Day 244: Not Everything is Everlasting

Ecclesiastes 3:1

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

Revelation 3:7

Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:

I know many of us have heard these two scriptures a multitude of times, and I want to talk about them today. I want to talk about the fact that not everything in our lives are meant to last. Not everything is forever or everlasting, no matter how much we want it to be. Sometimes God closes doors in our lives to open others. Sometimes people walk out of our lives or relationships fade because they were only meant to be there for a season. We must learn to realize and honor these moments. I feel as humans we hold on so tight to things that we won’t even let our hands open to God. Sometimes we hold onto things so tight, not wanting to let go while at the same time not realizing, trusting or understanding that God has something greater in store. Sometimes He needs our hands to be empty in order to fill them completely. Sometimes as humans we are so hesitant to let go of a good thing because we don’t know when it’s going come around again. We are afraid because we are not trusting that God has something greater. We are not trusting in Him, His timing or His word. God always has something greater for us, we just have to trust Him. We have to trust His process.

With that being said, sometimes God closes doors, and no matter how hard we try we cannot open them. This does not mean God is punishing us, all it means is, either it’s not the right time or there’s a better door. Everything God does, He does for a reason, He’s not going to leave us empty handed or stranded. He always has a plan. I feel like many times we decide something isn’t for us before we give it a chance because we are so focused on our own plans. I know we all think that we know what’s best for ourselves but trust me when I say God knows much more, we’re not even scratching the surface. So we must trust Him with every area of our lives. Even our relationships.

Now this is a big one, relationships. I don’t just mean romantic relationships, I mean every type of relationship. There’s couple of quotes I’d like to reference here,

“Some people aren’t meant to be in our lives forever. Some are just passing through to teach us a lesson.”

-Unknown

“Some people come into your life as blessing, others come in your life as lessons”

-Unknown

The main point I’m trying to make here, is that even people have seasons in our lives. Some people are only meant to be in our lives for a season. We go wrong when we try to make seasonal people permanent. Meaning we could very well be holding on the very thing that God Himself is trying to break apart. Sometimes we are so caught up in our feeling that we try to force everlasting on temporary. This will only end in heartbreak. Trust me I know from experience, however God even uses the heartbreak to shape and mould us into the person He has always destined for us to be. So somehow someway God will keep us in His will.   Having people in our lives for just a season is not always a bad thing, what it means is that where we are going some people cannot go and where others are going we cannot go. It’s not just about us either, we have to be willing to let people go not just for our sake but for theirs. We know when someone’s season is up, we just feel it, so let’s not force it to continue knowing it’s over. We have to realize that sometimes we are only meant to be in a person’s life for a season, and be okay with that. This is not to say that nothing is everlasting, it is, just not everything.

All this to say, not everything is meant to last forever and that is okay. It’s life. We must learn how to let go when it’s time to let go. As well as trust God with where our lives are going and where He is taking us. We must keep a loose grip on our plans and understand that God’s plans are always greater than ours. Trust Him with everything you are and all you aspire to be.

Reflection

1. How hard is it to let go for you?
2. Have you had (or currently have) people in your life that you know was only meant to be there for a season?
3. Do you trust God’s timing?
4. Do you trust God with your life?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about the seasons and seasonal people in your life. Have an honest conversation about what it looks like to completely trust Him.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 245!

Day 155: It Can't All Be for Nothing

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

When I think of the Gospel and the measures God took for us to have life, I am reminded of how much He loves us. I am reminded that He wants a relationship with us so bad that He went through the trouble of seeing His own son persecuted on our behalf. He turned His back on His child so that we can live a life free of sin, so that we may have a relationship with Him. But also that we may have eternal life when our life here on earth is over. Today I want to talk about the importance of our life here on earth. God took a lot of drastic measures to assure that we can have a life full of freedom and purpose. That we may live an abundant life, here on earth.

I’ve heard pastor’s say that our life on earth doesn’t matter because we have a life that will be spent in eternity with God. With all due respect, I must disagree, it is how we live our life on earth that will determine if we get to spend eternity with God. Secondly, if our lives on earth weren’t that important why did God send His Son to die for the sins of humanity so that we didn’t have to. He could have let our sin kill us, but He didn’t He decided to save us and give us a straight connection to Him.

From the beginning of time, God has meant for us to have purpose and life here on Earth. From the creation, one thing I notice is that He created man last as if He was preparing the earth for man. Providing them with means of food, water, and work. Then when He created man, He gave them dominion over the earth. He then blew the breath of life into him, He blew breath into the nostrils of Adam and it is with that breath that we live and breathe today. We are living on the borrowed breath of God.

Now let’s fast forward to the Gospel. The coming of Jesus had been prophesied long before He was born. The moment Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, man was disconnected from God, and from that moment on God was in constant pursuit of our hearts. God went through precise, complicated, and detailed steps in order to secure a relationship with us.

Jesus was born of a virgin Mary. Now Jesus could have come through a divine cloud, hailing righteousness on all man. But that is not how it went down, Jesus came to earth as a man, He was born of a woman, conceived by the Holy Spirit. So He was fully man while also being fully God. Jesus experienced life as a child, a teenager, and a man. He started His ministry at the age of 30. Jesus would then go on preaching and healing people. Then Jesus would be betrayed by one of His own and suffers the worst death known to man. Jesus suffered the death we should have gotten. He came and took on our sin, and died with it. Then three days later He resurrected without it. Jesus became sin in order to defeat it, and God would have to turn His back on His own Son because God cannot come in contact with sin. Which is why in our sin we are disconnected from God. But Jesus suffered and gave up His life so that we could be free. He even took on the sin of those who persecuted Him.

All this to say, It can’t all be for nothing. Jesus didn’t come and die for nothing. God didn’t go through the drastic measures of sending His son to live and die for nothing. When I think of the Gospel, I think of the life God has destined for us to live. I think of the message and hope He sent us through Jesus Christ. We cannot go through life being so focused on heaven that we are no good to the earth. While we’re here God has given us a purpose, He gave us this life for a reason. He sent His son for a reason. He wouldn’t go through all of that for nothing. Don’t throw it all away. We have a purpose here on this earth, God wants us here for a reason. It can’t be for nothing.

Response/Prayer Time

Take the time to think about all God went through so that we may have a relationship with Him. Think about the importance of your life here on earth. Pray however you feel led.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or weekend. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 156!

Day 59: Put Up A Fight!

Most times when you are doing something good, there will be opposition, Some people just don’t want to see you do good, especially when they aren’t doing well themselves. When opposition comes we have to put up a fight and push against it. We have to fight for the things we want, we have to fight for what we believe in and what we love. This brings me to the story of a man by the name of Nehemiah, who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem despite all the opposition he received.

Nehemiah 4

When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of] the builders. So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.  They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.” Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.”  Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

We have to fight and push, like these men who didn’t let threats scare them. They didn’t let opposition get them down, and when they did, it wasn’t for long. They continued to build that wall and was prepared for anyone who was trying to stop them. They were going to get that wall built and nothing was going to stop them.

Nehemiah 6:9

They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

No one can stop what God is doing, they can try but they won’t succeed, We must know this because sometimes things come to a pause in our life but a pause is a temporary interruption. To stop something means to bring it to an end. When it comes to the work God is doing in us, for, us, with, the only one who can stop it is God. people will try everything they can to bring you down, society will try, they will come every way they can but don’t fall for it, Put up a fight, if you love something fight for it, if God has called you to a specific position or place, fight for. If God has given you a vision or laid something on your heart, fight for it. The opposition will come but when God has sent you, no one can stop you, you keep fighting like nehemiah until the task is complete. If anything, allow that opposition to strengthen you. In the midst of ask God to give you the strength to fight harder. We often let ourselves be stopped because the opposition is too great, we pause ourselves indefinitely, but God’s work in us, on us, and through us is meant to be completed. There will be lies, gossip, threats but fight. No one can stop you unless you let them.

Nehemiah 6:11

But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!”

Stay focused on the mission not the opposition. We can’t get scared and run away, we can’t let people try to deceive us into running away. When God has placed us somewhere, nothing should be able to move us. God will finish what He has started. We must protect the calling God has placed on our lives, and know that no matter the opposition we will complete whatever God has set us out to do. This means the dreams we have, the visions God has given us. When it’s set up by God, the only person able to tear it down is God.

We have to stand firm on His word and promise. Put up a fight, don’t let the opposition stop you.

Revelation 3:8

“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

One last thing, fight for your dreams, believe in them. Don’t let anyone tell you they’re impossible or unreachable. If God gave you the gift you have, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be using it. Do what you know, some dreams are harder to reach, but if you love it, fight for it.

Proverbs 18:6

A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.

Reflection

1. What are you fighting for?
2. Have you come up against opposition?
3. How has that opposition fueled or strengthened you to keep pushing and fighting?
   
   

Prayer Time

Allow you answers to the questions above guide your prayer. Ask God to strengthen you in the midst of opposition. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide and protect you.

Know that God’s word never returns to Him void. If you know that God has called you to do something. Do it unapologetically and fearless, He has your back.

I love you! I hope you have an amazing day or evening, make sure you come back for Day 60
 tomorrow!

Day 57: The Front Lines

Mark 16:15

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Most Christians are not going to be pastors, or worship leaders, we go to church, we volunteer at church, and we serve but our platform is not the church. I hear a lot of Christians implying that we are to live in the church. They tell us that we are to separate ourselves from the secular, and the worldly things. Being secular does not always mean that you are in sin, When we think about the world secular we automatically think of music, and the lifelong debate on whether christians should listen to secular music or not. We automatically think of the artist who thank God in their acceptance speeches, but there music is so far from the message of Christ. We feel the need to respond to celebrities who open up about their faith, as if they need our approval to give their lives to Christ. We think of anything that does not have to do with the church, or religion, which many times it isn’t. However, that does not mean that Christians cannot be in a secular atmosphere, as many of us are everyday. We must use the platform we have been given to spread the gospel, to glorify God and lead others to Him

Matthew 5: 13-15

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Christ tells us that we are the salt and the light of the world, but many Christians have taken that to mean that we are the salt and the light of the church. I think of young people specifically when I think of this subject, we are the generation that has seen the growth of the contemporary church. We have broken traditions, and made the choice that Jesus is more important than religion and rules. Church has become less about what we wear, denominations, or positions and more about experiencing God and having a genuine, intimate relationship with Him. We are the generation that doesn’t worry about the looks of someone but we are concerned with their heart. Beyond that we have learned to glorify God in our field, knowing that we have been called to different places and paths. We know that not all of us will be pastors, or work in a church, but we will occupy the space God has given us.

Jesus told the disciples to go out into all the world and proclaim the gospel, not just to the Christians or the nice people. He told them to go out into all the world. That means they probably had to go into some places that the pharisees and scribes refused to go. They had to get their hands dirty in order to deliver the message of Christ to the people. They had to go outside of their comfort zones, and outside of the circle of religion and christians, they had to go to the non-believers, the pagan nations. If we are here to spread the word of God throughout the world, we cannot do it by staying inside the walls of the church. Church is our place of fellowship, where we can worship with our fellow believers; but there are some people who will never walk into a church, we have to go to them. When Jesus came He did not stay in Nazareth waiting for the people to come to Him, He went out to the people.  Jesus ate at the houses and sat in the presence of many sinners, washing the feet of sinners, and sitting at the table and having dinner with sinners. We make the mistake of thinking that being a good Christian means that we cut ourselves off from the reach of anyone who sins more openly than we do. We think that we have to sit at the table with the Christians and fellowship amongst ourselves like an exclusive club. The problem with that is, no one is coming out saved, because everyone at the table has already given their life to Christ, If you place ten Christians in a room with one hundred nonbelievers, most, if not everyone in that room will have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many will have given their life over to Christ. That’s what it’s about, this is why it is imperative that we have Christians impacting the world outside of Church. We talk about people being famous, and the media, and things that run the world as we know it.

As an actress who is also a Christian I am often asked if I want to stick with doing only Christian movies, and sometimes people are shocked that my answer is no. Besides for the obvious reason that most Christian movies are corny and terrible, there is another reason. I want to be a successful film actress, I am not completely opposed to doing Christian films, but when I think of it, these films are often only for Christians, only for people who know and understand the bible. It is usually separate from the world we are supposed to be bringing the gospel to.  Which brings me to my point that if anyone should be on the front lines of any industry it should be Christians. From doctors, to lawyers, teachers, artists, scientists, the media, military, politics, journalism, math, management, pastoral, music, logistics, etc whatever it may be. We must use whatever platform we have been given to reach God’s people. Showing people that it is about the lifestyle we lead as we dedicate everyday of our lives to Christ.

-Dyamond  

The scripture says that we are the salt of the earth. In that time salt was used to preserve food (most likely a lot of fish) so that it would not go bad, seeing that they had no refrigerators. If that salt lost it’s saltiness, then all the food would go bad. It would start to smell, and everything would be a trainwreck. That is what we are to the world, we are the salt that preserves this world, we as Christians are here to keep the world fresh, and preserved. We are here to share the good news of Christ so that the world does not spoil with sin. We are here to shed a light in the dark places. We have the light of Christ in us, let’s not hide it. We should bring it to all the world, not just the Christians.

Reflection/ Prayer Time

Take the time to think and reflect on the position or place God has you, and what He has called you to. How can you use the gifts you have been given to occupy the space that you are in? Talk to God about what being the salt and the light of the world means. Ask God to help you reach outside of your comfort to send the message of the Gospel to His people. Open your heart and gifts to God and allow Him to use you as a vessel to bring His truth to the nations.

I love you, and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Enjoy your Saturday. Share this with someone and make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 58!

Day 31: BELONG

By: Natalie Bermudez

Belong- : to be attached or bound by birth, allegiance, or dependency

:  to be an attribute, part, adjunct, or function of a person or thing

Having a sense of belonging, usually comes from acknowledging the following:

• realizing you’re not alone
• discovering your purpose is

connected to a bigger picture

• owning what you’re apart of  

When we realize that we belong to God’s greater mission, we immediately plug into a huge panorama of what He has planned. All of a sudden we see we are so tiny in this greater picture, but our part within it, is just as important! God calls us to belong to His royal family (1Peter 2:9). A family described as a HOLY NATION, A LIGHT, but more importantly to declare HIS PRAISES.

1 Thessalonians 5: 5-8

For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We do not belong to the night nor to darkness.  So then let us not sleep [in spiritual indifference] as the rest [of the world does], but let us keep wide awake [alert and cautious] and let us be sober [self-controlled, calm, and wise].  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we [believers] belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope and confident assurance of salvation.

Let us be people who know who we belong to, where we belong and how we are to live according to our belonging!

Reflection

1. Take a step back and look outside of self for a minute, and think about God’s grander plan. Think about what that bigger picture is. What part do you play in this big picture? How does it feel to be a part of or better yet, belong to something so much bigger than yourself?

Prayer Time

As you reflect on what you read today, thank God that His plan is much bigger than yours. Talk to God about what it means to be a part of His royal Family and accept the gift He is giving. Seek an answer from Him. Remember that prayer is just a conversation with God.

Day 20: Patience

Patience- the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

Our generation seems to have a huge problem with patience, we lack the ability to be patient. We don’t like waiting for anything. We don’t like delays. We despise traffic, we hate waiting in long lines, we want things that are quick, smooth and easy. We want things right then and there and we do not want to wait. We will wait if we have to but it will take everything out of us not to complain about it.

As Christians we must learn patience because everything does not come to us the moment we pray and ask God for it.. Something I had to learn is that God’s timing is perfect. I know that’s a statement we hear all the time, but when we finally commit to waiting on God, we will see just how perfect and spot on His timing is. The most cliché statements I have ever heard are the ones that resonate with me the most. God, might not come when you want Him, but He’s always right on time. This statement was in a song I sang in children’s choir growing up. I never understood that line until I experienced it. God will answer that prayer at the exact moment you need it answered and you will thank Him for it constantly. That is why I have learned to pray and leave it in His hands because I used to expect an answer to my prayer within 24 hours or I was convinced that God did not hear me. I think He allows us to be in a position where we must wait on Him in order to teach us patience.

Galatians 6:7-9

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Romans 8:25

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

We have gotten used to instant gratification for our good deeds. We will sow what we reap in due time, but sometimes that harvest is farther off that we want or expect. It’s like planting a seed and waiting for it to grow. That tree, or plant, or that garden is not going to sprout up overnight. It takes a lot of patience, and in that patience we must continue to water the plant, cut the weeds, make sure it get all the nutrients it needs. And in the meantime we may not see any growth. But one day it’s going to sprout, and one day it will be fully grown. We just have to keep going and being patient know that those seeds are growing, and we will see the fruit of it soon. If you really want to test your patience, start a garden or plant a tree.

We cannot stop when we don’t see growth, we have to wait for it and work for it. Patience is learned.

The most important part in being patient is our attitude while we wait. Anyone can wait if they have to, but how did they wait? Are we constantly complaining and grumbling? Are we frustrated and angry? We’re happy when the wait is over but what about when we are in the middle of it. We have to make sure that in all ways we acknowledge and glorify God. This means that we honor and praise Him in the worst situation and in the happiest of situations. We have to learn to be content throughout the wait not just in the reaping.

Psalms 27:14 “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

There’s a reward in the wait as well, we grow in our faith. We grow closer to God, He will strengthen our hearts. But we can’t turn the deaf ear to Him just because we’re impatient.

Reflection

1. Are you a patient person?
2. What does you attitude look like when you are waiting on God?
3. Why do think it is so hard to be patient?

Prayer Time

Talk to God about your patience, whether you are very patient or impatient, talk to God about it, ask Him to teach you how to be patient and wait on Him. Remember that prayer is just a conversation between you and God.

Make sure yo come back tomorrow for Day 21, and if this is your first devo, welcome! You can catch up on all the days from Day 1 , if you'd like. Either way I'm so happy you're on this journey with me! I love you.

-Dyamond 

Day 15: Loving People

I’m pretty sure we can all agree that love is not only beautiful but powerful. Love is more powerful than anger, pain, and definitely more powerful than hate. Love is a necessity and a want. I love talking about love because I just love. love. Since I’ve become a christian my desire to love people has gotten stronger. I find myself in positions all the time where I can’t help myself, I love you. I can’t hold grudges, it doesn’t sit right with me to stay angry, or waste my time hating people. I’m just a sappy love ball, i can’t help it and I love it. I’ve found that since I’ve experienced the love of God and understood what it means to be loved by God, I want everyone to feel this type of love, so why not give it to them?

-Dyamond

We all  deserve love, and I’m not talking about love in a romantic way, (we will get to that subject later in the year I promise). No matter who  you are, what you look like, what your social or financial status is,  where you came from, what you’ve done in your life. You deserve to be loved, unconditionally. Love doesn’t give up or end. Loving someone unconditionally means no matter what happens, there is nothing someone can do to make us stop loving them. That’s how God loves us, He never stops loving us, There’s nothing we can do to make Him love us less. He can’t help Himself, he loves us, even before we loved Him. Some people will never love God but He still loves them. It’s the same with loving people, sometimes we have to love people even though we know they will never love us back. That’s unconditional love, loving even though we know it will never be reciprocated. We don’t love just the people who love us, we love everyone. In the same way Jesus loved everyone He came across, it did not matter if they were Jews, Gentiles, Samaritans, tax collectors, thieves, murderers. Whoever they were Jesus came to save them as well. He went into the homes of people who were considered criminals and outcast. Jesus love is unconditional to all people, and therefore as we live like Christ we shall also love like Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Mark 2:1-12

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

This passage is one of my favorites, and not for the obvious reasons. I want to focus on the four men in this story. These four men were the reason the man who was paralyzed received healing. They went out of their way to make sure this man got to Jesus.  The could have left Him there when they got in the first time and said “we tried.”shrugged and walked away. Instead the did something so loving that Jesus had to honor their faith in the situation. These four men were carrying a paralyzed man on a bed, and when they could not get in through the door they went to the roof. When they got to the roof they put a hole in it, as hole big enough so that the man could fit through it. Then it says they ‘let down the bed.’ they didn’t drop it, they let it down, gently, making sure that he was safe. I’m not sure how long it took for the men to do all of this, but all I know is that they saw a need and met it. They knew that this man could not get to Jesus alone, so they took him. They went through all that trouble because they knew Jesus would heal him, they had faith that He could and would be healed.

Sometimes loving people is having faith for them. Sometimes we have to go out of our way for people, not because it makes us look like a good person but because we are here serve and love others. Sometimes love means sacrifice, we have to put ourselves on the line for others. We have to love people who we don’t agree with, we have to love the people we don’t want to be around all the time, we have to love the people who do us wrong and hurt us. Loving people isn't always pretty, but it is so much better than carrying around the burden of hate.  

1 John 4:20

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

How can we hate our neighbor who we see everyday, and profess to love God, whom we have never seen. Loving people is more that just a phrase, it’s a verb,an action word. We are always so quick to say, “I love you because I have to.” But just like anything else love is a choice. God chooses to love us, even when we give Him reason not to. We must simply choose love over hate, we must choose to love people, even when the make loving them the hardest challenge of life (so dramatic, I know). I know that some people are hard to love, but just imagine how hard we are to love, and how we still receive love unconditionally. We were all hard to love at one point in our lives. Not only do we deserve love, and want love, we need love. The worst feeling in the world into feel like no one loves you. We go through stages in our lives sometimes where we feel like everyone hates us, or that we have been cut off from the world. We need love, we need to know that someone will always be there, that in our lowest points. We need to know that no matter what we do we will always be loved. If we know that, that is what we need as human beings then we should be giving that love to our neighbors.

Mark 12:31

The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves, the first is loving God with our heart, mind, and soul. As Christians our entire foundation is built on love. We talked earlier about loving ourselves, and we love ourselves so much, more than we'll ever know or admit. What if we take all the love we give ourselves and shower someone else with it. We learn to treat others well because we know how we want to be treated. We learn to love others because we know how we are and how we want to be loved.

If we do not love as Christians, can we truly call ourselves Christian? As I mentioned earlier some people are hard to love, some people cannot accept love, some people just are not loving. The way we love people should never be impacted by the way they love others, or the way they accept or refuse love. When you love someone, there is nothing they can do about it. When you love someone you cannot control it, you love them rather you agree with them or not, whether you get along with them all the time or not, you just love them. The same way God loves us, is the same type of love  we should have towards His people. We must learn how to love people with no strings attached, no conditions, no forfeiting, none of that. I love you, end of story and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Reflection

1. Love looks different to everyone, we all give and experience love in different ways, what are some of the ways you have experienced love?
2. What does loving others look liek to you? It’s different for everyone, but how do you love?
3. How do you love the people that are hard to love?
4. Just for fun, if you know them, what are your love languages?

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Prayer Time

Respond to God, and talk to HIm about what it means to love His people. Ask God to help you see others through His eyes. Love on as many people as you can. Ask God to show you how to love unconditionally. Remember that prayer is just a conversation between you and God.