Deception? Disgrace? Evil as Plain as the Scar on His Face?

 There is a movie where lions rule the pride lands. If you think I am talking about The Lion King, you are wrong. I am talking about The Lion King 2. In this movie Simba is king and he has a daughter. His daughter becomes friends with a lion named Kovu who was chosen by Scar (the villain in the last movie) to be king after Scar. That was taken from him when Simba took the kingdom back. 

I won’t get into all the details as you can watch it for yourself, but there is a song that happens in the movie called “One of Us.” In the song, Simba and the other animals of the pride lands exile Kovu. They do not give him a chance to tell his side of the story. He is kicked out and beaten by the other animals. Not a very loving moment, but the song does have a good beat.

All this got me thinking: do I ever act like Simba? Then I asked, does the church ever act like Simba? It is true that we are all sinners and have turned away from God. Thus, it should also be true that we understand grace; and that we should all be given a second chance. And yet, there are times when I think we judge others based off their sin.

For example, let’s say someone you knew lied. Would you think they were as bad or in need of as much forgiveness as someone who murdered someone else? Yes, I went with the extreme example. What about someone who wears black or rainbow colors? Would you let them in the church? What about the person who smokes and drinks? What about those who do not smell as good and cannot offer any monetary gifts? 

You get my drift. Sometimes I think we as Christians tend to judge others based off their appearance, what they do, or what they’ve done. Yet, that’s not what we are called to do. James 4:11-12 says, “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” You don’t know that person’s life. You don’t know what they are thinking. You don’t know their heart. Only that person and God knows that. 

What gives you a right to declare judgment on that person? What gives you a right to hurt that person? You don’t get that right. You get the privilege of praying for that person. Of knowing that person. Of loving that person as God loves them and us. You never know what someone may do for the kingdom. You never know the difference that one choice can make in someone’s life.

So, do you judge others when you should love them? How can you show love to someone today?

https://youtu.be/SfpXvbv7slc?si=CmxgyGpABoClfbrQ

Do You Like Being Lukewarm?

   Have you ever taken a sip of iced coffee or of soda and it is warm? Have you ever taken a sip or hot chocolate or coffee and it is cold? Both experiences are not very pleasurable. It's not how the drink is meant to be enjoyed. Cold drinks should be cold. Warm drinks should be warm. But have you ever asked yourself if maybe you do enjoy being lukewarm?

   What? Who would like that? Well, I have found that many people like being on the fence. It doesn't sound like a very comfortable position but people do enjoy it. People like waiting for the result of elections, push button issues, wars, or anything that divides us to see who wins. Then they say, "oh yeah I was on their side the whole time." But of people were watching them, they would know better. They would know that the only reason that person chose that side is because that side won.

   Some people like to be this way with their faith. Maybe they have read enough of the bible to know God wins but they don't want to give their life over to him. Maybe they want to keep that one sin. They don't want to give control to God and be all in.

   In choosing to do that, they are choosing to follow themselves, thus following Satan. There is no I'm going to follow God a little. There is no, I'm going to just dip my toe in this side a bit but keep the rest of me on this side. You are either all in on Gods side or you are on Satan's side. The choice is yours.

   So, are you following God or Satan? How can you you choose to be all in today? How can you grow in God today?

https://youtu.be/oAa8qDI7__8?si=NKPvVzMNoWILIXVr

I Can('t) Fix It

 I enjoy asking random questions. My boyfriend ends up being on the receiving end of most of these questions many times. One day I asked him, “if I had a superpower what would it be?” I was expecting something like flying or turning invisible with a thoughtful reason. Instead, he said, “your power would be to fix people.” What he meant by that is I have a tendency to see potential in people and I know how far they could go if they would just do one thing. Or I see people who are hurting, and I want to help them.

I thought about it, and he did have a good answer with good reasons. It showed that he knew my personality and it was unique and creative. But the more I thought about the answer the more I thought that I would not want that power. While it’s true I care for others and want to help them in any way I can, it would be me helping and fixing to my standard. 

My standard is not perfect. I would be biased at times. I would be selfish at times. I would not see the bigger picture. God is the only one who can fix us. He sees our potential. He sees our challenges. He can fix us and them. 

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” God works all things for our good. He knows what we need and what we want. He is a good Father. He gives us what we need. He loves us no matter what.

Now, while we may not be able to fix people there is one power, we do have to help those people: prayer. It’s true that sometimes the answer to our prayer will be no. But God knows our heart. He wants to hear from us. He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to communicate with him and to grow in Him. To do that, sometimes the answer is no. Other times the answer is not what you expect. But God, in his infinite knowledge and mercy, chooses to hear you. It’s amazing when you think about it.

So, have you ever thought about what your life would be like if you could fix people? How can you pray for others today? How can you grow in God?

https://youtu.be/SfQpsjTe4F8?si=a8kYfhA3ajj4b7S6

Are You Saturated?

 One day I was getting ready to coach a soccer game. I had a lot to carry so I placed my soda in my bag (the soda had a straw and a lid). As I was loading myself up, I realized I forgot to grab something from the back of my car. With my backpack on, I reached for the item. Suddenly I felt a drop on my back. That’s odd, I thought. Maybe the wind just hit me there? I continued reaching for the item. Then my back became soaked. 

I jumped away from the car and put my pack on the ground. I realized my mistake in that moment. I forgot about the drink. Much of it had landed in one spot on my jersey. It had saturated it so much that even using towels wasn’t a big help to dry it off. But I did my best to clean it and move on. 

After I cleaned myself, and after the game, I thought about what had happened. It only took a bit of liquid to saturate my jersey, enough to leave a spot. What would have happened if I had not caught the drink in time? I could have been one sticky mess. Then I realized how closely connected my experience was to getting in the Word. 

When I read the Bible, a little each day, I get drips of knowledge, God’s knowledge. If I only do that occasionally, then I don’t stay wet. I must continually be in the Word to get drips. To stay saturated. Also, the world may try to bring a towel into our lives and try to dry up our relationship with God. That’s why we must know the Word and be in it, to refute the lies of this world. We must be saturated.

So, are you saturated in God’s Word? How can you make a point to be in the Word daily? 

Hebrews 4:12 and Psalm 119:105

https://youtu.be/t_J1eSJbTDM