love

27
Dec
2019

Don’t make life more difficult for those hurt by others’ sins

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on May 6, 2015.

A dear friend wrote the following thoughts about life as she had experienced it.  Her message is something we in the church need to consider.

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My Life as a Child of Divorce

Author’s name withheld

I am a product of divorce.  It has surrounded me my entire life.  As a child, it defined me.  As an adult, it scares me.  In the United States, an estimated fifty percent of marriages end in divorce.  That means when you get married, there is a high chance it will fail.  In our churches, we believe that there are two biblical causes for divorce: malicious desertion and marital unfaithfulness.   The divorces that impacted me fell into such a category.  It didn’t matter though.  In the church I was treated differently because of them.   My parents were divorced – so of course I must be a troubled child.  At least that’s how everyone made me feel.

I was too young to remember my parents getting divorced.  As I started school, however—a church-sponsored school—I started to notice that I was being treated differently than the other students.  For one, I was new and the other kids just kind of looked at me funny.  Second, I was always naughty.  Maybe I played into the assumptions, sure.  If I was going to get reprimanded, might as well get to enjoy what I would be scolded for.  This was first grade.  As school continued, it got worse.  Although I did make friends, you would never hear me talk about my parents and their being divorced.  I knew divorce was bad, and I would get embarrassed and worried for my parents spiritual lives when we would talk about the 6th commandment in school.  “You shall not commit adultery.” Divorce means adultery.  It would click in my head, and I would sit there and not say anything about it in class. I sometimes wonder if my teachers ever noticed that it bothered me.

Time moved on and I ignored things and was still “talking too much” or “not listening.” I would dread the talk on commandments but school was school. It was normal.

In my 6th grade year, my mom got married again.  He was a great guy;  my sister and I really liked him.  But later, we found out he was a struggling drug addict.  In 6th grade, you are just turning into a teenager; you’re awkward, and you care way too much what your friends think.   As selfish as it is, I didn’t think too much on the fact that my family was falling apart but more at the idea of my mom getting ANOTHER divorce.  I was embarrassed and sad, wondering if my mom would be okay to go to heaven.  I heard not a word from anybody in my church or school about it.  It seemed it wasn’t to be talked about.  I look back and wonder why no one could have made it clear to me that I was okay, that my sister was okay, that my mom was okay.  This man’s drug addiction, which he chose over us in the long run, was him not doing his marital duties.  He essentially deserted us.  The comfort I would have had in hearing that sort of understanding from the church would have changed my life, I think.  But no, I avoided having friends come over, avoided ever talking about my family.  And when the 6th commandment came around in class, I remember not wanting to go to school that day.

I went to school that day.  No one clarified anything to me or comforted me or anything.  To their credit, maybe they didn’t know I was struggling with such things, and maybe I should have asked.  But what twelve-year-old is going to raise her hand in class at a religious school and say, “Is my mom’s divorce okay?”  That would never happen.

Eventually I came to my senses a little.  I looked into it myself and started putting things together.  I realized, my mom’s divorce was biblically sound.  Still, that didn’t mean I wasn’t treated differently.   I went to a Christian high school, and not many people there had divorced or separated parents.  Even though I started to get my school life on track and realized I didn’t have to be the wounded, naughty student, it didn’t stop certain things in my life.  I had a serious boyfriend for about two years, who ultimately broke up with me because my parents were divorced.  He said he “just couldn’t deal with it and felt like he could never marry me.”   Couldn’t marry me … we were just kids in high school!  But it showed me again how divorced persons are perceived as having committed some heretical sin.  My boyfriend knew the whole story and still felt that way.  It is infuriating.

Divorce is hard on children.  As a small child and even as a teenager, dealing with your parents splitting and the conflict and assumptions around you – it is really hard.  I always wanted to be the pastor’s daughter whom everyone loved and had “no problems.” As silly as that is, it was impossibly hard to think that you will always be looked at like you’re sinful because your parents are divorced.

God knows that mistakes are made.  I’m not saying he approves or is okay with sin, but he knows we humans are sinful.  Sometimes divorce can be looked at by some people as about the worst of sins.  Why is that the case?  One sort of sinner is not better than another.  People who get divorced—even not for biblical reasons—can be forgiven.   Our focus shouldn’t be on the stigma of certain sins, but on the repentance and faith of the sinner.

Now the real question is: What can we do about this?  It goes further than just divorce. What about the people who struggle with other challenges and sins?  People who are judged for their circumstances can be turned off by such judgment.  I’m not saying to accept people in their sins, absolutely not.  But we need to show patience and understanding.  Both law and gospel need to be applied.  Struggling sinners are forgiven because Jesus died for them.

Also, do not make assumptions.  You do not know the story behind a divorce most of the time.   Do not assume everyone who is divorced came to that position by pursuing sin.  Some have been deeply hurt and sinned against.  And we have no clue what is in another person’s heart. Approach persons with support and with loving words.  That could be all they need to begin healing.

The point of this article is not to complain about how challenging my childhood was or how everyone around me handled things wrong.  That is not true.  Although my childhood had rough spots, it was not horrible.  I am writing this to raise awareness of things that could be happening if we are open to helping one another.  Life is hard; we are sinful people.  What is most important—in fact, the ONLY thing that is ultimately important—is what Christ did for us.  “God gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).    Let us praise our Lord above for being a gracious loving God who forgives all sins.  And let us seek to help and forgive each other, rather than making life even more difficult for those who’ve been affected by hurtful sins.

Posted by kyriesellnow
27
Dec
2019

Three little words

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on December 2, 2014.

When we say, “I love you,” do we mean it?  Karla Kehl offers some thought on that subject – with a focus on the consistent reliability of God’s love.

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I. Love. You.

by Karla Kehl

“I love you!” is a common phrase.  How often have you heard this said? Many times, it seems we cannot say it enough to someone and other times we say it because we feel we have to, or merely to fill a moment of silence.  Just think about the last time you said or heard, “I love you!” – a phrase that claims to say it all.  What really was meant?

Let’s look at the phrase more closely. “I” is a simple enough word to understand. It tends to be the word we interject into our conversations even if the conversation isn’t about us.  “I” becomes the subject we talk about the most, not necessarily because we are arrogant, but because we know the most about it. Other words, such as “me” and “my” are related and seem to stream out of our mouths more than all other words.  Look at any story from a 10-year-old child. The writing will most likely begin every sentence with “I” in some way or form … and our perspective tends to stay that way as we age.  When it comes right down to it, we are only concerned about number one: me.

Now let’s venture into the vast world of “love.” There are many kinds of love—agape (committed love), philia (brotherly love), eros (erotic love) , etc. Depending on the person we say the word “love” to, the meaning changes. But do we actually love the person? Many times we are tempted to think of our feelings when we think of people we love, not necessarily the person and their qualities. For instance, how many times has “I love your sense of humor,” or something similar, entered our conversations? What is the subject of that sentence?  The subject is “I” and the verb is “love.”  So really, we aren’t focused on the other person at all! Again, it’s all about number one and how that other person makes me feel.  “I love your sense of humor” may well mean “I love that you make me laugh.”

And now let’s talk about “you.”  Although the word “you” is used quite a bit in everyday language, it usually to refers to another person or group of people. Did you catch that? We are talking about people here. There is nothing more complex on the face of the earth than people. So it begs the question: When we say, “I love you,” are we saying we love the whole person and all the complexities and details we could possibly think of, even their faults?

The answer to all of these questions is simply: God is wonderful, humans are not.  Jesus can say, “I love you” in perfection. You see, he is the subject of our lives and our salvation. When he says, “I,” he means it. After all, he is God, the ultimate number one. And God never minces words with “love.”  If you could look at the Greek version of the New Testament, you’d discover that God has a specific purpose each time for the specific word for “love” that he chose to use.

As saved and redeemed children of our wonderful God, we are truly loved, even when we were dead in sin. And best of all, God loves all of us, our whole person, so much that in Christ he became human with us, lived a perfect life in our place, and then spread his arms out on the dreaded cross to die for us.  And he rose again from death to claim the victory over sin, death, and especially the devil.

In the end, only God can say, “I love you” and truly mean it. This does not mean, however, that we should forget ever telling someone we love them or that we have to come up with a new phrase to tell people we love them. The beauty of the phrase is its simplicity—I’m not going to argue with that. It connects two people who really, truly love one another with only one word that says it all. Love is what connects people. The point is to think about what “I love you” really means and how much more powerful it is when our dear Lord says it to us as sinners … and how much more powerful our love for others is when the love of Christ is in our actions and words.

Because of the love of our gracious God, we will go to our heavenly home someday. How incredibly wonderful that will be!   We can truly say God loves us and we love him!

Posted by kyriesellnow
26
Dec
2019

A love song

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on September 12, 2014.  This post takes a poetic form, a song lyric written by a young musician.

A love song

by Casey Sauer

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Dear, why are you hiding? And who has hurt you?
Your beauty is being locked inside
Please come to me and let me heal you
I am the Rock; in me abide
Your strength can’t help, sorry to say
It only hurts worse, so do not delay
It’s time to surrender and take down this mask
I’m here to help, in any way you ask
So give up your armor and put down your sword
I’ll be your protector, my name is the Lord
No one can beat me, no need to retreat
When it’s up to you, it’s always defeat
Please give me your trust; I will not fail
It’s for your own good that you don’t prevail
Your faith will rise and I’ll open your eyes
Now heart, be free
So run now with grace, ever seeking my face
Just look to the letters I wrote you
They’ll give you comfort, they’ll give you peace
Not like a man, or money, or you
I am different you see, It’s hard to explain
A lot of things about me can never be plain
But a few things are, and here’s one or two
I will never fail, nor will my love for you
So give up your armor and put down your sword
I’ll be your protector, my name is the Lord
No one can beat me, no need to retreat
When it’s up to you, it’s always defeat
Please give me your trust; I will not fail
I’ll shelter your beauty, through storms it will sail
Your faith will rise and I’ll open your eyes
Now heart, be free
You’ll feel the fire of love again
The way it’s meant to be
Just remember darling, in everything,
You’re perfect to me
So give up your armor, and put down your sword
I am your protector, you know me as “Lord”
No one can beat me, no need to retreat
I will stand for you through everything
Your trust in me will be your light
You will be the one shining at night
I’ve filled your heart with mercy and grace
Now heart, you’re free.

Posted by kyriesellnow
24
Dec
2019

Be liberal with your love

Originally posted on the Electric Gospel on July 3, 2018.

Last year for Independence Day, I posted a message titled, “To Change a Nation, You Must Change Souls.”   I thought I’d post something again this year for the national holiday — something that says a little bit about how the culture of politics often differs from how hearts are moved by faith.

Feel free to share this post with others.

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Be Liberal with your Love

by David Sellnow

I want to be liberal, and hope you will be too.  I’m not talking about political liberalism, but the kind of liberality that every Christian will want to espouse.  Our hearts go out to all those in need of spiritual guidance or physical assistance.  Our gifts will flow freely, liberally, in order to bring needed benefits to them.

I fear that some within the Christian community have so adopted the doctrines of political conservatism that they become unwilling to practice liberal Christian kindness, which is eager to assist those in need.  A church member—a dear, dedicated lady—argued against giving aid to struggling families.  Our congregation was providing them with vouchers to the community food bank.  Bear in mind, we paid pennies per pound for the food, and our annual expense for this charitable effort was less than one percent of our congregational budget.  It wasn’t the amount of our donations that sparked this woman’s objection.  It was the principle of the matter.  She was firmly convinced that helping the poor encouraged helplessness and dependency.  This can sometimes be the case, but is not always so. The Bible writer James described a scenario in which an individual is truly in need of help.  You can’t tell him he should budget his income better; he has no income.  You can’t say he should work harder; he has no job and no prospects.  The person James pictured is literally naked and absolutely lacking.  He’s got nothing.  He’s totally helpless.  Will you help him … or will you pass by on the other side of the street?  James’ brother, Jesus our Savior, told a parable that warned against behavior like that.  Jesus’ parable pictured a priest and a Levite passing by on the other side of the road when they encountered one of their countrymen who had been robbed and beaten and left for dead (cf. Luke 10:30-37).  Being a true neighbor means helping anyone that you see in a position of need—as the good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable exemplified.

Along with our inaction toward neighbors in need in the communities where we live, we have allowed ourselves to fall into similar attitudes globally.  We see Third World inhabitants as the concern of international policymakers, not of personal concern to us.  We fear foreigners as threats to our jobs through outsourcing, or we want them as markets for our products through exporting.  We fail to remember that they are, first of all, people.  They deserve our evangelistic concern and Christian compassion.  If love for others—including strangers and foreigners—is not in our hearts, can we say the love of God is in us?  “He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. … If a man says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:8,20)?

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“Be liberal with your love” is excerpted from the book, Faith Lives in Our Actions: God’s Message in James Chapter 2.  Get the eBook for your Kindle, or you can download the free Kindle app to read on any device

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Deep love

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on August 16, 2017.

Loving like Christ

by Alissa Ambroso
Alissa wrote this devotion for use with her high school students at a Christian academy where she was teaching.

Whether we want to admit it or not, dating has a major impact on the high school experience. It’s considered to be embarrassing if you don’t get asked to prom, it becomes a devastation if you break up with your beau, and some high schoolers may date multiple people throughout their high school careers. It becomes essential to have an Instagram relationship, a publicly intimate profile with intentional, filtered, and perfected photographs of holding hands and beach kisses. There are so many high schoolers today that feel they are “in love” with their boyfriend or girlfriend. We need to examine these relationships because many of you will face the same thing. While facing enormous pressures in the world of high school dating, I want you to remember to chase only one thing: Jesus. When you seek God’s approval rather than your boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s approval, you are trusting God with your heart. You want to make sure that you do not just fall in love with being in love.

What does it mean to seek God’s approval rather than a boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s approval? We look to the Bible for that answer. The Bible describes an unconditional, unequaled love that no one else can possibly match. If you’ve ever felt like you cannot possibly go on without your boyfriend or girlfriend, I am here to tell you that God loves you more than you could possibly imagine. Because he loves you that much, he wants your whole heart, not just when it is convenient. Trusting God with your heart means that if you find yourself the only person without a date, or look at your news feed and see that everyone else is getting engaged, or you have never been in love, but have chased God as your priority in life, you will know the closest thing to a Christ-like love in this world.

The problem is that there is no absence of “love” in society. People describe everything from enjoying a certain type of food to deep affection for another human being with the word “love.” There is such a wide variety of definitions it’s no wonder we get confused about the true meaning! Do we feel love or do we do things in love? Well, we do both.  When we decide to honor another person, love is the action we take no matter how we feel.  The apostle John described love with the word “agape” in Greek language.  It is not merely a feeling based on emotion or affection, although emotion can and will be present.  Deep love is something we choose to do and put our minds to doing. Agape love is grace; it is undeserved love. There is a major difference between shallow love and Christian love. Truth and love go hand-in-hand, so that where Christ’s truth is, there true love will be, and where true love is there the Truth will be. Agape love is more than just a warm, fuzzy feeling inside of us. Christian love is completely selfless, never looking for a personal benefit. Does this mean we can never be angry with our significant other? Absolutely not! It means we look to build them up, rather than strike them down. It means that we strive to show Christ’s love to help the other person feel loved by him. It may mean we don’t want to go to their basketball game, but we do so to support them. It means we may not want to wake up early to make breakfast for our whining kids, but we do so because we love them. Christ’s love has zero hint of selfishness. It is sacrificing, everlasting. It is not rude, does not boast, is not self-seeking, and keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8). There’s no harm in keeping a list of things you want in your future spouse and, if you’re like me, you already may have made a list of characteristics. But I want you to use Scripture to make that list.  If you’re able to keep chasing God and allow the godly man to chase you, you’ll find that all of those characteristics get checked in time. Now, this isn’t a quick fix to the so called “problem” of singleness. Yes, it may be lonely during the homecoming dance, it may be difficult seeing everyone around you in seemingly happy relationships, but there is no greater love than the love your Father in heaven has for you. Trust him with your whole heart.

So how will you know if the person that comes into your life is someone you should be with? Remember that true love seeks the truth, is always healing, never harming. If your relationship emphasizes Christ’s truth together and looks to build each other up rather than cutting down, pray. That well may be the right relationship for your future. Notice I didn’t say that it was the right relationship without a doubt. God may bring many Christian men or women into your life, but relying on the principles you learn in his Word, his truth will guide you toward godly decisions.  Date intentionally. A boyfriend or girlfriend who does not love what you love cannot help you grow closer to that love. If the person you have interest in is not following Christ, then you need to reevaluate those feelings and think about who you’re chasing. Agape love isn’t just expressing your feelings; it’s also about listening to their feelings. Again, it is selfless. When your significant other asks you about your day, without hopes of more time to talk about theirs, it is an attempt to show love. A pastor wisely said, “Listening in love means we seek to understand others on their own terms, as they themselves want to be understood.” It goes beyond being physically supportive. Listening to one another is possible because first we listen to the Lord.

While an unconditional love in this world can’t compare to the truly unconditional love of Christ for his people, we can strive for such a love. Focus on Christ until the person you will love always in Christ comes into your life. Whoever may come down your road, always ask yourself, “Who am I pursuing?”
Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Learning lessons about friendship

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on April 13, 2017.

Learning lessons about friendship


by Megan Koester
This letter is written to those I wished had been my friends in grade school, or the ones that were my friends, but as the years went on they faded away due to rumors and bad reputations.

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Dear schoolmates,

We have been going to school together for a few years now, but there are times that we do not all get along. Some days we are all the best of friends and we all play together at recess, but on other days none of you want to be seen with me. I am writing this to explain my side of the story and to hopefully better understand why things are the way they are.

I know that no one is perfect and that is why feelings can be hurt. What happens is we do not always put others above ourselves; everyone is guilty of it. I also understand that it is easy sometimes to leave people out without realizing it, but I’m hoping this letter can make you realize it. You might also hear things about people and believe them to be true, but that is not always the case.

I look to the eighth commandment when struggling with a possible rumor. As the commandment says, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). When you get told something about someone and you are not sure it is true, the best step is to talk to the person first. Ask whether or not it is true, because stories get made up or sometimes they get accidentally changed, like in the game telephone. Always keep that person’s reputation in mind. No matter what you hear, think of that person first and talk to them. There is an important proverb to remember in regard to gossip: “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret” (Proverbs 11:13).

A true friend is someone who looks out for others and includes them in everything. All of us struggle with this and may leave people out. This can be for many reasons. It might even be because of the rumors you have heard about the person. Other times we leave people out because they do not fit in our group of friends. The problem never goes away. Even parents leave other adults out of an activity because they feel they do not belong.

Think of the story of Zacchaeus. Jesus called him out of the tree and went to his house for dinner. Jesus’ disciples were unhappy about this because Zacchaeus they saw him as a dirty tax collector. Jewish tax collectors were disliked because they would cheat people out of more money than needed. The tax collectors would then keep that extra money for themselves. The disciples thought Zacchaeus did not deserve to be eating with their leader, our Savior. Jesus pointed out that he had come to earth to save everyone, and everyone was the same in God’s eyes. Everyone was covered in sins and needed their sins washed away.

In our lives, everyone is different, yet we all are forgiven because of God’s love. We are loved, and we too want to love everyone because of Christ’s love in us. One of my favorite passages is 1 John 4:19 – “We love because he first loved us.” This is, of course, difficult for all of us to do because we are sinful, but because of God’s mercy and Jesus’ death we are forgiven.

Next time you hear a rumor or are about to leave someone out of your group, talk to the person. Take a moment to show the love that Jesus showed you. Go out and show that love to others because Jesus has filled us with much to share with everyone around.  I will continue to pray for you, and I ask that you continue to pray for me.

Your sister in Christ,

Megan

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

God doesn’t hold grudges

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on February 25, 2017.
Author’s name withheld by her request

God doesn’t hold grudges

She could not forgive herself. She was convinced that God was angry with her over her sins. She felt the need to keep begging for forgiveness as though God were holding a grudge against her. She just assumed that until God was satisfied that she had suffered enough for her sin, he would not help her if she prayed for help. The reason this woman felt this way was because, as a child, someone would grow coldly silent for long periods of time and hold grudges against her. She tried and tried to get forgiveness but nothing worked. As a child, she didn’t have many experiences and this was normal to her. She ended up translating this behavior to God.

Maybe you endured someone’s silent anger when you were growing up. Maybe it is happening now. Maybe you tried and tried without success to get this person to forgive you. As a result of this, you may have a hard time forgiving yourself, thinking that God is treating you the same way. Maybe you feel like you can’t be forgiven. Maybe you can’t forgive yourself.

God is not like this. He did not wait until you “suffered enough” to send Jesus to be your Savior. If he had, Jesus never would have come, because we deserve nothing less than eternal suffering for our sins. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  Jesus died for you when there was nothing good in you. That is how much he loves you. Because Jesus was punished for you, your sins have been forgiven in full. “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).  There is no need to earn your forgiveness by begging God. Your forgiveness was accomplished when Jesus died on the cross. When he looks at you, God sees Jesus’ righteousness in place of your sins. Because of this, you can live in peace, knowing that Jesus already did everything necessary for you to be forgiven. God does not hold grudges, no matter what it is you have done. Like Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, he will say to you, “‘Then neither do I condemn you…Go now and leave your life of sin’” (John 8:11).

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Are you tired?

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on September 24, 2016.

Are you tired?

by Mary Meyer

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

So often, I’m so tired.  Between school and work, I chase from one task to another and get worn out.  Have you ever been so tired that you couldn’t keep your eyes open, no matter how hard you tried?  Doctors say that kids anywhere from the ages of 6-13 need about 9-11 hours of sleep.  Teenagers need 8-10 hours, and adults need 7-9 hours (Mayo Clinic). When we don’t get that amount of sleep in a night, our bodies feel weak and tired.  When we are overtired, we turn to our beds, cuddle up with a blanket and drift into dreamy sleep.

There’s another kind of tired, though, that sleep alone can’t cure.  When Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened” (Matthew 11:28), he wasn’t talking so much about being physically tired, but about being mentally, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. That happens to us because of how sin-burdened our whole world is (cf. Romans 8:22-24).  When life in this world is wearing us down, Jesus calls out to us, inviting us into his open arms.  “I will give you rest,” he said (Matthew 11:28).  When a nap isn’t enough, Jesus wraps us up in his love.  We don’t need to worry about the big science test coming up, or be frustrated by obstacles in life that make us feel overwhelmed.  We have God’s constant promises.  We have his powerful hand reassuring us that he will always take care of us.  “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32)?  When we are sick, when we have committed a sin, when we are just plain tired of our busy lives, Jesus is there as our spiritual resting place. He tells us that he loves us, he forgives us, and that he will have his hand on our shoulders in every time of need.

The next time you feel that things are getting too hard or that your body aches with tiredness, fold your hands, bow your head, and rely on Christ’s all-encompassing love to comfort you. Jesus cares for you.  In him always you will find the rest that you need.

Prayer:
Dear Savior, lift us up when we feel weak, give us comfort when we feel burdened, and give us rest when we feel tired. We know that you care about us and our needs, because you died under the weight of all our sins and rose again to bring us back to life.  Help us to feel awake and free, so that we may sing your praise forever. Amen.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Blessed are the peacemakers

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on September 12, 2015.

Blessed are the peacemakers

by David Sellnow

“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18).

What does it mean to be a peacemaker?  Is it about negotiation, mediation, conciliation, arbitration?  I suppose if you’re a diplomat trying to resolve tensions and conflicts on this or that part of the planet, that’s what peacemakers do.  But that’s not exactly what James was writing about when he spoke of sowing peace and reaping a harvest of righteousness.

Think of the message of peace you hear in the Bible again and again.  What sort of peace is it?  Where is it found?  Let me remind you of some prominent passages:

  • Psalm 29:11 … The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
  • Isaiah 9:6-7 …  To us a child is born, to us a son is given …  He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
  • Isaiah 53:4-5 … [The Servant of God] was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
  • Isaiah 54:10 … “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
  • John 14:27 … Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
  • Romans 5:1 … Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Philippians 4:7 … The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
  • And the beginning lines of several epistles:  “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 2 Thessalonians, Philemon).

Peace comes from God, from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Peace was brought into the world for us by Jesus Christ.  True peace, lasting peace, saving peace is what God gives us in Christ.  It is just as the angels announced when Jesus was born into this world for us, saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).

So again, when James says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18), remember that he’s writing to us as “believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ” (James 2:1).  The peace we sow is the peace that comes from Christ.  The righteousness we reap is the righteousness found in Christ.

In tangible terms, how do you sow peace day by day?  How do you act as a peacemaker?

Well, it starts with talking to people.  It starts with greeting people, caring about people, getting to know people.  The early church had a tradition of the kiss of peace.  At the end of several of the epistles in the New Testament, God’s people are encouraged, “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians).  Maybe you’d think a kiss in church would be weird – it’s not your cultural custom.  But the point is to connect with each other, to relate to each other, to be encouragers of one another in Christ.  A hug, a kiss, a handshake, an arm around someone’s shoulder – along with the reassurance of peace and love and hope in Jesus – that’s how we are peacemakers with one another.

As Christians living in community with one another and with other neighbors, does it happen that sometimes we don’t even take the time or the care to introduce ourselves to each other?  At school or at work, we don’t go over to sit at lunch with someone we haven’t met before.  In the neighborhood, we avoid interactions more often than we befriend and connect with others.  In the community, we pass each other in our cars on the street or with our carts in the stores, but maybe not much more.  I know; I understand.  We’re all so very busy.  We all have so much work and so many tasks to do.  But what is our first calling to one another?  Is it not to be peacemakers – to be peace-bringers – to be gospel encouragers to one another day by day, sharing the peace of Jesus?   Paul put it to us this way:  “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. … Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:15-16).   The Bible tells us to “carry each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), to “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).  Day by day, in the midst of each day’s business and busyness, Jesus is calling us to be peacemakers in his name, to sow seeds of his peace, his hope, his love, his forgiveness.  As we do so, the Spirit of God produces a harvest of righteousness in our lives and in our relationships with one another.

I urge you to follow up on this message with intentional action.  To those you know and those you don’t yet know, keep reaching out with a hand of fellowship, with a kiss of peace, with the love of Christ.  You are peacemakers to one another and to all the world in his name.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Cleansed by Christ

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on February 7, 2015.

In one of my classes when  teaching at a Christian college, I gave students this essay prompt:

  • A friend of yours is struggling with both hatred and self-loathing.  She had dated a guy for three years and they had become close, very serious.  He had always pushed the physical side of their relationship, and eventually she yielded to him and their relationship became a sexual one.  Actually, she also had welcomed that part of the relationship because it made her feel loved and valued.  But then it seemed like the boyfriend tired of her.  She found out he actually was pursuing other women too (including sexually), and then he broke off the relationship with her.  Now she is struggling against constant feelings of hatred toward him, wishing all sorts of evil and harm would happen to him.  And she’s full of shame and disgust with herself, feeling like she will forever be a “slut” (as she now thinks of herself). Write a letter to your friend that talks about repentance and forgiveness and encourages her in her spirit in Jesus.  Help her find a way to move forward with an understanding of how repentance works and how our lives are changed by the gospel of forgiveness in Christ.

The following devotional piece was written in response to the essay prompt.   

Dear Ashley

by Alison Wine

Hey, beautiful!  I’m writing to you because I know how bad things have gotten recently.  It breaks my heart to know how much you are suffering.  I want to remind you of something:  God loves you more than you can understand!  He has loved you with an everlasting love.  No matter what you have done or thought, or felt, God has loved you always.  He sent Jesus to die for all those thoughts, feelings and actions — for all of your sins.  I know how heavy your heart is about what you had done.  The sorrow you feel is the first step toward repentance.  Now let faith take over.  You are forgiven of all that you have done wrong.  Jesus’ blood covers up your every sin.  You are his child.  Period.  Is God’s child a slut?  No.  Does God think of you that way?  No.  Should you think of yourself that way?  No.  You are holy and blameless in God’s sight.  Rejoice in this fact.  God doesn’t need you to be perfect.  He is perfect for you.  You can release the weight you’ve been carrying around .  Unpin the “scarlet A” from your life.  Throw that stain away.  Look at yourself the way God does — as his beloved, forgiven child. And you now may live in that way.

Now, Ashley, about Alex.  I understand how angry and hurt you are about what he did.  It is truly terrible.  But does the hatred for him that you are carrying around in your heart help you in any way?  No.  Carrying hatred in your heart is never good.  God tells us not to let the sun go down while we are still angry.  Alex may not be sorry for what he has done, but you don’t do him or yourself any good by harboring hatred for him.  What keeps you from letting go of your hatred toward him?  Your pride?  Your sense of justice?  Or your own sinful nature?

Pray about this, Ashley, Forgiving Alex will hurt, but ultimately will make your life better.  Release the hatred from your heart and have that void be filled with Christ.  Take your time; forgiveness doesn’t mean you instantly will forget or that what he did doesn’t matter.  But it does mean that you are aligning yourself with God’s will, and being guided by his love.

I love you, Ashley, and so does God!

Your friend,

Ali

 

Posted by Electric Gospel