Today, I asked Jesus where He was going to lead me. He spoke into my spirit and told me to go to my grandfather's house. Truthfully, I don't go visit my grandfather as much as I should. So often, we get caught up in our own lives and anxieties, that we forget to look out for those around us. Maybe, that is why Jesus tells us to cast ALL of our cares upon Him. Worry robs us. It robs those around us. It is the thief of Joy.
I think so many of us miss the heart of the gospel message. We fill our lives with religion, but we often lack love. When our lives begin to look like Jesus, we will see ourselves becoming less. Jesus had the chance to be a king on earth (John 6:15 ), but he rejected it and instead chose to become a servant.
I often hear of religious conferences about how to be a great leader, but one need only to look at Jesus to see that being a great leader looks nothing positions of power. Instead, being a great leader looks like wielding a servant's towel and washing the feet of those around us.
One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 58. People were worshiping God, participating in religious activities, and fasting, but the Lord scolds them. He chastises their outward displays of holiness, and tells them that the kind of worship and fasting that He wants is to stand up for injustice, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, quit gossiping, and giving in to anger. He says the kind of fast He wants is for us to be there for each other, and to be there for our own families. He says that when we give Him the kind of fast that He wants, then our light will rise in the darkness, and we will be like well watered gardens that never run dry.
unless we are loving like Jesus and serving others, then everything else we are doing is just noise. It's fruitless, and it will turn to dust.
Another one of my favorite verses is this, "We fulfill the Law of Christ, when we bear one another's burden." To me, this is profound. The Law of Christ is the law of love, and we fill this law when we are there for one another. When we see a need, and we meet that need. This is the heart of Jesus.
One of the biggest problems that I have had with religion is the amount of waste that I see. I see billions of dollars of church buildings on nearly EVERY street corner. I see television preachers begging for money and manipulating the elderly. I see blessings for sale, even though the Lord tells us in His Word that His gifts are NOT FOR SALE.(ACTS 8:20) I see so much waste as people try to please the Lord, when all the Lord really ever wanted was for us to simply follow Him and care for one another.
The model for church in the Bible is simply a loving and vibrant community that shared with one another, they met one another's needs. There was no heirarchy. They each had a role in the Body of Christ. Today, I see a lot of inequality . I see people using godliness as a means of gain, even though the Word has serious warning against such behavior. . Is this Jesus? Is this the same Jesus who gave up his life as a King on earth and gave up all earthly riches to serve the "least of these.?
We bear the burden of the homeless man or woman, when we offer him food or a warm blanket or when we give to a shelter.
We bear the burden of our family, when we cook, clean, and provide for them.
We bear the burden of the sick, when we pray for them, visit them, and offer to help them with their medical expenses.
We bear the burden of our neighbor or anyone we meet when we see a need, and we meet it.
It's holding open a door or offering an elderly lady help with her groceries. It is so simple, and yet so profound. An unbelieving world would take notice is we stopped being so religious, and just started to serve the needs of those around us.
May be all recognize and appreciate the simplicity of Jesus. He died for you. He forgives you. Now, be free and use that freedom to serve others in love. (Galatians 5:13 )
Here is my prayer for the day:
Dear Lord,
Give me your heart. Help me to serve you by serving others. Open my eyes to the needs of those around me. Help me Lord to see through your eyes. Help me to bear one another's burdens so that I can fulfill your Law.
Lord, I give you all of my cares and worries so that I can be free to go where you lead.
Amen
ALSO, COULD YOU GUYS PLEASE continue to pray for me. I truly believe that, as Christians, we should be there for one another. I often have to fight against anxiety and depression despite the fact that I have so much to be grateful for. Sometimes, strength is saying that we do need help and we do need other people's prayers. Thanks, yall.
I think so many of us miss the heart of the gospel message. We fill our lives with religion, but we often lack love. When our lives begin to look like Jesus, we will see ourselves becoming less. Jesus had the chance to be a king on earth (John 6:15 ), but he rejected it and instead chose to become a servant.
I often hear of religious conferences about how to be a great leader, but one need only to look at Jesus to see that being a great leader looks nothing positions of power. Instead, being a great leader looks like wielding a servant's towel and washing the feet of those around us.
One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 58. People were worshiping God, participating in religious activities, and fasting, but the Lord scolds them. He chastises their outward displays of holiness, and tells them that the kind of worship and fasting that He wants is to stand up for injustice, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, quit gossiping, and giving in to anger. He says the kind of fast He wants is for us to be there for each other, and to be there for our own families. He says that when we give Him the kind of fast that He wants, then our light will rise in the darkness, and we will be like well watered gardens that never run dry.
unless we are loving like Jesus and serving others, then everything else we are doing is just noise. It's fruitless, and it will turn to dust.
Another one of my favorite verses is this, "We fulfill the Law of Christ, when we bear one another's burden." To me, this is profound. The Law of Christ is the law of love, and we fill this law when we are there for one another. When we see a need, and we meet that need. This is the heart of Jesus.
One of the biggest problems that I have had with religion is the amount of waste that I see. I see billions of dollars of church buildings on nearly EVERY street corner. I see television preachers begging for money and manipulating the elderly. I see blessings for sale, even though the Lord tells us in His Word that His gifts are NOT FOR SALE.(ACTS 8:20) I see so much waste as people try to please the Lord, when all the Lord really ever wanted was for us to simply follow Him and care for one another.
The model for church in the Bible is simply a loving and vibrant community that shared with one another, they met one another's needs. There was no heirarchy. They each had a role in the Body of Christ. Today, I see a lot of inequality . I see people using godliness as a means of gain, even though the Word has serious warning against such behavior. . Is this Jesus? Is this the same Jesus who gave up his life as a King on earth and gave up all earthly riches to serve the "least of these.?
We bear the burden of the homeless man or woman, when we offer him food or a warm blanket or when we give to a shelter.
We bear the burden of our family, when we cook, clean, and provide for them.
We bear the burden of the sick, when we pray for them, visit them, and offer to help them with their medical expenses.
We bear the burden of our neighbor or anyone we meet when we see a need, and we meet it.
It's holding open a door or offering an elderly lady help with her groceries. It is so simple, and yet so profound. An unbelieving world would take notice is we stopped being so religious, and just started to serve the needs of those around us.
May be all recognize and appreciate the simplicity of Jesus. He died for you. He forgives you. Now, be free and use that freedom to serve others in love. (Galatians 5:13 )
Here is my prayer for the day:
Dear Lord,
Give me your heart. Help me to serve you by serving others. Open my eyes to the needs of those around me. Help me Lord to see through your eyes. Help me to bear one another's burdens so that I can fulfill your Law.
Lord, I give you all of my cares and worries so that I can be free to go where you lead.
Amen
ALSO, COULD YOU GUYS PLEASE continue to pray for me. I truly believe that, as Christians, we should be there for one another. I often have to fight against anxiety and depression despite the fact that I have so much to be grateful for. Sometimes, strength is saying that we do need help and we do need other people's prayers. Thanks, yall.
Isaiah 58 The Message (MSG)
Your Prayers Won’t Get Off the Ground
58 1-3 “Shout! A full-throated shout!
Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives,
face my family Jacob with their sins!
They’re busy, busy, busy at worship,
and love studying all about me.
To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people—
law-abiding, God-honoring.
They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’
and love having me on their side.
But they also complain,
‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way?
Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’
Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives,
face my family Jacob with their sins!
They’re busy, busy, busy at worship,
and love studying all about me.
To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people—
law-abiding, God-honoring.
They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’
and love having me on their side.
But they also complain,
‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way?
Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’
3-5 “Well, here’s why:
“The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit.
You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
won’t get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after:
a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
a fast day that I, God, would like?
You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
won’t get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after:
a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
a fast day that I, God, would like?
6-9 “This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places
9-12 “If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.
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