I was twelve years old, pitching in a Little League game that wasn’t going well.  I felt that the umpire was calling a bad game.  I thought I was throwing strikes. He would call them a ball.

I was a kid who was easily frustrated and angered, kind of a hothead.  I’m sure that my attitude was sometimes embarrassing to the adults in the bleachers, as well as my coach, who understandably, probably didn’t like me much.

Something wonderful is happening in many hearts today.  I’ve wanted to see it for years.  We are truly taking on our Father’s heart.  We are learning His ways, and we are starting to act and think in accordance with His nature. 

God is Love.

Recently in a bible study, Judi was talking about how the diet culture is wrought with failures, how diets are based on pure will power.  If it fails, the blame falls all on the person desperately trying to live up the standard of the program.  Any success is not sustained, because the body simply can’t operate correctly with those restrictions.

Recently a man approached me on my way into Walgreens. He appeared to be someone who was asking for money. Many times I will stop and give money if I have it, but that day, I was in a hurry and knew I didn’t have any cash on me. I ignored him and kept walking towards the store. Then I heard him. He asked forcefully, “Do you see me?” His question and his tone made me stop in my tracks. I thought about what it must feel like to be in his shoes.  I remembered living on the streets myself when I was a teenager.  

 “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, That her guilt has been removed…” – Isaiah 40:2

I have good news!  We are not on the verge of losing godliness in this world.  We are not losing a war to the forces of darkness.  Darkness is not overtaking the earth, nor will it ever.

Think about what "eternal life" means.  To think of it makes your brain widen it's scope in a huge way.  We begin to conceive of something so big that we can't see the beginning or end of it.  Something this big must be superior to anything that is limited to a temporary existence.

If I told you that I was sending a package to you.  You would not jump in your car and drive to my house in order to get it.  All you would need to do is to stay home and receive it.  

The beauty and power of being in Christ, is that we initiate none of the goodness that has come to us.  It’s all given, or sent by God.  We simply receive.

Because of Jesus, I know my Father.
Because of Jesus, my life is full.
Because of Jesus, I know what real Love feels like.
Because of Jesus, I never feel condemned.
Because of Jesus, I’m good enough, just as I am.

A lot of people have been dealing with some stressful situations over the past few years. Loved ones have died or suffered greatly due to a pandemic that was unimaginable three years ago. Jobs and education have been disrupted. Families have been separated by distance. Many have become offended over disagreements about policies concerning the economy, government leadership, and other things.

I remember feeling awfully disrespected in a group gathering once.  It seemed that someone decided that I was not as important as another in the group, so I was persuaded to give up my very comfortable room and take the worst facilities available.

Before I knew God, I experienced a lot of hard and bad things.  Those things affected me in ways that made me angry, bitter, and more selfish.

After I came to know God, I experienced a lot of hard and bad things.  Those things did not cause me to become angry, bitter, or more selfish.  Instead, I have continued on an upward trajectory of love, peace, and joy.

The moon’s main purpose is simply to light the night.  We know that it does not generate its own light, but it simply reflects the light of the sun.  It’s really the same relationship that we have with our Father.  He supplies the light to us, we reflect it to the earth.  This is how we rule or shine, in the darkness.

We’re in a time where there is much concern about what is happening in our world. There is also continued concern and sometimes fear regarding our health, our freedoms, and our own county.  This is in addition to each person’s individual trials concerning their relationships, money, insecurities, and so on.

It’s interesting how eventually, all thoughts lead to the beauty of Christ in us. Today, I was thinking of the controversies of our present time, and how it seems that people fight over every single thing. They rant and argue about politics. Do black lives matter or do all lives matter? Do we wear masks or not? And of course, people argue about religious dogma.

I once had a nice little chat with my father-in-law about this verse. He said it means that Jesus does all the work for us. That’s why being yoked with him (like two oxen yoked together) is an easy yoke for us! I love this verse and the truth it tells. Jesus did all the work to make me righteous, holy, perfect and complete in Him. Could any of us carry that load alone? Nobody has succeeded yet. Those who try, fall under that burden, and fall far short of the glory of God.

Remember when you became angry and said or did some things that you later regretted?  It wasn’t the devil that did that, it was the amygdala.  You were the victim of what is called “amygdala hijacking”. The amygdala is a tiny part of the most primal part of the brain. All animals have it. It’s mostly used for sensing and reacting to danger. It’s the “fight or flight” part of the brain that makes a deer run when it hears a stick snap, or fight when it is cornered. It’s a very basic survival and protective mechanism.

The Greek word used for adoption is huiothesia, which means “placement into sonship”.  It’s far more than our idea of a legal adoption.I grew up feeling rejected by my earthly father.  It gave me a sense of being unlovable, and I engaged in a lot of self-destructive behavior.

“And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor.” – 1 Corinthians 12:23

Wow. Have you ever noticed that before? That verse goes beyond treating the “less honorable” as equals. It says that we give them even greater honor. This is another example showing that the ways of God are so very different from natural human tendencies.

The word, “philanthropy”, comes from two Greek words: philo, meaning love, and anthropos, meaning human.  It literally means to love humans.  We generally think of a philanthropist as someone who gives a lot.

We measure ourselves against others, which makes us feel either inferior or superior. Neither is good. We measure success, usually by superficial standards. We measure our doctrine or group against others. These are all just exercises in futility.