Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, a time in which we gather to be thankful. For most of us, we can raddle off a half dozen things in no time at all; God, family, friends, pets, work, home, health. See, not so hard at all, i didn’t even mention my wife and kids by name; which i very well could, for each one is such an amazing blessing that i am incredibly thankful. For many, however, it isn’t so easy to make such a list; Broken homes, broken hearts, brokenness.

Is there a holiday for lamenting? In the TV series Seinfeld, there is an episode where they celebrate “Festivus” and “the airing of grievances.” As ridiculous as “Festivus” is, that holiday is actually not that bad an idea. In the book, we call the Bible there is a section called, “Lamentations.” It is a book of lamenting. Here is how it begins:

“Oh no! She sits alone, the city that was once full of people. Once great among nations, she has become like a widow. Once a queen over provinces, she has become a slave. She weeps bitterly in the night, her tears on her cheek. None of her lovers comfort her. All her friends lied to her; they have become her enemies. (Lamentations 1:1-2 CEB)

There is something to be said for lamenting, letting things out, there is a season for it. A time and a purpose. It is actually good for the soul to let things out and not to hold things in. Can one lament too much, too often? Yes! The book of Lamentations is only five chapters long. What does that mean? There comes appoint when we stop lamenting. Here is how Lamentations ends:

“Return us, LORD, to Yourself. Please let us return! Give us new days, like those long ago– unless You have completely rejected us, or have become too angry with us.” (Lamentations 5:21-22 CEB)

In the book of Ecclesiastes, we read one of my favorite passages of Scripture and the influence of the hit song by “The Byrds” “Turn, Turn, Turn” from 1965 although the song was adapted by Pete Seeger a few years earlier the “Byrds” really took off with it…(laughy crying face emoji). Anyway, this passage is such wisdom:

A season for everything

3 There’s a season for everything
    and a time for every matter under the heavens:
²    a time for giving birth and a time for dying,
    a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted,
³    a time for killing and a time for healing,
    a time for tearing down and a time for building up,
⁴    a time for crying and a time for laughing,
    a time for mourning and a time for dancing,
⁵    a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
    a time for embracing and a time for avoiding embraces,
⁶    a time for searching and a time for losing,
    a time for keeping and a time for throwing away,
⁷    a time for tearing and a time for repairing,
    a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking,
⁸    a time for loving and a time for hating,
    a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3)

May it be, as it is my prayer for all of us if you find yourself in a season of lament, to pause for a moment and laugh or dance, to love and make peace, to heal or to build up, to gather and embrace. Happy Thanksgiving!

You are loved,

Distractions

Distractions are all around us, always. They come in many forms, phones, games, apps, twitter, facebook, people, etc these distractions can be both good and bad. Either way, they must be taken care of in the moment or they will continue to distract you. Why? Because what distracts you may be exactly what you need to be doing or paying attention to. Let me explain. i often sit to write or pray or study and find my mind wandering. That’s my cue to stop and figure out why or what is distracting me. If it is thoughts i begin writing them down, if its a game or an app i shut them off. If i am on Twitter or Facebook i check my notifications and then exit the app. i set things aside, move, turn off music, turn on music…i do what i can to remove the distraction and sometimes that means engaging it for a moment to be able to set it aside.

What happens if the distraction is a person? Just the other day i was sitting and trying to write when a student sat in the window. i was completely distracted. i desperately wanted to get some work done until it came to me, maybe, just maybe, this student was the “work” the Lord really wanted me to focus on in that moment. No one was going to die if i didn’t get my other work done in that moment, but the impact i could end up having on that “distraction” might change the world or at least a life.

Let me encourage you the next time you get frustrated because of a distraction that you stop and ask yourself, “is this a distraction or an opportunity?” If its a distraction, do what you need to set it aside if it’s an opportunity then set your work aside and make a difference.

1 Corinthians 7:35 “I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.”

Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our attention on Jesus, the pioneer, and perfecter of the faith, who, in view of the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Proverbs 4:25 “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.”

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things and the God of peace will be with you”

Temptation

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

Have you ever faced temptation? i know stupid question right?! Of course, we all face temptations on a daily bases. This verse in 1 Corinthians gives us a hope that whatever the temptation is, there is a way out. That the temptations that you face are not new to the world but there are others who face the same temptations as you. Not that we all face the same temptations but that certainly there are no new ones roaming about.

So what does the passage mean when it says, “He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.”? We need to look at the whole passage to truly get the meaning here. We often stop right there and rely on that then blame God when we stumble or fall, “God, You gave me more than i could handle on my own!” Here is the rest of that verse, “When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

There is the key. Not that we won’t be given more than we can handle because that absolutely happens, but that God will give us a way out when we rely on Him. When we are tempted we need to look to Him, find the way out that He provides. It may come in forms that you aren’t expecting. When you are being tempted, the way out may come as an unexpected text message, phone call, knock on the door, etc. It may be something that comes to mind to distract you and you have a choice, take the way out or press on into the temptation.

Other ways out of temptation that God has already provided, are songs of praise and worship, His Word, prayer. Sing, Read, Pray your way through. Call a friend, text a friend, change the activity that you are doing…walk away. There are plenty of outs when it comes to temptation. It will take training, it will take support, it will take some effort to get out of a tempting spot. Its worth it, there is a way, He has provided and will continue to provide ways out when we rely on His strength and not our own.

Here is one big key to avoiding temptation in the future. When God tells you to get rid of something in your life, change a habit, change…do it. The temptation will be to hesitate but then whose strength are you relying on? Trust in God and rely on Him, look at these words of wisdom from Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

You are Loved,

More than mere words…part two

There is a point within the greaving process where one earns the right to speak life into a situation. However, even with that permission, there are a few do’s and don’ts to the process you should know about. Now before we enter the list of do’s and don’ts let me also say that there are exceptions, here are a few of them; 1, You are a trained professional and they have come to you seeking help. 2, You are a trusted close friend whom they have confided in and they have specifically asked you for your thoughts. 3, They have asked you for your thoughts. 4, They have come to you asking you for advice. 5, They sought you out and asked you for your input. 6, Are you catching the theme? Rule number 1, do not cross the greaving line if you haven’t been asked or given an opening through conversation.

Now for our do’s when speaking life into a greaving heart. First, be absolutely certain they are ready to receive whatever you are about to say if you aren’t absolutely certain, hold your tongue. If all the lights are green proceed with caution, be gentle, remain sympathetic and empathetic. Listen more than you speak. It is ok to use some Scripture, here is a good one, Deuteronomy 31:8; “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Use real life, personal stories, they do not have to be yours just besure you have permission to share or change the names and places. Be optimistic but do not make promises or guarantees, with the exception of Jesus not abandoning them. Pray with and for them, at the moment.

Here are the don’ts. This list can really be a long one but i am going to try to keep it simple. Don’t overuse Scripture, i know you are going to want too and you are going to justify it in your mind…don’t do it. Some is good, but too much is a bad thing. Encourage them to read the Word, and pray about it but just don’t quote Scripture. If they wanted a preacher they’d go to the pastor, (you could encourage them to talk to a pastor). Don’t say, “I will pray for you.” (As written up in the do’s, pray for them on the spot, let them hear you!) DO NOT be like these guys, Jobs friends, because in the end, God said this to them, “I am angry with you [Eliphaz] and your two friends because you have not spoken the truth about me.” Job 42:7. Do not speak in cliche’s because most of them although said to be biblical are NOT!

When i have gone through difficult times i have needed empathy first, encouragement second and advice last. Besides, advice, given without request only sounds degrading. You may not use the words but i guarantee it sounds like this, “YOU SHOULD HAVE…” Capped with, “YOU IDIOT!” There may come a time for those words but i assure you, it won’t be early on and it better be coming from my best friend. Being there for someone going through tragedy is hard but it can be a blessing as well, as you show empathy, and encouragement, you will gain wisdom, and i can promise you that!

You are Loved,

More than mere words…part one

“Everything is going to be ok.” Have you heard those words before, spoken to you by someone trying to comfort you? There are a lot of one-liners out there meant to encourage or comfort us…however, those are just words. Time and time again when i have been down or just need a boost, i have heard, “hang in there, things are going to get better.” Even though they are right, things eventually got better, those were not the words i needed to hear. What i needed at the time was someone to empathize with me.

Empathy is defined this way by Websters Dictionary, “the psychological identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.” i needed someone to say, “you know what that does suck, and i can only imagine what you are going through. Life sure can be unfair.” Empathy is far more comforting than some of our most uplifting sayings. Matthew records Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Chapter 5, where Jesus says, “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Maybe this is where we get our over need to comfort those going through seemingly difficult times.

There are so many passages in scripture that bring comfort when one is ready to hear them…but there is a mourning period. Traditionally, looking at Scripture as our root, the mourning period lasted 7 days, with some exceptions of 30 days. For this period of mourning, there was crying, lamenting, tearing of clothes, folks did not groom themselves during the time of mourning either. Traditional readings stopped as well during this period, along with celebrations and work. True mourning was a shared experience of the grief-stricken, empathy. There is something very comforting knowing that one is not walking alone, crying alone, alone.

There is a time when mourning ends. The mourner then moves on the best they can in light of the tragedy they just came. It is at this point we offer the encouragement to continue on, move on, and press on, come into play. Certainly not before or during mourning. The most comforting thing you can do when someone is greaving is to be present, be available, cry with them, lament with them, don’t try to be the fixer, just be. When the period of mourning is over, then begin to encourage them. In Job when his friends first got on the scene they responded perfectly, “When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.” Job 2:12-13

The first part of getting through a difficult time is mourning. The best way to comfort a person in mourning is to empathize with them, more than mere words, live life with them in their shoes, their feelings, their sorrow. Earn the right to encourage them at the right time through your empathizing cries.

You are Loved,

The Sheep and the Goats

We are living in an increasingly partisan culture. We hear the word tribe often to clarify partisanship, which simply is, groupings. It has always been around for sure. We read about it throughout Scripture. However, it has become hyper-partisan. Everything is a group or sub-group with no limitations on how far one can take it and no one needs your permission to put you in that group. “You like chocolate ice cream so therefore you cannot possibly like vanilla too!” It has been a political paradigm for the most part when we would discuss partisanship, up-until-recently, however, the line is now blurred.

First, i will agree that there are definitely two groups, in fact, Jesus taught on these two groups, He called them the “sheep” and the “goats”. That is pretty much where the groups start and finish, however. Within those two groups are people, with various ideas, understandings, ways of life, social status, economic structure, intelligence and the list goes on…and among the goats, the list is even longer.

Now, Jesus, defined these two groups this way, sheep, equals saved, goats, equal not saved. It is worth noting here that these two groups are separated at the judgment and although there are good reasons to watch our associations it should never be a practice to segregate ourselves. “But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?” Romans 10:14.

Let’s talk sheep. Sheep don’t always get along. Paul split ways with Barnabas because they couldn’t agree on a philosophy of ministry, not a philosophy of salvation to which there was no disagreement. It’s ok. However, that is the exception, not the rule. “⁴⁴And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;⁴⁵and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. ⁴⁶Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart” Acts 2:44-46.

Jesus said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and don’t do as I say?” Luke 6:46. He also said, “If you love Me, obey my commandments.” John 14:15. He clarified those commandments this way, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40.

For me, here is what it boils down to, Love; Unconditional love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith. (1 Timothy 1:5). We love one another, we sacrifice for one another, we do for one another and we pray for one another…including GOATS! We live the message of Christ out in our love for one another, we tell others about this love by living it out in our actions so that when we say it with our mouths it has a deeper meaning. In the end when Jesus does separate us, the sheep and the goats, we can stand confidently that ~~we did~~, we lived, and we loved the best we could.

καιρός

Have you ever prayed and prayed and prayed, and it seems as if God isn’t listening? Or you haven’t received the answer you were looking for, or you didn’t like the answer you were given? Welcome to life. There are many reasons why prayers go unanswered. There is a country song (Listen Here) that mainly talks about unanswered prayers being a good thing. It definitely isn’t a bad thing when some of our prayers go unanswered. i want to touch briefly on a few reasons why it seems our prayers go unanswered or why we don’t get the answer that we think is best. This is not an exhaustive study by any means but a quick glance to better our understanding.

First, motives. We need to have the right motives when praying. How are we using the answer or how will the answer benefit us? James 4:3 says, “And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong-you want only what will give you pleasure.” i could stop there because that is pretty clear but let me take us to another passage. 1 John 5:14-15 reads, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of Him.” Let me assure you that if you “Seek first the Kingdom of God…” Your will and God’s will, will be one in the same and motives will not be what hinders your prayers.

Second, sin. God is under no obligation to answer our prayers and especially if we are not living right. If you are a non-believer the only prayer that you can be 100% assured God will hear and answer is that of you crying out to Him for salvation. After that, our continued sin can be a hindrance to our prayers. Isaiah 59:2 says, “Your iniquities (sin) have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” and in 1 Peter 3:12 we read, “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns His face against those who do evil.” Now we know that God does not abandon us. He desires to bless us, i simply point out God’s word to us. Jesus teaches God’s desire in Matthew 7:9-11 (NIV) “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!“

Third, delays. It could be that your answer was sent to you from the moment you started praying. However, there is a spiritual battle going on that you can not see but is there, and it is delaying your answer. Daniel finds this out, and we can read about it in Daniel 10:12-14 (NLT) “Then he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first-day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to exprain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.‘”

Fourth, timing. This one is a big one! If you say, i have confessed my sin, and i trust that my motive and intention are in line with God’s will, it may just be, that the timing might not be right. There might be work yet to do. It might involve others who have free will as you do and God is still working on them. Patience is key. Hebrews 10:36 (NLT) says, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.” Hebrews 6:13-15 (NLT) reads, “For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in His own name, saying: ‘I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.’ Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.'”

Finally, we need to trust in God’s timing. Kairos (καιρός) is an Ancient Greek word meaning the right, critical or opportune moment. His timing is perfect. Instead of being angry or impatient with unanswered prayer, look at it as an opportunity. An opportunity to make sure you and God are in a good place. An opportunity to make sure your motives are pure. An opportunity to grow in spiritual strength equipping you for more significant battles down the road. An opportunity to be at the exact right time and the exact right place to see God’s mighty hand move in ways you couldn’t even have hoped or imagined!

You are Loved,

the divided states of america

i am about to wade into deep waters. i love The United States of America, even in its divided state. We still live in a country that allows anyone to accomplish anything they set their mind to…allbeit some, unfortunately, need to work harder than others based on factors that shouldn’t be, yet are. For the sake of not being ambiguous, race, sex, social class etc. are some of these determining factors that increase or decrease one’s ability to achieve their dreams with some work or tons of work, relatively speaking.

Let me first express the ideal. This ideal is based on Scripture. It is not ambiguous, it is straightforward, it hides nothing, there are no muddy waters, no questions, it is simply truth from God’s Word. This message is to the Church, it is available to anyone, yet directed to the Body of Christ. Are you ready?

“For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are His heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” (Colossians 3:10-15)

Life isn’t perfect, in fact, there are injustices every day! Life is, unfair. There are mean people, they will spitefully use you, treat you poorly, call you all sorts of names, steal from you and gossip about you. This does not excuse it, it just explains it. People suck. We are not called to live like that, we, who name Jesus as our Lord, are to act the opposite. Sadly we often forget to, hence this gentle reminder. Even those that treat us as stated above are to be prayed for, forgiven, shown grace, given from our abundance…the Word is not ambiguous, leaves no doubt, gives no out.

How you respond to being offended matters! How you respond to folks you do not agree with matters! How you respond to someone who is not treating you the way you want to be treated matters! What we do as Christians matters, and because it matters we need to run everything we do through the filter of the cross. Love the unlovable, pray for those that spitefully use us and forgive everyone, quickly! Love covers a multitude of sins. Love uncompromised, all believers should love from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith.

You are Loved,

Unconditionally, Love like that…

Life at times can seem a bit unfair. The struggle of family, work, friendships, living, can and often times does become cumbersome. Balance, which one tries to keep is quickly lost in the ebbs and flows of life; finding it again is the challenge and the struggle is real.

No one is immune to the struggle, some are better at being proactive in recovering from being unbalanced but it takes a real effort. The verses and quotes from last week are for me the starting point of my journey back to balance and perspective. First, before i dive into this journey a little let me express to you that Jesus is fundamental in any recovery effort. You might be saying, of course, you are using scripture…yet for some using Scripture and leaning into Jesus, sadly, are not always the same thing.

Here are the verses again in case you forgot them or are reading this and you didn’t read last weeks devotional with the added insight following each verse…i will then summarize things at the end.

1. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.”

***i want to highlight this incredible challenge, “…live a life worthy of His calling.” Talk about balance and perspective. This little part of this passage tells us this is the goal. But we need His Spirit in our lives to do it…Paul, writes, “…asking our God to enable you…” that’s the key, May He give you the power to… Why do we try and manage this on our own when clearly the challenge requires the Holy Spirit? Balance and Perspective, step one, Jesus and His Spirit.

2. Psalm 139:1-3 “O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when i sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when i’m far away. You see me when i travel and when i rest at home. You know everything i do.”

***When we are out of balance, we often attempt to hide this from God and those who God has placed in our lives to help us, “…live a life worthy of His calling.” Yet it is pretty clear in scripture that nothing is hidden from God, NOTHING. This Psalm is a gentle reminder that God knows everything about us. To regain balance and perspective…step one, Jesus and His Spirit, Step two, stop trying to hide what God already knows.

3. 1 Timothy 1:5 “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.”

**** “…be filled with LOVE that comes from a “pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.” God is Love, i know that you have heard that before…it also says in Scripture, “Love the Lord your God with everything you have and to love people, all people”. No motive, just love, love because God loved you…love from a pure heart, not perfect, pure meaning unconditional, without the motive of getting something in return. Love from a clear conscience, not guiltless, clear…confess your sins one to another and love. Genuine Faith, be authentic, be real, be honest, love like that. Balance and Perspective, step one, Jesus and His Spirit, Step two, stop trying to hide what God already knows. Step Three, love, simply love.

4. Ephesians 5:25 “…husbands…love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.” For you married ladies, “…wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.”

This applies to the marrieds that are reading this…if we do not honor our marriages do not expect your life to reflect or honor God. Our marriages are a reflection of our heart for God…granted this is a two-way street you are responsible for your side, which is to love your spouse as directed, to honor them, respect them, cherish them. If you are not married, you should reflect on this verse as you date, as you think about marriage…do not be unequally yoked with non-believers. Balance and Perspective, step one, Jesus and His Spirit, Step two, stop trying to hide what God already knows. Step Three, love, simply love. Step Four, to love and to cherish.

5. 1 John 4:8 “But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

***If you do not love, you do NOT know God. Ouch. Jesus said if you hate anyone you have committed murder in your heart. Balance and Perspective, step one, Jesus and His Spirit, Step two, stop trying to hide what God already knows. Step Three, love, simply love. Step Four, to love and to cherish. Step Five, don’t just say, “i love you,” show “i love you.”

We have come full circle, We start with Jesus and we end with Jesus. We start with love and we end with love. If you truly want balance and perspective in your life you need to follow these five steps.

Balance and Perspective:
Step one, Jesus and His Spirit.
Step two, stop trying to hide what God already knows.
Step Three, love, simply love.
Step Four, to love and to cherish.
Step Five, don’t just say, “i love you,” show “i love you.”

you are LOVED,
cj

Love and Live

i love where i am with Jesus right now. Basking in deep waters, the gentle flow of the stream of life giving water ripples across my soul with sweet refreshing. Here are some of the verses that have been watering my soul:

3. 1 Timothy 1:5 “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.”

5. 1 John 4:8 “But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

These verses along with these quotes from Thomas Merton.

1. “If I love my brothers according to the truth, my love for them will be true not only to them but to myself.”

2. “I cannot discover God in myself and myself in Him unless I have the courage to face myself exactly as I am, with all my limitations, and to accept others as they are, with all their limitations.”

3. “Without true, deep contemplative aspirations, without a total love for God and an uncompromising thirst for His truth, religion tends in the end to become an opiate.”

Try sitting and reading through these passages. Pray through them that these would become a part of you. Each of these brings a significant challenge to put us face to face with ourselves in relation to Jesus and our relationship with Him. In my next post, i will dig into all of this and my journey more but so that we all can have some investment in these verses i want you to pray through what is here.

You are LOVED,
cj

The Way of the Rabbi

a lifestyle not a religion

Tag: Faith

Temptation

Unconditionally, Love like that…

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a lifestyle not a religion

A season for everything

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