commitment

01
Jan
2023

Resolution

A brief study at the start of a new year

Prepare to read. Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons

Several years ago, I was asked to work with writers and edit a series of Bible studies for youth ministry.  The following brief study came from that project. It seems appropriate to share at New Year’s time, on the subject of making resolutions.

This is formatted as a leader’s guide for a group study. If you are reading this on your own, feel free to use it for your own meditation on the selected Scriptures. I’d welcome comments from any readers who come across this post.  As a change from the blog’s usual devotional format, do you find a study outline format like this useful?  

Resolution

Preliminary questions to consider

How many of you have ever made a New Year’s Resolution?  So many New Year’s resolutions fail. Why do you think that is?

  • We may set goals that are so lofty it is all but impossible to keep them. Sometimes we just aren’t all that determined to keep them. Our resolve is weak.  Other times we fail because our sinful nature is the problem.  We try to overcome our sinful nature on our own.

This study isn’t only about New Year’s resolutions. Let’s  think about our resolve in general—our determination to do what we know we should do.  What specific goals have you made for yourself?

  • Answers will vary. Think of some goals you have set in your life, not just New Year’s resolutions.

Consider the goals, resolutions, or promises you have made. Why is it worth putting a lot of effort into them?

  • Answers will vary. Hopefully, our goals are beneficial ones that will result in better health, helping others, and better stewardship of God’s blessings. One good goal always is to devote ourselves to contact with God’s Word and sacraments so that faith will be strengthened.

Sometimes the motivation behind our goals and promises is faulty. What possible faulty motivation could be behind the goals and promises we make?

  • We may be trying to feed our egos. We may be trying to make ourselves look better than others. We may have selfish goals.


Getting into the Word

Verse #1
1 Corinthians 2:2 …  “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

The apostle Paul’s resolve was focused on Christ crucified.  Look at the context of this verse (verses 1-5). What might the people have thought was the motivation behind Paul’s preaching?

  • They might have thought he was trying to make a name for himself by his oratorical skills. Or at least that he was trusting in his own wisdom and eloquence to convert others.

Why was Paul resolved to focus only on Christ?

  • He understood that faith was the working of God’s power through the message about Jesus’ death and resurrection. Finally, the most important thing was for people to believe in Christ as their Savior.

What do these words tell us about the focus of our resolutions, goals, and promises?

  • Our most important goals are those that will have eternal benefits. That’s not to say that we can’t have other goals, and we can make promises related to our day-to-day lives. But it is important to remember spiritual priorities.

In what way can keeping promises to others, as well as faithfully pursuing “non-spiritual” goals, reflect on the cross or have spiritual implications?

  • By our diligence and faithfulness, we are honoring Christ, whose name we bear. As others witness our faithfulness, they may be inclined to listen to the hope we have in Christ.


Verse #2
Luke 9:51 … “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”

What was the context of this statement? Why are these words from Scripture so comforting?

  • As the time came for Jesus to accomplish his work and return to heaven, he set out, determined to go to Jerusalem and suffer the consequences of our sins. He was resolute in carrying out his mission to redeem us.

Evaluate this statement: Jesus kept his eyes focused not just on Jerusalem, but on the necessity of his death.

  • Jesus knew the cross that awaited him. But he knew that our eternal well-being depended upon him. So he was determined to take the cross upon himself.

 How did we benefit as a result of Jesus’ resolve?

  • The result of Jesus’ resolve is our eternal welfare. We have life now and forever because of his resolve on our behalf.

 How does Jesus’ work influence our goals and promises?

  • Nothing is more important than the hope and peace that is ours through Christ.


Closing Prayer

  • Dear Jesus, our Savior, please help us to keep our resolutions, especially those that have spiritual implications. We live gratefully in you, for you carried out your resolution for us by dying on the cross. You did not shrink back from the most difficult task of all, because you were determined to bring benefit to us all. Instead of running away from our own good goals, help us to trust in you and overcome our fears of failure. In your name, our resurrected Lord, we pray. Amen.

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Quoted verses from: Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted by David Sellnow
28
Mar
2021

Cheering on Sunday, Jeering by Friday

On what has become known as Palm Sunday, in the Holy Land two millennia ago, the great crowd that had come for the Passover festival “heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,’Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord–the King of Israel!’”  The religious leaders in the city said to one another, “Look, the world has gone after him!” (John 12:12-13,19).

Early in the morning on Friday of that same week, “all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death.  They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor. … Now at the festival, the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.  … The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ And they said, ‘Barabbas.’ Pilate said to them, ‘Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ All of them said, ‘Let him be crucified!’” (Matthew 27:1-2,15-18,20-22).


More than a Fair-Weather Friend

by David Sellnow

When you look at the events of Holy Week, you quickly see that there were fair-weather friends of Jesus in Jerusalem. They had heard about Jesus’ miracles, including the amazing act of raising a man named Lazarus from death (cf. John 11). Lazarus and his sisters lived just outside Jerusalem in the town of Bethany, and they were dear friends of his. The people who cheered Jesus as he came from Bethany into Jerusalem wanted so badly to be Jesus’ friends. They were fans. To them, he was a pop hero. They would have made him their king if they could. They hoped he could fulfill all their dreams, rescue their country from the Romans, put bread on their tables, miraculously heal all their diseases, and more. But they discovered that Jesus did not intend to be the type of messiah they wished for. He would not make earthly life a paradise. Instead, he sat and talked during that week about the kingdom of heaven and the end of the world and the judgment of God and spiritual truth. Most people turned away from him and ultimately turned against him.  They fell in line with the religious establishment’s rejection of Jesus, and by week’s end were shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”  They became so vehement in their anger against Jesus that they were willing to call down curses on themselves in demanding his death. “His blood be on us and on our children!” the people as a whole said to the governor who held Jesus’ fate in his hands (Matthew 27:25).

The Palm Sunday cheering crowd became a dramatic example of fair-weather friends of Jesus. They had looked to Jesus primarily for what they could get from him. When they weren’t satisfied, they wanted to get rid of him. 

There were other friends of Jesus who did not turn against him, but they did turn away from him for a time. Jesus’ closest friends, his inner circle of disciples, proved to be fair-weather friends when the storm of opposition hit. Judas, one of them, became an outright enemy and betrayer. The other eleven, in fear, ran away when Jesus was arrested. They struggled to follow and stand with Jesus in the way the proverb had described: “A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity” (Proverbs 17:17). 

Thinking of friends in adversity, there’s a caution to note in that regard too. People can fall into a pattern of being only foul-weather friends of Jesus too. What I mean is that sometimes a person calls out to Jesus in times of trouble and distress, and then forgets about him when the crisis is gone. Think, for instance, of the ten lepers whom Jesus met along the border between Samaria and Galilee. All ten of them cried out to him in their sickness, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13). And Jesus had mercy; he healed them of their disease. But only one came back to offer Jesus thanks. You might say the other nine were “foul-weather friends” of Jesus. When they had a problem, they prayed and prayed, but when the problem was gone, they went on about their business with Jesus out of sight and out of mind.

There are still fair-weather and foul-weather friends of Jesus today. Some neglect him or ignore him. Some turn on him. Some who are now Jesus’ most vocal enemies were once his believing friends. Why do persons turn away from God and become enemies of the gospel? Maybe their hearts become hard or their desires worldly. Maybe they didn’t get from God the answers they wanted and then stopped listening to his message.  

Have we ever been that way? Have we been fair-weather believers, trusting and following Jesus as long as things are good, then giving up and trying to go it on our own when difficulties arise? Or have we been foul-weather friends, coming to Jesus in desperation when we have deep needs in our lives, but losing connection with him when the need is satisfied? 

Though we often may fall into patterns of only fair-weather or only foul-weather friendship toward Jesus, the good news is that he is constant in his commitment and friendship toward us. He is a Savior for all seasons, whether the weather of our lives is fair or foul. When times are good, it is he who is blessing us. When times are frightening, he is the one who gives us hope and security. More than anyone else, Jesus epitomizes what a true friend is and does. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,” Jesus himself said (John 15:13), and then he did exactly that. 

Jesus also said to his friends, his disciples (and to us): “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). He calls us to be the kind of friends to one another and to all persons that he has been to us. 

Jesus’ commitment to humanity was so strong that he weathered all possible scorn and abuse and rejection by the very people he came to serve and save. He was abandoned by those closest to him and suffered a death of isolation under the judgment of heaven itself. He did all this to reclaim us as his friends, to redeem us from our fickle and faithless ways. He promises that even “if we are faithless, he remains faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13). 

God grant that the redeeming work Jesus carried out for us, which we remember during this Holy Week, move our hearts to a deep and lasting relationship with him as our Lord and dearest friend — not just in fair weather or foul, but every day in every way.

—–

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted by David Sellnow
02
Jan
2021

Spiritual resolve

by David Sellnow

The Harris Poll conducts surveys annually about people’s New Year’s resolutions. According to their recent survey, more Americans are making resolutions for 2021 than did so for 2020.  Nearly half the population plans to make at least one resolution for the year ahead. Among younger adults (ages 18-39), the number of resolution-makers approaches 60%. What sorts of resolutions are people making?  Some of the common ones are:
   – exercise regularly;
   – lose weight or manage weight;
   – budget/save/invest money;
   – practice more self-care;
   – learn a new skill.

Resolutions like those aren’t altogether out of line with biblical thoughts.  We are stewards of our bodies and minds, which are “fearfully and wonderfully made” by our creator (Psalm 139:14). We are like a city breached by invaders if we lack self-control (cf. Proverbs 25:28). We know money and resources should be handled carefully, as the proverb teaches: “Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise, but the fool devours it” (Proverbs 21:20).  And caring for ourselves is implied in the second greatest commandment of God’s law: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31).  Taking care of ourselves is necessary if we are going to care for our neighbors.

As people of faith, though, deeper resolves have a higher priority.  Scripture focuses on spiritual resolve, on committing ourselves to the Lord who has committed himself to us. As we enter this new year, let’s consider some of the themes that align with what Jesus called the first and greatest commandment:  “The Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).  Allow me to set forth some themes (along with scriptures) that speak of our spiritual resolves. 

Spiritual resolves for our lives in Christ

1. Cling to eternal hope

  • “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:19,20). So, with clear resolve, we can stay strong in hope always. “God … gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore … be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:57,58).

2. Take hold of our calling as God’s children 

  • That we are God’s children is a miracle of grace. It is because of God’s love “that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are” (1 John 3:1). Since God is our Father, we lay claim to our place with him.  We “take hold of the eternal life to which [we] were called” (1 Timothy 6:12). We resolve to “lead a life worthy of the calling” we have received (Ephesians 4:1), knowing that we have been adopted as “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).

3. Examine ourselves and repent

  • Before rushing to judgment of anyone else and accusing a neighbor of having clouded vision, we realize that there are log-sized splinters in our own eyes (cf. Matthew 7:1-5).  “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8,9). We resolve each day to “test and examine our ways and return to the Lord,” lifting up “our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven” (Lamentations 3:40,41).

4. Give attention to what God says 

  • In The Book of Common Prayer (1549), Archbishop Thomas Cranmer expressed the prayer that we “hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” God’s words for our lives, so that through those words “we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life.”  A heart full of spiritual resolve will delight in God’s truth, saying, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalm 119:103).  Members of Christ’s family will treasure the good news about what God has done and ponder such things in our hearts (cf. Luke 2:19).

5. Pray and labor in the Lord

  • The God who speaks to us in his Word also listens to our concerns. “When you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you,” he promises (Jeremiah 29:12), and affirms that our prayers are “powerful and effective” (James 5:16). As we set our hearts to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), let’s resolve to pray not just for ourselves. There is a world in need of our concerted prayer and action. We want to offer “prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings … for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:1). And as we pray, we look for ways to be an answer to others’ prayers. Jesus urged seventy of his followers to “ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” as he was commissioning them to go out into communities in his name (Luke 10:1-9). So also as we pray, we will keep our eyes open for opportunities to be agents of God’s mercy to others, knowing that “to do good and to share what you have” and “to care for orphans and widows in their distress” are the sorts of things God considers pleasing sacrifices and the purest expression of our religious convictions (Hebrews 13:16, James 1:27).

May these sorts of resolves–rooted in our spiritual identity and putting into practice our spiritual priorities–be strong in our hearts this year and every year.  “May the God of peace himself sanctify [us] entirely. … The one who calls [us] is faithful, and he will do this” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted by David Sellnow
27
Dec
2019

Confessing Christian faith

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on September 27, 2015.

In a theology course which included study of the ancient creeds of the church, I invited participants to write their own confessions of faith.  I’d like to share one of those confessional writings, which stated truths of the faith in a clear and thoughtful way.

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A Christian Creed

by Tim Walsh

I believe in God; God the almighty Father, God the perfect Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  These three persons are all God, and God all three of these persons – not one God wearing different masks, nor three distinct Gods, but one triune God, whose nature no one can understand.

This triune God, present from eternity, created everything out of nothing, and the world he made was entirely perfect – in his own words, “very good.” But humanity, the crown of his creation, rebelled against him, ruining the world that God had given to us. From that time, we have been by nature sinful. By our nature we seek to serve only ourselves, and as the first man and woman did, we flee from God at his approach, fearing his holy judgment. And because of this we deserve nothing more than death, for our rejection and hatred of the one who gave us life.

 

But God was not willing to see us separated from him for eternity. And so in his infinite love, the Father sent his beloved Son into our world. The Son of God took on flesh and was born from a virgin, and was given the name Jesus. In him full God and full man coexisted – not by a mingling of the natures, nor by some supernatural possession, or by dividing him into two halves, but together, in a way no one can understand. This Jesus, who was called Christ, lived a perfect, holy life, and he was unjustly executed to pay for the sins of all mankind. On a Roman cross he suffered the punishment that belonged to you, and to me, and to every other person who has lived or ever will. Jesus – God himself – died on that cross, and in his death he paid the price for every sin ever committed. And he did not stay dead! On the third day, he rose from the dead, and after appearing to his followers, returned to heaven forty days later. And I believe that, just as Christ was raised from the dead, so too will I be raised on the last day.

I do not believe any of this by my own choice. Indeed, if believing were left to me, I would surely be damned, for I am a wretched, ungrateful sinner. But through no merit of my own, God chose me to be one of his beloved children. He brought me into his fold by the work of the Holy Spirit, who inspired faith in my heart through the preaching of the good news of Jesus and the washing of baptism. I could never and would never have chosen him, but he chose me.

I do not deserve any of the incredible gifts that have been showered upon me by God. Every day brings blessing after blessing, and all I can do is praise God for his grace. Likewise, when sorrow and troubles come my way, I cling to the knowledge that the gift of salvation – the greatest gift ever given – is mine. No hardship can overshadow the joy that I take from this.

As one of God’s children, my life is not my own. I belong to my Father in heaven. I want to dedicate my whole life to him, just as Christ dedicated his life to me. In everything I do, I seek his glory, not my own. My every action, every step, every breath, is an opportunity to proclaim his name and the good things he has done.

This is what I believe.

Posted by kyriesellnow
27
Dec
2019

Giving up something for Lent (and more)

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on February 21, 2015.

Giving up ourselves for others

by David Sellnow

Have you given up something for Lent?  The history of Lenten fasting dates back to the ancient church. Many Christians continue to observe Lent as a time to set aside things of this world and focus on faith.  And nowadays the practice of giving up something for Lent has been adopted by many non-religious people too.    31-year-old David Powers of Los Angeles, disc jockey and band member and medical marijuana seller, hasn’t participated in church since he was in high school.  But as a personal thing, during Lent he gives up his own marijuana use.  He says, “Lent has been a great excuse for me to take a much-needed break from pot, and I have learned that I really don’t need it to get by. … I think that the idea of giving up something that you love, especially something that isn’t especially good for you, once a year, is a really good idea that everyone could benefit from.”[1]

David Powers’ approach – give up something you love for a while – is a popular approach.  According to the ultimate source of truth on what’s happening in the world, Twitter, the #1 thing that people are giving up for Lent is chocolate.  Fast food and junk food rank in the top ten also.  Oh, and the #2 thing people are giving up, according to Twitter, is … Twitter.[2]   So, well, maybe that’s not an entirely reliable source of truth then.

I don’t want to trivialize the habits of those who give up something for Lent in a serious-minded way as a part of a Christ-centered devotional focus.    After all, as a very gospel-focused man once said, “Fasting and other outward preparations may serve a good purpose.”[3]  But I do wonder if the whole concept of me giving up something for a while to try to be a better me is missing the point of what it means to live a life of faith.

What if instead of me giving up some small thing (like chocolate or junk food) for six weeks, the Lord asked me to give up my whole self for my whole life?   What if living as a redeemed and reborn person in Christ meant, in my relationships with others, having “the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5)?  That for you it means you “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit” but instead you “value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you looking to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3,4)?   That is, of course, exactly the sort of life Christ calls us to live as his people —

  • Christ, who himself came not to be served but to serve;
  • Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for many (cf. Mark 10:45);
  • Christ who, as the apostle Paul reminded us, “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).

My brothers and sisters, redeemed people of God in Christ, rescued from our own sinfulness and set free to live in love by the strength of Jesus’ love for us, we are called to give up ourselves, to give up our selfishness, to give up our me-first attitudes … and to do so not just for Lent but for all our days.

The apostle Paul talked about giving up ourselves—putting ourselves in second place in relationship to others—in regard to matters we refer to as adiaphora, matters where there is not one absolute way in which we must view things or do things. In “disputable matters,” as Paul termed them, the important thing is that we give up our own ambition to be always right or always in charge or always getting our way and live in love and consideration of one another.

These are selected verses from Paul’s letter to the Romans (14:1 thru 15:7):

  • Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. … 
  •  For none of us lives for ourselves alone,and none of us dies for ourselves alone.  If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
  • You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. …
  • Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. …
  • Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. .  We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.  Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.  For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” …  May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

[1] Gabrielle Canon, Celebrating Lent: Why Non-Religious Millennials are Choosing to Sacrifice,” Southern California Public Radio (March 29, 2013).  http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/03/29/36612/celebrating-lent-why-non-religious-millennials-are/

[2] http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/march/what-to-give-up-for-lent-2014-twitter-reveals-top-100-choic.html?paging=off

[3] Martin Luther, Small Catechism – “The Reception of Holy Communion”

Posted by kyriesellnow
27
Dec
2019

Heart, soul and mind

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on November 5, 2014.

This blog post is from a dear friend whose faith and passion I admire much … and yet she realizes how much she needs the passion of Christ in order to be passionate for Christ.

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Passion for Christ

by Danica Scharlemann

Think for a moment of something that you are passionate about. Perhaps it’s football–not only do you play, but you know the statistics of every NFL player and you know every rule to the game. You’ve joined every fantasy league you could. Every Sunday you are glued to the television; you never miss a game. You’re simply addicted to the sport. … Maybe your passion is cooking. The moment you open the kitchen pantry, you are taken to another world. You instinctually begin creating formulas for fresh, delectable recipes. … For me it’s piano. I’ve sat at the piano bench and lost myself for hours in the meditation of the sounds of each key. I wonder at the immeasurable amount of music that can be played with only 88 keys, 8 distinct notes, 10 agile fingers, 1 pianist.

Now, these are all great passions, wonderful blessings from our Lord, but think about how much time you dedicate to these hobbies. For some of us, they may consume our lives, at least for a season.  During his years of ministry among us, Christ preached, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind” (cf. Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27).  Read that again, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind.” Have you ever done anything with all of your heart and soul and mind? God wants us to be passionate about him, loving him with every single part of us. If someone asked me to make a list of things I’m most passionate about, I doubt the first thing to come to my mind would be God. I would turn to things that interest or fascinate me, i.e. piano, math. I may mention my dedication to family and friends or loyalty to my place of employment. I don’t know how far down my list I’d have to write until I thought to mention God. Yet whenever I hear this passage, I simply brush it off as something that we are told time and time again, something that every Christian instinctually does. Yes, I go to church every Sunday. I’ve attended private Lutheran schools my whole life. For goodness sake, I attend a college that prepares people to be ministers! Yet none of those facts are any type of proof that I love my Lord with ALL my heart, ALL my soul, and ALL of my mind. It’s as if we try to keep our relationship with Christ separate from our daily interests when we need to be integrating him into every moment of our lives.

We will always fail when trying to love God with all of ourselves. No matter how much passion we feel for our Lord, it is never enough. Yet, when we had no love for Christ, when we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). God felt so passionately for you, that he sent his Son to live perfectly and die gruesomely, just so that you may have life. This is the Passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He loves us with all of his heart, all of his soul, an all of his mind. His love for us is immeasurable–incomparable with anything that we have ever experienced.

Now I don’t expect you to leave after hearing this and become some type of born again Christian, speaking only Biblical truths and studying only your Bibles. But perhaps if we spent as much time studying God as we do the football games each Sunday, perhaps then we may grow in passion for our Lord. Perhaps then we won’t become stagnant in our studies of Scripture. Perhaps then we may begin to learn what it means to love our Lord with all of our hearts, all of our souls, and all of our minds … as Jesus fills us up more and more in our hearts, our souls, our minds.

Posted by kyriesellnow