we will not go through them alone and He will pull us through them. I suppose that is why we see so many people, when they hit rock bottom, turn to God to get them out of the hot water they find themselves in. It is in those moments we realize there is only one answer, there is only One who can get us back on our feet. It is unfortunate it comes to this point, but God is always there.

I pray we all realize God is always there for us. I pray we turn to God in all situations. I pray each one of us works to improve our relationship with God before the tough times come. Turn to God each day. Know that He is always with you. Trust God at all times. Trust God in all situations. Be thankful He never abandons you.

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Soar Like Eagles

Are you looking to soar, but feel worn out? Do you long to regain your strength, but feel as though it is lost forever? Would you like to increase your endurance, but think you are too old? Are you looking for someone or something to energize you?

We all face times in our lives when we feel run down, tired, worn out, exhausted, and perhaps even depressed. It is natural for these times to comes upon us. It is at these times we long for our boundless youth. We look at young children and wish we had their energy.

Perhaps we should first consider why we are exhausted. In most cases, it is because we are doing it all on our own. We aren’t asking for help. We aren’t accepting help, if it is offered. We don’t trust anyone else to do the work. We have put more on our plate than we can handle. We are not prioritizing the work appropriately, putting first things first and allowing the rest to wait. And…we have heard all this before.

How do we get through these times? Prayer and accepting God’s guidance. That sounds easy and cliché. It may be cliché, but it is not always easy. It may require making some tough decisions. For instance, we may need to put off what we would rather do in order to do what needs to be done immediately. God will help us set those priorities. He will provide the guidance. He will strengthen our resolve and increase our energy level to complete the work.

The promise we see in Isaiah’s passage below is a promise indeed. It is a promise we can count on. It doesn’t always come easy. We may hit rock bottom before we finally turn to God for help. Our struggle to get out of the deep hole may take time and energy to complete. But as we lean on God to provide both of those, we learn an important lesson. We learn that God will not disappoint, and He keeps His promises.

To soar on wings like eagles we need to continually be in prayer, asking God to guide us and provide the strength we need. We need to continually lean on God, not our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). We need to trust in God and His promises.

I pray we all ask God for the guidance and strength we need. I pray we trust God and His promises. I pray each one of us prioritizes our lives according to God’s priorities. Spend time in prayer. Ask God for guidance. Renew your strength. Soar like eagles. Follow God’s priorities. Trust God. Trust God’s promises.

Isaiah 40:30-31

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

One Body

Are you going through a tough time? Are you hurting due to loss? Do you need someone to lean on? Are you trying to carry the entire load on your own? Are you willing to allow others to help you?

We all go through tough times. We all experience loss. We all experience hurt. There are times when each of us will need someone to lean on for strength. There are times when our burdens grow too heavy. It is during such times we need someone in our lives who can help.

When we go through tough times, many of us reach out to family and friends. Some of us reach out to organizations we are members of. Perhaps it is a veteran’s group or our golfing buddies. Maybe it is a quilting group or our online “friends.” We all need someone who can help, and we need to reach out. No one can be an island that stands on its own.

It is during these rough patches in the road the body of Christ is there to love and care for one another. As one body, when one of us hurts, we all hurt. Just as our body sends white blood cells to heal a wound, the church sends people who can help. When one part of our body is weak, we use another part to provide strength. The body of Christ works in the same way.

We may not often think of it this way, but this is serving one another in the same way Jesus served when He walked this earth. As we serve one another, we all gain the help we need. We also become more like Christ through our service. We gain new insights to His service, the needs of others, and confidence others will serve us in our time of need.

It isn’t always easy to reach out in need. However, as we do, we find the body of Christ is willing and able to be there for us. It doesn’t mean we become needy. It means we are part of a well-functioning body that takes care of its members. It is a demonstration of God working in our lives through others.

I pray we all reach out for the help we need when we need it. I pray we realize when we are weak, God is strong. I pray each of us support one another during times of need. Reach out. Trust God to provide strength. Lean on one another. Be part of the body. Gain strength through weakness. Hurt with others.

1 Corinthians 12:24b-25 But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

Sincere Love

Do you ever wonder just how you are to act in any given situation? Have you wondered how others expect you to act or behave? Ever wonder how God expects you to behave, what attitude He wants you to have, how He wants you to interact with others?

We change our behavior based on who we are with, don’t we? If we are in a corporate meeting with our boss, we act professional and knowledgeable. If we are with friends, we cut up and laugh. If we are with family, we are more relaxed, sometimes too relaxed, meaning we feel comfortable with taking out our bad attitudes on them.

It is part of our nature to change our behavior based on the situation. However, God does not want us to act as though we are a goody two shoes on one occasion and fly off the handle on another. He calls us to be consistent—consistently good.

God desires us to show our love for our fellow human at all times. He desires us to honor one another through actions, speech, and attitude. He wants us to continually look to Him for guidance and follow the example Jesus set for us. He loves when we communicate with Him in prayer. He delights in seeing us share with one another, inviting one another into our homes for fellowship.

We all know this, don’t we? So, why do we misbehave so often? Perhaps it comes down to how much we desire to follow His commands and Jesus’ example. Do we really want to be like Jesus or are we simply giving lip service? Far too often, we do the latter rather than the former.

To change ourselves, we must commit to follow Jesus, His commands, and spend time conversing with Him in prayer. In changing ourselves, we also see the world around us change. By changing ourselves, we have the ability to change the world. As we become more like Jesus, we begin seeing each person we meet as Jesus sees them, our brother or sister, our neighbor. When we see others in this way, we begin to love them, even if we don’t know them.

I pray we all seek to change ourselves in a positive way. I pray we desire to be more like Jesus and follow His example. I pray each one of us asks God to change us into the person He has called us to be. Love one another. Honor one another. Seek to improve your relationship with Jesus. Spend time in prayer. Share with one another.

Romans 12:9-13 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. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Faith And Prayer

Who, what, where do you put your faith? How deep and strong is your faith? Have you exercised your faith recently? Do you know how to exercise your faith? Is your faith in the right person? Is your faith in God?

We all put our faith in someone or something. We have faith the sun will rise the next day. We have faith the people driving in traffic all around us will drive safely. We have faith Mom and Dad will always have our backs. We have faith there will be farmers to grow food. We have faith there will be jobs for us to earn a living.

Having faith in all of those people and things is all well and good, but our faith must ultimately boil down to one. We must either put our faith in ourselves or in God. When we put our faith in ourselves, we exercise our faith by approaching life as though it all depends on us. True, we contribute, but it doesn’t all depend on us.

When our faith is only in ourselves, we may be overconfident and cocky. Or we may be filled with anxiety and worry. We rely on our physical capabilities and those around us. We rely on manmade apparatuses to accomplish our tasks. We don’t look beyond ourselves.

When we exercise our faith in God, we ask for His guidance. We trust God to provide what we need, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. We are confident God is working at all times and He cares for us. We refuse to put ourselves on a pedestal, rather we give the credit to God.

We have lost, to a large degree, our faith in God. Rarely will we see someone ask to be prayed over with the laying on of hands when they are sick. Rare is the person who sings praises to God as part of their daily lives. We often fail to repent of our sin, instead believing we really aren’t that bad because we compare ourselves to others. We have lost our belief in miracles. Oh, we may say God can work miracles, but we don’t really count on them. We have forgotten that God is bigger than any of our troubles, sicknesses, or failures. We forget that God created everything we see.

Prayer is the way to bring God into the equation. Prayer is the pathway to increasing our faith. Prayer is the means by which we praise God, ask Him to heal the hurting, and repent of our wrongdoings. Prayer is our ultimate communication mechanism with the Almighty.

I pray we all spend time with God in prayer. I pray we return to a faith in miracles. I pray each one of us brings God into the equation today and every day. Strengthen your faith. Spend time with God. Praise Him. Pray to Him. Communicate with God. Trust Him.

James 5:13-16 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Heal The Sick

What immediately comes to your mind when you think of church? Who is the first person that comes to mind when you think of a Jesus follower? Do those two thoughts make sense when you put them together? Or do they seem to be very different thoughts?

There are people who think of the church as nothing more than a social club. Perhaps they see all the flaws in the people of the church and want nothing to do with it. Maybe all they know of the church are the negative stories told by the news media. In either case, they don’t see a need nor have a desire to be part of it.

Some of those same people know people who go to church regularly, even if they don’t know it. There may be people they work with who are regular church goers, but they don’t talk about it. They may sit beside a follower of Jesus in a classroom without realizing it. They drive by churches in towns across this country and don’t even notice them. They are simply part of the landscape. This is very unfortunate and sad.

You see, the church was put here by God to be a place to heal the sick. As we see in today’s passage, Jesus states He came to call the sinners—those who need healing. He even references being a doctor to heal the sick. Each follower of Jesus is a member of the church, and we are to go about healing the sick—the sinners—much like a hospital heals those who are physically sick. We are also to be about preventative medicine, teaching people how to live abundant lives by following Jesus. We need to rid ourselves of our self-righteous image, thinking we are better than everyone else, get down in the trenches, and start doing the very same work Jesus did—seeking and saving the lost.

It is one thing to have confidence in knowing we are saved. It is a completely different attitude that looks at others as though they are less than we are. We are all sinners. We all need Jesus to be saved. We all are to be about doing the work Jesus has tasked us with. We need to recognize that we work in a hospital, not participate in country club activities.

I pray we all seek to eliminate self-righteous attitudes. I pray we go about working in the church/hospital. I pray each one of us seeks to be a true follower of Jesus and work as He worked. Recognize the church as a hospital. Seek to heal the sick. Rid yourself of self-righteousness. Work as Jesus did. Follow His lead. Seek to save the lost.

Matthew 9:12-13 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”