Jan. 13th, 2016 Colossians 3:12-17

Colossians 3:12-17

12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

15-17 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

What a great passage this morning!

When we are around people in a group, there are bound to be some people who naturally rub you the wrong way.

Subconsciously they may remind you of someone who hurt you (Sign of un-forgiveness possibly in your heart...)

Or they may be like you or exhibit a character flaw you see in yourself (Pride, Likes to be in charge, shy, etc...)

Yet we are called to be compassionate, kindness, humble, etc... we do it all though IN GOD'S STRENGTH! Which is a supernatural power!

But just in case, we think that's enough, we are called to forgive them...

I don't read that they asked for it... Do you?

We are to FORGIVE them. And not just superficially with words like a child forced to say 'I'm sorry' by their parents, but with a WHOLE HEARTED, I FORGIVE and will GIVE UP MY RIGHT TO HOLD IT AGAINST YOU forgiveness!

And just wait cause he is just getting started!

NOW add to that PEACE... A COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP SPIRIT.

"NONE OF THIS GOING ODD AND DOING YOUR OWN THING"

So I need to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving, and then I need to still hang out with them?

You mean I can't change churches when the going gets rough?

You mean I can't hide?

And to top it all off, LET EVERY DETAIL be done in the name of the MASTER!

We are subservient to Jesus because we LOVE.

Will you love with that type of LOVE, DEEP LOVE, today?

Jan. 12, 2016 1 Chronicles 16:8-14

1 Chronicles 16:8-14
8 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
13 O offspring of Israel his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

You know those Braveheart speeches? Those rally cries that we all love in movies?
This morning this sounded like one of those to me.

Remember that the hebrews were very ORAL in their tradition and would have read this aloud!
In fact it is known that if a priest, who was ordained JUST to read, could be fired and 'de-frocked' just for reading it poorly!

Just think about vs. 8. You can't read that without wanting to add a 'You' in front. Now that does make this come alive but in Hebrew culture again it was CORPORATE.

OH WE give thanks... etc...

Are you in community with believers that can all say this?

Read it once this morning making it personal but then read it once adding in the plurals to make it corporate!

Do you sing praise to Him?
Do you get your STRENGTH from Him?
Do you take time to remember the things that He has done that only HE could do in your life and in your communities (Oikos, family, friends, community!)

Is HE your Lord, your God?

Then look at that last verse. It seems a bit strange doesn't it.
We just heard these great things and then it says "His JUDGEMENTS?"

One meaning was to decide a case... or the process and procedure before a judge....
So all of these things (Getting our strength from Him etc) are part of HIS judgement?
The way I take that is that HE is so loving that He judges himself on how much He makes known to us His love?

Isn't that amazing?
He really LOVES US!

Jan. 6th, 2016 Jeremiah 29:11-14

Jeremiah 29:11-14

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.
13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 
14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

Welcome to my most overused "Get out of Jail Free" card in scripture.
When you are hurting or struggling some well meaning Christian comes and says "He knows the plans he has for you... it has a future and a hope"

And sometimes that is what we need to hear... but folks there is so much more to this passage. Just look at vs. 10... start with the chapter start... or read all of Jeremiah. 

God is telling the Israelites all the reasons he is punishing them! Why they are in bondage, exile, slavery etc... and after all of that HE says "But you know I am still SOVEREIGN right?"

Just because your favorite Aunt is dying of cancer, or Just because your marriage is falling apart due to your poor choices in the past decade... don't blame it on God. For if you come out the other side of these pains, these trials you will see that God did in fact have a plan, he had a purpose.

Does God cause our suffering? No. A sinful world causes this. God made a world that was faultless and we added the crack in that pot. We sifted in our selfishness, our insecurities, our inability to Love as He Loved us. We ruined it.

A while back I read a news story about a student on a field trip was messing around and put a hole in a 1.5 million dollar painting.  http://www.cnn.com/…/as…/boy-trips-punches-hole-in-painting/

We do that each and every day. But we do it to a PRICELESS work of art. Our sin puts holes in our lives, in our hearts, in the lives of those around us. We are walking around punching holes through art all day long...
Yet God is standing there saying, It's okay! Come back to me. I will be here and I hear you. God is saying that He can take our brokenness and remold us back into the Priceless masterpiece that He intended!

How GREAT is our GOD?
Our future may not be bright in this world but our HOPE is in the Future life that God has created us for. That is where our Future and Hope lie. He is a GOOD, GOOD Father!