I am an orator by trade. My job is to use words in a feeble attempt to describe God. Try as I may, I am very much aware that my words will never succeed in giving an accurate picture of God. One reason is that I simply don't know that much about God. I do know a little, and that little bit is absolutely powerful in my life. The little I know has brought a lot of heaven into my experience, but compared to God's bigness and beauty, there's so much that I cannot fathom.

I DO know a lot of things to say ABOUT God. I know a LOT about the scriptures. I know a LOT of theology, and I know a LOT about Christianity, but God is largely a beautiful and wonderful mystery to me. When I'm talking with others about the scriptures, theology, or Christianity, we can have some very interesting, fun, and even combative discussions. We will fill the room with facts that either verify or question our beliefs. Our passion for knowing has drawn us to much study and it's very interesting.

Morals are good things. We are considered to have morality when we are guided by positive, inward, personal principles and values. Morality is certainly better than immorality, which forsakes mutually acceptable standards of good behavior.

Virtually all cultures and ideologies would agree on many things concerning what is good or bad behavior, but we find in our societies a thing called moralization. Moralization is another thing altogether, it is the process of giving a personal preference or a neutral issue more weight than is good for humans. A good example would be that some people believe that it is good to drink no alcohol at all, so they would like to impose a prohibition upon everyone, even on those with no negative impact on their moral behavior.

While morals are good, moralization is detrimental, and it lives in a lot of religion. The grace of God goes against moralism. Grace is just so lovely, and while moralism might mean well, it is very imperfect. It doesn't ultimately bring about Godliness, and it is actually very weak and collapses under its own weight.

The New Testament talks about something living in you. It’s called, “God in you”, “Christ in you”, “the Spirit in you”, “the living water in you”, “the kingdom in you”, “the seed in you”. 

These are not a lot of separate things inside of us. They are onething. These are all things that pertain to God. It is Him living within us. It’s the seed of LOVE. 

The seed of LOVE was planted with the greatest act of love ever demonstrated: the Son of God dying for mankind. He initiated a new and living way for us that would ultimately change the world. 

The Bible says that God’s love has been placed in us by the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 9:7 says that of the increase of His government and of peace, there will be no end. Jesus said something like this when He said, the seed, though it begins small, becomes a large tree where all the birds of the air can find rest. 

The truth shall make you free. Jesus is the truth (about God, and about you).
 
He shows us the Father, because He is like the Father, one with the Father. He shows us our true selves, because we are in the likeness of Him, and one with Him.
 
If, as the Bible says, the works were finished from the foundation of the world, then WE were finished from the foundation of the world. That’s also why it says that we were chosen in Him BEFORE the foundation of the world.

A lot of Christians are living under a culture of judgment. They feel that God is judging them, or He is certainly going to judge them. And this idea is a central theme to many of us. That’s probably why judgment easily flows from us. The culture of judgment might cause us to constantly measure ourselves, asking “Have we been good enough?” “Are we doing enough?” “What am I missing?” “Should I become something better?” And if I feel that I am not good enough for God, but I could be if I become someone better, then I look at other people and I can see their shortcomings and I may often judge them as unworthy of God’s favor and blessings. 

Here is a little piece of scripture that makes me cringe. It’s a prayer invoking evil upon others, calling on God to bring calamity down on people. These are some of the most horrible words in the Bible:
 
“O daughter of Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us.
Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks!” – Psalms 137:8-9
 
I remember that Jesus once challenged a group of men to “cast the first stone”. If He were speaking to these Jewish exiles in Babylon, would He challenge them to smash the first baby?
 
I think this shows the fallacy of the idea of retributive justice, the idea that God will somehow balance the scales of justice by bringing evil on those who do evil. Yet can you see how this brand of justice brings nothing good or solves no problem? It only brings more pain, more destruction, more sorrow, and more death.
 
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” – Proverbs 16:25

Would you work for an employer who would not tell you what you would be paid?
 
Jesus told a story about a man who hired workers for his vineyard. They made an agreement that if they would work a full twelve-hour day, they would be paid a denarius, which is the standard pay for a full day of work. This was a very reasonable agreement.
 
The man found more workers as the day progressed, telling them he would give them what was “right” or “just” at the end of the day. Some worked nine hours, some six, some three, and some only one hour. None of these men knew what they would be paid. I, myself would not work for someone that would not tell me the amount I’m being paid, UNLESS…
 
UNLESS I believe that the landowner is good and generous. If I believe that I can trust the owner, I will do what he asks. This is faith, and this is trusting in his grace.

I have had a hard time growing grass in my front yard. For many years, we had an oak tree right in the middle of it, and I tried so many things to get grass to grow under it to no avail.
 
Finally, we cut the tree down. I killed all of the weeds, turned the soil over, added topsoil, and planted grass seed.

After a week, I could spot a few of the slightest green blades among the abundance of dirt. I was happy! My yard was on its way! Life was happening!
 
Every day, I would carefully examine the dirt for more signs of life. I would discover a few more tiny blades. I celebrated in my heart!

It’s very obvious with everything Jesus said and did that He made everyone of equal value. That’s why we see him elevating women, outcasts, and even sinners. He demonstrated the Kingdom of Heaven’s system rather than the world’s system which divides, separates, and creates classes of humans that are less than. 

When we look at the miracles of Jesus, we see instances where He actually went out of his way to those who were considered unclean, like the Samaritan woman at the well, the demon-possessed man of Gadara. He honored the “unclean” woman with the issue of blood who broke their law by being in public and touching Jesus. In a culture where the sick and poor were considered less than equal, Jesus healed, restored value and honored them all. 

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” – Psalm 27:4
 
When David wrote this, he was expressing a desire to see something that he had maybe caught a glimpse of. He seemed to grasp that the Lord was beautiful, yet he wanted to be able to behold it in a fuller way.
 
Personally, I feel that I am aware of God’s beauty much more than I ever have. I also am aware that it is something that is a revelation to us. The Spirit somehow shows us the goodness and beauty of the Lord, and it becomes a reality of our existence.

“Turn the other cheek.”  “If they want your tunic, give them your cloak also.”  “Go the extra mile.”  “Give to whoever asks of you.”  “Love your enemies.”  “Bless those who curse you.”  “Do good to those who hate you.”  “Pray for those who persecute you.”  “Forgive everyone.”
 
Jesus said that this is what children of God look like (Matthew 5:45). No wonder the Bible says that the whole creation is looking for the manifestation of the children of God! What a world this will be!

One of the most wonderful things that Jesus shows us, is that we are all highly valued. He does this in His parables, saying we are the “pearl of great price” and the “hidden treasure in the field”. He told us that His heart is tightly connected to those in prison, the poor, the sick, the orphans and the widows.
 
He showed that a woman caught in adultery was more valuable than the rule against such adultery. A thieving tax-collector was precious in His sight, and Jesus still wanted his company. The prodigal son still belongs, and the sheep that has wandered away is not damned for its wayward life, but rather it is carried home by the Shepherd who is willing to give His life for it.

And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” (Mark 2:4-5 NKJV, emphasis ours)

What has been on our minds about this particular piece of scripture is that the paralytic in the story had no part in the faith story. It was the faith of his friends that Jesus took notice of. They brought him to Jesus and when they couldn’t get near Him, they did not give up. In fact, they created a hole in the roof and lowered their friend to Jesus so their friend could not be missed. Ultimately, the paralytic man was healed and was able to get up and walk home.

Have you ever gotten quiet and asked yourself, “What do I really believe?”

In my heart of hearts, down into the core of my spirit, beyond all the religious debates, beyond what outside sources tell me, “What does [insert your name here] truly believe?” 

If there was no peer pressure, just you sitting with your heavenly Father in that perfect peace of communion, what is really true about God, about Life, about me?

These are good questions to consider, because as the Bible says, with the heart the man believes. So often our heads have been influenced from external voices while the inner man responds to the internal voice of Christ in you. 

When they asked, “When will your kingdom come, Jesus?” He answered them by saying, “My kingdom doesn’t come with ocular observation (it’s not seen with your eyes). My kingdom is found on the inside.” [see Luke 17:20-21]. 

In fact, the Kingdom of God is described as “Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit”[Romans 14:17]. This is an inner state, not a country or a ruling body. 

His Kingdom is within us. It’s not something we have to work towards or yearn for. It’s not on the outside. 

It is something He has given us as a gift to enjoy. 

And He awakens us to see it. 

Did you know that your weaknesses and “flaws” make sense to God? You are not a mistake. He understands you and why you are the way you are, why you do the things you do, why you think the things you think.

That doesn’t mean they are necessarily good or profitable. They may not align with His best for you. Still, You are not a disappointment to God. He’s been with you from the beginning and He sees the details that have shaped your life. This truth doesn’t excuse all of our actions, but it does explain them. And isn’t it good to be understood? The One who understands us can love us unconditionally. This kind of love is the medicine we need to address the things that are not good for us. 

Here we go, into another year on the calendar, and today I want to declare that…

IT’S A NEW DAY!

How new is it? Well, maybe newer than you think. Jesus brought in a new day, and a new and living way.

Jesus is not just a mere footnote in the ongoing story of Adam, as if Adam never ended at all, as if the old man, Adam, somehow survived the cross.

No. We have no connection to Adam, the one whose wages of sin was death, and thank God, that death did come! It came on the cross when the old man was crucified with Christ, the last Adam. The old man is dead. Long live the new creation!

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped from the Eagle onto the Moon’s dusty surface with the words, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” 

When Jesus came into this world, it was a giant leap forward for mankind. People were walking in darkness. Darkness in this sense means blindness or ignorance, or the inability to see eternal reality. The best they had done was figure out a plan to do enough good to sway God in their favor. It wasn’t really working but they tried as best they could to please God with their rules and actions. God always met them where they were at.

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14
 
When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the birth of a special person. This human was conceived, not by the will of a man, but by the will and power of God Himself. Born of a virgin, different from any man known before, Jesus is the good news about our place with God. He is the good news about our Father’s heart toward us all. Jesus is the good news about everything concerning our existence.
 
He is the good news that gives us closure on the story of Adam. Jesus is our awakening. He is the beginning of a new day of realization for humanity.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. (1 Corinthians 13:11)

What is really important in the Christian life? 

Is it that we live up to a set of rules to inspire others to live that way? Or to show that we are different and therefore better? Is our Christian life all about having the correct interpretation of the scriptures? Is it about imposing a Christian morality on society so that people will be good? 

Or is it really about love?