Peace be with you

There, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)

I was reflecting on this passage after the sermon on Sunday. I was wondering how our lives are really living through this faith. It was something that I was thinking about... how is our lives really a reflection of this kind of peace that God has lavish unto us? And how is our faith in Him has really brought this peace onto our lives.

Again I am reminded of an old song that I have sang growing up...
Peace is flowing like a river,
Flowing out through you and me,
Spreading out into the desert,
Setting all the captives free.

Why is this peace one that sets the captives free? And how is it that our lives become the instrument of peace that flows like a river into the most desert places?

May His peace be with you, evidently through your life, your words, your thoughts.

Man in the Mirror

Hi all, I just finished reading Bern's most recent reflections on the Beatles song so I was inspired to do a song study too! Turns out I'm not going to because the song I chose was a horrible song. This song is "Man in the Mirror" sung by Michael Jackson. At first, it seems like a pretty innocent song. I mean, it IS about helping others and it says that in order to make a change in the world, one must start with him/herself, hence "the man in the mirror".

But the more you hear into it, the ideas for helping people is very self-reliant. What's missed here is the recognition that God is in control. Any change that you want to do won't happen unless God allows it. Have a sense of humility when serving! One thing I noticed while collecting donations at school is that sometimes there's a sense of pride when donating. There shouldn't be this attitude of superiority. People should be donating out of love, not because it's going to make them "feel real good"! I'm sort of disappointed in this song. It's really catchy, but the lyrics and the way the song is presented is so that it'll make people feel good about making change. We should be starting with Jesus first and making change according to God's will! I don't think we should be "starting with the man in the mirror" (ourselves), unless of course, the man we're looking at is Jesus.

All you need is love

Matthew 22:37-40
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Was reflecting on the idea of love and most likely because I had just finished reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and also listened to one of his sermons. I was contemplating what the world would be if everyone ACTUALLY live out these two commandments and followed it to the T; how would the world that we are living in be different?
The 70s band The Beetles wrote a song that says "All you need is love..." is that not true to an extend? that all we need is love. If we know of His love; a sacrifice, graceful, authoritative kind of love... if we responded in only with the perspective of love... if we acted upon only with the mindset of love... if love is all we need... if love is all we had... if love is only there... if love...
What would the world look like today?

But... its soooo not fair!

For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idel in the marketplace, and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you. So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idel all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too,' And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no worng. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' So the last will be first and the first last. (Matthew 20:1-19)

Is it not true that when we read this we often take on the master's perspective - seeing with the lenses of "hey... it is my money I can do whatever... and who's to say what fair is before the plentiful God..." But consider the missional implication of these words. The last will be first and the first will be last... and the questions of "why do you with idle hands?" Is that not true of today? That we have people and friends and even nations that are with idle friends. If the master is one who invites all to come work at his vineyard; shall not we too when noticing people of idle hands to tell our master and to have them invited into the vineyard. Or are we just so stuck on ourselves (like those first workers) who are unable to celebrate the fullness of their communities work?

Warning against hypocrites

Matthew 15:1-9
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from jerusalem and said, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father and mother must surely die.' But you say, 'If anyone tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrities! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: "This people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."

Jesus pierces the hearts of the Pharisees and challenges their holding onto the traditions. Empty traditions that leds people down a path of legalism may cause them to be further away from God; even if these tradition seems to be godly ones. Consider how you hold onto your traditions; have they replace the very teachings and the heart of God? Have empty traditions become more of a idolatrous lifestyle as opposed to a holy and sanctified living?

Encouragement from Peter

I was listening to a sermon recently and this was the passage that was spoken on :)
I hope that it will minister to you as it had minister to me.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

... to serve as a sign among you...

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight... to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

This passage always fascinates me. Partially I always wonder where the 12 stones are today? But I think what is so amazing is that this passage is a reminder to remember. The Israelites after crossing the Jordan was to pick up twelve stones as a reminder for them of how God had led them and helped through cross the Jordan. This is a pivital life change in the lives of these travelling Israelites. These stones were not special in anyways nor are they idols to worship but these stones are set as a reminder of who God is and His provision for the Israelites. I wonder in our lives where have we set these twelve stones? and what are the things that we set in place that helps us remember God? Maybe after God has led you through difficult situations - what is something that will help you remember Him? Or maybe God provided such abudance of blessings, how or what can we set to remember Him?