It’s common for relationships to start with infatuation rather than love. Infatuation often involves the belief that someone fulfills a need for us, which is not the same as love. So where does love begin? The most well-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, offers an example of true love. Jesus explains that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that those who believe in Him will have eternal life. It’s important to pay attention to what Jesus is saying about love and relationships, even if we’re familiar with this verse.
God’s love for humanity is sacrificial and unconditional. He loved us first, even before we knew we needed Him. He didn’t require anything from us or make His love conditional on our behavior or response. In giving us His love, He didn’t seek to have His needs met. God’s love was given to us freely, without conditions, merit, or any need being met.
Unconditional love is something we all desire, and when we experience it, we’re drawn to it like a magnet. Without conditions or expectations, this kind of love can be given to others. It’s a love that wins people’s hearts, and when you win someone’s heart, you win the person. When we experience this type of love from God, we’re then able to give it to others without merit or expectation. This is the way of Jesus: to receive God’s love for ourselves and then give it to others, loving them because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).Read more about God’s love and loving others in 1 John 4:7-21
Prayer is a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith, yet it can be challenging for many believers to maintain consistency in their prayer life. Persistence is essential not only in the act of praying itself but also in the specific requests we make to God. Unfortunately, when we don’t see immediate results, we may become discouraged, allowing worry and doubt to take hold.
Thankfully, James 5:16 reminds us that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Through persistent prayer, we demonstrate our faith in God’s ability to work in our lives and the lives of those around us. Our persistence in seeking God deepens our relationship with Him, allowing us to grow in faith and align ourselves with His purposes. When we surrender our cares and worries to Him, we experience His peace and comfort.
Jesus himself emphasized the importance of persistence in prayer, as seen in Luke 18:1-8, where he tells the parable of a persistent widow who eventually received justice from an unjust judge. Unlike the unjust judge, our Heavenly Father desires to hear and answer our prayers. Therefore, we must continue to bring our requests to Him with faith and persistence, knowing that He will respond according to His perfect will.
365 times, the Bible commands its readers not to worry – that’s one directive for every day of the year. However, despite the frequency, many of us tend to view it as merely a suggestion, rather than a clear-cut command.
Fear and anxiety are inevitable parts of life that we must all contend with. Yet, as followers of Jesus, we are provided with guidance on how to handle them: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7-8)
God understands the struggles and challenges we face in this world, and He acknowledges the numerous situations that can instill fear in us. However, with each repetition of the command not to fear, He presents Himself as the reason we can obey it. He reminds us of His identity and how we can turn to Him in faith and trust through prayer.
Missed Pastor David’s message on “Living Free from Worry”?Watch here…
Confession #1: I don’t like popcorn. It took me a while to come to this realization, as for most of my life, when it was offered as snack, I’d grab a handful and mindlessly stuff my face. But over time, I’ve trained myself, “Jessica, don’t eat that. Remember, you don’t actually LIKE popcorn.”
But if I were completely honest, the primary reason I don’t like popcorn is that I HATE the way it smells. Even when it’s cooked perfectly, I’m not a fan. But when overcooked, even so slightly, it is the worst smell imaginable. Above all smells, and I do mean all, I hate the smell of burnt popcorn.
I propose that burnt popcorn is the worst smell ever to exist in all of existence. The thought of it now makes me cringe and kinda angry. The way it permeates the atmosphere and assaults my nose, frustrates me to my core. But the most aggravating part is that since I don’t eat popcorn, suffering the smell is never a fault of my own. *cough* family, roommates, coworkers *cough*
Confession #2: Since I haven’t been getting out as much as I used to (global pandemic), I may have grown a bit lax in my daily showering and dressing habits. But so what if I stay in my pjs a day or five longer than normal? I’m not going out. I’m not seeing people. I can smell a little, right?
This brings me to Confession #3: For a large portion of my life I haven’t had a proper view of 2 Corinthians. I’ve kind of filed it away as a lesser epistle. But in my subpar defense, the title literally says it’s second, you know silver, first loser, the sequel, so not as good as the first. But it has been the primary tool the Lord is using to get my attention, lead me to repentance, and challenging me as a follower of Jesus during this season.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul addresses fellow Jesus followers who are facing a difficult season and issues, which rocked their daily lives.…I’m sure you can’t relate but stick with me. His letter evaluates and challenges their response. Toward the end of the second chapter, he reminds,
“…[God] uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God…” 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 NLT
With these confessions, and Paul’s words in mind, I find myself asking, “What aroma am I putting out into the world, even as I shelter in place? What smell is permeating the atmosphere as it rises up to God?” I’ve declared myself a believer, a follower of Jesus. So according to God’s word, I’m to be a ‘sweet perfume’. My life is “a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.” It is what God “uses to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere…” Wait, everywhere?
I recently took a leave of absence from social media. I didn’t have an online social presence as current events began to impact our daily lives. By the time I ventured back, social distancing was in full swing. I wasn’t slowly ushered into the hot-mess of opinions, amateur science experts, conspiracy theorist, end-times arguments, left and right political backbiting, and all the like that I found with the swipe of my finger. The onslaught was jarring and the smell…well, I know I said burnt popcorn was the worst, but maybe I was wrong.
Like I said, the Lord has been using 2 Corinthians to shake me up, reminding me of His heart and who I am. Paul continues in chapter five,
“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself… he gave US this wonderful message of reconciliation…WE are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through US. WE speak for Christ when WE plead, ‘Come back to God!’” 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 NLT (emphasis added)
Fellow believers, WE speak for Christ. WE are Christ’s ambassadors. It is through US, you and me, that God is pleading to a world that doesn’t know Him to come back to Him. How easy it has been to forget this. Our presence in this world may look different right now, but let’s not fool ourselves, we are still very much present. Nowhere is this truer than online. For many of us, social distancing has increased our presence in the eyes and ears of others – our aroma is permeating the atmosphere like never before.
Right now, above all, I must remember THE mission. THE top story, that which takes precedence over everything else, even a global pandemic, IS the Gospel. It is the Good News of Jesus Christ. Everything I do right now is God making His appeal THROUGH ME. Every comment, every post, every like, every rant, every thing is speaking for Christ. So what am I putting out there? Is it truly a wonderful message of reconciliation? Is it a sweet perfume? A Christ-like fragrance?
Look, I don’t want to place myself in a seat of judgement. I don’t want to climb on a soapbox and point fingers. And I definitely don’t want to contribute to the “you should – you should not” debates. But I do want to remind myself and my fellow brothers and sisters, WE ARE THE FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST. If WE don’t like the smell of our world today, what aroma are WE putting out there? In an effort to have a mindless snack… are we burning the popcorn? Are we permeating the atmosphere for everyone else to suffer our smell? And in doing so, are we becoming greater ambassadors of our own opinions than of our Christ.
Is our message pleading, “Come back to God!” or “Come agree with me!”?
I choose to believe that during this time, we’re all trying to find honest truth and do what is right. I choose to believe this is true of our government leaders, both blue and red. I choose to believe it is true of businesses, billionaires, health organizations, and even media outlets. And I choose to believe that even if I am wrong in this belief, my God has taken into account the fallen state of humanity and will not forsake me.
And because of my conscious choice to believe and trust God, I repent. I repent of contributing to a miserable and assaulting aroma in the world. Genuinely. Wholeheartedly. I repent of the pithy comments, sarcastic memes, soap-box rants, and mic-drop share re-posts intended to feed my prideful ego with a thumbs-up like. I repent. And out of my love for Christ and His Gospel, I hereby confess my commitment, or re-commitment to the wonderful message of reconciliation and to do everything in my power to be a sweet perfume, a Christ-like fragrance, an ambassador that allows God to make His appeal through me. Yes, this is my act of repentance and confession of commitment to stop burning the popcorn.
