Being Good

You must try to be good.  You never will be, and you must not think of yourself as good; but you must diligently strive to be. And rest peacefully, knowing that the sacrificial blood of Christ bridges the narrowing gap between the person you are and the person you should be.

HOW'S YOUR LOVE LIFE?

 

 

Mat 24:12-13 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 

 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. [Jesus]

Jhn 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. [Jesus]

 

How are you doing at loving your people?  Your people are those you relate with or with whom you have any influence.  God has commanded you to love them.  Jesus said that His followers would be known by this love—it would be the crowning characteristic of His disciples.  He also said that, as the ages wind down toward the end, the “love of most will grow cold.”  Because of our sinful nature, it has always been hard for us to love each other; and Jesus says it will get harder.  “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”  When we see people hating and killing other people; when we see “wars and rumors of wars” [Mt.24:6]; when we see rampant greed on Wall Street and political corruption, we are tempted to feel hatred or fear—both of which are antithetical to love. When we are daily exposed to people who are tired, feeling harassed and hopeless, complaining about life—this challenges our ability to love.  People who have been abused or neglected in childhood, without Christ will not be loving adults. We see in this the truth of Jesus’ statements about love growing colder as spiritual darkness increases.   We must be very pro-active about loving our people.  We must keep our love warm and alive.

We do not love naturally.  If you carefully study children and adolescents, you will see what is natural for us:  selfishness, competitiveness, resentment of authority, insensitivity to others, and desire for comfort, pleasure, prestige and power.  Most of the good done by humans in their early years is done to impress others or to receive human praise.* We are not critical of them because of this—we know it is natural.  But we also see clearly in Jesus that it must be overcome—that we must evolve toward Christ’s unselfish love.  We desperately need His Holy Spirit in order to overcome this basic selfishness in us.  This is why prayer—regular communion with God—is necessary in order for us to mature.  It’s helpful to ask ourselves frequently—or better to ask the Lord:  How am I doing at loving my people?  This way of being leads to joy, peace and victory over all tribulation.  Our only confidence is in knowing that God knows our heart; and the core truth of our heart is that we want to love people with His love.  If we live or die in this endeavor, we are the most blessed people on earth.  Jesus has encouraged us to “stand firm [in His love] to the end.”

 

 

 Lord, please help me to never stop consciously, pro-actively loving people with Your Love.  Bless me Lord that today I will be a manifestation of Your love for all in my pathway.

 

 

 

 

*We do see outstanding acts of love in children and teens, but this is exceptional, which is what makes it newsworthy.

Male Ego

As a counselor, and as a fallen human being, I can attest to the difficulties of the male ego. Much of our growth in Christ has to do with subduing it. There are many things a woman can do regarding the male ego:  She can hate it. She can fear it or feel threatened by it. She can tear it down or build it up. But the best thing she can do is to lovingly help him to manage it. I think this is a part of what God had in mind at the Creation when He said, after creating man:  "It is not good for man to be alone."  Then He created woman.

Thank You Lord [a poem]

Thank You Lord for trees, and wind

That blows their leaves across our land

For all the green and growing things

For winter skies and bird-song sings

For taxicabs and restaurants

Good food, and air in vast amounts

 

For snowy days that change the world to black and white

And clear blue days that fill the world with sparkling light

 

For twisted tangleness of woods

Filled with creatures quick and small

That scurry ‘round in search of food

Like people in a shopping mall

Thank you for peace that settles in

Like starlings on the highest bough

To catch first rays of morning sun

Above the fields of furrowed plough

Where seeds will sprout and grow and soon

Be food for table; thread for loom

While ocean waves forever roll

Upon the shore and take their toll

On shells transforming into sand

Where children run with flailing hands

While parents watch with heartful glee

As terns with skillful accuracy

Dive like arrows piercing sea

Where hoards of living creatures flee

And live to swim another day

Among the currents’ gentle sway

Of seaweed, jellyfish and roe

Where multi-colored corals grow

Fed by filtered light of Sun

And flowing masses of plankton

 

All this as Earth goes turning on

Its way around the glorious Sun

And man meanders through his life

Half in the dark, half in the Light.

Mark Graham 1/13 Perry Hall, MD