God's Love Through Others

I received a text from a friend and was reminded that God often shows His love through others with:

A word fitly spoken.
A gift or thoughtful card.
Withheld judgment.
An act of kindness.
A gentle rebuke.
A morsel of truth.
A gift of time.
A hug.
Unselfish interest.
Follow-up questions.
A shared memory.
Laughter.
Silence.
Prayer.
A wink.
A smile.
A raised eyebrow.
Touch.

Freely we have received. Freely give... (Matthew10:8)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. 1 John 4:7-21

Making Connections

God combines situations, people, and His Word in unique ways in each of our lives--and part of the fun is, as a para-professional friend taught us, is "making connections." Each time small children would raise their hands eagerly, he would encourage them, "If you're making a connection right now, show me with your fingers (interlock fingers from each hand) and we'll talk about it later."

https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/leadership-resources/racial-ethnic-local-church-concerns

Here's my latest connection:
- The book of Ephesians was written to the corporate local church. It is lived out by individual as a group, but it's not about "me." It's about  how to glorify God with unity of purpose and direction as a local church body (living out the fullness of Christ here and now).

- Suffering is best done together. People in our world experience unspeakable acts of evil and wickedness. When one suffers, we all suffer. But to suffer alone does not 1) allow for healing, 2) bring closure, or 3) glorify God. Together we come alongside one another and bear each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2-5). Only Jesus was called to suffer alone. He then created a Body, the Church, to suffer together. He is in it with us.

- Baptism and the Lord's Supper (Jesus' ordinances) can only be done together. In order to be baptized, someone else has shared truth and instruction (Matthew 28:18-20). Discipleship cannot be accomplished alone. Baptism requires that someone else joins you in that body of water. And, it's done before an audience of witnesses. The Lord's Supper is a picture of shared suffering and celebration--all centered around our Lord, Jesus Christ. Baptist and the Lord's Supper require a local church.

If you are trying to obey the Word of God alone, you are not living in obedience to the heart of God. His Word is written to groups of people who live, worship, and fellowship as a unified entity (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, the introduction of the Pauline letters). That is a work of God's supernatural filling and equipping--all of us, with our own sin nature, desires, and experiences--submitting to one another as we submit to Christ.

If you are suffering alone, God instructs you to find others. Let them be Jesus to and with you; allow them to direct you to Jesus, His Word and character. God wants to bring grace and healing, but He uses Spirit-led individuals. That's how He works--through people.

If you have not embraced the beauty of unity in a local church, you are not walking in step with Jesus' final instructions to His people. One person alone does not reflect the image of God. God is a unified Person of individual Persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. He created Adam and Eve "in His image: male and female He created them.""There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Get on board, little children! There's room for many a more.

It's Not Fair

"I hate it! It's just not fair." You might think she was talking about March Madness, a life situation, or relationship. No, my friend was referring to the book of Jonah.

"The people don't deserve God's mercy. They're wicked and He's going to use them to judge His people, but He's willing to forgive them? It's not fair."

"Jonah doesn't want to be there. He's resentful and angry, but God shows Him mercy. It's not fair."

And as I sat in church last Sunday participating in the Lord's Supper, I had the same thought. "It's not fair."

Nothing about Jesus is fair. He didn't deserve to die. But He died in my place. He doesn't deserve my punishment, but He took it willingly. He doesn't have to call sinners to repentance, but He does. He doesn't have to live in us and with us, but He persists. He doesn't have to intercede for us constantly, but He daily bears our burdens. He will keep a human form and its righteous scars for eternity. He humbled Himself to become our Servant. He works for our benefit. He does what we cannot.

Praise the Lord above, He's. not. fair.

For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  (Romans 8:5-11, 18-21)