by Jon Walker
All of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds. (1 Peter 3:8 NLT)
God enables us to love the fear out of one another.
We drive fear from our families and friends by loving one another so supportively that every one feels safe inside the group. (1 John 4:18) This safety allows us to bring our humanity into the open, including all our pain and joy, our ups and downs, our victories and defeats.
It means you give to others the same uncommon safety Christ gives you – to be real, to be sad, to be messed up and confused, yet to be loved.
God challenges us to create a Christ-community where we love like our lives depend upon it (1 Peter 1:22) and can each “live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)
We’re to weep together and celebrate together, caring for each other equally (1 Corinthians 12:25-26) as we comfort and confront, warm and warn, cherish and challenge, within an atmosphere of supportive safety.
Loving the fear out of each other requires that we develop:
Tender hearts – We give support to each other because God gives us support, and we’re to encourage others with the encouragement we receive from him. (2 Corinthians 1:4) In the New Testament, the word ‘support’ can literally mean “to increase one another’s potential.” (Romans 14:19 NJB) We strengthen one another by extending love, instead of fostering fear, and we do that by offering relationships that are safe and sympathetic.
Humble minds –True humility focuses on the worth of others. We understand our value in Christ, and we understand that God shapes each of us for a unique purpose.
Godly eyes – Loving the fear out of our family and friends – in fact, loving the fear out of the world – means we see others for what they can be, not for what they appear to be now. Jesus called Peter a rock when the fisherman was still acting on impulse (Matt. 16:18), and God called Gideon a mighty man of courage when he was hiding from the enemy among piles of grain. (Judges 6:11-12) God calls us to encourage and affirm each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11), seeing those around us in terms of their purpose and mission in life.
What does this mean?
· God enables us to love the fear out of one another. You can love the fear out of others, and you can allow the fear to be loved out of you.
· We exhibit tender hearts when we say to one another:
§ It’s OK to have a bad day.
§ It’s OK to be tired.
§ It’s OK to admit your mistakes.
§ It’s OK to say your marriage is failing.
§ It’s OK to confess your addiction.
§ It’s OK to share you’re scared.
§ It’s OK to want a day away from your toddler.
§ It’s OK to grieve a loss.
§ It’s OK to doubt, to be confused, to cry.
· We exhibit humble minds when we say to one another:
§ It’s OK to be happy you got a new car.
§ It’s OK to celebrate that you got a huge raise.
§ It’s OK to joyfully tell us you lost 17 pounds.
§ It’s OK to say you won the sales competition.
§ It’s OK to shout “Hallelujah!” because God’s presence in your life is so good.
§ It’s OK to tell us these things because we will be as happy for you as if these blessings had come to us, and we will join you in hearty celebration.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Hospital Window
read this and change your thinking...
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His ! bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the windo! w described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."
!
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
"Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His ! bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the windo! w described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."
!
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
"Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."
Send Picture First
“So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, as though he were merely a human being. How differently I think about him now!” (2 Corinthians 5:16 NLT)
“Send picture first, then I’ll reply” – It’s a pretty common message in the personal ads, and in this age of alienation and e-community, it makes a lot of sense to exercise care and caution in any relationship with a new person.
But let me ask this question: When it comes to real love – real as opposed to some fantasy-romantic love – do you find yourself saying, “Send picture first?”
We may say it in different ways. For instance, we may say, think, or judge: “I have to see if you’re good enough.” “I’m not sure you’re worthy of my love.” “You need to act the way I expect before I’ll love you.”
And we don’t do that just with strangers who cross our path. We often make these judgments about the people closest to us, our loved ones.
In our walk with Christ, the apostle Paul instructs us to stop judging people according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 5), which is a King Jamesion way of saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover or people by appearances.” To paraphrase Paul: “We don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new ….” (2 Corinthians 5:16b-17a MSG)
Now, let me ask you a pointed question, one I’m also asking myself today: When it comes to loving God, do you find yourself saying, “Send picture first?”
My own answer to that is “Ouch!”
Yet, God in his grace did send a picture first – the picture of Jesus, his body broken and stretched out on the cross, dying for your sins. Even as we had yet to send our picture, God sent his picture first. That’s my paraphrase of Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV)
The thing is, while we’re actively engaged in a passive love – saying, “You send your picture first” – God already is setting a place for you at the banquet table. We’re sticking a toe in the water to see if it is warm enough to risk rejection. Yet God in his grace invites us to the wedding feast, where we are guaranteed to be accepted among his beloved.
What does this mean?
· God takes the initiative – God is reaching out to you, and he’s already provided the means for you to come into a close, lasting relationship with him. The king invites us to a wedding feast in honor of his Son! (Matthew 22)
· What pictures are you sending? – When you are timid or uncertain in seeking or responding to God, you are passively saying, “You go first, God. Send me a picture of what this looks like before I decide if I’m going to do it.” Are you sending God pictures of disobedience, faith-lessness, lukewarm attitudes, a refusal to accept his grace? “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)
What does God look like? – Here’s one likeness of him: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us ….” (1 John 3:16a NIV) © 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.
Pastor Jon Walker is a writer for www.GraceCreates.com.
“Send picture first, then I’ll reply” – It’s a pretty common message in the personal ads, and in this age of alienation and e-community, it makes a lot of sense to exercise care and caution in any relationship with a new person.
But let me ask this question: When it comes to real love – real as opposed to some fantasy-romantic love – do you find yourself saying, “Send picture first?”
We may say it in different ways. For instance, we may say, think, or judge: “I have to see if you’re good enough.” “I’m not sure you’re worthy of my love.” “You need to act the way I expect before I’ll love you.”
And we don’t do that just with strangers who cross our path. We often make these judgments about the people closest to us, our loved ones.
In our walk with Christ, the apostle Paul instructs us to stop judging people according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 5), which is a King Jamesion way of saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover or people by appearances.” To paraphrase Paul: “We don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new ….” (2 Corinthians 5:16b-17a MSG)
Now, let me ask you a pointed question, one I’m also asking myself today: When it comes to loving God, do you find yourself saying, “Send picture first?”
My own answer to that is “Ouch!”
Yet, God in his grace did send a picture first – the picture of Jesus, his body broken and stretched out on the cross, dying for your sins. Even as we had yet to send our picture, God sent his picture first. That’s my paraphrase of Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV)
The thing is, while we’re actively engaged in a passive love – saying, “You send your picture first” – God already is setting a place for you at the banquet table. We’re sticking a toe in the water to see if it is warm enough to risk rejection. Yet God in his grace invites us to the wedding feast, where we are guaranteed to be accepted among his beloved.
What does this mean?
· God takes the initiative – God is reaching out to you, and he’s already provided the means for you to come into a close, lasting relationship with him. The king invites us to a wedding feast in honor of his Son! (Matthew 22)
· What pictures are you sending? – When you are timid or uncertain in seeking or responding to God, you are passively saying, “You go first, God. Send me a picture of what this looks like before I decide if I’m going to do it.” Are you sending God pictures of disobedience, faith-lessness, lukewarm attitudes, a refusal to accept his grace? “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)
What does God look like? – Here’s one likeness of him: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us ….” (1 John 3:16a NIV) © 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.
Pastor Jon Walker is a writer for www.GraceCreates.com.
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