Revival

He Loves Me Just The Way I Am

I don’t know about you, but I find this comforting. In my life I have sinned too much to ask God to love me based on who I am or what I have done. To be loved just as I am, is a miracle in itself. While I believe I love others with some of the same unconditional love, I must admit I often fail. I want to be like Jesus. I want to offer truly unconditional love. I want to love like Jesus. I guess I just have to stop expecting others to do what is right, to change, to seek to be more like they were created to be, lowering my expectations so I can simply love. To be like Jesus is to love with no standard, no expectations; to live and let live, isn’t it?

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Poking Holes in Our Holiness

Do I need to aspire to be more holy? Isn’t what Jesus did enough? Am I not saved by grace instead of my works? Can’t I just embrace Jesus and His teachings; isn’t that enough? Isn’t my Holiness assigned to me because Jesus paid the price I could never pay? I’m not perfect, I am not expected to be perfect, do I need to strive to be perfect if perfection is not attainable or required? Do I really need to struggle with my sinful nature if Jesus already paid for my sins?

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Ring the bell.

I had to go to the hospital for bloodwork. I don’t mind bloodwork; I am not positive but I am pretty sure by now I could take my own blood and start my own IV, I’ve seen it done on me so many times! This time was a little different. They put the needle in the same way and used the same tubes. The amount taken was relatively small compared to the last time (5 vials vs 16). Then the always fun aim test. Last week I talked about Paul using, “falling short” which is based on a military idea of missing the mark in archery. As I did the last test I thought to myself, ‘self; if you were Paul writing to the modern day version of the Romans, you would probably have used this sample cup metaphor instead of the bow and arrow.’ If you don’t know what test I am talking about I will not try to explain it other than to say if you miss the mark they make you drink water and do it again!

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What happens when we are challenged? 1 John

To be challenged is accept the opportunity to be corrected. If we are challenged, most of us believe that our failure is implicit in the challenge. If one is asked to do more, often one believes they are failing to do enough. If one is asked to do something different, often one believes that what they are currently doing is wrong. If one is shown a faster or a simpler way, often one assumes they are incompetent because they had employed another way. As we look at our lives and our church it will be easy for us to wonder if any change we are asked to make masks an underlying statement that we are not good enough. For many the biggest battle is not the change but rather the hurt that is taken on when someone suggests we need to change. It can become even more devastating when the call to change points out that we have fallen short thereby displeasing God.

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – Historically Prodigal

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I think almost everyone who attended Sunday school during the sixties and seventies has a memory of the high tech presentation systems used to etch memories in the minds of the young people who never missed a week. In fairness to this generation, attendance was not high because of the quality of storytelling but rather the willingness of a parent to use soap or the back of their hand to quickly put an end to any attempt to present an alternate to the fast paced drama that would unfold on the felt board every Sunday morning. We were told they were parables but we cared more about pulling the hair of the girl in the row in front of us or throwing a paper airplane at the teacher’s head. The felt board was a marvel of modern artistry but the stories got old really quick.

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