JESUS SPEAKING

                “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15: 12-13.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                God’s commandment to His disciples was to love one another in the exact manner that He had loved them.  Of all of the different kinds of love, God identified the greatest love to be self-sacrifice; the very love that Jesus Christ portrayed upon the cross.  True love could only come through the denial of the self.  He was commanding his followers to crucify themselves daily, by denying their own wants and needs to provide for the wants and needs of others.  All those who were, and are disciples of the Lord, should manifest selflessness as the proof that the Love of Christ is in them.

                Everyone wants to be heard.  Children naturally have a difficult time listening instead of talking. As they grow old, they learn to be listeners.  Yet even as adults, the majority of people still enjoy being the topic of discussion.  Some people are so self-centered it’s difficult to speak with them because conversation is not a two-way-street; it’s a long dark alley with no exits.  However, disciples learn to make others the focus of conversation.  They ask more questions (with more sincerity), and become active listeners.  Their own wants, needs, and desires become secondary; they in essence die, and in turn, they can nurture and love others.  Anyone who is more concerned with their own wants, needs and desires, cannot love others as Christ has commanded them, and in turn, they cannot be his disciples.  In order to live and love as Christ we must die.  Paul wrote, “To live as Christ, to die is gain.”  To die is the way to life. 

                In conversation today, are you a listener, or a talker?  Are you a giver, or a taker?  Are you dying, or are you living?  The less concerned you are with yourself, the more you can manifest the love of Christ.  There are many areas where you can die.  You can give up the time you spend in recreation to serve others (not necessarily all your time.)  You can pray for others instead of yourself.  You can listen to others instead of talking.  You can spend your extra money on others.  You can love where you used to hate, and give where you used to take.  You can show God’s love, the greatest love, to a world who needs it desperately.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we ask that You would help us to die; to lay down our lives for our friends and strangers.  Give us a strong desire to esteem others above ourselves, and to show the Love of Your Son to all those who need it.  Reveal opportunities in our lives where we can improve, and become more selfless; more like You.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

                “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is properly taught will be like his teacher” (Luke 6: 40.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                God is called ‘the most high,’ because elevation has always been how human beings distinguish between the valuable and the invaluable.  People honor things by lifting them up.  In ancient times, when a king stepped down on level ground with a group of his subjects, those subjects would lower themselves beneath him; many would bow, others would kneel.  If the king was a child, then his subjects would sprawl out face first on the ground to make sure the king stood above them.  The teacher and student relationship is quite similar (as Jesus said, “A disciple is not above his teacher”) The disciple, or student, must realize his or her lack of knowledge (they lower themselves); the teacher then becomes the superior source of necessary information (they are lifted up.)  In exchange for their humility and ability to learn, the disciples were promised that they would become like Jesus.  Anyone who lacked this type of humility could not be a follower of Jesus then, and cannot be his follower today.  A person who believes they have a better way, or who desires to learn from sources other than the Lord, cannot be properly taught.

                A long time ago, I was caught in a dilemma…I remember calling up a friend for advice on a situation that had made me absolutely furious.  In the middle of the conversation she said, “What would Jesus do?”  I tried to shrug it off, and replied something like, “Well, he’s Jesus, I can’t be like him.”  The question cut deep in to me; the answer to how to react to the situation wasn’t debatable; rather, it had a face, and a name, and that name was Jesus Christ.  I was not called to behave in my own way, but to behave just like him.  After all, a disciple is someone who is a student and follower of their teacher.  My teacher and master was, and is Jesus Christ.  If I desired to be properly taught (a disciple), I knew I needed to be completely submitted to him.

                You as well are called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  How does that process begin for you?  First, you must humble yourself and lift him up.  Jesus Christ must become the moral authority in your life.  Get rid of any competing teachers, and make his words the foundation upon which your life and your actions are built.  Daily gospel reading is essential.  Commit some of your time daily to the study of his words.  The gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, and the book of Revelation contain his spoken words, and descriptions of his behavior; only by knowing your teacher can you be properly taught; only by humbling yourself before the living God can you become his disciple.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You now and ask to become Your disciples.  We lift up Your Son and we ask that He become our teacher.  Jesus, speak to us, and to our hearts, and mold us and shape us in to Your image.  Remind us of all of the words that You have spoken, and fill us with Your Holy Spirit, that we may minister to all those You place in our way.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.    

JESUS SPEAKING

                “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets.” (Mathew 7: 12.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                This verse has commonly become known as ‘The Golden Rule.’  There were a number of philosophers and spiritual guru’s throughout history who stated something similar to this rule, but with a fundamental difference; all of them phrased it in the negative; for example, “Do not do to others, what you would not want others to do to you.”  Because of their negative phrasing, they were all in opposition to the rule Jesus stated in this verse.  He phrased it in the positive, meaning, “whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.”  Those philosophers had made the avoidance of evil their main focus.  Jesus placed the focus on the good actions to be done, rather than the evil to be avoided; instead of trying to not steal from others, he would have everyone give to others (a spirit of generosity automatically negates the spirit that moves a man to steal.)  Instead of trying to avoid speaking negatively about others, or gossiping, the disciples of the Lord were to say good things about people (a person can remain silent all day and avoid speaking evil, but their silence would also make it impossible for them to say anything good.)  Instead of trying not to lie, Jesus required that the lies be replaced with active attempts to speak the truth. 

I have had a number of opportunities to interact with Buddhists.  The most enlightened ones are the ones that spend a great deal of time in meditation.  Some even become monks, who live in monasteries and sit alone in silence and meditate for days on end.  These monks make sure to not step on any bugs, or living things, because they believe this to be evil.  They believe the avoidance of evil makes them good.  In essence, they become ‘shut-ins’ who avoid doing evil, but in their isolation they become incapable of doing the most good.  Jesus made it clear that to not do good was to do evil.  The monks who spend ten hours a day in meditation might be wasting time they could have used to love others, reach out to others, and give to others; and in turn, those ten hours they were not doing good, might become ten hours of evil (the very means by which they attempt to avoid evil (going in to seclusion), can become the very thing that creates evil in their lives.  (We are all guilty refusing to do good, not just Buddhist monks; if we are all guilty, we are all called to change.)

                Today, examine the areas of your life where you are not doing good, and there you will find the presence of evil.  When God gives you the opportunity to be kind, if you are not kind you have transgressed against God.  If you are focused on not sinning, remember that you are sinning if you are not doing good.  You might make it through the whole day without lusting, swearing, or even thinking a bad thought, but if you have done nothing good for another person you have fallen short of the glory of God.  Jesus said, “Let your good deeds so shine before men, that others look at you and glorify your Father in heaven.”  How long does it take to smile at another person; how long does it take to ask about their day?  How long does it take to buy a meal for someone, or give to the needy?  How many minutes does it take to say a prayer for someone while you are driving?  How long does it take to text message a scripture or loving message to a friend, or enemy?  How long does it take to care for your family, or give to a stranger?  How much effort does it take to buy a gift for someone, or visit a person who is sick?  Is it difficult to pick up a piece of trash, or to hold a door open for someone?  There are more good acts that can be done daily than can be numbered.  The key is, stop focusing on not missing the mark, and start trying to hit it!  Begin to love others with the kind of love that crosses boundaries and disarms the strong.  Let’s show others the love of God; the love that God himself has shown us.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we ask and pray that You would please help us to remain proactive in our faith, and to focus on actions we can take to love others, and to show others Your love.  If we are trying to avoid evil without focusing on doing good, please help us to change.  Open our hearts and our minds to new possibilities and help us to not be afraid to cross the boundaries you have not set.  Give us discernment and hearts eager to do good.  Help us to minister to others, and to show Your love to a world full of people who need to see it.  We love You Father, we thank You and we praise You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God Bless all of you.