Tag: self

One Constant

One Constant

Theresa May is the new Prime Minister of Great Britain as of course Donald Trump is the new President of the United States. These democratically elected officials work with their respective governing bodies to enact law, provide for the common wealth, and protect its citizens. Their power is limited, and ability to do anything is based on their ability to build consensus. They make speeches and share thoughts in order to do just that, although they only need a simple majority to get  most things done. Which means there might be nearly 50% of people left feeling less than represented. This is government and this is how it works, eventually one side or the other assumes power and shifts happen in the populous. Like it or not, people, broken, fallen, hurting people make decisions, cast votes, and change over time.

There is one constant, only one. There is One Eternal King, only one. There is one eternal government, only one. There is one way into this Kingdom, only one, Jesus.  One does not just enter the Kingdom, the Word is clear on that. Regardless of mans feelings or opinion the Sovereignty of God stands supreme. The path into the Kingdom is narrow and few find it. So in light of this, let us seek out how one is to live in this Kingdom. If indeed you have chosen to become a follower of Jesus then what must one do?

Well lets look at 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.

It is about us conforming to the ways of the King not the other way around. He sets the laws, makes the judgments and declares the punishments. He is the Sovereign King. And if we desire to live within the Kingdom, if we desire to live this new life in Christ Jesus we better get to it…we better start putting on Christ and getting rid of those old garments. We in and of ourselves are not able on our own, therefore Jesus knowing this made a way for us through the cross. His Spirit now in us abiding with us is our change agent. He is the One doing the work in us to make us more and more like Christ. We however, forgetting what is behind us, we must press on towards Christ Jesus our Lord.

“So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.”

You are Loved,
cj

Inauguration Day

Inauguration Day
Hello, Greetings from afar yet truly just down the street from where you are, grace and peace to you. It is my hearts desire to express to you my prayers for you. That you would be bold in your faith and that you would walk humbly with Jesus as He calls you onward and upward; challenging you to walk as He walked.

i spent the day watching the Inauguration of the 45 President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump and in a video conference call about summer camps. Watching the Inauguration  reminded me as the media did the play by play of the days events that although we submit to the government our hope is not in it but in Christ alone. Whether you voted for Trump or not remember that. Looking at the world we really do have a great system of checks and balances and in four years we will go through this again, if the Lord tarries.

However, the power in the Heavenly realm will never change. Jesus is King now and forever. Although, i believe He does look upon our world governments His concern is for the church. It was displayed in His last arrival into Jerusalem when He went to the Temple and not to the governors house. (Matthew 21)

9 Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, “Hosanna to David’s son!” “Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!” “Hosanna in highest heaven!”

10 As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, “What’s going on here? Who is this?”

11 The parade crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth in Galilee.”

12-14 Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text:

My house was designated a house of prayer;
You have made it a hangout for thieves.

Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.

My favorite part of this passage is the end, “Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in…” The Church has work to do regardless of who sits in earthly authority We must be busy making room for the less fortunate, the weak, the blind, the crippled, the hopeless and the lost. May we be about the work of the KING!
you are loved,

cj

You are Loved

You are Loved

“Tired from his journey, Jesus, sat at the well, it was noon.” A glimpse into the humanity of Jesus. He was tired and sat to rest at a well in the middle of the day. A part of the day when the well should have been void of people, and it was until, a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. This was completely out of the ordinary…sure i imagine there were times and circumstances where water was drawn in the heat of the day but it was most definitely the exception and not the rule.

How do we know that this wasn’t just one of those exceptions? Well, (pun intended, heres another) we can draw from the conversation (you can pause here and read the whole of the story in John 4 here). i want us to think on this encounter for a moment. This divine encounter where Jesus, meets a woman, no one wanted to associate with (in public) and ‘loves’ her.

We are in advent week two popularly known as the week of LOVE, the advent of love coming to dwell among us. That’s not all, love came to hang out with those no one else wanted to. To meet us right where we are…no change necessary to come to Him where He waits for us. His desire, for us to know Him.

“If you recognized God’s gift and who is saying to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would be asking him and he would give you living water.” Knowing Him and asking Him and receiving from Him…living water, life everlasting. Love so freely offered to a woman trapped in a life of sin. Love.

You are loved,

cj

Bizarro Universe

Bizarro Universe

Sitting in a chair thirty thousand feet (30,000ft) in the air being served food (gingerbread cookies) and beverage (coffee black) is by far one of the most amazing advances in human technology. Some others, the phone that is in your hand or tablet or iPad that you are reading this from…another technically advanced achievement of mankind (humankind for my socially liberal or progressive friends).  That device and the information it contains, the things that it can do, once filled an entire room and even then only did 1/1000 of what your phone can do now (it takes and sends pictures and videos, not even kidding).

i recently purchased a bluetooth headset for my phone for this trip i am currently on (Alaska bound for a visit with my boys and some hockey). i turned it on, hit connect and that was it…no programing, no software downloads, no app required, just turned it on. Soon after i was listening to the music stored on my phone from another music source that basically has every song you can think of…which means i had endless possibility of music choice. While listening to my music a call came through, i was alerted by a beep, i clicked a button and talked through my wireless bluetooth headset that look like regular earbuds (my phone was in my pocket). The call concluded, my music resumed, i grabbed my phone from my pocket, clicked over to my news app and began reading a news story (related to the most recent election) from my phone that was still streaming music to my wireless bluetooth headset.  Did i mention i am writing this from 30,000ft thats thirty thousand feet in the air!

Shortly after takeoff i looked out my window, i have a window seat, and by the way, was given a free upgrade on this leg of my journey. It might have something to due with the fact that i wore my Skywest jacket…but neither i nor they mentioned it. However, this happens to be a flight operated by Skywest for Delta. Anyway, i looked out my window a bit ago and caught the glimpse of another plane flying in the opposite direction of the one i am traveling on. i couldn’t help but wonder about the passengers on that plane, where was it going and was there someone like me on that plane headed in the other direction? Like maybe my doppelgänger, you know my alternate universe twin, like bizarro superman or for my Seinfeld friends bizarro Jerry? Those people along with my possible doppelgänger traveling to who knows where for who knows what except them of course; i am left to wonder as they are for us on this plane, i wonder if anyone on that plane even saw us? Perhaps, bizarro cj.

This brings me to this question, have you ever wondered if you are the best version of yourself? We all have special quirks that make us who we are so i am not suggesting in anyway that our individuality is bad…but are we the best version of ourselves? Can we improve on aspects of our life to make us better humans? There is a line in a movie, As Good as it Gets, where the main character says to the leading lady, “You make me want to be a better man.” Of course she is flattered by his comment. That’s a movie however, the idea is still there; are their things, people, ideas, that make you want to be a better person? And if so what does that “better” version of you look like…more profoundly, how do we get to that “better” version of ourselves? In the bizarro world the character is the opposite of the other, so if one is good the other is bad. For example, Bizarro Superman is a villain because of course Superman is a hero. Which version of you, are you?

Unlike the bizarro universe, we are not stuck being any version of ourselves that we don’t want to be. In fact because of Jesus we are able, through His transforming power, to become better people. Paul writes to the Ephesians in Chapter 2 the following:

“4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.”

There is the answer to the new life. Jesus in us because of God’s great mercy and love. Paul writes to the Corinthians in his second letter the following:

5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

New life. We no longer need to settle for who we once were because we are bing made new in Christ. We need only to allow Him to do what He wishes in us to make us more and more into His image. That we might carry the light into dark places in our world. We can even enter the bizarro universe and shed light there too!

you are loved,

cj