Power Of Following

Key Scripture:  “You follow Me.” John 21:19

Power Point:

     If we are following Jesus, there will be an obvious increase in the things Jesus died to give us.  His Holy Spirit teaches us to increase in love for one another.  He plainly tells us what is good for us and what is not. He says that "Love" is the most important thing.

     The foundational truth of every commandment for the body is to grow in love for one another. There are no exceptions. There is no one you can talk to God about that will cause him to nod His head and agree with you that this one is too tough. By agreeing, He would be saying that that person is too tough for Him too. No way.

      Do you remember when Jesus and Peter were chatting on the beach after the Resurrection? His questions to Peter were all about Peter's love walk. He nails Peter to his own cross when He asks him, “Do you love me a lot, or some, or just a little bit? If you really want to follow in my footsteps you will walk in love and care for the people I give you to care for.” Because of His love in us we can see others as an opportunity to nourish and encourage, and teach and love, just as He did. Isn’t He saying to us, “ You get to be Me to them by the power of My Spirit?  You follow Me.  You treat others as kindly as I did. In fact, if they are unkind to you, bless them and be thankful for the opportunity to grow in My spirit of grace and peace. If they betray you, be as kind to them as I was to Judas.

     I laid down My life for that person that's getting on your last nerve. You lay yours down too. Lay down your right to be angry and pray for them instead.  Lay down your resentment and pick up My gracious thoughts. Lay down your hurt and let Me heal your wounds so that you can forgive and move on, and embrace all the “more” that I have for you.” I can’t give you more when you haven’t made room for it to grow.

     Beloved, we want the "more" don’t we?  We want the kindness and the power and the glory of God and we wonder why we don’t see more of it don’t we?  We love having the grace of God for ourselves but we aren’t that excited about offering it to others are we?  No exceptions, no excuses, remember?

     Wouldn’t it have been strange if Jesus had looked down from the cross and said, “Father forgive them, except for Peter, or that soldier, or that Pharisee, oh and Judas too?" He gave us a perfect example of God’s gracious forgiveness. God gave and gives grace to every person. We should follow Him shouldn’t we?
     Following Him means walking in His footsteps, going where He goes, and doing what He did.  It means making His purposes your purposes, in the power of His Spirit.  Are you following Him?  Are you walking in love?

Power Thought:
"It's the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God's light and doesn't block the light from others."  I John 2:10 The Message
People will know we are Christians by His love in us.
                                                                                                                                   

Power Of Pressing ON!

Key Scripture: "But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me."

Power Point:

  You may never have heard of a mangle iron.   In the “olden days” they were used to press clothes. In my home they were only used to press sheets and pillow cases. When I got to the ripe old age of about twelve or thirteen my mom decided that I could be a big help if I could press the bedding. A mangle iron consists of two rollers filled with HOT heat. It allows you to put your pillowcase between those rollers and supposedly every wrinkle is pressed out. I discovered that they called it a mangle iron for a reason. My fingers could certainly attest to the fact that it was properly named.  I tried.  I really did try but I seemed to press more wrinkles IN then I pressed out. I promise that it was not deliberate but I just couldn’t seem to get the hang of it. (At least I don’t think it was deliberate.)  Anyway my mom figured out that it took a lot less time and effort for her to do it herself. Thank you Jesus.  My fingers really appreciated it!

     The apostle Paul knew a bit about mangling too. I think he called it “pressing”. If anyone was mangled, it was Paul. He was stoned, beaten, nearly drowned and a lot more. Don’t you love his attitude in Philippians 3?

He says, “I press on!” What was he pressing for? He was pressing toward the high calling Jesus had for him. To get there he had to press through some pretty major obstacles didn’t he? He tells us that we should follow his example.

Paul says that pressing on is the main thing he does. He puts it this way:

I press on toward my high calling.

Sorry, I just have to breathe that one in for a moment. God has extended to us a divine invitation to be whole, healed and delivered and to be His friend, His family and His partner to bring heaven to earth. Ahh.

We can say:

I press on for more wisdom.

I press on for more power

I press on for more boldness and courage and strength.

I press on for more revelation and insight

I press on to lay hold of and get within my grasp the thing for which Jesus has laid hold of me.

I press on to forget what lies behind and to strain forward to those things ahead. 

I press forward to unity with Him and with others.

I press forward to peace.

I press forward to gentleness and kindness.

I press forward to being worry free.

I press forward to what I hear and see in Him and from Him.

I press forward to being content to being abased and content to abounding.

I press forward to fullness.

I press forward to humility.

I press forward to honoring others more than myself.

I press forward to looking out for other’s interests.

I press forward to being like Jesus.

I press forward to being obedient.

I press forward to KNOW him.

I press forward to be found in Him and like Him.

I press forward to living out the resurrection life He died to give me.

I press on toward His heaven on my earth.

I press on to the mindset that continually presses on.

     God uses situations in our lives to press out the wrinkles. He does that so that He can present us perfectly, without fault, and without wrinkle when Jesus comes again. Press ON! Beloved, and Press IN! Press on, and on, and on….

Power Thought:

If you keep pressing on He’ll keep pressing out the wrinkles. That's a promise!

Power Of Friendship

“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Key Scripture:  “Abraham believed God…He was called the friend of God.”  James 2:23

Power Point:

     I used to be amazed at people with such large blocks of friends on Facebook. Then I realized that a lot of people who are listed as friends might be someone you simply sat beside on the bus, or met while you were waiting in line to pay your bills. We use the term “friend” loosely now don’t we? A real friend is someone who is on your side, who will tell you when you have broccoli in your teeth, and who will also help you keep your life in order when everything is in chaos. They may bruise you a little with their honesty, but they are always trying to help you. In fact, the Bible says that the wounds of a friend are a good thing. Isn’t it interesting that Isaiah 53 says that Jesus took our bruises on the cross?  Now that's a really good friend!

     If you can, picture yourself walking down a path with your friend. They fall into a hole. The only way you can get them out is by grabbing hold of their arm and pulling. You will probably leave a bruise, but they are no longer in a hole and they can walk with you again. Sometimes friends do bruise us when they’re trying to help us, but Beloved those are “kind bruises”.

     A friend loves you, no matter what, at all times.  They encourage and give good counsel, they laugh with you and weep with you. They are not Facebook friends. They are companions, allies, and close acquaintances that you can share anything with.

     Jesus called us His friends. It’s sort of hard to wrap your mind around that isn’t it?  That means that He is on our side. He’s there when we need Him and He’s there when we want Him.  Abraham was called the ”friend” of God. He was God’s friend because he believed what He had promised him and arranged his life accordingly. I’m pretty sure that Abraham prepared Isaac’s nursery soon after God had promised him that he would become a father.

     You would think that Jesus has a lot of “friends” wouldn’t you. I wonder.

He defines a friend as someone who sticks close, does what He says, and loves His Father and everyone else.

     He’s already taken our bruises. He’s already sent His Holy Spirit to partner with us and He’s already shown that He would lay down His life for us. That’s real friendship isn’t it?

     Jesus gives us the opportunity to become friends with God in exactly the same way that Abraham was.  Are you friends with God or just mere acquaintances?  If you passed Him on the street would you recognize him? Would you call out His name and run toward Him and give Him a big hug? He would really love that. It’s why He sent Jesus, you know, to become your very best friend.

     God is not a Facebook friend. He’s not a casual acquaintance, at least He doesn’t want to be.  When you think of the relationship you have with your best friend, that’s the kind of relationship He longs for with you. He longs to laugh with you, not just cry with you. He longs to dance with you and sing with you. He also wants to give you wise counsel that can help you in your life. That’s what friends do. And that’s what He wants to be with you.

Don’t you want that too my friend?

Power Thought:
“This is how it works. I love the people in my life, and I do for my friends whatever they need me to do for them, again and again, as many times as is necessary. For example, in your case you always forgot who you are and how much you're loved. So what I do for you as your friend is remind you who you are and tell you how much I love you. And this isn't any kind of burden for me, because I love who you are very much. Every time I remind you, I get to remember with you, which is my pleasure.” 
― James Lecesne

Power Of The Sacred Silence

Key Scripture:  “Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.'' (betray Jesus).  Luke 22:23

Power Point:

     In the book, “Mother Teresa, Her Essential Wisdom”, there is a powerful quote from Mother Teresa:

 “We must cultivate that sacred silence which makes people remember the words of Jesus:  "See how they love one another."  How often we find ourselves speaking of the faults of another.  How often our conversation is about someone who is not present.  Yet see the compassion of Christ toward Judas, the man who received so much love, yet betrayed his own Master. But the Master kept the Sacred Silence and did not betray Judas.” (emphasis mine)

Jesus could easily have spoken in public-as we often do- telling the hidden intentions and deeds of Judas to others. But He didn’t. Instead, he showed mercy and charity.  Rather than condemning Judas, he called him his friend.”

     I love these simple words of Truth from Mother Theresa. Being a lover of words I probably should listen more than I talk.  That’s especially true when I come to the place of speaking negatively about another person that Jesus loves.

      Isn’t that a good point? Jesus loved Judas as much as He loved Peter.  He was as crazy about him as He was about John. He knew exactly what Judas was thinking and what he was about to do.  He also knew the remorse that would follow that would cause Judas to take his own life. Yet God didn’t tell a soul. Jesus kept the Sacred Silence and demonstrated love. Did He talk to His Father about the situation?  Yes. Did He get wise counsel? Absolutely.  But if you think about it, Jesus never treated Judas any differently.  How do I know that? Because the disciples were amazed and surprised when He said that one of them would betray Him. They had no clue as to who it was. For a few moments they looked at each other in confusion and thought, “Is it him?” or even worse, “Is it me?” In fact, Judas himself asks Jesus, “Rabbi, is it I?”

     Jesus was as kind to Judas as He was to Mark. He was as encouraging to Judas as He was to Peter. That says a lot doesn’t it?

     Do we need to cultivate the habit of a “Sacred Silence”? Yes, Beloved we do. The only thing that people need to hear from our mouths is lovingkindness isn’t it? In Isaiah 58:9, Holy Spirit says, “If you take away the yoke from your midst and the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness…your light will break out.” Don’t we sometimes point our fingers and speak ugly things about others? Am I alone here?  God says if we STOP doing that, His light in us will begin to shine brighter and brighter. Any darkness that we walk in will become as bright as the sun.  That’s a pretty good exchange don’t you think?

Power Thought:

 "Try not to judge people.  If you judge others then you are not giving love.  Instead, try to help them by seeing their needs and acting to meet them. It isn’t what anyone may or may not have done, but what you have done that God sees.” Mother Teresa.