Sith and Jedi

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12 NIV

When I read this verse I hear Yoda as he's training Luke on Degobah. "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter." Rocks are only heavy if we think they are. We can move things with our mind. Well, ok that may be a stretch, but Yoda's teachings are proven within this verse. The battle between light and dark, good and evil, the Jedi and the Sith. It's a battle that's been waging long before humans arrived and will wage in the heavens long after we're gone.

We only think that we need help with bullies and people who would rather spit on you then talk to you. But it's not them that we must battle. We pray for them and lift their souls to heaven and let God work in their hearts. Money is not our problem. The love of it is and it's not about the money buy about our priorities. The broken down car is not the issue but the faith we have that God will provide the way to fix it.

The battle is not ours to fight. Lift it to God and let him fight. Do not give in to anger and hate for they lead to suffering. Yes, Yoda also knows this. Let God win.

Hilltops

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14 NIV

One minute you're up, the next you're down. Humans are a fickle bunch and there's no way to know where the wind will blow them next. You've probably met one or two people in your lifetime who were truly people with dark souls. No matter what anyone did or said, they were negative, rude, angry and vindictive. As a Christian you would probably have pity on them, but more so you would be sad because you know their soul is lost. You shined as bright as you could but nothing changed them.

But I bet what you didn't know was how you changed those around you who were watching your actions. This is your hill top. People are watching you, especially if they know you are a professing Christian. They want to see what you will do in a crisis or tough situation.

Pray. This is where the pray without ceasing comes in handy. An open line of communication with god. But it doesn't happen overnight. It comes from time spent daily in reading and in prayer. You are the light on the hill. Lead others by shining brightly in all you do.

This Little Light

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NIV

The verses before this talk about lighting a candle. When you light a candle you don't hide the light, you let it shine on the whole house. It brings to my mind the song from my childhood, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." (Excuse me a moment while I sing the song...). While we don't want to brag about all the great stuff we do, we should shine through our actions and interactions with others. If your integrity is tight, you have nothing to fear. Your reputation will speak for itself.

There are some people though who want to hide your light. They don't want you to shine and it's sad and disheartening because you wish them no harm. You just want to love them like God has commanded we do. But they don't accept it. It's then you have to let them go. They may eventually know how you really are but that's not your battle. Your duty is to shine that light. Keep re-lighting it if it goes out. Surround yourself with others that can light it for you. Read God's word and spend time in prayer. Keep your light strong.

In this others will see and you will shine brightly for God.

Party Cakes

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 1 John 4:20 NIV

Watching Cake Boss, there was an episode where a New York socialite wanted to impress the rich, beautiful people and make her entry onto the social scene. She wanted an over the top cake using about $30 million...yes million...dollars worth of diamonds as decoration on the cake. Can anyone say liability? It turned out very pretty but once you took the diamonds off it was just a plain, white cake. She went through an awful lot of trouble just to get people like and accept her.

As a Christian I am charged with the first commandment to love God, and with the second commandment, to love my neighbor. I am only an empty vessel if I don't channel God's love to all those I meet, whether they like me or not and whether I like them. I am charged to love them. Period. They aren't supposed to impress me or bribe me. I should show them God's love, God's agape love.

I will strive every day to follow this commandment because I do truly love God and I don't need bribes to do so. But if you happen to throw a party with a $30 million dollar cake, I'm in!

Comfort Zone

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. Mark 8:34‭-‬35 NIV

Keeping the status quo is a safe way to go. You know what you have and what you can do. Life is mostly predictable. There are little to no surprises. What you have you have and will always have. There is comfort and peace in it.

The problem with this way of thinking is that you never grow. Growing can hurt. It's unpredictable and has an element of risk. But unless you move forward you will never gain ground.

As Christians we must realize God has a bigger plan. It's not about us, so if we want to serve him as we should, we have to trust him and unlearn what we have learned. We can no longer play it safe. We must operate outside our comfort zone and be willing to take the risk that comes with it. It's then that we will have true fellowship with him and understand what eternity really means.

We don't need the skills, just the will. Step outside.

Peek-A-Boo

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

Today was our granddaughter's first birthday. We went to her party and then stayed a little while since they live four hours away. After her bath we were playing and she started to do peek-a-boo. It was adorable of course. She'd tuck her head down then pop up and start giggling. She'd cover her eyes then move her hands away so we could see her. It was pure joy watching and interacting with her.

This simple child's game illustrates the attitude we should have towards God. We can't see God if we cover our eyes and act like he can't see us either. He is always there. We just have to be brave enough to look through our pain and shame. When we do we will discover he is there waiting. Just like I was there waiting for R to uncover her eyes. She found me and she always will be able to.

God's there waiting; we must be willing to look for him.

OJB, NIV, and KJV

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10 NIV

I discovered today that the Bible app now has a feature where you can compare verses in different Biblical versions. And there are many versions to choose from. I like NIV, but I prefer a good old KJV. Today I looked at another version that I'd never heard of, the Orthodox Jewish Bible. It's so cool. You get to see the Jewish origins of certain words.

Today's text includes the word "love". We think of love in a human way...flawed, conditional and fragile. But the word love in this verse in the OJB version is "agape", the love of God. Not just any love, God's love. Pure, holy, unconditional and strong. That's the love we are to have for others, loving them as God does, so much that he gave his son to die for them. Pure love, no strings attached. We are to love God first and then love others. Jesus said this is the greatest commandment.

Agape love. Knowing God's love for me is that strong I wonder how I can ever doubt him. I dont really, I just get lost sometimes. But his unending and patient agape love that draws me back.

Imagine what we could do as a human race if we loved each other like that.