Revelation

Dear God, I was speaking to a young man in my office yesterday who is heavily influenced by pastors that focus on the rapture and tribulation. He gave me a website to check out and a DVD to view. I watched a little of the DVD and looked at the cover of the website. I’m thinking about writing the young man today with my thoughts.

My first thought is that any time anyone around Jesus was afraid he told them to fear not. Jesus didn’t sell his message using fear. He offered mercy. If I believe what I say I believe and if I share that with others then the rapture and the tribulation will take care of themselves. My job isn’t to scare anyone into Heaven. That isn’t much of a sales pitch anyway.

While we were in my office, he referenced the fruits of the Spirit and said that the first one is love. I agreed with him, but then we listed through the others and I tried to point out peace to him. I’ve told you this many times before, but peace is the one thing that I can’t fake. I can pretty much put up a facade and fake the other fruits. To other people, I can make myself look loving, joyful, kind, gentle, etc., but I am unable to fake peace. When I am truly in you is when I am at peace, and if I am not following you then I have no peace.

Father, I could go on and on, but I guess the thing I really want to say is that I am grateful that you take away all my fear. Your love drives out all my fear. (1 John 4:18). I don’t have to fear the rapture, the tribulation, a one world government or the anti-Christ because you are my God. You have this. I am in you and you are in me. You gave me a great bridge to reach you through coming to earth through the part of your essence that is your son, Jesus, and showed me not only how much you love me, but also how to love and live. Thank you for all of this. I need you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Colossians 1:27-28

Colossians 1:27-28

For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.

Dear God, what are the “riches and glory of Christ” we are supposed to know and share? What are we selling when we talk about Jesus.

I’ve heard some of other religions, and even different denominations of Christianity, accuse some Christians of believing in a salvation that is too easy and cheap. After all, of our salvation isn’t works based then why ever try to be good at all?

But what I’m selling isn’t cheap salvation. To start with, I recognize that it wasn’t cheap for you. What I’m selling is selfless surrender and relationship. I know Paul says in one of his letters that if this isn’t all about ending up with you after we die then Christians are to be pitied, but I don’t totally agree with that. I don’t know where the “cut line” is for Heaven admission, but I have a much better idea of where the cut line is for relationship with you and the fruits of the Spirit that come from that. I can even see it in me as I vary in my levels of worship and prayer. I don’t wake up in the morning thinking about my “fire insurance,” but I do wake up thinking that if I’m going to experience love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness, and self control them I better spend some time with my God. And even in dark, scary times, your rod and your staff comfort me.

Father, help me to live in your presence today. Help me to submit to you in all areas. Help me to be what my nieces and nephew need when I see them later. Help my life to be what you need it to be–for me and for others.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Galatians 5:22-23

Galatians 5:22-23 [NLT]
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Dear God, this is one of my favorite passages and also one of the few that I can pretty much quote chapter and verse. It’s something that I use to look at my own life and try to get some sort of perspective on how I’m doing. I also use it when I’m evaluating people who claim to be Christians. I try to see if their lives, words, and actions match up with these things. A lot of people can say the right words, but they simply can’t grow this fruit without you.

Then there are the verses that precede it. Galatians 5:19-21 gives us a look at the other side of the coin. The life lived completely away from you:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

How am I doing when I hold those things up to the mirror my life reflects. Do I say that pornography is awful and yet engage in it? Do I preach patience and gentleness and yet exhibit hostility and jealousy? Do I claim to have peace, but live a life of dissension, division and envy?

Father, help me to allow the Spirit just a little more access to my being today so that you will continue to grow over and choke out the desires of my sinful nature. I am getting the image of St. Augustine grass. The stronger it gets the more it will choke out the weeds growing around it. The problem is, it needs A LOT of water to be that strong. Help me to do what I can to water the Spirit in my life so that it will choke out the weeds that I allow to still grow in me.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 

Peter & John — 1 Peter 5:12-14

1 Peter 5:12-14 NIV
[12] With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. [13] She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. [14] Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Dear God, I don’t know how much there is to say about these final greetings, but it’s just nice that his last words in this letter are to encourage love and pray for peace.

Peace. Of the “Fruits of the Spirit” from Galatians 5:22, it’s the one I use most to evaluate how I’m doing with you. I can fake a lot of things including love, joy, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness and self control. I can will myself to exhibit all of those things. What I cannot will myself to do is experience peace.

Not that everyone is that way. My wife and I have talked about this, and for her it’s not peace. It’s another one that experiences more of when she is close to you. So I’m not pretending like this should be true for everyone.

A young friend who is a new believer and has really been through some emotionally trying things said recently that he is concerned about a lot of his friend from high school. They aren’t doing well. They seem stressed and depressed. And these are college students who, outside of worrying about their grades, shouldn’t have a lot of stress in their lives. But what I never go a chance to tell this young person is that I was worried in the same way about him just a few months ago. He has a peace about him that he has only recently begun to exhibit.

Father, please bring me peace and then make me an instrument of your peace. Help me to tap into you so that you will flow into me and then through me to others.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen