Monthly Archives: July 2014

How Should We Live?

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I just finished a small group this morning, and we talked about one of the questions that we Christians talk about is what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to live? What is our life supposed to look like?

We’ve all wondered. We’ve all asked. What is a Christian supposed to do? What are we supposed to be like? How, now, should we live?

Jesus takes some time in our text today to talk about what our life should look like as a Christian. What are we supposed to do? Listen to what He says in Luke 3:10-14:

And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

eefd4fe8f589e64e0e66a4f2937ae4ae_XLWhat does Jesus say? What should we do as Christians? We should do our best to just to do right by people. Help people. Be faithful. Don’t steal. Share. Treat others right. Show love and mercy.

As He says in other places, treat them like you’d like to be treated.

Or as He says, the greatest commandment is to love our God and love our neighbor. Because if we do that, then we are keeping all the law. When you do right by others, you are doing what God wants us to do.

Because God loves them. He does. He loves people. They matter to Him. He sent His son to die for and to save them. God genuinely and totally loves people. He wants for all to be saved, and He wants to use us to do that great task.

And one of the ways that we can make a difference in someone’s life is by simply doing right be them. Treating them with that respect. Treating them right.

That’s Jesus’ command to us today. Do right by others. If we do that, God will take care of the rest.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones, and you thought our app, you can now watch our worship services from Asbury too!

Everyone

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I had the good fortune last night of being able to preach a revival up in Yazoo county last night. I really do enjoy the chance to preach revivals; it’s always a joy to get to share the good news of Jesus with different churches, and it’s a joy to remind folks of just how much we that are Christians need to hear the good news again for ourselves.

And one of the things I always like to remind folks about when I preach revivals is this – who is God after? Who does God want to save? Who does God want to see come to saving faith? Who does God want to be in a relationship with?

Listen to what Peter preaches in Acts 2: 38-39:

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

800px-Globe.svgPeter says this – God wants folk that are near and far, all folks, all people, everyone, to be saved. God wants all people to come to know Him. God wants all people to be in a relationship with Him.

God wants to know everyone. And God wants everyone to know Him.

Me, you, the folks we like, the folks we don’t like. Everyone. God wants everyone to make that decision to follow Him as Lord.

Who does God love? Everyone.

And so, as His followers, that’s our calling as well. To love everyone. Even the folks that we don’t like. In fact, the folks we don’t like, they may be the ones that we need to love the most.

Because they need to hear the goodness of God’s love. And need the faithfulness of doing something that we don’t want to do. We need the faithfulness of doing something impossible. Because when we do that, we actually have to trust and fully lean on God.

And then He does amazing things through us and in us.

Today, who does God want to be in relationship with? Everyone. Today, may we do that very thing in our lives.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones, and you thought our app, you can now watch our worship services from Asbury too!

It’s Not Complicated. Just Hard

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Hey y’all, remember me?  After a week away teaching at Camp Wesley Pines and helping with BaseCamp, I am now back on schedule!

So often, we like to make faith complicated.  We can deal with grand theologies or believes. We can struggle with the questions that we don’t understand. We can feel paralyzed by mysteries that are so deep.   We can  just be overwhelmed by issues of faith sometimes.  Sometimes to the point that we just don’t know what to do.

That’s why I like it to be simple.  And you know what?  It can be.  I’ll tell you part of what I’ve learned about faith.  It’s really not all that complicated, most times.  It can just be hard to do, sometimes.

What do I mean?  Listen to what it says today in Romans 13:8-10:

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

simplePaul today basically pares it all down.  Own nothing to anyone, except to love them.  All the commandments, all the law, everything, it is summed up by that one simple command.  Love.  If you love, you will fulfill the commandments.  You won’t steal, you won’t murder, you won’t do all these things.

Love keeps the commandments.  That’s actually simple to understand.

It’s just hard to do.  It’s hard to love, hard to forgive, hard to do these things.  And I can’t do them.

But, Christ through me can.  So, ironically, if I want to keep this command, the command that matters, the command of love, the first thing I’ve got to do is draw my heart closer to God.  Because only through the power of the Spirit can I love.

It’s not complicated to understand this.  On our own, it’s just hard.  But, through the power of Christ within us, all things are possible!  We can do it!  We can love!  We can.  We can keep the heart of the law.

As we do that, may we make a difference for Jesus with all that we do.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones, and you thought our app, you can now watch our worship services from Asbury too!