Tag Archives: Christ

Loving Christians as Christ Loved Us

I sometimes think I am the only person who sees the commands of Christ as Three. 

1) We are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. It means nothing comes before God. Hardest lesson I had to learn was to place my kids on the altar before God. He loves them more then I love them which seems impossible. When I fear things, it is me demonstrating that I love something more than I love God or that I don’t trust him. 

The rich man loved money more then God. I have to ask myself if I placed specific people and things into this biblical question how would I react?  Would I be willing to give up what I love most to follow God?

2) We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Which means, we think about everyone and ask how would I want to be treated. Or we think how would I want someone to show love to me in this instance. A perfect example was given to me by a friend this morning.  The before Church crowd is in a McDs and the young clerk is clueless.  The church crowd became frustrated with the kid.  But if we are loving our neighbor as we would want to be loved,  we would show patience and stop worrying if we have to wait.  We love by calming the person and letting them know all will be well.  Maybe cracking a joke or two.  

Most of the time we fail on this one even with our brother and sisters in Christ.  And yet it is the lesser of the two commands to love others.

3) I believe we are called to a higher love for our fellow Christians. The church should love one another like Christ loved us. We are to live out the Acts 2 community. People would want to know our Lord because they see what we have.  Who would need to evangelize? People would clamor for what we have.

The only way to get this type of love is for Christ to love through us. (John 14-15) The only way to love like this is for us to be a branch on the vine and to be willing to be pruned so we bear fruit. Most of us scream bloody murder when God prunes. 

Have you ever seen an example of the third type of love? What did it look like? Inside the church, people loving one another like Christ loved us — willing to sacrifice their desires, wants, power, popularity, feelings for the sake of a brother or sister in Christ.

Please share.

Cindy Helped Me Find the Happy Side of Life

Strange the moments you recall forever.  I remember that moment in church when I accepted Christ, but I also recall minutes later standing outside the church waiting for my mom.  I stood there wondering what I would tell my mom and wondering what my decision meant.

For a little bit of time, it did not mean much.  Life slipped back to normal.  I didn’t continue going to church.

Then a Christian Band played at my school.  (Public school–times have changed.)  They advertised they were having a concert over the weekend so I went with my friend Cindy.

I knew that being a Christian meant more than just saying one prayer, but I didn’t know what was expected.  My friend Cindy told me to come to her church.  They had a new youth director.  The next morning I went to Sunday school and the youth director told us to return that night if we wanted to be part of the youth choir he was starting.

That church taught me what it meant to live as a Christian.  Without them, I would have been seed on a rock.

Matthew 13:18 Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

That night the youth choir (some times referred to as the Dirty Thirty) came to life.  We were a motley group.  Many just like me, a Christian whose family did not attend church.  But they became my Christian family and taught me about the Lord.  We were called The Happy Side Singers after a song “I found the Happy Side of Life”.  I can honestly say that not every day is joyous, but every day that I walk with Christ is filled with contentment.  I did find the Happy Side of Life.

The second person who had a crucial role in my Christian life was Cindy.  She asked me to come join her church.

A simple invitation changed me

549938_10151516636695090_692090491_nLet me back up a minute.  I started telling my tale of walking with Christ in the middle.

During my years of being a Christ follower many Christians have woven in and out of my life with varying amounts of influence.  But, as I reflect on my life, I recognize three people impacted my life in ways that changed me forever.

First person: Polly

Want to know the great exciting thing she did to change my life so significantly.  She asked me to go to church with her one Sunday.  Small act with a big impact.

My mom took me to church occasionally when I was younger and she read bible stories to me when I was really little.  But we were not a church going family.  Now as I reflect back, I can see God moving in my life even before this invitation.  Christians crossed my path and I saw their lives.  But it was a simple invitation that took this middle schooler to a place where I could meet Jesus personally.

Why did I go to church?  She was my friend.

I have no memory of the words in the sermon.  What I recall, like it was yesterday, was the Pastor asking if anyone in the church wanted to be a Christian.  I raised my hand.  And seconds later, and even at the time I had no memory of actually leaving my seat, I was standing in the front of the church.  A woman explained to me the very simple steps of how I could become a Christian.

Confess I was a sinner
Believe Christ is Lord and died for my sins
Ask Him to be my personal Lord and Savior.

From that moment my life was never the same.  It would take two more people to get me on the right path.

But today, I thank Polly for inviting a friend to Church.

I praise and thank Christ for dying for my sins and saving my soul.

Now What?

Good byes said.  Gifts given.  Party partied.  And then I was unemployed.

Seventeen years of working for one company.  My friends worked where I worked.  I had no non work friends.

My interests all revolved around my career.    I loved working.  Designing and implementing programs was fun.  I was good at it.

My identity in many ways came from my career.  And now it was over.  So who was I?

God, you sent me home.  What do you want with my life?

I always wanted to be a writer.  I figured I would become a writer.  A second career that I could do from home while raising my young kids.

Volunteer for some major thing, maybe the Crisis Pregnancy Center.  That seemed like a good route.  I could see myself counseling young women, making a difference in their lives.  Changing lives seemed like a reason to be called out from my job.  I signed up for the training.

I prayed.  I waited.  I thought. I prayed. I waited.  I plotted.

I stood ready for God to show me the mighty thing He had ahead for me.  He called me out of my nice comfy job for some purpose and I was waiting.

The answer was not what I expected.  NoChristian Hall of Fame path was set before me.  Instead, God asked me to follow Him step by step in obedience.  Never being able to see the what was over the next hill.  He just wanted me to learn to go where I was told.

And the journey 549938_10151516636695090_692090491_nHe is taking me on has turned out to be a wonderful road trip.