The Love of Christ Compels

I don't even know where to begin with this verse. I think that II Corinthians 5:11-21 could be a lesson in and of itself. It reminds me of the radical Christianity that we've all talked about wanting. "If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God." I want to be so convicted and passionate because "one died for all, and therefore all died." Jesus' love blessed so richly making us new creations. Brand new creations born of His love and sacrifice. These verses are just blowing my mind today because 4:7-12 is such an encouragement to me. Any and all hardships we face are no comparison to the God that loves and died for us. From now on, as new creations, our sole purpose is to spread the joy that comes with our faith to the rest of the world.

Sharing Your Life

I think the apostles seemed to demonstrate Jesus' love in their efforts not to inconvenience anyone. They "worked night and day" so that they would not become burdens. I think what their toil shows is genuine concern for people. By sharing their lives literally, they become tangible models of Christ's love and compassion. It's not like we as Christians live lives of privilege because of our faith; it is our responsibility to love the lost like Jesus loved us and to care for them. This has a lot to do with my theory that in today's world we can't evangelize with a fire and brimstone gospel. No one cares about the consequences unless they hear about the rewards of Christianity. "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Matthew 25:35-36

The Committed

The early Christians are rockstar evangelists. They take the resources they have, grab hold of their own corner of the world, and flip it upside down. Their enthusiasm is almost unbelievable. Jesus was master over them and His power convicted their hearts. However, Jesus doesn't mince words; He tells the disciples-and us-that we'll be persecuted and hated for the things we belive and share. I think that warning combined with our own personalities can be a critical point for would-be evangelists in this world.

Talking Babies

I'm going to be very honest and say that, for the first time, I got very little application from today's study. To some extent, I think that we often act like "newborns" unfamiliar with the Word and the family, but the truth is that none of us are brand new Christians. I'd like to talk more about this lesson and hear from you all what you took from it.

Crucial Last Words

Today I still have the "Everything" video in my mind, and the first question took me back to that frame of thought. Jesus has all authority over me because when I couldn't escape sin and I was so weighted by it that I couldn't stand, Jesus stepped in and took all the brutality and punishment that I deserved. He paid my debts. And I love the next question: "How do you feel about that?" How do I feel? I feel free. I feel so indebted and grateful. I feel joyful. I feel terrified of the responsibility that I now have to live up to and respect His sacrifice. He is sending me back to a world that is so weighted by sin that they cannot even stand, and He wants me to bring His message. Like I said in my post about Week 5, you ladies have been Jesus to me. You heard Him say "go" and my life has been so richly blessed for it. I am so thankful to each of you and so grateful for the God that put His spirit in each of your hearts.

Week Five: Heart

I'm not going to blog about the week since we've already discussed it, but I am so blessed by the discussion we had last night. I just want to thank each of you for being Jesus to me in the most literal sense. Sometimes, I swear I hear His words from your mouth ministering to my heart. I wanted to share my plan for my own fast. I decided last night to give up the computer with the exception of schoolwork and this blog. However, throughout the day, I've been thinking about all of you, and I have been so challenged by the things you're giving up. So, I've decided that for the next week, I am going to "live minimally". I'm going to turn off what doesn't need to be on and I'm going to eat basically bread, salad, and soup. I just feel really convicted to "purge" my life this week, and I'm very excited to be sharing this experience with you!

Encouragement

Summary of my thoughts: Encouragement helps us stay free of sin and keeps our hearts tender. I think encouragement may refer to gentle correction and guidance, according to this passage. Just being together and fellowshipping is encouraging. It's a reminder that we all as a body are striving for the day when God calls us home. I think that sometimes missing meetings can be perceived as giving up or not caring enough to join the family. I don't think that it's inherently wrong to miss a devo, but it can be discouraging to watch numbers dwindle.