Tag: Christ

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Truly He Taught Us

The other day at work I was listening to some Christmas music whilst I banged out a power point presentation.  After a few rounds of Veggie Tales singing “I can’t believe it’s Christmas, I think I might be getting something”, the shuffle of my iPod took me over to Chris Tomlin’s version of O Holy Night.  One verse in particular stuck out to me, and that was this:

“Truly he taught us to love one another”

and then that is followed by this

“In his name all oppression shall cease”

So here we are, one week from the celebration of the Christos, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior’s birth.  We will be gathering around Christmas trees with our families, passing the Eggnog and opening presents.  But let’s not forget the lessons that babe taught us as he grew in wisdom and stature. For he did indeed did tell us,

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (New International Version, ©2010)

Lets heed James’ call and follow the law of love:

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says – James 1:22 NIV

and then we can truly sing along:

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

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Vote for Christos

Ah, it’s election day!  I have been waiting for this for months.  Finally, the phone calls will stop.  “Hey, I’m Bill the farmer and I support Joe Bob for..”  or “Urgent, This election Day is in 48 hours, make your decision…”.  Man, does anyone really listen to all of that telemarketing?  Seems like a waste of money to me.

But anyway, it is election day, and please no matter who you support, get out and cast your vote.  Voting is such a blessing, and we should not abuse it by neglecting it.

At the same however, make sure you are casting your real vote for the Christos Party, or the followers of Christ.  If I received a phone call with this content I would probably listen::

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 2 Peter 1:5-11 (New International Version © 2010)

Now that’s a great campaign speech. That’s the sort of people we want to vote into office and that’s the way we are reminded to live our lives. So lets execute on those campaign promises, possess those qualities in increasing measure and confirm your election!

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Reflection

It’s interesting the way our lives are meant to be a reflection of the one we follow.  Children are like their parents.  Students are like their teachers, and Christians are like their Christ.

And today is a quick and gentle reminder of that.  Galatians 2:20 tell  us that we we are believers, we have put on Christ and Christ “lives” within us.

20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (New International Version)

This Christ or Jesus said when we was on this Earth that he is “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)

So that means that today as we walk around and talk and interact that we are showing people the way, the truth and the life.

Life in a way that reflects Jesus, and let your (his) light shine!

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Dressed for Combat

Football season kicked off last night in grand style. I even found myself slipping out of bed a few times to check out what happened to the Pitt overtime game and the USC game.  Finally a sport to watch again ( sorry baseball fans!)

Anyway, as most men know the uniforms are half of the deal when the team takes the field.  Several times after the last few years teams have changed colors in the locker room before entering the field for the game with the intention of creating come motivation and inspiring the crowd. Even my wife tells my boys “looking good on the field is most important”.

Anyway, earlier this week Nike released it’s new “Pro Combat” uniforms for a few selected schools.  And you guessed it the Mountaineers were in the mix this year.  They will were their uniforms against Pitt later this year.  It’s amazing the buzz this has created with Mountaineer fans, and I assume with the other team’s fans that are in the mix this year.  I can only assume the players are pretty excited as well.

So why?  Why is the uniform so much more than just a shirt and britches?  Why is so important that your uniforms like so tough and bad?  Why do teams like to wear that menacing all black?  We know, because it tells who we are.  It expresses what we feel about ourselves. In football, its say I am ready and I am playing hard and I am going to play as good as look.  We look the part that we want to be.

So what about our life, especially our spiritual lives?   Well check Galatians out:

26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ Galatians 3:26-28 (New International Version)

Paul says Jesus Christ is our uniform!   Can you think of anything more menacing in spiritual warfare then to be wearing the son of God?  We are clothed with him, we have put in on!

For some odd reason, I have made the picture of the new WVU uniforms my background on my computer.  Really, I am not sure why.  But I can say that every time I see it, I get a little bit of extra motivation, as if I were putting those one someday.  Which is really sort of childish, isn’t’? But what I am realizing is in the spiritual battle, I am wearing a uniform that is so much cooler and lighter weight and refreshing then the Pro Combats from Nike. The question is will I play like it today!

Put on the uniform that Christ gave you, and realize that you look ready for combat in them.  Play like it today!

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Add it up

Last night I was given the opportunity to hear Rich Little speak.  No, not that Rich Little, the preacher Rich Little.  He’s heading out to be a professor at Pepperdine and was speaking in town last night.   He was very engaging as he spoke of sharing the grace with have received with other people.  The whole time he was whittling away on stage, I keep thinking to myself, that these ideas seem like they are a little risky, and radical.  He spend most of the night exposing hidden secrets from Matthew 7, part of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount.  However, it was the place he ended that really started me thinking:

12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.  Matt 7 :12

How simple!  The entirety of the law in 11 words.  “Do to others what you would have them do to you”.  But how complex and how radical.  How many times have your heard this relay in word or action as “Do to others before they do to you?” or “Do to others as they do to you?”   But Jesus, always the radical, says “Treat them how you want to be treated.”  How many times to I tell my boys those exact same words?

But can we really live that way?  I mean, I know that I want the people I work with to bring me ice cream at 3pm every afternoon.  Hm, I wonder maybe if thats what I want then I should bring ice cream to them at 3pm.  Or I should find out what they like and bring that to them.  For many of my co workers that may be a bowl of gajar halwa.

But I guess its more then ice cream.  Its the words we use, its the way we listen.  Its the attention that we give to others.  Its our concern.  It’s a text message of encouragement, a smile, forgiveness and mercy and grace.

Hm, sounds radical and risky.  Maybe its worth some serious prayer and attention.  I know that I would want you to do it for me.

Are you summing it up today?