Be A Good Neighbor

How are you with your neighbors? Do you get along with them? Are you looking out for them? Do you even know who they are? Do you know that Jesus has redefined who your neighbor is? Have you thought about that?

We all have neighbors. For some of us, our neighbors are the people who live on the other side of the wall, above us, or below us in an apartment complex. For others, they live in the house next door in a neighborhood. For farmers, your neighbor may be some distance down the road.

We think of our neighbor as someone who lives close by. Yet Jesus redefined who our neighbor is. When we think of the story of the Good Samaritan, we find that the good neighbor happened to be someone who lived far away from the injured man and someone he would normally hate.

During His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated that we are to love our enemies. He reversed the old Jewish saying. For all intent and purposes, Jesus was saying that everyone is our neighbor. We don’t really like to think of it like that. We like to hold our prejudices, grudges, and rivalries. We like to point our finger at “them.” Doesn’t is always come down to “them” being the problem? It isn’t on us. At least, that is how our mind wants to twist it.

Jesus was a revolutionary. He commanded those who were listening to Him, and us, to love all people. That is absolutely countercultural for us. It goes against our innate feelings and emotions. We have bad or hard feelings toward certain people…and we like it, we don’t want to let them go.

How can we overcome our feelings? We pray. Pray that God remove those bad feelings toward the other person. Continue to pray that prayer until they go away. Make every attempt to see the other person as Jesus sees them—a child of God, someone God created. No, it isn’t easy to do this, yet we are called to do it by Jesus Himself. I can promise you, from my own personal experience, the blessing you receive from doing so will far outweigh the hate you harbor.

I pray we all strive to love everyone. I pray we pray that God remove our hard feelings. I pray each one of us decides to follow Jesus’ command to love all people and pray for them. Know that everyone is your neighbor. Love all people. Choose to love rather than hate. See all people as God sees them. Be a good neighbor.

Matthew 5:43-45a “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”

Love One Another

Are you wondering why the world seems to be in chaos? Do you look around and see the hate? Would you like to fix it? Are you willing to do what it takes to fix your own little world? Will you give your own preferences? Will you love without conditions?

It isn’t hard to look around and see all the discord. We see politicians fighting and arguing like two-year-old’s. We see clashes between racial and ethnic groups. We see finger pointing going on in our workplaces. Everyone puts up deflector shields to deflect the blame to someone else.

How do we end it? When will it end? Those are questions many people are asking. Unfortunately, we can’t legislate morality. We can’t pound people over the head with a sledgehammer until they quit their bigotry. It simply doesn’t work. For some, the more you try push them into being a better person, the worse they get.

So, what to do? The first thing on our agenda is to love one another. We, Christians, must stop our own bickering back and forth. We may have differing opinions. We may not see eye-to-eye on the interpretation of the Bible. Yet, we absolutely need to agree on one thing—love one another as Jesus loves us. Otherwise, we are living lies and we have no chance to change this world for the better.

Jesus clearly states in today’s passage that by loving one another we show the world we are His disciples. Otherwise, we are no better than the world. Even pagans love those who love them. We aren’t any different, if we don’t love one another despite our differences. We are no better, if we don’t love all races and ethnic groups. We are no better, if we don’t love those of differing political opinions.

Jesus has called us to love as He loved. He didn’t say we must like what everyone does. He didn’t say we must all be exactly the same. He did say to love—to love one another unconditionally, with grace, mercy, and a forgiving heart. As we love one another, we become peacemakers, reconcilers, healers, and a true representative of Jesus on this earth.

I pray we all decide to love as Jesus loved. I pray we give up our hatred toward one another. I pray each one of us loves in order to be a peacemaker and Jesus’ representative. Choose love. Be like Jesus. Give up your selfishness. See others as Jesus sees them. Be a peacemaker. Be a disciple of Jesus.

John 13:24-25 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love oneanother. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Running the Race

Why do you run the race called life? Are you running to gain a prize? Do you have goals set to achieve? Are you educating yourself? Do you train and practice regularly? Are you running a race that can be won?

We all run the race of life in one form or another. Some of us run to merely survive. Others run to obtain a crown of glory. And still others run for something in the middle. Unfortunately, there are many who run the race blind.

Running the race of life is challenging, even if we are merely running to survive. A very large portion of the world’s population is doing just that—running to survive. We, in America, often don’t see that race nor do we care to see it. We may acknowledge it on a superficial level in our minds, but we don’t really see it nor understand it. If you made $59,000 dollars in 2018, you were in the 91st percentile worldwide. That means you were among the 9% highest income individuals. Do you understand that means there were 91% of the world’s population who made less money than you did?

Of course, making money is only one way of determining how well we are running the race. Yet, it is one we Americans often use to judge our success. We think money will make us happy. It won’t. It is a hard lesson to learn and one that can have very dire consequences.

If we are not to strive for more money, what are we to strive for? We should seek the crown that will never tarnish. That is the crown of life. It is only obtained from God. It is what we receive as a follower of Jesus Christ. Unlike worldly possession that will eventually decay to the point of complete destruction, the crown of life will never decay.

Rather than chasing after more of this world, we should be chasing after more of Jesus. Only He can provide us what our heart’s truly desire. We don’t like to think of leaving this world, which is unfortunate. You see, if we are followers of Jesus, when we leave this world, we go to spend eternity with Him. We go to a place of perfect love, joy, and peace. All the hurt, hate, frustration, struggle, deception, conniving, and the rest of our discontent is gone forever.

I pray we all seek the crown of life. I pray we seek to follow Jesus. I pray each one of us realize the things of this world will disappear, while our eternal reward will not. Run the right race. Chase after the crown of life. Be a follower of Jesus. Find what your heart truly desires.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Be Righteous

Are you struggling to do good? Are you seeking to be recognized as an upstanding citizen? Would you like people to say good things about you? Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God? Is your faith waning?

Most of us want others to say good things about us. We care about our reputation. We want to be known as someone who is good. Yet, we also know internally of all our failures, which often cause us to have a lower opinion of ourselves, whether we voice it or not.

We can remember every little failure we have ever made. For instance, I can remember being in sixth grade, which is more than forty years ago, borrowing a nickel from another kid and never repaying it. Having those smallest of failures in our heads, it is no wonder we often think of ourselves as a failure. It is no small wonder we continue to struggle to think we don’t live up to others’ expectations.

Here is the hard truth. We don’t have to live up to other people’s expectations, we are to live up to God’s expectations. Unfortunately, we cannot do that either. So, what are we to do? The good news is this, Jesus died, was buried, and rose again so that we might be made righteous.

What does it mean to be righteous? It means to be made perfect, just as God is perfect. It means that we are forgiven, because Jesus paid the price. It means that God sees us through the veil of Jesus and sees us as righteous children. No, we are not perfect of our own accord or doing, but we are perfect when seen through Jesus.

How do we attain this righteousness? Through our belief in Jesus. It cannot be a simple belief, but one that goes down deep in our heart. We are to believe that He is the Son of God. We are to believe He is our perfect sacrifice. We are to love Him with all our heart. All of this is to encourage us to do as He commanded us. We cannot fully repay Him, but we can strive to repay as much as we can. This is not done through works, but through our love, behavior, and attitude. It is done by putting God first in our lives.

I pray we all seek the righteousness God offers us. I pray we put God first in our lives. I pray each one of us believes in Jesus wholeheartedly. Put God first. Believe in Jesus. Allow your belief to change who you are. Show the love of Jesus. Be righteous.

Romans 4:23-24 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Battle Effectively

Are you in the middle of a battle? Does it seem as though you are in a constant battle over one thing or another? Are all those battles really worth fighting over? Or are you fighting the wrong battle? There is some battles worth fighting.

We fight many battles throughout our lifetimes. Some are petty while others are very important. Some come to us unexpectedly while others we see coming way down the road. Doing battle is exhausting. Therefore, battles don’t typically last for long periods of time.

Research conducted to discover the effectiveness of units in battle found five key characteristics that impact success: Weapons Proficiency, Situational Awareness, Tactics and Drills, Cover and Concealment, and Leadership/Communications. Do these look familiar? You don’t need to be a military person to recognize them. You will see these referenced, perhaps a little differently, in Ephesians 6:10-20 when Paul exhorts us to put on the full armor of God. The study also found the unit became more efficient with experience. No surprise there! The more you are engaged with any task, the more efficient you become.

As we go about our lives, we need to become efficient and effective in battle. Not battles over minor disputes such as what we will eat, when we will see a pay raise, or what is going on in a different department. No, we need to ask ourselves the age-old question, “Are you willing to die on that hill?” If not, don’t fight the battle. Let it go.

Battles we should fight are those that include the battles against evil. In order to know the difference, we need discernment—the discernment only provided by God. So, pray that God gives you discernment to know what battle is worth fighting.

Most of us are fighting the wrong battles. We need to focus our attention on the battles God wants us to fight. He will equip us to not only fight those battles, but to win them. How do we gain the knowledge and skills to win? We train. Our training comes through interaction with other Christians, being in a constant learning state of mind, practice and experience, and spending quiet time with God. The more we know how to use the defensive measures and weapons God grants us, the more successful we are.

I pray all of us take up the fight against evil. I pray we seek God to gain discernment. I pray each one of us spends time training, practicing, and gaining experience for the battles we will face. Know that God will equip you for battle. Seek His discernment to know which battles are important. Stop fighting the unimportant battles. Spend time training and practicing. Prepare yourself for the battles you will face.

1 Timothy 1:18-19 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.

Wisdom Seeking

Are you looking for wisdom? Do you long to gain understanding? Have you been searching for answers to important questions? Is there a desire within you to discover meaning in your life? Do you know where to find the knowledge you are looking for?

We all have questions. Whether we realize it or not, we want to know what our purpose is. We long to discover what we are meant to do, where we belong, and who we are to be with. Our search carries us to many people, places, and situations.

There is an old country song by Johnny Lee titled Looking For Love. The lyric in the chorus says, “looking for love in all the wrong places.” We can apply the meaning of this lyric to our search for wisdom. We look for knowledge and wisdom in the wrong places. We look to this world to fill us with understanding. Don’t misunderstand, going to school, being educated, is good. Yet, the discernment and understanding we need to gain wisdom does not come from the world but from God.

As we are told in today’s passage, wisdom is provided through the church. It is not that any one individual within the church can provide all the wisdom we desire. It is the collective wisdom of the members of the church that fulfills our desire. We gain insights from one person that we can’t gather from another.

In order to gain the wisdom we seek, we must be willing to talk with the various members, even those we may not particularly care for. We must participate in Bible classes. We must be attentive when the pastor preaches. We must pray to God for discernment. And we must spend time reading and studying on our own.

Wisdom doesn’t come quick nor easily. However, it won’t be acquired at all, if we are not active in the church, the place and group of people where God sheds His wisdom and provides understanding not found in the world—an understanding, not of how things work, but of the meaning of life.

I pray we all choose to be active in our churches. I pray we turn to God’s people for insights. I pray each one of us seeks the wisdom that only God can provide. Seek true wisdom. Be active in a church. Participate in Bible classes. Listen attentively. Pray for discernment.

Ephesians 3:10-11 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Mighty Power

Are you in need of strength today? Are you facing a mountain of struggles? Do you feel as though your world is crumbling around you? Do you believe there are evil forces at work against you? Do you realize how true that feeling may be? Do you know how to survive it?

As much as most of us don’t want or don’t like to admit it, evil is at work in our world. We face it on a daily basis. Satan likes to toy with us like little children. Unfortunately, far too many of us don’t know how to defend ourselves against him. There is only one way to do so.

The Apostle Paul knew all too well about evil forces exerting their will in this world. He gave us instructions in Ephesians 6:10-20 to fight against evil. All but one of his instructions were for defense. Why would that be? We are to take up a defensive position against the attacks of Satan and allow God to take the offense. In fact, the only offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is God in us. We access this weapon through prayer. Praying in the Spirit, through the Spirit, and in our full spirit is both defensive and offensive.

There are many who will not attribute the dissension, hate, discrimination, crime, and brokenness of this world to Satan. Their eyes are blind, and their ears are clogged. Their hearts are hardened. This is also the work of Satan. His schemes are many and varied. We often say all this is a result of human nature. True—broken human nature.

How do we overcome our brokenness? We must put our trust in God. We need to spend time with God’s people learning, reading God’s Word, and praying for wisdom. We must give up our own desires in favor of God’s desires. We need to learn how to put on the armor of God to protect ourselves from the schemes Satan throws at us.

We have a choice to make—fall for Satan’s schemes or protect ourselves with God. It isn’t always an easy choice. It isn’t typically a popular choice. Yet, if we want to live a life of peace, joy, contentment, and love, it’s a choice we need to make.

I pray we all choose to put on the armor of God. I pray we defend ourselves against Satan’s schemes. I pray we choose to dedicate ourselves to following God and trusting Him. Put on the armor of God. Spend time with Jesus’ followers. Learn from God’s Word. Spend time in prayer with God. Trust Him to protect you. Open your eyes and ears.

Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Content with Inadequacy

Are there times you feel inadequate? Do you get the feeling others look down on you because of where you come from? Is it because of the reputation your hometown has? Or is it due to their ignorance? Do you believe God can use you, no matter where you are from?

Many of us experience prejudice because of where we come from. We may be from small towns or the inner city. We may be from the beaches along either coast or from the farmland of the Midwest. We may be from the south or the north. We may be from another country.

Being looked down upon by others is not enjoyable. We feel like an outsider, less than others, like we don’t belong. We may even want to run and hide. Our desire to fit in causes us to feel guilty when we don’t. We strive to figure out what we can do to fit in the next time.

Here is the good news, God can and will use us, no matter where we come from. Take a look at today’s passage. There were some in the crowd that looked down upon and made fun of the apostles. Why? They were from the region of Galilee. You see, the Galilean region was widely known as a somewhat backward region of Israel. Many of them were fishermen and far less educated than those from Jerusalem. They weren’t cultured like the people of the big city.

The crowd was amazed to hear the apostles speaking in their own language. At a minimum, there were fifteen different languages and dialects being spoken by the apostles. This coming from people who typically only knew and spoke their own dialect. It would be like hearing a North Carolina fisherman speaking Japanese or Hebrew. Totally unexpected!

Some in the crowd made fun at them, stating they had drunk too much wine. Isn’t that what usually happens? Those who make fun of us do so in a ridiculous manner. Sometimes, it doesn’t even make sense. So, what are we to do? I suggest we ignore them and be comfortable knowing God has a plan for each of us.

Just like God used the less educated fishermen of Galilee, He plans to use us in ways we can not imagine. We simply need to be open to God’s plan. We need to listen for His guidance. God can and will use us, if we are willing, to carry out His bigger plan, even if we only play a smart part in it.

I pray we are all content with God’s plan. I pray we listen for His guidance. I pray each one of us ignore those who look down on us and rest easy in God’s love. Look to God in all situations. Know that God loves you. Know that God has a plan for you. Don’t worry what others think.

Acts 2:6-8, 12-13 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?”…Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Success Redefined

Are you looking for the pathway of a successful life? How do you define success? Does it include making lots of money? Is the right companion included in it? Does your successful life mean love, joy, peace, and contentment? Are you looking in the right place?

Success is defined in many ways, including a wide variety of inputs and outputs, by many people. For some, it is getting married and settling down. Some are driven by ambition, striving to rise to the top of the corporate world. Still others, long for a quiet life.

Most of us find our definition of success changes as we age and experience life. We find our youthful exuberance is replaced by a dogged determination to make it to retirement. Our naïve view of the world may be replaced with cynicism. We no longer see the world through rose colored glasses. We still long for something better, yet we see a broken world that isn’t getting any better.

Some of us see our lives as nothing more than what we accomplish in this world. We don’t look toward eternity and may not even believe it. We may live this life with little or no real direction, stumbling with no idea where we are going or what will happen next.

As the Psalmist states, we can be assured of a successful life. It may not include riches, but it includes a peace of mind knowing we rest securely in God’s hands. There is a peace knowing the Son of God gave Himself up for you so you can live successfully.

Knowing your path through life includes being in communion with the Creator of the world is comforting. Having the confidence your Savior is alive and by your side at all times provides a peace you cannot explain. It allows you to face life with a confidence others can’t comprehend.

I pray we all seek a life full of contentment and peace. I pray we know our Savior is alive and with us. I pray each one of us will seek the life God has planned for us. Know your Savior lives. Know He is always with you. Redefine success for your life. Trust God.

Psalm 16:9-11

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

You make known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Shining Star

Do you desire a good reputation? Do you want to stand out among the crowd? Would you like people to say what a good person you are? Are you willing to stand out? Are you willing to put in the effort? Are you willing to follow Jesus?

Most of us want people to say good things about us. We want people to look up to us. We want people to say we are a good example for others to follow. Unfortunately, not all of us are willing to give up the faulty views of the world.

We often follow the crowd. We go along with what is popular. We go to the popular restaurants. We go to the popular stores. We watch the popular television shows. We follow the popular sports teams. We do what allows us to fit in.

We take on the popular views. Perhaps the views of our friends. Perhaps the views of our family. We may even take on the views we see in the news or social media. Doing this allows us to fit in with a peer group we long to be with.

Where does that get us? It makes us one of the crowd. We become as bland as everyone around us. We become part of the herd. We are just another person moseying down the same path as everyone else. We don’t stand out. We don’t obtain the good reputation we desire. We live a vanilla life.

To stand out among others, to gain a good reputation, we must be different. We must become blameless. We must become pure. We must break away from the corruption that is all around us. In order to shine as we were meant to, we must follow a different path. We must follow the example of Jesus.

All our complaining, arguing, and disgruntlement simply makes us part of the world. To stand out, we must give thanks to God for everything we have, for all our experiences, for His wonderful blessings. To be an attractive person who others want to follow, we must be better than the world we live in. We must shine like a star.

I pray we all desire a good reputation. I pray we want to stand out from the crowd. I pray each of us decides to follow God and become a shining star. Give thanks to God. Show others what it means to follow Jesus. Be a shining star. Hold firmly to God’s Word.

Philippians 2:14-16a 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 as you hold firmly to the word of life.