Lessons from the Gospels – Heart of the Matter

Today, a part of a Don Henley/Eagles song came to mind:

I've been tryin' to get down

To the heart of the matter

But my will gets weak

And my thoughts seem to scatter

But I think it's about

Forgiveness, forgiveness

The heart of the matter in the Christian walk is forgiveness. Without the forgivenesss of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there is no hope for us. Forgiveness is the heart of God and we are saved from eternal death by it

Jesus had plenty to say about our hearts too. Let’s examine our hearts through His words.

Matthew 15:8 [NIV] " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

Why would the people of God simply pay lip service to Him? Jesus says that can happened when our treasure, our dreams, and our goals, are not laser focused on the hope of the future.

Matthew 6:21 [NIV] “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We do not want to be “just going through the motions” of walking through life in tune (thought, word, and deed) with God’s will for us, while being distracted by the next shiny thing we could learn, earn, do or be in this life. And we definitely don’t want to be distracted by some political bruhaha or doomsday news prediction about what “they” are going to do if we don’t stop them.

One way we can tell if our hearts are not in the right place is by considering what comes out of our mouths. Gossip? Prejudice? Lies? Judgmental phrases?

Matthew 15:18-20 [NKJV] 18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 "These are [the things] which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

What is in our hearts comes out in our words and actions – good or evil.

Luke 6:45 [NIV] “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

So, what does God really want from us? Everything.

Mark 12:30 [NIV] “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Our WHOLE hearts. ALL of our love. EVERY corner of our minds. EVERY part of our souls. ALL of our strength.  He wants it all.

Our relationships must be passed through the filter of giving everything to God. Our jobs must be passed through the filter of giving everything to God. Our worship must be passed through the filter of giving everything to God. And so forth.

That kind of life is one that begins with a heart close to God – a heart entirely given to Him in whole-heart devotion and focus.

Mark 12:30 [NIV] “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

God wants our whole hearts and when we give them to Him, everything else falls into line.

And THAT is the heart of the matter.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me now in the comments section, or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospels – Jesus walks on water, Peter doesn’t

Previously, we discussed Luke 8:22-25, where Jesus calmed a storm and the disciples asked, “Who is this?” because He commanded even the wind and water.

Today, let’s look at another storm incident.

Matthew 14:22-33 [NKJV] 22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." 28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind [was] boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out [His] hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

There is so much we can learn from these two incidences, but I’ll stick to one key point: We cannot walk above the storms of life unless our eyes are firmly fixed on Jesus who is there to either hold our hands or calm the storm.

In the first case, Jesus immediately calmed the storm. In the second, He walked above the stormy waters. Peter wanted to do that too. He couldn’t because he focused on the storm, rather than the One who could control it.

Storms are an inevitable and natural product of nature, whether short, gentle rains, or those that include gale-force winds, boat-swamping waves, deafening thunder and destructive lightning. Same with our spiritual lives.

A friend of mine just lost her battle against the hurricane of a sudden cancer that took her out in a matter of months between diagnosis and death. She held His hand to walk through it. He chose not to calm the storm, but instead brought her to the sleep of death so that she might await that new life in eternity with Him.

I know people locked in a storm of MS and other incurable, progressive diseases, which include the constant threat of a storm surge when things flare up.  They know they must hold His hand each day the storms both small and great or be swamped by the waves.

I know people whose children are themselves in danger of drowning in choppy seas of their own creation due to sin and the resulting struggles. When your child (even a grown adult one) is struggling in a stormy sea of life, you, as a parent, taste that salty water too.

And then there are the regular rains of everyday life’s struggles against sin, that can also cause us to pitch out of the boat and into the deep if we do not grab the hand of Jesus when we are falling.

How often do I get caught up in the storms of life, desperately swimming when there is a hand I could be holding in order to walk above the fray?  

Sweet sisters, ultimately, there is no surviving past all of the storms of life. None of us make it through life alive. And none of us will face only calm waters along the way.

Praise God, we walk this walk knowing that forecast of our futures is for still waters that last all eternity.

But right now, we don’t always know what kind of rough seas lie ahead for us or when the storms will hit.

In times of quiet, we must ensure we are in His boat, moving forward to His goals for us in this life and in the next.

Then, when we are bid to walk out onto stormy seas, we better have our hand in His, looking at only Him. Although we will not be oblivious to the storm, we can walk above it, eyes locked on the Calmer of Storms, who commands the winds and rain.

Storms don’t mean He isn’t in control. They mean it is time to walk on the water with our Savior.

Last Sabbath, we sang the song “Oceans” (Hillsong), which calls to mind Matthew 14:22-23.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

If you haven’t been called to out of the boat and into the choppy sea yet, you will be at some point. And whether He then calms the sea or leads you across it, hold firmly to the Savior’s hand. He is yours and you are His.

In His presence, your faith will be stronger, and you will walk on water toward a future of rest in forever calm seas.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me now in the comments section or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospels 9 – What is the lesson here?

We who read the scriptures to learn more about God and Christ, their plan, will and promises, can still miss or gloss over important lessons, or even miss them entirely if we are not diligent in mining the Word for all we can learn.

In Matthew 12, we find what I have always considered to be a lesson about the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:1-2 [NLT] 1 At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. 2 But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, "Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath."

Once again, the Pharisees focused on their strict interpretation of how to keep the Sabbath. And once again, Jesus showed them that they did not really understand God.

Matthew 12:3-6, 8 [NLT] 3 Jesus said to them, "Haven't you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. 5 And haven't you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? 6 I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! ... 8 For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!"

It strikes me now that the lesson of Matthew 12:1-8 isn’t just about the Sabbath. It is not just about Who it is who decides what is right and wrong behavior for the Sabbath day.  It is also about God’s love and mercy. And, perhaps, the lesson is really meant to be more about God’s love and mercy than the Sabbath.

Sabbath-breaking had landed the people of Israel in captivity more than once. That is why the Pharisees were so strict. It is why they added additional laws around it – putting their own traditions on par with the law of God.

Jesus showed the Pharisees not only that the Sabbath was not meant to be a burden, but, more importantly, that nothing God gives us is meant to be a burden. In showing them this, He was pointing them and us to the greater point of all the law and scripture.

Therefore, I believe that verse 7 outlines Jesus’ key point for them and for us. Matthew 12:1 7 [NKJV] 7 "But if you had known what [this] means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

That God is more concerned with mercy for we frail humans is evidenced in the story of David and his men eating the showbread/sacred loaves when they were starving, something forbidden for non-priests.

And this is not the only time that Jesus had to school the leaders of that love and mercy are more important than their own interpretation of what it meant to keep the law.

Time and again, when Jesus healed on the Sabbath, He ran up against the Pharisees thinking He didn’t keep the law correctly. In fact, it appears in the very next verses of Matthew 12.

Matthew 12:9-14 [NKJV] 9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--that they might accuse Him. 11 Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift [it] out? 12 "Of how much more value than is a man than a sheep? Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 13 Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched [it] out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

In this segment, Jesus not only advocates for mercy toward suffering humans, but also mercy toward suffering animals. God cares about the sparrows that falls. [Luke 12:6]

God does expect us to make sacrifices. We must sacrifice our own will, our time, our money, our praise and so forth in the service of Him and of preaching the gospel. But He is much more focused on mercy than money. Much more focused on mercy than sacrifice.

Perhaps 1 Corinthians 13 comes to your mind now. I think it perfectly aligns for us. Love, the driver of mercy, is more important than speaking in tongues, giving away all our goods or sacrificing even our own bodies.

The Psalms are filled with praise for the enduring mercy of our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 107:1 [NKJV] 1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for [He is] good! For His mercy [endures] forever.

[See also Psalm 106:1; 118:1-4, 29; all of Psalm 136]

So, it is little wonder that David understood that God would be more concerned with his starving men than with saving the shewbread for the priests, and they could only eat the old shewbread after it had been replaced by the new showbread. If you don’t know the mercy of God, you might be afraid of getting struck by lightening for doing something like that.

But David knew God’s mercy and he fully trusted in it.

Matthew 12:1 7 [NKJV] 7 "But if you had known what [this] means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

What about us, sweet sisters? Do we truly know, understand, accept and lean on God’s mercy? Or do we shackle ourselves to fear because we are unsure of its depth and breadth?

Praise God for His mercy and count on it every day. You can trust in it always. And, because of that, we, too, should extend it generously to others.

I am very glad that mercy is of the utmost importance to our loving Father. Without it, I would have no hope. I seek to be like Him, in all things, including extending mercy to others. But it begins with accepting God’s mercy and experiencing it for ourselves.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospels 8 – Burdened

I am tired, sweet sisters. My job is currently very busy with opportunities that I, as director of sales, am tasked with turning into clients. I have a lot going on at church with teaching opportunities and events, kids classes, blogging and SOS. I’ve been traveling for work and for pleasure. Family birthdays and anniversaries, getting together with friends, and babysitting grandkids. Add to those good things the starting of a new entrepreneurial business venture and am training for a 5k.

I am very much over 21 and I don’t last as long or spring back as fast as I used to. But these are sweet “burdens” that I enjoy bearing, even though they tire me out. These are physical “burdens” that actually feel light to me due to the joy I have in them.

You know what wears me out more than those activities? The emotional and mental stress of the suffering of the world – from friends and family facing health, financial or interpersonal issues to the various wars, depressing and unnecessarily adversarial political environment, famine, prejudice, abuse and more going on in the world around me. These are too much for a human to bear and I sometimes ask God how He can look down on the earth and see it ALL (He sees so much more than I can), and not just send Jesus back right now!

You know what is not a burden? My relationship with God.

Matthew 11:28-30 [NLT] 28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

When Jesus calls us, He calls us to “light duty”. The Greek work translated “easy to bear” in the New Living Version above is translated and just “easy” in the King James, and it means “fit, fit for use, useful, good, virtuous or manageable”.

Something that is fit for use or useful hardly seems like it should be called a burden. God does ask us to carry a load, but it is a light load, and easy load.

We are not asked to carry the guilt or debt of our own sins. Those were pinned to the stake with Jesus.

We are not asked to carry the mental burdens of this world. Those Jesus promises to hold for us.

We are not asked to carry the burden of trying to save others. God does the calling in His own time.

We are not asked to carry the burden of “pay back” and revenge. Revenge-taking can be exhausting, and God offers to take that burden off of us. [Romans 12:17, 19] How much more peaceful would this world be without individuals or nations seeking revenge or to “get their own” back?

Matthew 11:28-30 [NLT] 28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

The burden He asks us to bear is light. And we can think of it in two ways. (1) It is light as the opposite of heavy. Not so much to ask of us.  (2) It is to BE the light in the world. [Matthew 5:14]

Our “light burden” sweet sisters is to be the light of this world - light that shines this suffering world toward God. Light that brings hope and happiness. Light that brings the warmth and comfort of peace rather than conflict.

Our churches should be a haven of peace and joy in this world so void of both. They should be places where the world-weary souls can come to find rest from struggle, doubt, gossip, ladder climbing, etc.

Our relationships should, to the best of our abilities, be sewn in peace. [Romans 12:18] We should be the people who do not “bring the drama” to our workplaces.

Why? Because we follow Jesus who healed people, taking away that burden. We follow Jesus who lifted the burden of adherence to all the extra things the leaders had added to the perfect law of liberty. [James 1:25] Our congregations and 501c3 organizations should not be places that add to the law what are really just the man-made burdens of “tradition” or opinion.

He asks us to help others who are burdened by sin – NOT to add to their burdens with opinions and rituals. [Galatians 6:1-2]

I know that Matthew 7:14 says the way that leads to life if difficult, but that is not because it is a heavy burden. That is because we, as humans in a world led by Satan, struggle against the good way, the peaceful way. That is because we, as humans in a world led by Satan, too willingly take on the burden of sin and its consequences.

God and Jesus offer us peace, hope, a future. We know God’s plans are for exactly that. [Jeremiah 29:11]

We bear the “burden” of being the beacons of peace, light, and hope in this world, and of spreading that message of a beautiful, bright future out into the world.

That is no great burden to bear.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospels 7 – Two things

In the movie City Slickers, the character named Curly, tells Mitch to find his own “one thing” to guide his life. Well, today’s blog is about the two things that Jesus gave us.

1 John 4:20 [NKJV] If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Three out of the four Gospel accounts address incidences where the two great commandments are addressed. In both Matthew and Mark, Jesus was asked for the greatest or the first commandment and He responded that the first or great commandment is “Love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” But He did not stop there. Although no one asked, Jesus volunteered that there is a second commandment that is like the first. That is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

In incident found in Matthew, Jesus concluded with, “On these two commandments hand all the Law and the Prophets.” [Matthew 22:34-40]

In Mark’s incident, Jesus concludes with “There is no other commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:28-34]

In the incident recorded in Luke, Jesus was asked what to do to inherit eternal life. He turns it back on the lawyer who asked, saying, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” The lawyer then outlines the two great commandments and Jesus says he is correct. [Luke 10:25-28]

It is of great importance to us, sweet sisters, to see that these two great commandments are inextricably linked.

Although he does not address a similar incident in his own Gospel, John does show that he knew the importance of and the link between loving God and fellow man in one of his letters.

1 John 4:20 [NKJV] If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

John goes as far as saying you are liar if you say you love God if you hate a brother.

In a previous blog, I mentioned that I believed if the only scripture one had from the Bible was Matthew chapter 5, one would have everything needed in order to live as a Christ follower in this world.

Turns out, all we really need is a couple of sentences: Love God with every part of you. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus Himself said that the entirety of the Old Testament teachings/law and all prophesy hinged on these two.

Since prophesy has the role of outlining God’s plan of salvation for all people, we know that they tell us about God’s great love for us. If you study into God’s interaction with His people, Israel, you will see that He often took them to task or even punished them for either not loving Him (often shown in idol worship or Sabbath-breaking) or not loving their fellow man (search for scriptures about mistreating the widows or the poor or oppressing the immigrant).

Jesus said there is no other commandment greater. We can clearly see that the 10 Commandments [Exodus 20] can be broken into two parts – Commandments 1-4 showing how to love god and Commandments 5-10 showing how to love our fellow man. The 10 are just a more granular version of the two great commandments.

Jesus also showed how to love our neighbors or fellow man in Matthew 25:31-46. Feed the hungry. Clothe those in need. Visit the sick and those imprisoned. Take in strangers. NEWS FLASH: That word translated “stranger” is “foreigner”. I’ll let you explore that on your own for now. Might be a subject for a future blog.

Sisters, Christianity is not a complex set of rules and laws. It boils down to love. Love God. Love your fellow man. Show those by your actions and you will find that you have kept all the law and will have gained eternal life.

If the world does not see love when it sees Christians, we have failed to keep the two great commandments on which everything else hinges.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

Lessons from the Gospels 6– Who IS this man?

Matthew chapter 8 is full of the miracles of Jesus. It’s all about miracles and little else. Miracles that surely confirmed He was the Messiah.

But in the midst of this chapter of miracles, we find this interesting miracle:

Matthew 8:23-27 [NLT] 23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 Jesus responded, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

Jesus “rebuked” the wind. To be clear, our Savior was sleeping through this “fierce storm” – apparently not in the least concerned about it. Not the disciples. They were scared.

"Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

But when they woke Him, Jesus got up and “rebuked” the WIND. Wonder if He went right back to sleep, while the disciples stood there with gaping mouths.

Matthew 8:27  tells us, “The disciples were amazed. "Who is this man?" they asked. "Even the winds and waves obey him!"

Who IS this man?! They had just seen Him heal a man with leprosy by touching him – something forbidden as making you unclean.

He commanded the healing of a young servant, from a distance.

He healed Peter’s mother-in-law and then, “That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.”

With a “simple command” the evil spirits left.

Amazing miracles. We don’t even have actual numbers it was “many”. Too many to be counted?

Who is this man who sends healings, touches lepers, simply commands the demons to get out?

But what drops the jaws (metaphorically) of the disciples is His command of the weather? Perhaps because they felt He saved their lives when all seemed lost.

This is not the only time that the actions of Jesus drew the phrase “who is this man”.

Luke 7:47-49 [NLT] 47 "I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love." 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 The men at the table said among themselves, "Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?"

Who is this man to forgive sin?

Well, if He was JUST a man these things would be astounding. What’s more astounding is this:

Phillipians 2:5-8 [NLT] 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.

Who IS this Son of God that even my life was worthy of His loving sacrifice. Who is this Being, that even for me He gave up “His divine privileges” and took on a human body, with all it’s pains and weaknesses, and then gave that up too?

Who IS this Jesus? Immanuel. Messiah. Son of God. Healer. Good Shephard. Perfect Lamb. Coming King. My Savior. My Lord. My hope. The Rock I build on. The One I follow.

Who IS this Jesus? The Way. The Door. The Gate.

Who IS this Jesus? The Father’s gift to us.

Who IS this Jesus? He is everything – all our hopes and dreams – our future. He is OURS. 

I welcome your questions and comments. You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

Lessons from the Gospels 5– The Ultimate “Karma”

 People believe in karma – that the universe pays you back for good or bad deeds. It is not real. I think it might be an attempt by non-believers to explain why what you do seems to come back to you.

But it really is a law of God that what you do comes back to you, and it is not “karma” or coincidence. We see it here, in chapter 7 of Matthew.

Matthew 7:1-2 {NLT] 1 "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

Judge others and you get judged by the same standard of measure.

Matthew 7:12 [NLT] 12 "Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

Here is the Bible version of “you make your own luck” or “karma”. Now, it is not saying that what you do to others will be done exactly you. It is saying that how you treat others should be how you want them to treat you. Too often we see that when someone treats others badly, they still expect to be treated nicely or with respect. You’ve seen the videos where a store employee treats a shopper badly or a shopper treats a store employee badly and then gets surprised when it turns back on them.

Matthew 5:7 [NLT] 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Now, if you treat a Christian badly, they are going to still treat you with love and respect because THEY live the Golden Rule, even if you do not. I’m just saying that we would not find the same to be true of people without any kind of faith walk to guide them.

Bible readers will know that even the Old Testament shows that this is how God intended for life to work – that what you put out there will come back to you.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 [NKJV] 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. 2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

Peek back at Matthew 5:7 [NLT] 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

God is the ultimate assurer that “what goes around, comes around”. Even if others don’t pay you back in kind, God will see that you get back what you give out – for good or bad.

It is HE who pays back good for good or evil for evil, not some mystic karma. We believers are to pay back good for good and good for evil. We are not the arbiters of what others deserve.

The ultimate and just Judge sees what others do AND what we do (the good, the bad or the ugly) and He gives us the opportunity to experience it right back – from Him.

We might weather a payback of ugliness in this life, be we certainly don’t want that on judgment day. No. Instead we count on God’s mercy over our sins, faults and mistakes.

So, again, we need to remember the scripture we started with. Matthew 7:1-2 {NLT] 1 "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

Come judgment day, “ain’t nobody got time for ‘karma’”. Mercy, patience, forgiveness, grace… If we want these on judgment day, sweet sisters, we must by using that measuring stick on others.

I welcome your questions and comments. You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

Lessons from the Gospels 4 – Be

If you read nothing else in the Bible other than Matthew 5, I believe you would know all you need to know about being a Christian, from day-to-day interactions to our eternal hope. You’d still need baptism and indwelling of the Holdy Spirit, of course. More details about God’s plan and Jesus’ sacrifice would certainly be better. But you could live as God intended His children to live if the only part of the Bible you had was Matthew 5. In fact, we are just going to look at the “Beatitudes” to see how we should “be” as Christians in this world.

I believe if you grew up with only this chapter the Bible to read, and you followed it, you would hear “Well done, my good and faithful servant” at the time of the judgement.

One blog cannot cover all the important learnings from Matthew 5, but I’ll try to hit a few. I’ll again be using the New Living Translation for its more modern wording. Rather than “blessed are”, it says, “God blesses those”, making it clearer that this isn’t a coincidence (or “karma”, which I’ll get into more in chapter 8) but a planned response by God to His much-loved children.

So, here are the basics of Christianity:

Matthew 5:3 [NLT] 3 "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:5 “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.”

My paraphrase: Know your place in the universe and let it make you humble, because then God will bless you. You only need to go to the Psalms to read more about this. Here are a few examples: Psalm 18:27; 69:32; 138:6; 149:4]

Matthew 5:4, 6 [NLT] 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ... 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

You will suffer in this life – for your faith, because people can be cruel, and just because we are fragile beings. So will the rest of the world – the non-believers -- suffer. But your mourning for loss or for the condition of the world, and your desire for justice will result in God’s blessing.

Matthew 5:7 [NLT] 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Show mercy to others or no mercy is coming your way. For further info on showing mercy see Luke 6:36. Also, see the parable in Matthew 18:22-35. It is just to great of a risk to withhold mercy from others. None of us can afford to be without the mercy God can show to us.

Matthew 5:8 [NLT] 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

When we do good things for the right reasons, when we serve God and His people from the heart, we see the Father in them. They are His children too. If those we serve see God nowhere else, they should see Him in OUR words and deeds. I’ say that others see Him too. Our good deeds do not garner this blessing if they are not done from a pure heart. See 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 for more on that.

Matthew 5:9 [NLT] 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. See Isaiah 9:6. If call Him our Lord and King, we should be peacemakers as well. The more contentious this world or any particular situation gets, the more we should stand out as those who stand for, crave and create peace. For further instruction on seeking peace see Psalm 34:14; Romans 12:18 and Hebrews 12:14.

God does not lie to us, nor hide from us the things that we will face during our lives on earth.

Matthew 5:11-12 [NLT] 11 "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

We are in good company when we face persecution. Not only the ancient prophets faced the same – Jesus did too!

But the Father tells us that we should “be” happy about these troubles that come as a result of our obedience to Him. Why? Because He promises us a great reward for enduring through it.

We should “be” different in this world. God blesses us when we are aligned with Him, as peacemakers, as those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, as those who mourn for the suffering in the world and as those who suffer persecution with joy.

What do you think? Is the whole – or at least the greater part – of our Christian duty outlined in just these first 12 verses of Matthew? Well, we have more of this important chapter to go. I’ll continue exploring Matthew 5 in the next blog.

Sweet sisters, I hope you will “be” as Jesus was in this world.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospels 3 – Knowing

When Jesus said (as recorded in Matthew 11:12) "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence...” He may have been thinking about the time (before time began) that Satan attacked the very throne of God. (Luke 10:18) Or He may have been thinking about the time that Pharoah had all the Hebrew babies killed. Or when Herod killed the Jewish babies from age 2 and under because he knew the Messiah had been born – just not exactly when.

When I think of a major attack on the plan of God, I think of Matthew 4:1-11, where we see Satan attacking Jesus after Jesus had been fasting 40 days and 40 nights. Make know mistake about it, Jesus and the Father knew Satan would come after Him. The Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to prepare for it. I invite you to read the whole thing before reading the rest of this blog. I’ve pasted it at the end of the blog so that you can do so if you like.

This is not a physically violent attack, like the killing of babies, but it was a violent attempt to attack Jesus’ mind, heart, character and obedience.

Jesus used His knowledge of scripture – the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, as we read in Ephesians 6:17 – to cut away Satan’s temptations.

But He used more than just His knowledge of the words of God, sweet sisters. He used His knowledge of who He was, as outlined in them.

Satan knew the scriptures too. After his first temptation failed, Satan used the scriptures in his next two efforts. Satan did not know who he was. It seems like he believed he could still win. It seems to me that if  he really knew who he was – the loser in every battle – he might have acted differently.

What about you, sweet sister? Do you know, I mean REALLY KNOW who you are? Is that knowledge and belief strong enough to be a protection against the attacks that Satan throw at you? Especially the ones that being with “if”.

You one of the “beloved” children/people of God. Psalm 60:5; 108:6; Song of Solomon (the whole thing is an analogy of God’s love for His people).

You are blessed. Matthew 13:16; 5:1-10

You are the reason that Jesus came to the earth and gave His life. We cannot afford to only look at this from the vantage point that He came for everyone. He came specifically for me. He came specifically for you. Revelation 17:14; Matthew 20:16.

You are Holy and a member of the Royal Priesthood. 1 Peter 2:9.

Knowing scripture is so very, very important to withstanding the attacks of the devil. But it is not enough. If you don’t know who you are, if it is not a truth you feel to your core, the “sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God” is held in a weak hand.

Sweet sisters, let’s put up our strength in battle by focusing on really knowing who we are to our Beloved Father and to our Savior.

I welcome your comments and questions. Write me in the comments section here or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

[Mat 4:1-11 NLT] 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'" 7 Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the LORD your God.'" 8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me." 10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.'" 11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

Lessons from the Gospels 2– Camel Hair

Got any odd people at your church? Someone who it is difficult to talk to for some reason. Maybe they seem too intense. Maybe they always want to talk about stuff that makes you feel uncomfortable. Or they just monopolize the conversation. Maybe they just have really bad breath or odd mannerisms. Are you the odd person at church?

John the Baptist might have made me uncomfortable. He might seem a little odd if he walked into your synagogue back in the day. He dressed differently. He had a unique diet.

The gospel account given in Matthew makes it a point to call out some of what might have made John stand out as odd in his time. Matthew 3:1-4 [NKJV] 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.' " 4 Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Jesus calls out some of the same very specific marks of John’s life and ministry that made his seem weird to the leaders of his day.

Matthew 11:18 [NKJV] "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'

How would you like that? After maybe decades of preaching in the wilderness, warning people about the need for repentance and reminding them of the coming of the Messiah, people essentially said, “He is so different from us that he must have a demon.” People can be cruel.

Here are some unique points about John, the baptizer:

1.      Miracle child to his parents. (Luke 1:5-25)

2.      Responded to Jesus in utero. (Luke 1:41)

3.      Knew his role was not the Savior, and that his role was preparing the way. (John 3:27-30)

4.      Had the privilege of not only baptizing Jesus, but also of hearing God call Jesus out as being His Son (confirming that Jesus was the one John was preparing the world for).

5.      And yet, near the end of his life, when he was in prison for calling out Herod’s sin, John had a moment of doubt about Jesus.

Matthew 11:2-3 [NKJV] 2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"

In spite of his doubt, Jesus praised John for his work. Matthew 11:4-11 4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 "[The] blind see and [the] lame walk; [the] lepers are cleansed and [the] deaf hear; [the] dead are raised up and [the] poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 7 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 "But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft [clothing] are in kings' houses. 9 "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10 "For this is [he] of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' 11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Only Jesus, our Savior, lived a perfect, faith-filled, Spirit-led life while on this earth. John, the baptizer, the voice crying in the wilderness, who had the God-given duty and privilege of preparing the way before Jesus, was a very human person. He was a miracle birth. He had a God-designed role, which he fulfilled well, including baptizing Jesus. He spoke to a king about that king’s sin. He suffered martyrdom. He lived a life of faith and had at least one moment of doubt.

Matthew 11:2-3 [NKJV] 2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"

Don’t discount the odd ones, sweet sister – even if YOU are the odd one. God has a place, a role, and a purpose in each and every one of us that He calls in this life. Your unique purpose may seem odd to others, but it is your perfectly crafted, snug-fitting piece in the puzzle and process of the Kingdom timeline.

So, wear your camel hair proudly, beloved child of God, and never doubt that God called you, specifically, to play a part in that coming Kingdom. Jesus will praise you for doing your part.

I welcome your comments and questions. Write me in the comments section here or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

Lessons from the Gospels 1– It Takes Planning

Every year, I spend some time reading through the four gospels again, leading up to what we (in Church of God 7th Day) call the Lord’s Supper and others may call the New Testament Passover. Every time I reread them, I learn something new, have something reinforced, and gain a deeper appreciation for God’s plan of salvation and Jesus’ role in that plan.

Join me on this nearly 3-month journey of review and rediscovery by reading through the Gospels. As I write the blogs it might be looking forward for you as I review my reading from the week before. Or, you can catch up to me by doubling up on daily reading. I will be reading just one chapter per day, and began on Tuesday, January 23rd, so, it’ll be pretty easy to catch up.

You are no more a random selection than was the timing and location of Jesus’ birth.

Reading for January 23-26 = Matthew 1-4. (Note: In future weeks, we consider the reading week to be from Saturday through Friday, since I blog on Friday or Saturday.)

Matthew 1 &2

There is so much packed into the first two chapters of Matthew that I could spend a couple of blogs talking about them. First there is the genealogy, which shows that the lineage of Jesus, on Joseph’s side, includes Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba – three women with unusual stories and extraordinary lives. That they are openly listed is a testament to God’s willingness to use the most unusual and even broken circumstances, or people, for His purposes.

But what I want to note for us today are the four prophecies about the Messiah’s birth that are fulfilled in in just these first two chapters telling His earthly story.

Matthew 1:23 recalls the prophecy Isaiah 7:14, telling of His birth to a virgin.

Matthew 2:6 recalls the prophecy of Micah 2:5, which pegs Bethlehem as His birthplace.

Matthew 2:15 recalls the prophecy of Hosea 11:1, foretelling that He would come out of Egypt and back to Israel at some point.

Matthew 2:18 which is the foreshadowing of the massacre of the innocents by Herod, found in Jeremiah 31:15.

The connection of all these details seems incredible in two ways: (1) That God gave these words to the prophets of the Old Testament so that they would know so many specifics of the birth of Jesus (2) That Matthew knew the scripture well enough that he could be inspired to connect them to the occurrences.

That is, it seems incredible from a human standpoint. Not at all incredible when you think about the fact that Jesus is the one who inspired the writing of the Old Testament, which told of His coming, which He and the Father had planned out before time began. [See John 17:5 and Revelation 13:8]

Maybe thousands of years (or, who knows, millions) went into planning every detail from the creation of the world to the fulfillment of the prophesied birth of His only Son and every aspect of His ministry on this earth. We will also see that His death was similarly detailed out for us.

Our God is a planner. He didn’t “wing it” with the birth of Jesus or the plan of salvation. The factors that needed to be controlled were perfectly orchestrated.

However, it is important to consider that, although always perfectly aligned with God’s will and plan, Jesus made His own choices in living His life. Every decision adhered perfectly to the law of God too. But the Father did not regulate has Jesus wore or ate or said each day.

When we take the time to align ourselves with God’s law and will by daily prayer and study, regular fasting and meditation, we too can find ourselves walking according to God’s purpose for us.

God didn’t “wing it” when He called you, sweet sister. I chose the time and place. He specifically selected you from the billions in the world today. Maybe the only one in your family or neighborhood or at your place of employment.

You are no more a random selection than was the timing and location of Jesus’ birth.

How comforting to know that you and I appeared in God’s planner as a link in the chain between creation and God’s Kingdom on earth. We don’t know for sure where we are on the timeline, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that you and I are here to do our part to advance the Kingdom cause and schedule.

I encourage each of us to take the time daily to stay connected to God and His Word so that you and I can fulfill His will, whether that is a big splash or a cup of cold water in the scheme of the Kingdom plan.

Are you a planner? Do you carefully select a new planner each year and get pretty stickers and colored pens to stay organized and mark important tasks or occurrences? Well, God is a planner. He has a very detailed and well thought out plan. We are His pretty stickers and colored pens, marking the important steps along the way. So, please be sure to schedule daily time for God and His word in your planner.

God has a plan and purpose for you. Do not doubt that, sweet sister. It is our job to stay connected to Him so we can stay aligned with His will.

I welcome your comments and questions. Write me in the comments section here or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

Letters from the Beloved: Got Life?

Have you ever heard someone say, “Get a life!”? It typically means that the person saying it has gotten frustrated with the nosiness or interference of someone being too much “in their business”, and implies that if they had things in their own life that took up their time, there would be no time to be a busybody or to live vicariously through another person.

Frankly, there have been times in my life when I thought “I have no life”. The years when my children were young, and I felt that I had no life outside of childcare comes to mind. Sometimes, when we get old and less able to get out without assistance, or have a major illness, or are overworked on the job, we can feel that we don’t have a life. We need friends and family; we need connection to others for our mental and physical health. So, if you are feeling that you don’t have a life, I encourage you to reach out to a family member or friend for a chat or invite someone over for coffee. Another Mom might be very grateful for that – or another lonely single person or shut in.

But if you want real life – an eternal life – you need Jesus.

1 John 5:11-12 [NKJV] 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I sometimes feel frustrated that Christians focus on the differences in how we worship or believe over the things we have in common. I see Christians posting about their faith and particular beliefs or practices and that is great. I see Christians posting negative things about other Christian denominations, and I often wonder why it seems necessary.

Do we need to prove someone wrong when we don’t even know that person? Could we not just start with what we have in common? Yes, I am sure of my current understanding of the Bible, but I am also looking to grow. I’m open to learning from others.

I just don’t see the benefit of (or really any success in) beginning a conversation by doing the verbal equivalent of poking someone in the chest. But I guess that is the problem with social media. People (even Christians trying – they think – to preach the gospel) believe that they have to stand out, shout a warning, correct and so forth. I’ve got news for you: you are not Elijah. AND he was sent to the people of God, not to the non-believers anyway.

I worry that this is because they don’t have a life in Jesus – one that is truly connected to His message of love and hope and peace. So, they try for a mini war on social media, as if slashing people with the sword of the Spirit is how we were meant to change the world.

1 John 5:13 [NKJV] These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may [continue to] believe in the name of the Son of God.

The armor of God is meant to fight of Satan in my life, NOT to slay non-believers or believers who “don’t know the truth as I do”.

Hebrews 4:12 [NKJV] For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Notice that the scripture does not say that the word of God is a sword for slaying non-believers. The scripture does say that we are to divide our souls (human life, not immortal soul) from the Spirit. That is to cut out the human in favor of the divine.

If I have a life in Jesus (and I do), why shouldn’t I start with connection to others who have that same love of Jesus, who know Him to be Savior and Redeemer?

I believe in starting with connection – with what we have in common – and really getting to know someone. Only after I have connected to the parts we have in common can we truly discuss any variances in our understanding or knowledge.

1 John 5:13 [NKJV] These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may [continue to] believe in the name of the Son of God.

If John, the beloved, can choose to focus on belief in Jesus, even when instructing fellow believers with the same knowledge, why can we not do the same with those whose beliefs are somewhat different?

Anything else might come across as being too much in another’s business before you even know them.

The connection that I am suggesting is, of course, a starting point. But, sweet sisters, we will never get the opportunity for anything more if we try to start the conversation with our disconnections instead of our connections.

Can I offer a challenge? Would you join me for the next 7 days in posting messages of life – posts about the love of Jesus, belief in Jesus, gratitude for salvation/His sacrifice, and faith in God. Nothing negative. No differentiators. Nothing about news or politics or things other Christians might do differently. And I don’t mean “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything” like you momma might have told you. The challenge is to proactively and deliberately post positive things. Like me, you may also need to post things for work. I get that. But will you join me in a deliberate attempt to connect on a positive level and put love and hope out there for others to connect with you and to “get a life”?

See how you feel afterwards. And please write to me about that.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Letters from the Beloved: Three-fold Cord

1 John 5:6-8 [NIV*] 6 This is the one who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

Why was John, the beloved, adamant that it was water AND blood AND Spirit? These are not the three parts of what many religions would call the trinity. Remember that John, the Baptist, was baptizing with water before Jesus began His ministry. Many came to him upon repentance and were baptized in the water.

But that was only part of the process, as John, the Baptist, knew and confessed to his followers.

Matthew 3:11 [NKJV] "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

When Jesus was ready to begin His earthly ministry, He went to John to be baptized. At that time the Father sent a visible representation of the Spirit descending upon Jesus. Perhaps this was not just to show that Jesus was the beloved Son of God, but also to confirm what John had been saying – that is, that there was a further need for baptism by the Holy Spirt. The water of repentance was/is not enough.

Later, the disciples, who were likely all baptized by John as well (we know specifically that some were followers of John, so it is a reasonable assumption), received the Holy Spirit [See Acts 2:1-4]. Prior to receiving the Holy Spirit, they were hiding from the religious leaders of the time. After the receiving of the Holy Spirit, they became bold preachers of the Gospel, most being martyred for it.

This – the dramatic change possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—is why water baptism does not stand alone.

1 John 1:7 [NKJV] But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Jesus made it clear to the disciples before hand that they would only receive the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, after He gave His blood for us. In his recounting of the Gospel message, John, the beloved, records this part of Jesus’ final words to His disciples in John 14:16-21. The King James Version uses the word Comforter. It is rendered “Helper” in the New King James and English Standard Version and translated “Advocate” in the New International Version. These are the roles of the Holy Spirit within us or for us – advocacy, comfort, and help.

But the Holy Spirit cannot come to dwell in us as “old wine skins”. [Luke 5:37] We first have to be cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus.

1 John 1:7 [NKJV] But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Following the words of Jesus and the further writings of John, the beloved, we see that these three are in agreement because each one is needed in order for us to live out our faith.

The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes, talks about the strength of a three-fold cord.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 [NKJV] Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Together, the cleansing blood of Jesus, the repentance and symbolism of water baptism, and the indwelling of the Holdy Spirit, are the unbreakable three-fold cord of our Christian walk. No one of them can stand alone in our efforts to truly be changed.

Let’s review.

The blood – Jesus’s cleansing blood washes away our sins so that we might become something new.

The water – Baptism is our outward symbol of commitment to putting off the old and becoming new.

The Holy Spirit – It’s indwelling is what drives change from the old person into the new person, whose spiritual image reflects God and whose outward acts do His work on earth.

Sweet sisters, we need all three, and, thankfully, our beloved John mapped it out for us.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

*Please note that I’m suing the NIV for these verses. The King James and New King James versions have added text that are not in the original scriptures. These words were added by the translators to support the Trinity Doctrine. Adding things to scripture that were not inspired in the original text is a dangerous business. [See Rev. 22:18] The text is pure, God breathed and perfect without human additions.

Joy to the World

Today, I’m taking a break from our series with John, the beloved, to focus on joy.

Are you someone who selects a word of the year each year? I’ve never done it before. However, this year I felt inspired to choose the word “joy” for 2024.

The scripture that came immediately to mind is Matthew 25 – the parable of the talents – where we find the two profitable servants being told “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”. [See verses 21 and 23]

It is the Lord’s great joy to bring us into His Kingdom. Shouldn’t we also experience great joy in knowing that this is our future?

John 16:24 [NKJV] "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

In fact, all of heaven’s inhabitants rejoice when we repent – at the start of our walk with Christ, not just at the end. Luke 15:7 [NKJV] "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” When we accept the call, long before we find final rest in the Kingdom, there is joy.

There are many more places where we find joy being outlined as a big part of our Christian walk. We are not just to experience joy at our initial calling or when thinking about what the future holds. We have a whole life between those two events in which we should be experiencing joy.

God and Jesus are not waiting for the fulfillment of their plan in order to experience joy either.

Jesus’ earthly ministry began with great joy.

Luke 2:10 [NKJV] Then the angel said to them {the shepherds}, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”

We can rejoice every day because Jesus came to this earth – was born into human flesh – so that He could die for us – for our sins – and we could become, through His precious blood and the Holy Spirit, begotten children of God as well.

Where else should we, as Christian, find reasons for joy?

In being persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Luke 6:23

In receiving the Word of God. Luke 8:13

In receiving answered prayer. John 16: 24

In knowing that some of the last words of Jesus before He suffered and died for us included a request that we have joy.

John 16:24 [NKJV] "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

Sweet sisters, I pray that 2024 will be a year in which you are “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit”. [Acts 13:52 NKJV]

I’d love to hear if you have a habit of selecting a word for the year and, if so, what you have selected for 2024. I welcome all your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Letters from the Beloved: Love, Love, Love – Part 3

Today, we wrap up our-three part “Love, Love, Love” series from the book of 1 John. We know that John, the beloved, was all about love. He ended chapter 4 of 1 John with admonitions about love and he begins chapter 5 talking about the connection between love, obedience, and victory. That is a LOT to pack into just the first 5 verses. Let’s see if we can follow the arrows that John provides to chain these together.

1 John 5:1-5 [NKJV] 1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

John says:

1.      If you believe, you are a begotten child of God and you love all the others who are begotten, especially Jesus.

2.      Our love for others drives us to keep God’s commandments.

3.      Love not only drives us to keep the commandments but also causes them not to be burdensome to us.

4.      If we are begotten or born of God, we overcome – through faith.

5.      We cannot overcome unless we believe.

Okay, that is not a chain. That is a circle. We are going to have to dive into this one concept at a time.

1 John 5:1 [NKJV] 1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

We’ve explored this theme before, following John, the beloved. He repeated makes the point that to love God is to love others whom He created, whom He has begotten, whom He also loves.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

Jesus also taught that love drives obedience in Matthew 22: 36-40. Jesus said that all the law and commandments hang on love. I’ve often heard preachers say that the first four of the 10 Commandments of Exodus 20 teach us how to love God and the last six teach us how to love our fellow man.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

If we really love God we don’t find His commandments to be a burden. Jesus had this to say about the burden He puts on us: Matthew 11:30 [NKJV] "For My yoke [is] easy and My burden is light." Our love for God and His love for us make obedience a light requirement and not a burden.

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.

Once again, John provided continuity in his writing by pointing back to a quote from Jesus recorded the Gospel of John.

John 16:33 [NKJV] "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Just as Jesus overcame the world by His obedience to and faith in the Father’s laws and plan, sacrificing Himself for us, our faith in Him and His sacrifice, plus our obedience is what allows us to overcome the world as well.

5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Rote obedience gets us nowhere. It is belief that makes the difference. It is belief that drives true change. It is belief that then leads to obedience from the heart.

Mark 16:16 [NKJV] "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

What must we believe in? The love of God for us.

As John, the beloved said in his Gospel: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” {John 3:16 [NKJV]}

And so, we circle back to love. Love, love, love. It is the start of everything.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Letters from the Beloved: Love, Love, Love – Part 2

We are focusing on love for a couple of blog posts because John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, focuses on it so much.

1 John 4:20-21 [NKJV] 20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God [must] love his brother also.

Do you feel, like me, that there seems to be an awful lot of hate in the world? In the USA we’ve had many mass murders that are based on hate of an entire group, race or religion. It happens around the world as well. The human race seems to be unable to disagree without spewing hatred.

Proverbs 31:26 And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

But that is the world. Satan’s world. We can hardly expect anything different than hate in a world led be the top hater of the human race (Satan). What about the body of Christ?

It is not for me to judge the hearts of my brethren. That is, when I hear meanness and see unforgiveness, I cannot say it comes from hatred. But I can point out that John, the beloved, has some pretty strong words about it.

When sermons and articles include name-calling, mocking and belittling of politicians and their followers, I don’t know if it is hate, but it certainly doesn’t come across as love.

Sadly, I’ve had more than one non-believing relative tell me that they don’t think much of Christianity or Christ Jesus because of what they see and hear out of those who claim to be followers of Jesus. Ouch.

To be clear, they are not faulting me (as one who calls myself a Christian) for sticking with the 10 commandments or for keeping the Sabbath or because I am anti-abortion or because I have asked that they not take God’s name in vain in front of me. No, they actually respect me for that.

Their disgust for those who call themselves Christians has everything to do with divorced parents who don’t pay child support and leave their own children to struggle, ministers who molest children or commit adultery and get a pass to continue leading a church (just in another city or state), with those whose politics include hateful words, and with those whose self-righteousness shows no compassion on children at the border or those who struggle with addiction.

We are Jesus’ representatives on earth. If we are not known for loving PEOPLE in word and deed, it doesn’t matter how much we love God.

Sweet sisters, I know you are loving. I am pained that there are not enough Christians out there whose primary focus is showing love by caring for others and speaking with kindness. [See Matthew 25:31-46 and Proverbs 31:26]

We have to work harder and be more public about it. We must ask God to help us always speak kindness, letting it be the law to us. We must show love in giving to and visiting the needly.

It isn’t fair to be judged by association. Our response to that must be to redouble our efforts to show the love that we have for God BY the love we show to our fellow man. Inside the church and without.

We cannot be with God and Jesus in heaven right now. We love them from afar in that sense, though they are with us in mind, heart and spirit, IF we show love to others.

I urge us all, then, to take on a purer version of the Stephen Still song, “If can’t be with the One you love, honey, love the one you’re with” and love the ones we are with on this planet. Every one of them.

They are sinners, every one of them – just like us. They are also the beloved children of God who just don’t know Him as well as we do (or at all) right now.

Love them anyway. How else will they believe that we love God?

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Letters from the Beloved: Love, Love, Love – Part 1

John, the self-titled “disciple whom Jesus loved” talks a LOT about love in his letters. We’ll be focusing on that too for a couple of blogs.

We can understand how the love of Jesus and His example impacted John, by recalling that Jesus called John one of the “sons of thunder” for wanting to call down fire from heaven on some folks [Mark 3:17] and noting that later John used the word “love” 35 times in just the five short chapters of his first letter. What a change!

1 John 4:17-19 [NKJV] 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.

I have often heard it implied that “perfect love casts out fear” in every circumstance. If that were true, then why does it seem that Jesus feared the severe trial He was about to endure in brutal beating and torturous death He knew He faced? He certainly had mental torment, if you don’t want to call it fear.

Of course, God’s love makes us less afraid of many things, and the more we grow in love and in understanding God’s love and plan for us, the less we will fear those who can destroy only the body. That is because we learn that what is ahead for us is so much greater and more wonderful than anything this current world has to offer.

I like the way the New Living Translation puts this segment because of the way it addresses the issue more frankly and in a more direct manner.

1 John 4:17-19 [NLT] 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.

But let’s not miss that John is specifically discussing judgement day. Those with the love of God in them, need not fear standing before the Father on judgement day. In fact, John says, we will boldly face that day and our loving Judge specifically for two reasons:

1.      Because love has been perfected among us – that is in the example of Jesus we have witnessed perfect love in action.

2.      Because, as the NLT puts it, “we live like Jeus her in this world”.

The fear of judgement comes when “we have not fully experienced His perfect love”.  If we are afraid of judgemen,t then we have not let the love of God into our hearts and minds. We don’t fully comprehend or understand it.

Maybe we are holding back on forgiving ourselves when Jesus, out of His perfect love in action, has already paid the price for our sins. Maybe we think that God cannot or will not forgive something, when He sent His son to die for us so that He could forgive ALL sin.

That is exactly what the sacrifice – the brutal, undeserved death of Jesus – was for.

1 John 4:17 [NLT] 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

If we, as Christians, fear judgement day, then we are doing love all wrong. Maybe, however, it isn’t that we don’t understand God’s love for us, but that we don’t understand His love for everyone else.

If “we have not fully experienced His perfect love” it may be that we are not extending that love to others. Maybe we fear judgement because we condemn others whose sins are different than our sins. If we are doing that, sweet sisters, then we do have reason to fear judgement day.

Maybe we are fearful of judgement because of what we read in Matthew 7:1-2 [NKJV] 1 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

These should be chilling words to us IF we are judging others, whom Jesus also died for and whom the Father also loves and forgives. We ought to live with care, and, as John advises us, “love others because He first loved us”. That is how we “live like Jesus in the world”.

More on love to come…

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Letters from the Beloved: Has anyone seen God?

No one has seen the Father, except Jesus, as He tells us in John 6:46 [NKJV] "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.”

Or have they?

John 14:9 [NKJV] “Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?”

No, no human has seen the Father, but those who walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry have seen the Father in and through Him.

But Jesus has gone back to heaven to be with our Father. So, are we left with no way of seeing the Father? Of course not, as we will see in the passage of 1 John we will reflect on in this blog.

Once again, John, the Beloved, reinforces a message he first heard from Jesus and report in his gospel.

1 John 4:12 [NKJV] “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”

John repeats that no human has seen God. But, through showing love, love that is perfected in us by God dwelling in us, we are showing God to the world around us.

In 1 John 4, verses 7-9, the beloved tells us more than once that God is love. Then, in verse 17, John says, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”

“Because as He is, so are we in the world.” Love is perfected when we live like Jesus lived on this earth.

When others see us, they should see Jesus and, thereby, see the Father as well.

But, sweet sisters, I must report with great sadness that too many people see ugliness like polarizing political rhetoric that has replaced the message of His soon coming Kingdom. They hear the gospel of name calling, condemnation and sin ranking instead of the gospel of peace. They see churches greedy for riches and ornate buildings with leaders who accumulate great wealth instead of humble servants who share the riches of the Kingdom and help the poor. They see warmongering justified by the tenuous thread of a single scripture conveniently interpreted to their side in the conflict.

Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world”. John 18:36

Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more”. John 8:11

Jesus ate with sinners and was their friend. Matthew 11:19.

Jesus taught us that tragedy cannot been linked to someone being a greater sinner than us. Luke 13:2-4.

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

Jesus said, “the Son of Man has no place to lay His head”. Luke 9:58

Jesus warned against leaders accumulating wealth at the expense of the needy. Matthew 23:14.

Jesus taught us that we will be judged by how much we help the needy. Matthew 25:31-46.

Jesus said, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”. Matthew 6:20.

Sisters, we can work toward righting the focus and reputation of the modern New Testament Church, through prayer and fasting, by setting a fight example both in the church and in our work/home/community, and by holding church leadership accountable, as Jesus did [See Matthew 23:15 and others].

1 John 4:12 [NKJV] “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”

Sweet sisters, we were not called to judge others or get into political arguments or to build fancy church buildings.

But the most impactful thing we can do is to truly walk as Jesus walked on this earth. Setting that example – being the salt and the light in this world – is what we were called to do. Matthew 5:13-16.

Clothe the naked. Feed the hungry. Visit the sick and imprisoned. Let’s each be an army of one to spread love and peace by fulfilling the needs of others. We may not be able to turn around the reputation of the church, but we each have to opportunity to be an impactful example of Christ and the Father by being in the world as Jesus was when He was in the world.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Letters from the Beloved: This is a Test

In 1 John 4:1, the beloved disciple tells us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

We would do well to test the words of prophets and preachers against the inspired word of God, as John instructs us to do. Even in this age of ready access to information, those bringing false doctrines or false predictions sometimes creep into our congregations.

It would be good for us to be like Bereans, who, according to Acts 17:11, “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

However, there is another thought about testing the spirits that I’d like to explore.

The word translated “spirit” in this passage is the Greek word pneûma. It can mean a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze, mental disposition, or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit, mind.

While this word is the one often translated “Spirit” in “Holy Spirit”, it is interesting to me to note that it could mean “mental disposition” or “mind”.

It may be important to some of us to not believe everything that comes into our own minds. For many women I know (me included) negative self-talk is a habit we need to break. We might need to test our own thoughts to see if they are true.

When we are tempted to believe we are not worthy, we should recall that the scriptures tell us that the Worthy Lamb (as Jesus is called in Rev. 5:12) gave His life for us. How can we be unworthy when the Worthiest One was willing to be sacrificed for us?

Acts 17:11, “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

If we are tempted to believe God does not care, we should read that prayer of Jesus found in John 17, to see how our Savior, on the eve of His arrest, trial and death, asked the Father to watch out over us. Some of His last words and thoughts were focused on caring for us. John 17:15 [NKJV] "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”

If we are tempted to think that God either doesn’t see or has forgotten the good things we have done, we should recall Hebrews 6:10 [NKJV] For God [is] not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, [in that] you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Scripture tells us that He remembers and rewards even the smallest of good deeds, as we are told in Matthew 10:42.

If we are feeling that our future prospects are bleak or things seem dark and troubled, we should recall Jeremiah 29:11 [NKJV], where God says, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. He is thinking of good, peace, a future and hope for us.

Of course, we can and should work to become more like Jesus and our Father. But when we undervalue ourselves, we disrespect His greatest creation – US!

Satan wants us to devalue ourselves. He’d like us to think that God has evil intentions or is holding out on us. That’s the first lie we see him using on mankind in the Garden of Eden. [See Gen. 3:5]

Test the words of the preachers and the prophets, sweet sisters, to ensure that they are true and God-inspired. And, please, be sure to test your own thoughts to see if they are from the Lord or a trick of Satan.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Letters from the Beloved: How to Abide

John, the Beloved, uses the word “abides” 5 times in his gospel. In every instance he is quoting Jesus teaching us the importance of abiding in God or God in us.

It’s no wonder, then, that John frequently talks about abiding in God and Jesus or having them abiding in us. He uses the word abides 13 times in 1 John.

Today, sweet sisters, let’s see what the beloved has to say about how to abide in God and how to have Him abide in us.

·        We must walk how He walked. 1 John 2:6 [NKJV] He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

·        We must not sin. 1 John 3:6 [NKJV] Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

·        We must keep His commandments. 1 John 3:24 [NKJV] Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

·        We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 4:15 [NKJV] Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

·        We must abide in (or live in) love. 1 John 4:16 [NKJV] And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

John also said that we know He abides in us because of the Holy Spirit He has given to us. [1 John 3:24, latter part] The Spirit is the proof of God in us. But a life of love and obedience, plus confessing Jesus is how others will know that we abide in Him.

The Greek word translated “abide” or “abides” in these scriptures is also translated “remain”, “tarry”, and “dwell” (or forms of these) throughout the New Testament. I find one especially touching.

In Matthew 26:38, Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, as He was about to wrestle in prayer in the garden, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.” [KJV] The New King James uses, “Stay here”. But the use of “tarry” hits me differently. To me it brings a little more weight to how human He was in that moment and in need of His friends to wrestle with Him, support Him and just be with Him as He was about to pray, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me…” (verse 39)

1 John 2:6 [NKJV] He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Jesus very much wants us to be in the struggle to save this world with Him. He is the only Savior, of course, but we are His laborers in the work.

And He is very much willing to tarry with us when we need a faithful friend to just be with us through troubling circumstances.

Abiding in God and Jesus is part of day-to-day walking the Christian walk. But oh how sweet it is to know that when we need Him to just be with us in those tough moments, He is there.   

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org