2014 : Faithful In Love

Predictions for 2014? What kind of year is it going to be? As people look back at this time of year to evaluate what they have experienced they also begin to look forward to what might be. Christians begin looking around for prophecies, especially personal prophecies. Everyone is looking for some good news, something that will give them hope, something for which to look forward. But here is our real hope:

Jesus said to his disciples, “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I wouldn’t tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together. (John 14:1-3, CEV)

Jesus is our living hope and in him we put all our faith and trust, not only for this coming new year but for this new day. Our walk is not a yearly walk but a daily one and one that should be governed by two simple things:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Ours days should not be filled with seeking personal fulfillment, riches or fame. We should not be trying to find short cuts or a way to avoid stuff we want to avoid. Our days should be filled with growing closer to Jesus and loving others with his love. This love includes telling people God's plan of salvation, even if they will hate us for it. In the gospel of Mark it is recorded that a teacher of the Law responded to Jesus:

It is also true that we must love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and that we must love others as much as we love ourselves. These commandments are more important than all the sacrifices and offerings that we could possibly make. (Mark 12:33) 

These two things are of greater value than anything else you try to offer God; of greater value than anything else you try to do for God. And how is this love defined? Hear the words of Jesus:

If you love only someone who loves you, will God praise you for that? Even sinners love people who love them. If you are kind only to someone who is kind to you, will God be pleased with you for that? Even sinners are kind to people who are kind to them. If you lend money only to someone you think will pay you back, will God be pleased with you for that? Even sinners lend to sinners because they think they will get it all back. But love your enemies and be good to them. Lend without expecting to be paid back. Then you will get a great reward, and you will be the true children of God in heaven. He is good even to people who are unthankful and cruel. Have pity on others, just as your Father has pity on you. (Luke 6:32-36)

But let us not put the cart before the horse and become humanistic in our mission. There is a reason why the greatest commandment is to love God with your entire being; an all consuming love and devotion. The only way we could ever love in this manner described by Jesus is if we are possessed by the love of God and the only way we can be possessed by this love is to be consumed by it. Our love for our neighbour is only possible when we are consumed by God. Loving God must always come before loving our neighbour. We can only love because he loved us first. But there is so much that wants to interrupt this love and devotion.

The time is now upon us that, for the sake of the survival of our faith, we must make some decisions to simplify our lives. We can't serve both God and money. We can't sit on the fence. We can't be entertained by sin. We can't have a divided heart. The world is getting uglier and more hateful toward the Christian but the only worthy response to this is extravagant love for the world. Yet the only way this is possible is by a heart fully possessed by Jesus, with no distractions and interruptions

What is 2014 going to hold for us? Only God knows but I do know what he told us in scripture and things are not going to get better. In fact, things are going to get far worse and that's okay because it means it is almost time to go home. However, in the meanwhile we have duties and responsibilities and they all hinge on loving God with our entire being and loving our neighbour as we have been loved. May 2014 find us faithful in love.

Fanning Into Flame

I think I will sit here until God speaks to me so I will know what to do. He did say "Be still and know I am God". Well, at least that is the attitude that many of us have. We fail to understand that God has already given us our instructions and none of it involves inaction. The "be still" part is in our relationship with him. We can quiet our spirit, no fear, no worry, only peace as God continues to pour into our lives everything we need to serve him.

We often fail to understand that we have a responsibility "to do" in this service to our King. It is great that we worship. It is great that we study the Word. It is great that we have fellowship with each other, but we can't forget that we have been left here with a mission to complete. We have been given our instructions, to go and make disciples.  With such instructions comes equipping. But we don't just receive so we can be blessed; we receive so that we can do.

We have a responsibility to put what we have been given into action. Such gifts will lay dormant in us unless we use them. Paul reminded Timothy that because he was a man of faith he had a responsibility to "fan into flame" the gifts he was given by the Spirit:

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (2 Timothy 1:6)

There is no excuse for not using what the Spirit has given you. It has nothing to do with whether you want to or not. It has nothing to do with it being something you enjoy. It has nothing to do with your personality. It all comes down to obedience and faithfulness. It comes down to all or nothing.

You do not get to serve Jesus on your own terms. He made it clear to us that it is all or nothing. It is all of our heart or none of it. All of our being or none of it. All of our passion. All of the gifts he has given to us. We can't even serve him properly unless he equips us and if our King equips us we had better not waste what we have been given.

So we have the responsibility to take what we have been given and use it for Jesus' glory. We have the responsibility to fan it into flames. We have the responsibility to get off the "sofa" of our life and be faithful and responsible with our calling and mission. Because we are people of faith we have no excuse. Faith means we trust God with the instructions we have been given. We trust he will give us the ability to do what he has told us to do. We trust him for the faith and strength we lack. We trust him for the energy we need. We trust him for health, peace and joy. So let's get to work.