Here’s a quick little thought for your night:
Did you know Sparrows can see colors that you can’t? They can actually see colors that we have no names for, because we’ve never seen them. Turns out that humans have three kinds of receptor cones in our eyes for color, (color blind people only have 2 - they’re missing the red one altogether) but sparrows have five different kinds of cones! Those 2 extra cones enable sparrows to see tons of colors and color combinations that we’ve never even imagined! In fact, when you look at a rainbow and a sparrow looks at the same rainbow, you don’t actually see the same thing... the sparrow sees colors you’ve never dreamed of on each side of the rainbow you see! For a sparrow, the rainbow is actually bigger and more beautiful than we can even imagine!
The Apostle Paul says that because we have believed in Jesus, we are able to see things other people can’t. He says that when we look at people, we are able to see truths about them that are completely invisible to normal folks. We look at people that are struggling and we love them. We look at people who are hard to love and we have hope for them because we see that God loves them, that Jesus gave His blood for them and that the Lord wants to do amazing things with and through their lives. It’s kind of like we are sparrows when it comes to love. In other words, we don’t see people the same way other people do. We are able to love people everyone hates. We are able to hope in people everyone else has given up on and we are able to reach out to people everyone else has forsaken because we see them in a new light. We love because we see people the way God sees them.
As Paul says, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
The Truth About Bald Eagles
Have you ever seen footage of an American bald eagle on television or in a movie? It’s awe-inspiring, right? I mean, these glorious creatures soar effortlessly on the thermals with a look in their eyes that inspires fear in their prey. They seem to rule over nature, right? And then, when they open their beaks, you hear the terrifying sound of their majestic call echoing through the mountains and canyons. Man, it’s so impressive!
Except that my 8 year-old daughter recently came home from a school field trip where she learned something shocking about those bald eagles. It turns out that television and movie producers are playing a trick on us. You see, whenever you see a bald eagle on TV and hear their call, you’re being fooled. The producers replace the actual bald eagle call with the sound of the red-tailed hawk. Apparently, the call of the bald eagle isn’t all that majestic. In reality, it sounds more like the pitiful gobble or squawk of an old turkey. TV producers aren’t very impressed by it, so to make bald eagles seem cooler than they really are, they just edit in the sound of a red-tailed hawk, which is much fancier and more noble-sounding. Dang. I don’t know about you, but I feel so used...
Anyway, I bring that up to ask you this question which is very important: Are you acting like that televised bald eagle? In other words, are you putting on a show with your friends and the folks at your church so that you’ll look really impressive? Are you going around acting like everything is great and you’re doing fabulously when the truth is that you’re squawking like an old, injured turkey on the inside? Are you pretending that you’ve got it all together when the truth is that you’re up to your neck in problems and troubles and you’re about to drown?
Hey Christians, why are we so obsessed with putting on a show?! Why does everyone act like they don’t need each other? We’re all hobbling and struggling to make it to the end of the week, right? Am I the only one who needs constant prayer? I can’t be the only person who needs loving people to listen to my troubles and tell me they’ve got my back! Let’s get real. Let’s stop putting on a show. If you sound like a turkey, let it fly! We’re all weak. We all need Jesus and we all need each other. Squawk!
What is Love? - It Doesn't Get Fed Up
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
10. Love Doesn’t Get Fed Up
You watched the Avengers movie, right? Of course you did. Everybody watched it. Okay, let’s talk about the Hulk. I’ve loved comic books all my life, but I never read the Hulk comics. I was never all that pumped about some dude that just gets really angry and that’s his thing. I was always like, “What’s the big deal? He’s just angry guy?” As far as I knew, the Hulk’s story went like this: At some point, an experiment went wrong that changed him in such a way that when he gets angry, he just becomes this uncontrollable mass of anger. As a kid who loved comics, that just didn’t appeal to me. Then I watched the Avengers movie and changed the way I felt about the Hulk. The dude doesn’t just hulk-out when he’s angry… turns out he’s always angry! No, the hulking out has more to do with destruction. He doesn’t just lose control when he’s angry - he loses control when he gets hurt and he’s ready to end the situation by force with total destruction.
Okay, so what in the world does the Hulk have to do with the Bible and the Apostle Paul and his teaching on love in 1 Corinthians 13? Well, check this out: Paul says in verse 7 that love “always protects.” Literally, he says that love “covers everything.” That word we have translated ‘protects’ is a word that means to shield or cover up, like with a roof. It’s also used in the New Testament to mean ‘bearing with’ or ‘putting up with.’ In other words, he’s saying that people who love know how to put up with one another. They endure everything.
I was thinking about this and trying to figure out what these words ‘protecting’ and ‘covering’ and ‘enduring’ had to do with each other. I was trying to wrap my head around it when I finally looked up some more verses where this word ‘cover’ or ‘protect’ or ‘endure’ is used. In one place, Paul is talking about how the missionaries have a right to get paid for their ministry, but he says he would rather ‘put up with’ anything than get paid for his ministry. In another place he and his companions were in one place ministering and he says, “When I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith.”
So, this word for ‘protecting’ or ‘covering’ has to do with not reaching the end of your rope. When you are completely fed up and you’ve had all you can possibly stand, you act. Or, if you’re able to ‘endure’ it, you don’t act. Maybe you end a relationship. Maybe you tell your other friends, “I’ve had it with her!” or “I’m done with him!” Maybe you’ve heard people say stuff like, “We’re through, here!” Some people say that stuff when a relationship has built up so much hurt that they simply can’t forgive anymore and they just have to end it.
It’s as if we all have this little hulk inside us when it comes to our relationships. If we get too hurt or if someone pushes the right buttons with us, we can let that little hulk lose and he’ll come roaring out and destroy the relationship. If we let the lid off that little hulk, he’ll smash everything, burning bridges and crushing love and declaring things like, “I’m done with you! We’re through!”
I think what Paul is saying is that the love we have in Jesus is a love that says, “I’ll never get fed up. I’ll never burn this bridge.” The love we have in Jesus is a love that allows us to endure anything and keep the cover on the little hulk. When Paul says that love “always protects,” I think he’s saying that love protects everyone else from me. This love protects other people from the hulk inside me that wants to destroy stuff when I get too hurt. Love shields everyone from the monster that I could be because this love doesn’t get fed up.
Don't Think He Thinks Like You Think
I was in the Anderson County Jailhouse this morning with my friend Pottsy. We were having a Bible study with the guys in Unit 2 and I asked them this question: “When you fall into some sin again for the thousandth time or the ten-thousandth time, what do you think about yourself?” The guys all said things like, “I think I’m a loser.” “I’m filled with regret.” “I’m so disappointed.” “I’m angry that I did that thing again.”
Then I asked them, “Do you think God probably feels the same way about you?” The guys nodded their heads, yes. You see, we naturally believe that God thinks like we think. We work it out like this: “I’m disappointed in myself and angry when I sin, and God is so holy, that He feels all those same emotions, only He feels them a million times more!” The truth is, that’s not how God works. That’s not even how holiness works! The word ‘holy’ simply means “different.” When we say God is holy, we’re saying that He’s not like us! He’s different. In Isaiah 55, God says that His thoughts are not like our thoughts and His ways aren’t like our ways!
When Jesus paid for your sin, He didn’t have to do it. He could have called the whole thing off, but He didn’t. Thing is, He already knew every wrong thing you would ever do for your whole life and still, He decided to pay for you. That settles it. He’s not disappointed in you. He doesn’t think you’re a loser. He doesn’t regret loving you or saving you. His thoughts aren’t like your thoughts... Hallelujah! In the words of the Jed Brewer song we sang in jail this morning, “You’ve made up Your mind that I am accepted, You’ve made up your mind that I’m without blame, You’ve made up Your mind that I am wanted, You made up Your mind, help me do the same.”
What is Love? - It Sees The Deepest Truth
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
9. Love Sees The Deepest Truth
My dad is a high school football coach and has been for over 30 years. A big part of his job is seeing potential in people that no one else sees, and that they don’t yet see in themselves. His job is to believe in someone and then bring that potential to life by training them in the right way. In some ways, it’s kind of like a speculator or a gambler. Sometimes Dad is right about an athlete no one else believed in who turns out to be this amazing player, and sometimes the doubters are right and these guys flake out and don’t produce.
In your relationships, you may sometimes feel like my dad does as a high school football coach - it may feel like you’re betting on people and you don’t know what they’re going to end up like. You invest in folks and some of them wind up being your best friends while others may betray you, embarrass you or take advantage of you, hurting you deeply. The question is, what are you supposed to do when someone really screws up? How are you supposed to see a relationship that didn’t pan out like you hoped it would?
The last thing Paul said about love is that it doesn’t keep score of wrongs - it forgives the way God does. He then goes onto say this: “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
Okay, let’s be honest: When someone hurts us, we want to see them hurt back, right? If someone lets us down, we want to see them crash and burn. If someone out-does us, there is a place in our hearts that wants to see them struggle, fall and fail. It’s not right and it’s not pretty, but dang - that’s who we are. If someone tells us a story about that person in a bad light, we have a private little party in our hearts. On the outside, we’re playing it cool, but in our minds, it’s like our favorite team has just won the Super Bowl - or rather that our least favorite team has lost the Super Bowl…
Paul says love doesn’t do that. He says that love does something different. Love isn’t excited when someone crashes and burns. Love isn’t hoping someone will burn out, and when they do, love doesn’t throw a private, mental party. Love acts in a totally different way, but it’s not like a gambler or a speculator. In other words, loving people isn’t about just looking at someone and betting on them that they will do better next time. Love isn’t like a football coach, hoping against hope that this person will prove everyone wrong. No, love isn’t betting at all. Love knows.
Paul says love rejoices in the truth. Here’s what that means: Imagine there is a piece of land for sale that no one wants because it looks terrible and is in a bad location that seems impossible to develop. For years and years, no one buys it. No one is willing to invest in it because it looks terrible. But, there is a geologist who has this really cool equipment that is able to look under the surface and tell him all kinds of amazing stuff about this land. He finds out that this land is sitting on top of oil or a gold mine or even buried treasure. The land still looks terrible, but that geologist invests in it anyway because he is able to look under the surface at a deeper truth.
That’s what love does. Love sees the surface stuff just like everyone else, but love is able to look under the surface. Love is able to see that there are deeper truths to a person. There are riches underground. Love knows that there are certain things that are true about every single person: That God loves them - that Jesus died for them - That God has a plan for their life and when He gets hold of them, He can and will change them completely. Love doesn’t want people to fail. Love always sees the deepest truth - the truest truth. Love sees everyone with the eyes of God.
What is Love? - It Doesn't Keep Score
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
8. Love Doesn’t Keep Score
When Christy and I first moved into the house we live in now, some guy stole some of our out-going mail, opened it, copied down a bunch of personal information from our bills and then proceeded to steal my identity. This dude started opening lines of credit in my name in cities all over the country. He was buying tons and tons of stuff on credit cards with my name printed on them. Then, when he didn’t pay the bills, I started to get in trouble. I had creditors sending me bills for all kinds of bank accounts, credit cards and purchases I had nothing to do with. Friends, it has taken me the better part of four years to clear up the mess made by this guy who stole so much using my name. I have had to follow paper trails, file police reports and on and on to try to clear this mess up. One of the worst parts about it is that my credit is now in shambles. Before my identity was stolen, my credit score was fantastic. Now, on paper, I look like the worst person ever! I have this history I didn’t make that just follows me around. If I went to a store today to buy a new washer and dryer, I would have to charge it to my wife’s credit, or I wouldn’t be able to buy it. The things that guy did have been following me around for years!
Some of you know exactly what it feels like to have your past follow you around. At some point, you did something that really hurt someone in your life, and they simply won’t move past it. I don’t even have to tell you that this is not how love acts, because you know how terrible it feels to have that past wrong hanging over your head. It’s like being in bondage, because no matter what you do or say, they never get over it, which makes you feel like you will always be that person.
In 1 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says that love ‘keeps no record of wrongs.’ Literally, he says the word ‘not’ and then a Greek word that means to calculate or count and then he uses the Greek word that’s translated other places as evil. In other words, Paul is saying that love doesn’t calculate evil. So, if you’ve done something against someone and they know how to love, they don’t count it against you. Love doesn’t calculate evil.
When I was thinking about this, I asked myself, “Why is that kind of attitude so rare? Why do we keep score of people’s wrongs?” The answer has to do with power. You see, when someone hurts you, you are vulnerable. They did something that had the power to make you feel terrible, but now, by not forgiving them, you hold the power. Holding the grudge and not forgiving that person gives you an edge in the relationship. It gives you the right to just keep on punishing them over and over again for that wrong thing they did. You have an everlasting edge over them relationally and emotionally.
So the question is, why are we supposed to be different than that? Why are we supposed to be the kinds of people who let things go? Why are we supposed to forgive and stop keeping score? Well, that’s really simple: It’s the way God treated us. 1 John 4 says that God is love, so whatever Paul says about love, he is saying about God. Love doesn’t keep score of wrongs because God doesn’t do that. Psalm 103 says, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve.” We have all been a total wreck and God has forgiven us an unbelievable and insurmountable debt of wrong. He gives us a relationship with Him that we could never earn in a billion years, and Paul says at the end of Ephesians 4 that we are supposed to forgive one another just as in Christ God has forgiven us.
People are going to break your heart. People are going to harm your pride and embarrass you. People are going to ruin your day and they are going to be unfair and uncool. People are going to treat you in evil ways, but love doesn’t keep score. Love lets it go. (obviously that doesn’t mean that you should allow an abusive person the opportunity to take advantage of you again - some relationships must end, but forgiveness is still necessary if only for your own heart)
The One who saw all our wrong and evil has not counted it against us, which means that we have no right to calculate other’s wrongs. Love doesn’t keep score.
The Freedom of Being Honest
Let’s get real, shall we? Most folks aren’t honest about who they really are. Most people cover up their sin and put on a show for everyone in their lives. Then they protect the reputation of this make-believe version of themselves by pretending that everything is okay and that they’re doing just fine. They don’t have anyone in their life they are truly open and honest with and there’s never any issue they’re struggling with or problem they can’t solve.
Why do we do this? Huh? Why do we manufacture a version of us that is less real than the tooth fairy and then go out of our way to convince everyone we know that this is who we really are?
I think we pretend because we are scared to death of two things. Number one, we are afraid of being humiliated, and number two, we are afraid of being rejected. I think we hide our sin and cover up who we really are because we are terrified that if we were honest about ourselves, we would be disgraced, ashamed, shunned and forsaken.
Now, since most of us have done this exact thing a hundred times, we all know the biggest problem with it - which is the fact that pretending we’re awesome doesn’t actually make us awesome. In fact, it makes us worse. We become isolated because the relationships we actually have aren’t all that real, since we’re leading off with a fake person who doesn’t actually exist. No one truly knows the ‘real’ us and we become more alone all the time. This leads to having no power to change the behavior that led to our isolation, which makes us dive deeper down inside it. It’s a cycle that only gets worse.
Look at what David says in Psalm 32 - “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me.”
So what do you do if you’re stuck in that lonely cycle? Well, it’s really simple, actually. You find someone in your life that you can trust, and you open up to them. Ask them to pray for you. Admit your struggle. Tell them how powerless you are to stop it. If you will do that, I can absolutely guarantee you that those things you’re afraid of will evaporate like smoke. You won’t feel humiliated or forsaken. Instead, you’ll find out you’re not alone. You’ll learn that other people struggle just like you. You’ll be able to laugh at yourself and the spell of that cycle of sin will start to unravel and break. Friends, there is freedom and power in honesty. It takes a brave person to be real, and it takes an honest person to change. If you’re tired of being trapped by the cycle of isolation, loneliness, hypocrisy and wrong that makes you hate who you really are, then open up and I guarantee you that everything will change.
What is Love? - It Doesn’t Have A Million Hot-Button Issues
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
7. Love Doesn’t Have A Million Hot-Button Issues
One of my favorite shows is a sit-com called, ‘Modern Family’ and during the second season of the show, I noticed that one of the characters kept having these huge, explosive, emotional break-downs where she kept repeating this one phrase, “This is my one thing!” She said Halloween was her one thing. She said Thanksgiving was her one thing. She said her clandestine trips to an indoor firing range were her one thing, and whenever any other family member trespassed into one of those many things that she called her “one thing,” she hit the ceiling and completely lost her mind in a big, public rage.
Look, there’s no getting around it: We all have hot-button issues. We all have things that send us over the edge. We all have situations or topics that we don’t handle well, or that cause us to lose our rationality. For some people, it’s getting cut off in traffic. For others, it’s when folks are late or when things don’t start on time. Some people simply can’t abide clutter; and for other folks, people who obsess on neatness and order make them insane. We’re all different and we all have different levels of tolerance for different things. Your hot-button issue could be a million things - it could be really anything… and that is really the problem.
Some people don’t just have one hot-button issue… they have 47 thousand hot-button issues. In other words, there are a million things that take their emotions from zero to sixty in an instant. They can blow up and get distressed, angry, and maddeningly agitated about tons and tons of things and the fact is, there are so many things that set them off, that you never know when you’re going to trip their wires.
When Paul talks about what love looks like in 1 Corinthians 13, he says that love isn’t easily angered. The Greek word that we’ve translated ‘easily angered’ is a word that literally means “a sharp edge, alongside.” In other words, it’s like a poke or a jab that is right beside you… it’s always there. It’s a person who’s always getting jabbed by everything - they’re always emotionally hurt, always finding a really good reason to be pissed. Paul is saying that love isn’t like that. Love isn’t emotionally riled up by everything all the time.
I said earlier that we all have those hot-button issues… we all have those things that take us from doing just fine to being an emotional mad-house. The question is, what does that mean? Why do we have those hot-button issues? You see, if there is a topic that makes me go from zero to insane in no time flat, it’s because I think that situation is not only wrong, but it’s basically maddening and ridiculous. It means that at some level, I am personally offended by this thing and restitution needs to be made. It means I believe that if you are the person who set me off, you owe me something. You need to back up and make it right.
There are a few problems with this: One, I am just as much of a mess as anyone who has ever walked this planet and I have personally offended the heart of God in more ways than I can ever count and not only has He forgiven and accepted me, but He gave His only Son over to a horrible death for me and for my forgiveness and acceptance. That means that I have no real right to blow up about very many things for the rest of my life because I have been forgiven so much. Not only that, but if I have a ton of hot-button issues… in other words, if that jab is always beside me and I’m always getting stirred up by everything all the time, I have become a person who thinks that the people of planet earth exist to conform to my whims and tastes, and that’s not what love does.
Love knows I have been the worst offender. Love doesn’t get all bent out of shape when offenses happen. Love forgives. Love puts up with others stepping out of line and pushing my buttons.
What is Love? - It Doesn't Stalk Itself
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
7. Love Doesn’t Stalk Itself
Have you ever had someone take an unhealthy amount of interest in you? You know, at first, you were flattered by their attention. You liked it. It felt good to be liked and even wanted, but then things turned a corner…
When I was in high school, I started dating this girl I didn’t know very well simply because a friend told me I should. (By the way, if that sounds to you like a bad idea, you should probably trust that instinct) It turned out that this girl was an insomniac and would stay up all night, every night making me these extravagant gifts, art projects and mixed tapes. (ask your parents what a mixed tape is) And look, at first, I was flattered and even impressed that someone could make something so elaborate as an entire magazine complete with articles and interviews all about one person (me) in one night. I mean, it was a little weird, but also slightly cool, right? The thing is, after about two weeks of daily gifts (which obviously took hours to make) and constant phone calls and hang outs, I was getting a little tired. I mean, her affection (which seemed nice at first) became this creepy obsession that weirded me out on every level. She started to follow me around to my friends’ houses and somehow knew everything about what I was doing and who I was with. It was strange. I eventually had to break up with her, which didn’t go well.
In verse 5 of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that love isn’t “self seeking.” The Greek word that we have translated ‘seeking’ in that verse is used a ton in the New Testament. It’s used over 100 times, and we use a lot of different English words to translate it. The thing is, when you look at the times that word is used, it seems as though it means a lot more than simply to seek something. It seems to have some strength and purpose behind it. It’s the word used when Matthew says that the Pharisees were ‘searching’ for an opportunity to kill Jesus. It’s the word used when he says Judas was ‘seeking’ an opportunity to betray Jesus. It’s the word used again of the Pharisees when Matthew says they were trying to ‘obtain’ false testimony about Jesus. In other words, it means more than looking for something. It has the idea of plotting and planning all wrapped up in it. This is a version of looking that requires some work. It’s more like stalking than looking.
Someone who ‘seeks their own’ is basically a person who is on a mission of self-interest. this is a person who is laser-focussed on meeting their own needs. What Paul seems to be saying is that a person who knows how to love isn’t obsessed with themselves. A loving person isn’t stalking themselves. In other words, loving people don’t wake up every day working hard to make sure they are taken care of first. Loving people don’t walk into a room scouting out the best way for their own goals and needs to be met. Loving people take care of others first and themselves last. In fact, loving people are actually on a mission to take care of others first. That’s just what love is and how love acts.
I did find a verse where Jesus used that word ‘seek’ in a positive way, though. It was in Matthew 6 where Jesus said not to worry about food and clothes, but to seek first His kingdom and righteousness. If you want to stalk something and obsess over something, let it be Jesus and His kingdom.
Silencing The Stones
A quick thought for you today:
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a colt on Palm Sunday, people were lining the streets, throwing their coats on the ground, screaming at the top of their lungs, saying and singing, “Hosanna! Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” That word ‘hosanna’ simply means, “save us.” They were cheering and singing with all of their might for Jesus to save them. It was an overwhelming anthem of need. The religious people hated that scene. They told Jesus to make everyone stop their shouting and singing, but Jesus said, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Here’s where you come in. You see, I now find it my personal duty to silence the stones. I know what you’re thinking... you’ve never seen a stone talk. I know, but that’s because people who believe in Jesus have been keeping them quiet all these years since that first Palm Sunday. I want to be part of that crowd. I want to keep those stones silent. I want to sing and shout and live the kind of life that is constantly affirming one fact: I need Jesus to save me. I want to start and end every day by saying, “Jesus, save me. I need you to help me, fix me, pick me up off the ground and repair me!” Let’s be the people who unashamedly admit how much we need Jesus. Let’s say it with our lives and mouths. Let’s be the people who silence the stones!
What is Love? - It Doesn't Break All The Rules
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
6. Love Doesn’t Break All The Rules
Have you ever tried to be friends with one of those people who simply doesn’t know how to be? You know what I mean, right? You want to like ‘em… you even do like ‘em, but dang, it’s hard to be around them and really open your life and heart up to them because these people simply don’t know how to be.
I’m one of the pastors of a little church in East Tennessee. Our church meets in this really old building that was a sort of shopping center back in the days of World War II. When we first bought this place, we made a lot of renovation plans that included knocking down some of the walls and building up some new ones, and before we got started, I just so happened to find the original blue-prints of the building that were drawn up before construction took place back in 1943. Finding those plans was so cool, because it told us which walls we could safely remove and which ones were structurally integral to the building. Those blueprints were the key to really understanding how our building worked. They were the conceptual framework that told us how the whole thing held together best. It was like looking at the rules of our building.
Now, what I’m about to tell you is a little book-ish and heady, but hang in there. Lean in and try to wrap your head around this next part, because it’s worth it. You see, in 1 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says that love “is not rude.” The word Paul used that we have translated, ‘rude’ is a word that means inconsiderate or unbecoming. Literally, it’s the word “schematic” with a little “a” in front of it, which negates the whole word. (Like how the word ‘atypical’ means not-typical) Now, the word ‘schematic’ is the same thing as a blue print. It’s the framework of something - a schematic is just the rules or plan that makes it all work together. In other words, Paul is saying that a loving person is someone who falls in line with the schematics of relationships. A person who knows how to love understands how people work together, whereas a person who doesn’t know anything about love is a person who just does whatever they want, whether it fits or not.
I’m sure you’ve known people who say and do things that are so unbelievably unkind that you are shocked to the core by them. I’m sure you’ve seen folks run their mouths without ever thinking about what it is they’re saying and how much damage they might be doing. Not only that, but if you’re anything like me, you’ve been that guy! I know I have… my mind and mouth have broken people’s hearts and spirits a million times and the worst part about it is that sometimes I’ve crushed people without ever realizing what I’d done!
You know, buildings are made up of tons of parts that all have to work together in just the right way for the thing to stand and remain sturdy through decades of weather and wear. The blueprint for the building clearly lays out the intentions of the building’s designer. That schematic tells us exactly how every part should interact for the success of the structure. Paul is simply saying that love means realizing that you’re not the only dang person in the world. You aren’t the only thing holding this society up. Love means realizing that your life is filled with people and we all matter.
In Ephesians chapter 4, Paul says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
We’re supposed to be the people making every single effort to build each other up and take care of each other. Some people make no effort whatsoever. But that’s not how love acts. Love We’re not the only people in this. Everyone is important. Everyone has a part to play and something to hold up. Love knows I’m not the only person here. Love doesn’t run with scissors in every single relationship. Love plays by the rules.
Forgetting The Sting of Your Pain
Do you remember that time when you were 3 years old and you fell on the pavement and busted your lip, your elbow, your knee and the palms of both your hands? That was your first big injury. I mean, up to that point, nothing had ever really hurt like that. It was a bad fall and there was a lot of blood. In those moments after the fall, the pain was the only thing happening in the whole universe, right? It was all you could feel, and all you could think about. Do you remember it? Can you reach back into your memory and reconnect with that pain? (And I don’t mean calling to mind a recent injury and applying its pain to the 3 year-old fall) I mean, can you remember the actual pain you felt after falling on the pavement at age 3?
Go ahead… strain. Try to remember it.
You can’t. That fall happened a long time ago and you’ve slept since then. You stopped bleeding, your injuries healed and you went on living your life. Since that fall, you’ve laughed, cried, grown, learned and experienced all kinds of stuff! That injury is such a distant memory that you simply never even think about it. In fact, you wouldn’t be thinking about it right now unless I brought it up, right?
Check out what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:17 - “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
You see, as people who know and love Jesus, we believe in heaven. We believe that in the very instant we close our eyes on this world at the end of our lives, we will open them onto the face of Jesus Himself, and we’ll spend eternity in unimaginably amazing paradise with Him. When we get there, we’re going to see all of this life and all of its many troubles were only an instant compared to what lies ahead of us. In that very first moment when we see the face of Jesus, we’re going to realize that everything hard we had to go through was nothing compared to what Jesus has in store for us.
Now, that doesn’t mean your troubles aren’t hard. That doesn’t mean your pain isn’t real. It doesn’t mean your sucky circumstances don’t suck. They do suck, your pain is real and your troubles are hard - which is amazing because, if all our pain is “light and momentary” compared to what Jesus has in store, and all our troubles are real and sucky and difficult, then just imagine how amazing heaven is going to be! Wow. It’s apparently so freaking incredible that it has the power to make people call their problems “light and momentary.” Can you imagine that? Can you imagine a place so amazing that victims of prejudice, injustice, genocide, hate, poverty and all other forms of evil will call those troubles “light and momentary” and mean it?! The glory of heaven is so great, it actually has the power to make us forget the sting of our pain.
Dang. That’s where I want to be, and because of Jesus, that’s where I will be. If you love Him, you will be too. And once you’re there, even you will say that this life’s troubles were “light and momentary.” Even you will forget the sting of your pain.
We Don't Have Time For Insecurity
The Apostle Paul said, “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” - 2 Timothy 2:4
Here’s what that means: You and I don’t have time to worry about what other people think of us. We are people under orders. We have bigger fish to fry than worrying about whether other people accept us or think we’re cool. We have a job to do. Soldiers don’t care about what you think about their uniform. They don’t have time to be insecure about what they’re doing or what they look like. Soldiers on active duty have a battle to fight and the only thing that matters to them is discharging orders.
Right now, we are engaged in a battle. Wherever you are, in your school, at your job, in your home - you are on the front lines of the eternal struggle for people’s hearts and minds - their faith or lack of faith in the only Person who can free them from sin and self and give them eternal life, peace and joy. You are an integral part of that battle.There are victories and casualties. We are called to fight. We have to fight. We have a Commanding Officer who already laid down His precious life for us because He loves us so much.
I know you are plagued by self-doubt sometimes. I know you think no one cares about you sometimes. I know you think all your friends are hanging out without you sometimes. I know you think you’re ugly sometimes. I know you think you’ll never get a date sometimes. I know you think all your struggles and problems are because you suck sometimes and that everyone else is cooler, better, smarter and more awesome than you. I know you feel those things. We have all thought and felt those things. It’s not that you suck if you’ve had those thoughts, but listen up: It’s time to lay those burdens down.
We don’t have time to dwell on that stuff anymore. Jesus says He loves you, period. Jesus says He’ll be with you forever, no matter what. Jesus completely accepts you. Jesus says He has your back and is working everything together for your best right now. Jesus says He is in control of everything and that He would move heaven and earth for you because of His outrageous love for you - in fact, He has done just that. Okay. So let’s settle those insecurities with the truth and suit up for battle. It’s time to fight. Get in the struggle and get some victories. We don’t have time for insecurity anymore. We are under orders.
What is Love? - It's Not Always Right
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
5. Love Isn’t Always Right About Everything
The most annoying word that you will hear someone else start a sentence with is the word, “Actually.” You see, if someone is talking to you, and they start a sentence with the word “actually,” then they are about to contradict you. They are about to be right, and you are about to be wrong.
You know what I mean, right? You’re talking to group of people, telling this awesome story that everyone seems to be completely into, when all of a sudden that guy interrupts the whole thing and says something like, “Actually, I’m pretty sure the most common name in the world is Mohammed, but go on.” And you know… you’re thinking, “Dude! What’s up with you? Why would you butt in like that and break the flow of the story just to correct me? Are you just trying to make sure everyone here knows how smart and clever you are?”
Or, have you been in that situation where you’re in the car with a friend or two and you’re singing along to the radio and sure, maybe you don’t know all the words, but you’re giving it all you’ve got, right? And then, out of nowhere, somebody opens their trap and says, “Actually, I think the correct lyric is, “There’s a bad moon on the rise.” And dang… you’re like, “Are you joking me? Did you just stop all the fun we were having and interrupt the singing to make sure that everyone here realizes I’m wrong and you’re right? Dude!
I bet something like those two scenarios has happened to you, or if you’re like me at all, you’ve been that guy before who simply has to be right all the time about everything. Nobody appreciates that person who corrects everyone all the time. Nobody wants to hang out with that person who always loves hearing the sound of their own voice being right all the time. The Apostle Paul points this out for us in his list of what love is all about by saying that love “is not proud.” Now, the Greek word Paul used for ‘proud’ is a word that means, ‘arrogant’ - well, literally, it means, “puffed up.” I get the image of someone with a big head, all puffed up with hot air that they simply have to spread all over the place.
Paul uses that word ‘puffed up’ a bunch in the New Testament, and in one of those places, (1 Corinthians 8:1) he’s talking about how some people think it’s wrong to eat food sacrificed to idols while others don’t have a problem with it because they know idols aren’t real gods and so it doesn’t really matter. He says that if one person thinks it’s wrong, for them it’s wrong. The other guy who knows better shouldn’t eat sacrificed food in front of the guy who struggles with it just to prove that he’s right about the fact that idols don’t mean anything, because that would be inconsiderate. He says in verse 1, “We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” Paul goes on to say that he would rather be a vegetarian for the rest of his life than offend a brother who has a problem with eating food sacrificed to idols just to make a point.
What Paul is saying is this: Sometimes, you’re going to hear people say stuff you know isn’t exactly true. Sometimes, you’re going know something more accurately than someone else and you’re going to have this desire inside your chest to make that fact known. Paul is simply saying, “Put the brakes on that feeling.” When you know someone else is wrong and you’re right, slow down. Is it really necessary for you to break into this conversation and be right? Or are you just getting a little puffed up? If you’re about to correct someone, why do you want to do it? Is this love, or is it arrogance?
Here’s the truth: People want to be right because they want to win. People want to be right because they have something to prove. They want to be right because they want everyone to think they’re awesome and brilliant. the reason I know this is because I’ve spent the vast majority of my life puffed up beyond all reasonable measure. I’ve gotten to the place where I hate the way it feels to correct people. I want to learn how to love. You see, people who have to be right all the time are people who still need the message of the Gospel to sink down into the deep places of their mind and heart. (I speak from experience) The message of the Gospel is this: I don’t have to be right or good for Jesus to love me and for God to accept me. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I don’t have to be smart or clever or brilliant. In fact, the sooner I admit that I have been wrong and foolish about nearly everything in my life, the sooner I enter into the pure joy of the grace and love of God. When I stop trying to prove how awesome I am all the time, I can actually shut up long enough to listen to other people (right or wrong) and love them for who they are like Jesus did for me. That’s love. Real love doesn’t need to be right.
What is Love? - It's Not About Me
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
4. Love Isn’t All About Me
Have you ever seen those bumper stickers that say something like, “My kid is an honor student at Snooty Heights Private School”? I can’t stand those bumper stickers because who knows… I might have actually liked your kid if you hadn’t put that stupid sticker on your car.
Or how about this - do you have one of those people in your facebook timeline who posts a million statuses every day, and they’re all about how awesome and perfect their day was and how awesome and perfect their family and friends are? You know what I’m talking about… they write stuff like this: “Today I made an all organic dinner that was amazing right after finishing my yoga-master-training-course and picking up little Timmy from junior symphony rehearsals. Just another great day! ;)” - I mean, right?
I guess the worst of all is just hanging out with someone who simply can’t stop talking about themselves. You know these people, don’t you? Every conversation finds a way back into their favorite subject… themselves. It doesn’t matter what you’re talking about. Everything from Russian politics to marine biology reminds them of that one time when they did this really awesome thing… They’re constantly saying stuff like, “Oh man, have I ever told you about the time I saved city council? Oh I have? Well, let me tell you about it all over again, because I’m just still so amazed that I managed to do that, aren’t you?”
Here’s the thing. None of us can stand to hang with people who only talk about themselves and brag about how awesome they are and obsess on all the things that are interesting and cool about them. You wanna know why we can’t stand to hang with them? Here it is, plain and simple: It makes the rest of us feel like crap.
When a person obsesses on themselves all the time, It makes the people around them feel like their own life is pointless by comparison. How can anyone measure up, right? That person is so amazing and so interesting, that they literally can’t think of anything else to talk about but themselves. The thing is, people like this are just bragging. They only talk about themselves because they are desperately trying to find out who they are. They don’t seem like it, but they are actually the most insecure people in the room. These desperately insecure people are using every relationship they have in order to make them feel better about themselves.
Let’s look at the other side of this, because Paul tells us that love - real love - is different. Paul says that love doesn’t do that thing that makes everyone feel like crap about themselves. Love makes people feel amazing about themselves. Love doesn’t brag. Love doesn’t boast. Love doesn’t make every conversation revolve around me and what I’m doing. Love isn’t all about me. Love is all about you. Love cares about who you are and what you’re into and what you’re feeling. Love cares about what you need. Real love makes you feel like a rock star. Real love makes you feel like the most important and the most interesting person in the room.
One of my best friends is a named Devon. Devon is a very cool and extremely interesting person, but he doesn’t make everything about himself. I’ll never forget when my wife and I really hung out with him for the first time. He asked Christy about herself and her life. He asked her about her kids and what it feels like to be a mom. (And folks, that’s not something that happens to moms a whole lot) He asked her questions about herself. He listened to her answers. That’s how love works. Love doesn’t talk the whole time. Love wants to hear you talk and love wants nothing more than to listen.
The reason love isn’t all about me is that love doesn’t need to use relationships in order to find out who they are. A person who knows how to love already knows who they are. They know that Jesus loves them eternally even though they haven’t been all that amazing. They know that they are precious to God and nothing will ever change that fact. These folks believe those truths so deeply, they don’t need to prove who they are by bragging about everything all the time. Since they already know who they are, they want to know who you are. That’s love. Real love makes you feel loved.
What is Love? - Undramatic
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
3. Love Isn’t All Dramatic
The thing that drives me absolutely nuts about reality shows is the very thing that keeps millions of viewers tuned in, and that is the DRAMA! I mean, people are glued to those shows like their lives depended on it, and the thing they simply can’t get enough of is the alliances, the scheming, the fights, the tears, the screaming, the back-stabbing, gut-wrenching drama of it all! With the creation of reality shows, network TV producers have created a renewable resource of seething drama that has proven to be an unlimited cash cow for themselves. The thing is, everyone is buying, but why?
Why do we love drama so much?
Why is it that people can’t get enough of the tempers flaring, tears pouring and hearts breaking out loud? Why do we love to watch that stuff? Is it because we think this is the way real passion should be? Is there something inside us that says this is what real love looks like?
In 1 Corinthians 13, when Paul says that love “does not envy,” the Greek word he used for ‘envy’ is the word “zeal.” Literally, Paul says that love doesn’t get zealous. Usually, when I think about zeal and people who are zealous, I can’t help think about sports fans who are a little too wrapped up in their favorite team... you’ve seen these folks, right? They spend outlandish amounts of money for this team, they scream and yell and cuss at the games and they are affected deeply by wins and losses. Now, when I say they are affected deeply, I don’t mean they like winning and hate losing... no. I mean, that this type of person is in a dark, foul, low mood for days and days after a heart-breaking loss. We have all seen folks like this, and it’s not pretty. I mean, in the end, it’s only a game, right?
Turns out that the word ‘zeal’ really means to get riled up. It’s actually a word that was used to imitate the sound of water boiling. It means to bubble up, boil over and just be so completely upset that you become an overwhelming, boiling vat of drama.
Thing is, we’ve all seen that kind of boiling zeal in relationships we know at times, (maybe even us) and it gets even uglier than the zealous sports fans. I think people love drama because it feels like the kind of passion that love is supposed to have. It pretends to be concern, care and affection, but it’s only pretending. You see, drama is where love goes to die. Drama is where love actually becomes hate. When you really stop to think about it, drama like that is just about selfishness. It’s about being right. When a person boils over like we’re talking about, it’s because they think they are more right than you are and they’ll stop at nothing to prove it. They’ll yell, they’ll scream, they’ll throw things or punch the wall. They’ll make outlandish promises and statements and they’ll make every little thing into the biggest deal of all time.
The truth is, drama isn’t really about passion. It’s about that dramatic person. Drama is like a full-grown adult throwing a temper tantrum because they want to get their way, and they’ll do anything to make that happen. Real love isn’t like that. Now don’t get me wrong: Real love is filled with passion, but it doesn’t have to boil over. The passion in real love doesn’t have to be seen and heard; it just feels acts with love.
In Matthew 12:19, an Old Testament prophecy about who the Messiah would be gets fulfilled in Jesus when it says, “He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets.” Jesus wasn’t dramatic. He didn’t have to boil over in order to show His passion for us. He quietly, sweetly loved everyone who came into His path. He loved with affection and passion, but He didn’t have to boil over. Real love isn’t all dramatic, because real love doesn’t have anything to prove.
What is Love? - Jesus-y
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
Love Is Jesus-y
When I picture Paul writing 1 Corinthians 13 and describing love, I picture him writing down that first word, “Love is patient” and then struggling to come up with the next thing to say... “Okay, love is patient... it’s... it’s... hmm... how should I say this? Love is patient, it’s... it’s...”
Now, I don’t know if I’m right about that, but the reason I always picture it that way is because of the second word Paul used to describe love. And look, It’s not that I think he was struggling because he didn’t know how to describe love, but because his mind was literally exploding with so many things and so many ways and words to describe love! There was so much he wanted to include and the thing that came into his mind next was a word that is completely and totally amazing.
“Love is kind.”
That word that we have translated ‘kind’ is a Greek word that is almost exactly like the Greek word, ‘Christ.’ In fact, (and don’t miss this) most guys who study the Bible and the Greek language feel that this is a word that was invented because of Jesus and His life. Here’s what I mean... When people watched Jesus live His life, He loved in a way that no one ever had. He loved outcasts, strangers, foreigners, little kids, enemies of the state and even His own betrayers! Jesus was kind to people when He was exhausted and overwhelmed. He was kind when everyone else wanted to turn folks away and be mean. He was tender to the broken and gentle with those wearied by their own sin. He was willing to be a servant when He had the right to be the boss. There was literally never anyone like Jesus, ever. No one loved like He did. No one was kind like Him. He was so loving and so kind, that it seems like folks literally started using a new word to describe it.
That is the word Paul uses to say that love is kind. It’s a word that looks and sounds almost exactly like the word ‘Christ.’ It’s like Paul is saying, “Love is patient... it’s... it’s... how should I say this? Umm, love is patient, and... well, it’s just all Jesus-y. That’s it! Love is Jesus-y. Love acts like Jesus did.”
Here’s the big question though: If love means to act like Jesus did, then how in the world am I supposed to pull that off?! I mean, Jesus was kind like that because, well, He’s Jesus... and I’m not! -- Well, that is an awesome question. I guess the thing we need to figure out is this: How did Jesus love the way He did?
One of the most amazing examples of the kindness of Jesus was on His last night before the cross when He washed His disciples’ feet. Washing feet was slave labor, literally. Jesus was and is Almighty God and the King of the universe. He didn’t have to wash the nasty feet of those guys who were arguing about who was the best and would soon betray Him, but He did it anyway. He got down on the level of a slave and served them... Wow. And here’s the really cool thing: Right before He did that, John says this about Jesus: “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.”
You see that? Jesus knew two things: He knew who He was and He knew where He was going. The same is true for you, right now. You know you are a child of God. You know you have been forgiven an eternal debt of wrong. You know God adores you right now as you are and always will. You know that as soon as this life ends, you’re going to heaven forever to be with the God who loves you. If you know who you are and where you’re going, you can love like Jesus loved. If you know who you are and where you’re going, you can be Jesus-y. There are people in your life who are almost impossible to love, but they are longing for someone to love them. In the deepest part of their heart, they’re wondering if anyone could - or would be like Jesus to them. That person is you.
What is Love? - Long Fused
Welcome to a new series here on the blog! The idea is simple. In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?
Well, not only does Paul say that love is the most important thing about me, he also goes on to break it down by defining love in a series of amazing words. Hence, these posts. Here we go!
Love Has A Long Fuse
Paul says love is patient. But of course you know that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in the Greek language, and the word he wrote (which we have translated ‘patient’) was a combination of the two Greek words for ‘long’ and ‘heat.’ Literally, he was saying that love doesn’t have a short fuse. People who rock at love don’t blow up and go off on each other. Another way to express this would be to say that love isn’t filled with drama.
Now, we don’t naturally like that particular definition, because we think love is passionate, and drama is also passionate, but let’s be clear: Passion is not the same thing as unbridled anger. Drama like that isn’t sexy. It’s mainly mean. Real love doesn’t blow up or go off. Real love has a long fuse. Real love can wait and listen with a calm and merciful heart without exploding.
And that is the key: Mercy. You see, that word Paul used for ‘patient’ is also used over in Matthew 18 when Jesus told a story about a man who owed his master money... and I mean, hundreds of thousands of dollars. He couldn’t pay it back and the master ordered him and his family to be sold in order to pay the debt. This poor guy begged his master to be patient with him, and the master mercifully forgave the debt. The only problem was, that the same guy then went out and found someone who owed him a few hundred bucks and violently demanded payment. This brother also begged for patience, but no mercy was given. The master found out and punished the unmerciful servant.
You see, when my heart is filled with explosive anger, it’s because way down deep, I want to be the boss. I want to hold the power. I want the keys to the kingdom, like a rent-a-cop at a basketball game who makes everyone stand behind the yellow line for no apparent reason. I don’t have any real power, but I want to feel like I do. When I refuse to be patient, I am letting the power go to my head just like that rent-a-cop.
There are going to be people in your life who drive you crazy and make you outrageously upset. They need your love. The people in your life are begging you to show them mercy. They need you to be understanding. They need you to have a long fuse - to put up with them - to bear with them. That’s the way Jesus treated us. Love doesn’t blow up. It has a long fuse. Your understanding of the mercy you received should change the way you give mercy. It’s the most important thing about you.
The Reason People Don't Grow
Why is it that some folks never seem to make it past a certain point spiritually? Why do some Christians wind up doing things they never would have dreamed? Why is it that some folks get into situations that are so emotionally debilitating and spiritually stifling that it seems like the only available option is to give up? Well, I think the answer to that question is actually shockingly simple. Let’s dig right in:
Okay, you guys know that in my day job, I’m one of the pastors of a little church in Tennessee. And look, I love my job and my church family like crazy. It’s an awesome place filled with folks who love Jesus. At the same time, I see lots of people who are really hurting and really struggling. Sometimes, people are in the middle of a crisis that is so bad, they can’t see any possible way out of it. Over the past decade, I have had the unique opportunity of seeing people at their most desperate moment and helping them figure out how to walk through it. When people are at the end of their rope, we are the folks they call.
As I said, I love that. I love being the guy people come to once the ceiling caves in. The only thing is, in almost every case, if those folks had called me up a few weeks or even a few days earlier, I could have saved them a lot of heartache and damage. You see, the simple answer to the reason so many people either don’t grow or else wind up in the middle of a code-red type of mess is that they waited too late to call for help.
Guys, one of the enemy’s oldest tricks is simply to isolate people. He wants to get you off by yourself so that he can just kick your butt all over the place. You see, if you’re by yourself, you think you’re alone. You think you’re the only one struggling. You think there is no answer and no way out of your problems. When you’re isaolated, you think whatever the devil tells you to think. Before you know it, you’re confused, you’re depressed and you’re crossing a million lines and making tons of compromises that are tanking your already difficult situation.
The answer to this problem is as simple as the problem itself. Ready? (And listen up, because what I’m about to say is seriously ground-shifting kind of stuff) Here goes: Give someone a back-stage pass to your life. Find someone you trust who loves you, loves Jesus and knows Scripture and then open your heart to them. Put a welcome mat on the doorway of your life. Give this person an all-access, back-stage pass. Be honest with them. If you cross a tiny little line, let them know. If you’re scared about something, let them in. If you’re feeling beat up and tired and down and out, tell them. I know so many situations that could have been completely avoided if those people would have given someone a back-stage pass. It’s how you grow. It’s how you keep yourself from doing the stupidest stuff ever and it’s how you tell the enemy to take his sad little tricks somewhere else. Open up your life. Be honest. Find someone that rocks and give them a back-stage pass.
A Simple Key to Spiritual Heath
Are you spiritually dry? Are you down and out? Are you upset and confused and on edge? I know exactly how you feel. I go through those emotions and situations quite often, but I want out. I want to find a way to walk through this life and encounter those types of days with less and less frequency… but how? When we go through days like that, what causes them, and what do we need to do to get out?
Now, it may sound funny, but I’ve actually found an answer to this question right smack dab in the middle of the Christmas story. Hang with me and I’ll show you what I mean: You see, when I find myself frustrated, angry, fed up and spiritually empty, there is one thing I automatically know about myself. This thing that I know about me is simple. It may sound trite. It may seem too obvious to be for real, but I completely believe it’s true. Here goes: Sometimes, when we are in the midst of our deepest problems, we are confused and disoriented, which makes us think that the answer to our problems must also be very complicated, but the truth is, the answer is simple. See, more often than not, the reason we can’t find a way out of those tough times is that we have forgotten simple truths.
I was reading the account in Luke chapter 1 of where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and made a prophecy/request. Would she be willing to bring the Messiah into the world? Would she willingly enter into a difficult situation for the sake of the Promised One? Now, as you know, Mary agreed. She said yes. The thing that really struck me in this account was the information that Gabriel gave her about Jesus, about God and about herself. She learned so many basic, simple and important things in just a few short sentences, and really, every time Mary struggled spiritually from that day on for the rest of her life, it was because she had forgotten those simple truths she heard that day.
But here’s the really cool thing: Those things that Mary learned about herself are also true of you and me right now… simple, basic and massively important truths that can be life-changing to such a degree that forgetting them could be catastrophic. So, let’s look at them. What did Mary learn that is also true of us and so important that we need to always remember?
- God loves me right now, just the way I am
- God has specific, and detailed plans for my life that are powerfully in motion
- The spiritual realm is not only real, it’s more real than this world
- I am an integral part of something huge and miraculous
- I get to be a part of the Messiah’s family - connected to the King of all
Those are simple things, but they are all completely true, and I know that for me - when I am down, depressed, frustrated, disappointed, insecure or feeling sorry for myself - that means there is an item or two on that list that I have forgotten. There is something that’s true of me that I don’t really believe. When I find myself there, I need to go back to the truth and hold onto it like my life depended on it…
Because, it does.