“For every action
there is an equal yet opposite reaction.”
-Sir
Isaac Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion (Physics)
Simple Physics.
Simple Reactions.
But what if
everything you knew, wanted, felt, thought…
We live in the world.
Newton and his Laws
of Motion and Physics apply to this world.
But we also live in a
spiritual world.
Together and separate
at the same time.
However, for this
world,
The gains, the
losses, the mindset,
The way we interact
with people in the physical world,
The expectations…
Everything is
different than what we know.
The physical world is
run by emotion, feeling, desire…
The spiritual world
is governed by the Lord.
He calls us to follow
Him.
To pick up our cross
and live as He lived when He was in our physical world.
Above reproach.
Love instead of hate.
Grace instead of
punishment.
Faith instead of
“tangible” knowledge.
Trust instead of
fear.
It is almost as if you lived completely opposite than how society tells
us to live in the physical world, then you’d be living well in the spiritual
world.
We are called to be
different and a light in a dark world.
If we don’t show the love of Christ, who will? Now that is all easy to say…but living it
out…that’s a different story. Words are
a lot easier said than done.
It is hard to stay
strong.
To survive.
To stand out.
In a world where
everyone doesn’t understand, “Christians are not called to react, they are
called to act,”—Pastor Haroon.
Let that sink in.
Do you realize how HARD that is?
Someone lies to you
and steals from you---show them mercy and
love.
Someone ruins a
friendship---show them kindness and grace.
Someone slanders your
name---show them love and forgiveness.
Our first reaction is
to lash out.
Out of pain, anger,
frustration, sadness, etc.
But the Lord calls us
not to react, but rather to act the opposite of how we feel.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue,”-Proverbs 18:21a
How many times have
we done something,
Intentional or not,
That frustrates the
Lord?
Does He react with
us?
No. He shows us Love. Compassion. Grace. Mercy.
Blessing.
We are called to love
more than we are able, which we can only do if we recognize that our example of
love is from the one true God.
“When you are
sideways with people, you find yourself sideways with God,”
—Pastor Ryan
Oddo.
Reacting, showing
anger, bitterness, etc. doesn’t hurt any one but the person reacting in the
long run. We don’t deserve God’s actions
with us, therefore, we need to show the same grace that God shows us to others
when we want to react.
“God LOVES.
God is.
God is Love.
God loves ALL.
No matter how small.
God is everything.
God is enough.”
-BRV 4/16/15
(1. I miss that
ring—shoutout to the Wifey for buying me that ring Sophmore year Wintercamp---little
did we know it would end up tattooed on my ring finger #lifeverselove).
Our entire world
revolves around love. The love of one
another. The love of Christ. The love of ourselves. The things that are out of alignment, lack
love. Evil in the world, selfishness,
being vindictive, hurt, bitterness, jealousy—they all lack love. One cannot love if they don’t truly
understand the meaning of love. God is
love. God is the primary example of
love---those who don’t know God, don’t truly know love. Their actions lack love. The void of God’s love in their life causes
circumstances of the world that hurt, are awful, are saddening, are unfair,
etc.
Hurt people HURT PEOPLE.
This world is full of
darkness and hurt and hurt people. I was
praying today and the reality of this
fact hit me like a train. There are so
many people in this world who don’t know Christ. So many people who don’t realize that they
are hurting themselves and others because of acting on their selfish
desires. So many people who don’t
care. So many people who are hurt and
turn their heart to hate because that is all they know.
MY heart BREAKS.
GOD’S heart BREAKS.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
I wish I could say
that the only reason that people don’t act loving towards one another is
because they don’t know God.
Christianity is a choice, not an easy path. As Christians, we will be hurt. Persecuted.
Talked about. Harassed. Cheated.
Attacked. Cheated on. Slandered.
Treated unfairly. On purpose.
For. No. Reason.
Other than…
The choice of Christ
as our Savior.
The choice to follow
Him and carry our cross.
“If the world hates
you, know that is has hated me before it hated you.”-John 15:18
“Now who is there to
harm you if you are zealous for what is good?
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be
blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be
troubled.”-1 Peter 3:13-14
“and you will be
hated by all for my name’s sake. But the
one who endures to the end will be saved.”-Matthew 10:22
“Indeed, all who
desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil
people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being
deceived. But as for you, continue in
what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and
how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are
able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”-2 Timothy
3:12-15
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BUT.
We need to remember
to change our perspective.
It is not an attack
on you.
The whole world
doesn’t revolve around you.
It is an attack on
Christians everywhere.
U.S.A. Canada.
China. Mexico. Pakistan (yes there are Christians in the
Middle East; look up Pastor Haroon from Pakistan—you won’t regret it :] ).
We need to practice “prayerserverance”
(shoutout to Pastor
Justin Taylor!), and intercede for non-believers and believers alike.
“Rejoice in hope, be
patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”—Romans 12:12
We are all called to
be examples.
We are called to love further and greater than our ability in
order to show how Christ loves.
“This is my
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.’’
-John 15:12
We are called to be holy.
“Therefore, preparing
your minds for action and being sober minded, set your hope fully on the grace
that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to
the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you
also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for
I am holy.”
-1 Peter 1:13-16
We are called to be courageous.
“Have I not commanded
you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
-Joshua 1:9
God wants to do great
and amazing things through us, but we need to be bold enough to listen (I’ll come
back here later ;]), but also be bold enough to act.
We are supposed to be a unified front…
“I appeal to you,
brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that
there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and
the same judgement.”-1 Corinthians 1:10
…And we need to start acting like
one.
THIS. Right here. This is my current struggle.
I don’t have a
problem loving on people who don’t know the Lord. Their actions, if negative, are explainable
because they don’t know God’s love. My
issue is loving on those who know and claim Christ and choose to live double
lives, slander other Christians, and wreck the name and reputation of Christ
while doing so.
Whoa Whoa Whoa Bailey…I sense some bitterness here…
With or without
Christ. We all hurt each other. We lose our unity as brothers and sisters in
Christ when we choose to let our brokenness control our
actions/thoughts/words/hearts, rather than living the way Christ has shown
us. How can we spread the light and
gospel of the Lord if we are constantly attacking each other? Like Israel.
If satan can’t get us to give up our faith then why not turn us against
one another so that we are useless for God’s intended purpose. The devil wants us hurt. Broken.
Consumed. Distracted. Angry.
Bitter. Up in arms with one
another. So that we can’t share the
gospel with others, but rather represent Christ in a negative light, so that
instead of bringing people to the Lord we are actually pushing them away. We are all guilty of Christian on Christian
crime. Girls and boys alike.
But why? Because our culture tells us that it is
okay. Someone does something to you,
hate them..get back at them..get even.
“Live in harmony with
one another. Do not be haughty, but
associate with the lovely. Never be wise
in your own sight. Repay no one evil for
evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you,
live peaceably with all. Beloved, never
avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written,
‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry,
feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you
will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”-Romans 12:16-21
“You have heard that
it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in
heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the
evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what
reward do you have? Do not even the tax
collectors do the same? And if you greet
only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.”-Matthew 5:43-48
“to speak evil of no
one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and show perfect courtesy toward all
people. For we ourselves were once
foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures,
passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one
another.”-Titus 3:2-4
We are taught to “Be
nice” in this world, but the Bible calls us to “Be loving.”
[OXOXO SQUAD;)]
It’s a lot easier to
be nice…but is easy what we are going for?
It is absolutely hard to be loving sometimes. Pastor Bob Goff says, “Love everybody always. Start with the people you don’t
understand.” So that means:
…when someone says something about your family
…when someone cheats on you
…when someone slanders your name publicly over social media
…when someone talks about you behind your back but acts different to
your face
…when all this happens in the church
You check your heart.
That’s what you do.
Obviously I’ve been
hurt. Yes, I know we are all
sinners. We make mistakes. We are hurt.
Hurt people hurt people. In my
heart I’ve forgiven those people and asked for forgiveness on my own behalf
because I’m not perfect either. No
grudges…it isn’t worth it.
“Band-aids don't fix bullet holes
You say sorry
just for show
If you live
like that, you live with ghosts
Band-aids
don't fix bullet holes
You say sorry
just for show
If you live
like that, you live with ghosts
If you love
like that blood runs cold.”
-Taylor Swift
Constantly I ask God
for His heart and eyes towards these people so that there isn’t hate
there. Is there caution there for
me? Absolutely, but that is because I’m
tired of being hurt. Normally I’d shut
them out. Build a wall. Be done with it—with them, BUT I’m not
allowed to build those walls anymore—God has put some awesome people in my life
the last year or so that have been a constant reminder of that. My walls have been broken down, piece by
piece, and are continuing to be torn down.
So…I am not building more walls.
Sometimes I want to, but it’s not about what I want, it’s about what God
wants.
“Tear down the walls see the world
Is there
something we have missed
Turn from
ourselves
Look beyond
There is so
much more than this
And I don’t
need to see it to believe it
I don’t need
to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t
shake this
Fire deep
inside my heart”
-Hillsong
United
Realign your heart
with Christ when these situations arise.
How would He handle it?
Not a chance.
Of course.
Unconditionally.
“Make people feel
like they just got a little piece of heaven because they just met you.”-Bob
Goff
Emotions and feelings
are part of human nature. So is
community.
“I don’t need anyone else.
No one is nice to me so why should I try?
I’m fine by myself with God.”
Man creates
loopholes for comfort and desires.
“Let not man redefine.”
“So guard yourselves
in spirit, and do not be faithless.”-Malachi 2:16b
We even justify it
to ourselves:
“I tried being nice..
It didn’t work out..
It made me uncomfortable
So I just stopped trying.”
Humans were designed
for community; we were not created to walk through life alone. We are meant to be together. Until we are real with ourselves and our
identity in Christ, we cannot be real or loving with one another.
“For you formed my
inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made. Wonderful are your
works; my soul knows it very well.”-Psalm 139:23-24
In order to live in
harmony with one another, we must first handle the bits of chaos that live
within us. The only way to do that is
consistently walking with, and cultivating your relationship with the
Lord.
“I pray because I can’t help myself.
I pray because I’m helpless. I
pray because the need flows out of me all the time—waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God—it changes me.”—C.S.
Lewis
Part of cultivating
this relationship with Christ relies on listening to and acting upon the words
God has given you. In order to listen,
we must first know His voice and recognize that as much as we feel we are, we
are not ever fully going to be in control.
While reading through Hearing God by Dallas Willard, I found
these statements to be extremely accurate:
“Perhaps we do not hear the voice because we do not expect to hear
it. Then again, perhaps we do not expect
it because we know that we fully intend to run our own lives on our own and
have never seriously considered anything else.
The voice of God would therefore be an unwelcomed intrusion into our
plans,” (Willard 71).
“When our lives are devoted to the will of God, He has reason to speak
to us. If our lives are not devoted to
His purposes, He still may speak to us, even use us for His ends if we are
strategically placed. After all, we are
His creatures, no matter how misguided or rebellious,” (Willard 70).
“My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”—John 10:27
Following His voice
and His words can be scary. I was in a
season where it was “Faith Forward,” full of yes Gods and letting me see what
was coming to an extent. Now, that season
has transitioned into “OK God, let’s see where You will take me next.” I don’t know what is coming. I don’t know how God will pull things
off. But I know that He will. He always does. God has definitely taken me out of my comfort
zone. I’m “living on the edge of yikes”
(shout out to Bob Goff), and all the things I’d feel more comfortable not doing
or opting out of, God is calling me to do.
“People who are comfortable don’t need Jesus,”—Bob Goff. I took a step back before freaking out and
realized that I’d rather live on the edge of yikes than be comfortable. By being comfortable, I was holding onto some
of my walls (which as stated earlier, I’m no longer allowed to do), but not
only that, I had placed God and myself in a box.
“Now glory to God,
who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish
infinitely more than we might ask or think.”—Ephesians 3:20
Placing us in that
box was actually holding ME back. God is
calling me: to be bold, when I’d rather not…love on those who’ve hurt me,
mentor others who are currently going through stages of life I’ve experienced
but would’ve liked to leave in my past, put my faith, trust, hope, and joy in
Him alone, not worry about the little or even big things, pray…a lot…alone…with
people…for people…in front of people, use my voice for His purposes, be strong
in my identity in Him as an example to others who don’t have a valid
representation of Christ in their life.
If you would’ve told me I’d be in this position a year and a half ago,
even a little over 6 months ago, I would have looked at you like you were
crazy. Some one who I look up to very
much wrote this to me back in November of last year:
I can see progress in
myself (Glory to God!), and I know there are still several things the Lord will
do in me and use me for. It’s a
journey.
“And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring
it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”-Philippians 1:6
“We are honoring God in a dark world.”-Pastor Ryan Oddo
“Everything you do always is your culture.”-Daniel Lewis
This is the time
to be BOLD.
In my readings I came
across this set of verses:
“Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made
low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the
Word of our God will stand forever.”—Isaiah 40: 4-5,8
It represents comfort
for Christians for a future time.
“Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it
neither sees him nor knows him. You know
him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
-John 14:17
We will have peace in
Heaven. We live in the middle of a
spiritual warzone. The Lord gives
comfort through His Word…doing His work will be hard, but worth it. We need to live uncomfortable now.
We need to grow in Christ.
Grow others in Christ.
Express Him to others.
Shape us.
Shape the community.
Shape the world.
YOU can make a difference.
Choose to be different.
Choose to be BOLD.
“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s
grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am very least of all the
saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches
of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery
hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the
manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in
the heavenly places. This was according
to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom
we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am
suffering for you, which is your glory.”—Ephesians 3: 7-13
Choose to love the
ones who hurt you the most.
Choose not to
react.
Choose to act.
Choose to act in
the manner Christ treats you.
Choose the hard path.
Choose the reward in Heaven.
Choose to be holy.
Choose prayer.
Choose love.
Choose joy.
