Galatians 5:16-25
But I say, walk by the Spirit,
and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control;
against such things, there is no law.
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit,
If we live by the Spirit,
let us also
keep
in step with the Spirit.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another,
envying one another.
All this time, with my mother passing on for the last 17 days, I've thought about Revelation 21, God is making all things new. And this Sunday I heard a Sermon about the thoughts pinging around inside me. I had to smile, the man who painted our house, said when he and his wife began to attend Church, they were astonished each week the Sermon described their life, that very week. God was just continuing their conversation and the invitation to be walking with Jesus.
We know Jesus sailed the 13 miles of the Sea of Galilee, daily, and didn't go with the Greek Dispersion after being asked. Some people have even said Jesus was asked to sail the world by His Father, God the Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth. And Jesus didn't like the Sea and the great wide world. As if Jesus Christ would defy His Father. That's a wrong idea.
Not everyone seeks and finds Jesus as Love, or is in love with Jesus.
Jesus knowing names, thoughts, illnesses, personal histories knew hearts. Jesus disproved this hate-filled theory, and Jesus walked upon the water several times. Jesus sets the path straight.
Signature of Jesus Christ
I heard a beautiful explanation of Gospel, Truth: Gospel explains the depth and width of life in beautiful, understated, full of life, brush strokes. Deftly. With unparalleled care. Honesty. Love.
And still God tells us there is no ocean in Heaven.
Lake Kinneret isn't an ocean. Yet, Jesus chose Capernaum. To see Lake Kinneret. Known as seaside milk and honey. Teaches us Jesus had a lot of personal input into the Kingdom of Heaven. Probably Jesus' idea of the no need Heavenly necessity of separation, no need for large bodies of water separating those who live in Heaven. Heaven is families named on Heaven and earth. Together. Heaven.
And being Light of the world, Light of mankind, Jesus chose to tell us the water of Heaven is - shining.
The Light of the world, Light of mankind, is ... working. Living and Active.
Shining. Heaven is shining. Shining comes from the lack of fear, that giving this away - wouldn't take away from our own personal space: happiness, glory or joy. Shining comes from being this:
Love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control
Elijah and the Widow of Zarepheth
Both Elijah and the widow of Zarepheth faced a problem unknown in Heaven. Famine. Lack.
There is all types of Lack.
If I feed you, I might be less. Or you might be full and I might die. Or I might be dumb, I gave away something useful. Hell is described as I feed myself, at your starvation. I build me up and enjoy, you might die. The forks of Hell are long and sharp. Elbows out. I look better, more loved, more employed, more empowered, more parented, more happy, more popular, more smart, more neato, more christian, more connected, better teeth sharpened and mouth mean, more better with a bigger, sharper, more 2021 stainless silver sharp fork. Me, myself and moi. And if I decimate you, well, you can be my stooge.
I think God might have understood this in the Elijah and the Widow of Zarepheth.
The very first attitude of Jesus explaining Elijah and the Widow of Zarepheth..... the town decided to throw Him off a literal cliff. Luke 4. Jesus merely walked out of their midst.
Jesus and His other cheek. Jesus found Joy in Life! He surely knew His Life was His. Jesus just passed through their - midst. If we consider Jesus has humor....
All that work and frustration and ire to make misery, swimming in the Sea of Gizzard. They wanted Jesus to 'Suffer'. Jesus sees so well, He walks from their... midst. Jesus had just read Scripture from the front of their eyes set forward on the Altar. They wanted to drag Jesus from the Pinnacle and throw Him down the cliff. There is another Biblical story like this.
That day and two millenniums later... Jesus didn't lose sleep about their...midst. And no one swimming in the Sea of Gizzard goes home happy and all smiles. Being all that has a puncture wound from fake repairs. Fake kindness is gizzard sea stew.
Jesus said Abundant Life. Throwing someone down a cliff isn't abundant life. But Living knowing you Live, is Joy. Live to not throw someone down a cliff... Again!
The widow of Zarepheth didn't look at Elijah and say, "Oh, Lovely, let me make you a cake."
Elijah, man of my dreams. Star like Quality. Finely cut Robe, and what sandals on his feet. No, she was going to celebrate what God gave her and, with realism and reality, after the last meal, suffer and die of starvation with her child. This wasn't someone with it all, going on to share from her vast storehouses - - - of whatever noun you want to put in there.
Hebrews 11:6
Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He exists,
and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
The widow of Zarepheth didn't do like the Book of Acts Chapter 5; "Oh, Elijah, I only have a tablespoon of flour. Erm. Om." Instead, she decided staring at life is short, to give what was in her hand and not say come back tomorrow. (Princess Bride borrowed that from Solomon :)
And God again fed the multitude by coaxing out all the smelling fish and vegetables hidden in their pockets to make rock soup. Na. Jesus really fed the multitudes and the people believing His Word for Millenniums. A long time. So, Jesus taught Elijah the Heimlich Maneuver on the widow's son? Na, they were starving. Elijah lived abundantly and shared Life Abundant with the dying widow's son. The Miracle of God. Sharing Life Abundant. Shine.
Expecting and Living the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand
Of course, the widow of Zarapheth had something dealing with the golden soul of Elijah. Elijah was not going to walk off, with a demeaning insult to harm, after harming her gift of food or life. And we know, in life, sometimes you don't get the gift, you get the sticky stick. I know a Psychologist who was invited to give a talk to his good Church, outside of Houston, about families not getting along. He asked how many would attend, it's about a thousand congregants. The Church said, oh, about 30. And he showed up and about 350 people were putting out chairs. And a lot of the upset was with adult children. We are the generation working so hard for our children to be fully filled. And they are! Thanks - bye.
Well... how are we going to get along when the chickens are out roosting? In all generations and levels of familial relatedness?
In pandemic, even airplane riders get ugly. We have to realize where the footholds are starting.
***So many people are 'Upset', we find they need the argument or response to have the fight, to feel alive. Worries make dull companions.
The answers work for your grown or young child, your fussy aunt, distant cousin or the grumpy neighbor.
Of course, this is Biblical!
1. We are not Jerry McGraw, we can't depend on others to complete us. Love God first. Ok, om, why? Set your ship with a tall Star to sail by. Priority alignment. Joy!
2. Because if we do Jerry McGuire, we are not filled in our Spirit, our Soul, to be able to feed someone else.
3. We have to find our meaningful life. The situation is - is life meaningful - am I living a life well spent? This isn't about the government and the absolute fairness of life. This is about adapting to finding what makes life meaningful.
3a. Einstein said doing the same thing over and over is insanity. Ok, he is Einstein, who can be ... Wrong. Olympic athletes do the same thing for a long time. And people who hold jobs to make a living do the same thing, and, expect God to help them be strong. You have to do the 'and' of the Bible and anticipate where God is going to place His Help.
3b. Sometimes you have to change direction and do "Tough Love." Which is an excellent book by Dr. James Dobson.
4. *****Your self-esteem in the way we treat others.
5. Making Heaven on earth is living Heaven on earth.
6. Look for the good.
7. Number 7 on the list is, Love Yourself. God said Love Yourself right after He said Love God first to set your Love and priorities straight. Don't beg for affection. Jesus never did. Don't allow yourself to be demeaned. We know Jesus meek and mild. No, speak up. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, baby!
7 Aaaaaa † And Jesus didn't break a bruised reed to feel better about Himself.
Because Jesus is God and Jesus is Wise and Wisdom.
7b. Firmly establish yourself as a child of God and say, "No, that's disrespect." And move away from the disrespect without taking vengeance. Find something else. Find life. State a fact and expect blow back. Time to move on to the next 6875 things on the to-do list.
8. Jesus said to Pray, pray, pray, pray with Hope. We can explain to God logically in His Kingdom alive in our souls. And Jesus said pray with Hope. And Hope does not disappoint, because then we bloom elsewhere, while putting good Joy on the Garden to Grow without us micromanaging.
Recently, I let a Cherry Laurel tree grow up and block the view of our pond. Because we needed more of that goodness of deep, luxurious green during the winter months for the GARDEN to have cheer. And this caused it to not look so lovely, and I said give it time and see the shade. Yesterday, it's hard to lose a parent, I stood outside and shaped the tree. And this 2 year project, created the exact lovely, shiny leaves, shade, view of the pond effort. The Garden grew in other directions during this time. Other areas of the garden are well and truly in need of help and time to get over Texas' Snowvid eleven degree weather. Other roses are blooming marvelously.
8. Don't let it eat you. Give them your support and guidance if they ask for it, but try not to force it on them.
Continue to help them in appropriate ways if you feel it is healthy and necessary to do so.
Give them the same space to follow their journey, just as you want others to do for you.
9. The Bible says flee. Flee people who would interfere with sex. Flee the violent. Flee the total lack of Peace. 1 Corinthians 7. Let the dead, take care of the dead. Don't put your pearls before swine. Because swine just mess everything up. Joy. Find Joy. I know a marriage having an alcoholic husband. The wife is really and truly in the place where she has to love the man and not the alcohol. We always say, fix things. She won't be an alcoholic, but she knows she can't fix him. Life finds joy in their lives. However, I did see one grandparent become an alcoholic to not be alone because the other one was. Not good.
10. CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY. Alan Paton wrote of loving Africa. And he said look for the brightness. See the brightness in others. Weep for them. Because the day will come, if they aren't number 9 on the list, we don't want to be found being the heart of stone. Pray to have a loving heart. Love gathers interests and Joy. Love believes in others. And Love creates the expectation of Heaven is at hand.
“I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find that we are turned to hating.”
― Alan Paton, Cry, The Beloved Country
“ — This world is full of trouble, Fundisi.
— Who knows it better?
— Yet you believe?
Kumalo looked at him under the light of the lamp. I believe, he said, but I have learned that it is a secret. Pain and suffering, they are a secret. Kindness and love, they are a secret. But I have learned that kindness and love can pay for pain and suffering. There is my wife, and you, my friend, and these people who welcomed me, and the child who is so eager to be with us here in Ndotsheni – so in my suffering I can believe.
— I have never thought that a Christian would be free of suffering, Fundisi. For our Lord suffered. And I come to believe that he suffered, not to save us from suffering, but to teach us how to bear suffering. For he knew that there is no life without suffering.
Kumalo looked at his friend with joy. You are a preacher, he said.”
― Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country
“The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that things are not mended again.”
― Alan Paton, Cry, The Beloved Country
“But there is only one thing that has power completely, and this is love. Because when a man loves, he seeks no power, and therefore he has power.”
― Alan Paton, Cry, The Beloved Country
The meek inherit the earth. Grandparents with Grandchildren.
“For it is the dawn that has come, as it has come for a thousand centuries, never failing.”
― Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country
When Someone Passes On
New.
Heaven is New. Jesus said He saw Heaven was New.
The Signature of Heaven according to Ephesians 3 is families together. And then Heaven has no vast Ocean. The Kingdom of Heaven is said to have Shining Water. Living Water. The Kingdom of God of Love, God of Encouragement.
Real Love does not have fear.
We are not afraid to be Loving.
We live in a world, that if we throw out hate, hatefulness, in our superiority or words, we don't have to worry or have trepidation or weakness about being rejected.
We don't have to decide between being loving
or doing without.
The Kingdom of Heaven shines because fear in ourselves is now filled
with Love.
The Promises of God are,
simply,
true
as Jesus Christ
defeated death.
David had so many flaws, no one in their right
Christian Poster would put David on a Christian Poster Board
and David
was so filled with the belief in the Mercy of God
David lived being forgiving
and merciful.
David Lives.
David Lives Abundant Life.
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,
which He bought with His own blood.
Jesus never pointed at Peter and demanded he become John. Peter did, in fact, try to walk on water and did whine about John and preferment, but Peter ended up with the Chair. John just lived impossibly long and converted a stadium in Rome to Christianity, as recorded by two secular historians. And John had people traveling to Patmos to invent words like Presbyter. Both men lived spectacular lives. Why couldn't we be this too?
Abba, Father,
In Jesus Christ, we will never give up.
Jesus the God of ALL.
Jesus, we pray Life and healing
Joy and Love in all of us.
Jesus, God of Encouragement.
Jesus, Hope and Future.
Jesus the Lord
saves the world
Amen.
♔ LORD JESUS SAVES †
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