Jesus: The Revolutionary with His Upside-Down Ideas

Have you ever thought about the many ideas that Jesus brought into human history? I was thinking about this, and it is clear that Jesus brought ideas that are upside down from the world’s way of thinking. We could call Jesus a revolutionary!

One of the major ideas Jesus brought into human history is that the one who serves others is the greater versus the greatest is one served by others. And, how about the idea that everyone is equal in the Kingdom of God regardless of race, gender, or social standing. That was a revolutionary idea that many did not like.  In the US today we see this idea played out for the most part, but in some areas of the world you still see women, children, and slaves horrifically abused. There is no equality. We should ask ourselves, how we perceive others. Do we look at people through a lens of inequality in various situations? Do we treat everyone as true equals? Still, another idea Jesus brought to the world is that those who give away, receive more. How many people actually live by that principle? I would guess, few. I looked at my life and asked myself, am I living as though this idea is truth to me? How about you? Do you believe this idea to be true? Are you living it out in your life? Really, all of the Beatitudes are ideas that are contrary to much of the world then, and now.Just take a look at them.

For instance, Jesus said those who are gentle and lowly are blessed and that the whole earth would belong to them. In the world then, and today we see all kinds of striving between people and nations. People fight to gain more power and position. This is seen in the workplace and even in the church.  People strive for control over more people and to gain land. We see governments and men in powerful positions and groups such as the Palestinians who desire to obtain land that belongs to another. Jesus characterized the lowly with humility, self discipline, and submission; whereas, the world’s attitude is one of self-exaltation and lust for control and position. Jesus said those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled (satisfied). In the world all around us we see people thirsting for self gratification and yet they are left unsatisfied. We should ask ourselves, what are we looking to for fulfillment. Is it Jesus’ life being lived through ours or are we trying to find satisfaction in people, position, things, honor, etc.?

Jesus said the one who cares for others (charity) will be cared for. Most of the world is concerned to seek justice only for themselves, with no concern about justice for the weak and broken who cannot help themselves. Again, we can ask ourselves if we are more “me” focused or are we “other” focused. If we are not other focused, is it because we don’t believe in Jesus’ idea?

Jesus said that those who are peacemakers will receive the Father’s blessing and will be called a child of God. We see, even inside of the church, many who pursue peacekeeping instead of peacemaking. They do what they need to do in order to avoid rejection and to keep the peace. They fail to be transparent in relationships and sometimes fail to offer forgiveness although on the outside they wear a smile. This is the same idea promoted in the world – keep the peace at any cost. They pretend that there is no break in the relationship when there really is and they move on without the other person, who may even be unaware of what caused the break. This leaves that person in a hurting condition. But the one moves on unconcerned with how their actions affect them. They are just happy to look like they are keeping peace and happy that they themselves are protected from rejection. The peacemaker Jesus spoke of pursues peace at risk of rejection and is open and transparent, desiring a true unity in the spirit. They are quick to forgive others as they see themselves as ministers of reconciliation.

Jesus said that those who are persecuted for His name would receive the Kingdom of Heaven. We see believers in countries such as Iran and Afghanistan persecuted for their faith in Christ. There is a pastor who is imprisoned in Iran right now because he will not deny Christ. The world doesn’t understand why he and others like him would go through such suffering when they could be freed of it by renouncing Christ. These Christians choose to entrust themselves and their life circumstances to God knowing that as they share in Christ’s sufferings, they will also share in His glory. They are committed and faithful to God and empowered by His Spirit to stand. All of us who call ourselves Christian should ask ourselves would we follow the world if we were in this situation or would we stand. The key to standing is developing an attitude of commitment and faithfulness now in the small things concerning the Christian life. This will prepare us to stand committed should this type of persecution be in our future.

Jesus Christ was definitely a revolutionary! Please feel free to comment on the few ideas I have shared that Christ brought to us. Or, share another idea that He brought into human history that is upside down from the world’s way of thinking.

 

In God We Trust: A Lesson from Light by Vicki Hinze

IN GOD WE TRUST:  A Lesson from Light

Last night, I heard a very short snippet of a sermon made in a public forum.  I didn’t know the speaker and unfortunately do not recall his name now.  But what he said touched me.

 

Not in the soft, gentle knowing kind of way.  No, what he said struck me like a thunderbolt.  It resonated so strong and deep that it carried the force of a physical blow that rocked me back in my seat and left me with the sensation of blown out eardrums.

 

You know the kind of reaction I’m talking about.  You’ve no doubt had it, too.  When something so profound, so significant bears down on you and says, “Hey you, hear this.  Know this.  Be certain of this!”

 

Maybe you got that feeling on being told a loved one had unexpectedly passed away.  Or when the person you loved asked you to spend the rest of your life with him/her.  Or when you were told you were going to have a baby, or that you couldn’t ever have a baby.  Or when you were told that you had a lethal disease for which there was no cure.  Or when you read—or wrote—something in a book.

 

I’ve experienced all those things and this was that kind of moment.  That important and significant and carried that kind of weight, only . . . more.  And still this morning it reverberates and applies itself to everything else that goes through my mind, to everything upon which I focus.

 

IN GOD WE TRUST.

 

We’ve seen the phrase a million times.  We’ve noted it being used in all kinds of context on all kinds of subjects.  And yet in his simple delivery, those words will never be viewed the same—at least, not by me.

 

His sermon was a short, simple one based on Genesis 1:3:  “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (NIV)

 

Then he went on to speak about light and how fast it travels and has traveled without ceasing or slowing or easing, or growing weary or faltering through time and distance for a minute, hour, month, and year.

 

“Light is because God said, and light obeyed.”

 

That’s the part that knocked me to my knees.

 

Now the reverend or pastor or whatever this bearer of truth was, stopped there.  My mind and heart and spirit didn’t.  I had been profoundly impacted, and am still processing.  I have a feeling I will be processing for a long time to come.

 

Some thoughts on this that I know are significant, but not all the ways this is significant (there is much more to be learned):

 

Light didn’t question its purpose, its identity.

 

When God created Light, Light didn’t spark and fizzle or fade in and out.  God created it and—boom!—Light was and it shone.  It knew what it was and did what it did.  Light was, is, and will always be Light.  It shone then, since then, and will shine forevermore.

 

Light didn’t and hasn’t experienced an identity crisis.  It doesn’t wonder if it’s on the right path, fulfilling its intended purpose.  It is, and it is because God spoke it into creation and deemed it good.  Light knows what it is and whose it is, and that it is good.

 

That’s a powerful, powerful knowledge, and in it is a wealth of wisdom.  Light is a mentor to us, if we choose to be mentored.  Like Light, God spoke us into creation.  He fashioned us with His own hands, infused us with gifts—abilities, insights, skills or the ability to attain them—and breathed life into us, claiming us as His own.  He gave us the wisdom of His Word, revealing His character and traits which prove to us that He cannot abide evil or that which isn’t pure, and because we know that, we know that He considers us good.  We’re flawed, yes.  No surprise to Him; he created us exactly as we are.

 

He gifted us with free will, knowing that we would goof up and make mistakes and burden ourselves and our souls but also with His promise to be there with us every step of the way and giving us His instruction book—the Bible—revealing how we can make less of a mess with our lives by following His ways.  He was for us the ultimate trailblazer, and when we muddied things up anyway, He sacrificed His son to show us the way.  By grace, not works, we’re saved and remain His forever.

 

These days, as in many days gone by, remembering at all times who and whose you are isn’t popular.  Some will demonize you.  Satan will let loose with all the demons in hell to oppose you, tempt you, do any and everything to pervert and dissuade you.  Spiritual warfare is the worse warfare because the ultimate prize is your soul, your eternity.

 

Think about it.  We’re here in this life for such a short time.  But eternity is, well, eternity.  It lasts a lot longer.  So whatever trials we face in life pale to those of battling for our eternity.

 

Mixed messages and muddled directives from other human beings can manipulate or confuse or deliberately steal our eternities—but only if we neglect to take this lesson from Light.  And that lesson is:

 

We are the children of God.  We are and always will be children of God.  We might choose to ignore it, to rebel against it, to deny it, but we are who we are.  We are whose we are.

The closer we walk with our creator, the better able we are to endure and face constructively life’s challenges and trials.  We’ll have them, but we’ll also have the tools to cope with them.

 

Conversely, if we exercise our free will to walk away from God, we’re closing the proverbial toolbox.  He won’t stop us from walking the wrong path, but He’ll walk it with us, patiently waiting for us to return to Him, to call upon Him, so that He can remind us of who we are and that we’re His.

 

As people, as a society, as a nation, we are in a spiritual war over our purpose for our identity.  Over and again, we hear the problems.  We know them.  We live them and they manifest in our lives every day.

 

Over and again, we hear they’re complex, and intricate, and too big to handle.  But if we look at Light, we know that’s simply not true.  We know that anything man does is a flawed bandage and to solve the problem we must go to the root source.  That’s where the lesson from Light offers the solution.  We need only remember who and whose we are.

 

Embrace that, and we have the tools we need to resolve our issues no matter how complex or tangled.  Reacquainted with our instruction manual, we rediscover that He specializes in making crooked places straight.

 

We don’t have to struggle with identity or who we are or how to fix what’s broken.  Like Light, we just have to be who and whose we are.  In that are all the answers to all our questions.  To claim them, in God we trust.

There’s so much more, but more must wait for another day and another post.  For now, I’m holding on to the lesson in, “Light is because God said, and light obeyed.”

Blessings,

 

Vicki

P.S.  The first book in my new Lost, Inc. series of Love Inspired Suspense novels has been released, SURVIVE THE NIGHT.  Wanted to mention it in case that’s a type of book you enjoy. FMI visit vickihinze.com or the Lost, Inc. website.

When It Isn’t Time by Julie Arduini

One  of my first memories was as a pre-schooler before there was pre-school. I took a stack of hardcover books from the upstairs shelf and waited outside for a school bus that had no plan to pick me up. It wasn’t time, I wasn’t old enough. And I was devastated.

Years later I was in high school, a candidate for the National Honor Society. It was the first round of eligibility and I knew it was a long-shot. Still, I dressed better than normal in case my name was called. It wasn’t, and one girl whose name was called couldn’t resist pointing out how I was all dressed up with nowhere to go. Although I was inducted the following fall, it was hard to come to terms that spring that it wasn’t my time.

Then, as a young adult, a chorus of voices sang the same song regarding my future. There was a young man that everyone thought would make a great spouse because we had Christ in common. I was new enough in faith I wasn’t sure up from down, so I went along with the chorus. As you can guess, that relationship and our future was a figment of imagination. Marriage? It wasn’t time, and I’m so glad. Because the man God chose for me was worth waiting for.

With all those waits, you’d think I’d be okay when I face another delay.

Yet, here I am.  The first hour after school let out for the summer I broke my wrist. The right one I use to write. I wore a splint to my elbow, three casts, a velcro brace, and therapy to learn the bone started to heal in the wrong direction. Now there are bones stacked on each other, and that means surgery. I thought my healing would be done by now, and instead, I’m starting all over. It clearly isn’t time for me to move on.

That means my writing takes a hit. My plans were to be done editing my first contemporary romance and be moving forward. It isn’t time. At this time I’m able to write a little bit, and critique the submissions I receive from the groups I’m in. I can whine about how it isn’t fair, and I confess, I have, but what good does it do?

I believe everything has purpose, and my God doesn’t make mistakes. He has reasons for giving me this schedule, situations, and setbacks. I remember being frustrated because my toddler and I were late for a meeting and I had to pull over and fix his car seat. We were already late, but I knew I had to fix it. Turns out, the very time I pulled over a deer ran out in front of highway traffic I would have been in the middle of. Instead of being in the accident, I just missed it.

God knows what He’s doing.

When it isn’t my time, it’s still God’s.

And I’m okay with that.

How about you? How do you handle delays? Are you experiencing anything that you realize isn’t time yet?

Clock image by photobucket

Let God Talk to You Review by Yvonne Ortega

Some people believe God doesn’t talk to people anymore. I’m grateful He still does. What a privilege to have the opportunity to hear God speak to us.

Many of us go to God with our long list of requests. We know what we want, and we want it now.

However, how many of us expect God to talk to us? How many of us stop our hectic pace and sit in silence to hear from God?

Becky Tirabassi writes with passion and conviction in her book, Let God Talk to You: When You Hear Him, You Will Never Be the Same.

She takes the readers step by step and explains not only that God talks to us, but also why, how, what God says, and when. She starts in the Old Testament, moves through the New Testament, and onto the present.

The author weaves in Scripture, examples, and detailed information on how to set up a prayer notebook to help readers prepare to listen to God. She calls the notebook, My Partner Prayer Notebook.

I challenge you to read this book, follow the steps and sit expecting to hear from God. He will talk to you, and I would love to know what happens.

I read Becky Tirabassi’s book and set up my partner prayer notebook. I cut out TV, the newspaper, and social media for a week. Relax. Becky didn’t say to do that, but I felt led to do so the week before Christmas. God talked to me, and I heard Him. He told me what He wanted me to do in 2012 and what He wanted me to cut out. Unfortunately, one of the things God wanted me to cut out was posting on Christians Read.

I’ve been blessed to be part of this ministry and have enjoyed posting about the many wonderful books available.

May God bless you richly as you read this book and hear God talk to you. He loves you so much that He’s waiting to talk to you.

Yvonne Ortega www.yvonneortega.com

Do We Fear Our Rescuer? by Hannah Alexander

Our pastor preached a fascinating sermon the other day, and pointed out something I had never considered. We all know that the first time the disciples got into trouble on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was already with them on the boat, and they were frightened of the storm. They knew their rescuer was right there, so they woke Him up as they were freaking about the storm.

 

The second time they freaked, however, wasn’t because of the storm, but because of the very Rescuer who had saved them from the storm before. They’d seen him feed thousands, heal many, bring people back from the dead, but when they saw Him walking across the water they thought he was a ghost, and I can just imagine that no storm had frightened them as badly as Christ, Himself, did when they saw him on those waves.

 

Now, I’ve had some times in my life when circumstances have given me such angst that I made myself sick worrying about them. Not only have financial woes given me fits, but painful relationships, strange noises in the house, the house alarm going off, coming across strangers on the hiking trail, medical crises, automobile accidents, my mother’s dementia, and of course manuscript deadlines. I could name so many more.

 

But I’ve looked back on those times and discovered that those worries weren’t for nothing. The financial woes have, indeed, placed us into deep debt, but they have also kept us from spending money on things we don’t need, and once those debts are paid–when we’re in our seventies–we’ll have enough income to keep us going. I think God’s hand was in that. I also believe God’s hand was in the medical trials–showing me the fragility of life, and that I am NOT all powerful. Painful relationships have shown me that God is the true One with Whom I need my relationship. He is the One who will not fail me. I’ve learned so much through the trials God allows in my life, things that frightened and hurt me so badly at the time, but which I can look back on now and use in my novels, when counseling others, when trying to understand the fears of others.

 

I’d love to hear from you about something God sent your way–like Jesus over the stormy sea–that frightened you at the time, but that turned out to be an incident that increased your faith.

 

Blessings to you from Hannah Alexander

POP: A Journey in the Light by Sarah Goebel

I do hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and I pray the heart of Thanksgiving continues with us all each day throughout the year ahead.

I want to share a book with you that we recently published through our small publishing company (www.onassignmentpublishing.com). It is a real-time personal testimony of God’s miraculous power, and presence and a case study on the power of prayer. The author, Dick Bowley, examples to us how to live with an attitude of Thanksgiving even in the midst of our worst life challenges.

While there are many books on the market testifying of the power of prayer and God’s faithfulness, most were written after the battle was a memory and the victory was in hand. Not so with this one. Dick Bowley shares in POP: A Journey in the Light thoughts and daily activities written in his journal while in the midst of adversity, trusting God for His answer and fighting for his life.  Whether facing a life-threatening situation or other challenge that appears in the natural to have you beat, or looking for a book that will impart spiritual knowledge and inspiration, this book is for you. You will be encouraged and strengthened like never before as you read this real-time, amazing true story of God’s sustaining power and faithfulness found in prayer while in the darkness of adversity.

I highly recommend this book for every Christian who desires to grow in their faith. It is also a great read for those in the health profession as it gives a day-to-day insight into one faith-filled patient’s perspective during his battle for life. This book can be purchased on Amazon.com and will soon be available at his author website, http://www.popthebook.com.