Here to Show Love

The young woman looked out the window pane. Raindrops sliding down the glass blurred her vision of the big city around her.

What am I doing here?

The question lingered in her mind as she made her way out of her apartment building. She had moved two years ago for her job, yet she still didn’t feel like she belonged there. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do.

I thought You wanted me here, Lord. How come I don’t feel like it? What am I supposed to do?

Rose opened her clear umbrella to cover her before stepping out of the shelter of the awning. She set out at a brisk pace down the sidewalk. The subway was available for her to take, but it wasn’t that long of a walk to her workplace so she opted for walking instead.

After pushing her brown hair out of her eyes and adjusting her glasses, she shifted the strap of her briefcase so it wouldn’t fall onto the wet ground below. She approached the crosswalk and stood beside a few other souls who decided to brave the rain as well. Besides two business men, a woman braving the rain for a morning run, and herself,  there was a young woman who looked around her age, holding the hand of a little boy who looked to be around six. Rose smiled at the pair.

The little boy sneezed and the young woman with him looked worried.

“It’s okay,” His mother told him. “We’ll be there soon.”

“I’m cold.” He said. “And I’m wet. I don’t feel good.”

After a moment’s hesitation she turned their way again. “Hi. I couldn’t help but overhear. Would you like my umbrella? If he’s sick it might help so he doesn’t get as wet.”

The woman bit her lip, glancing from the little boy to Rose again. “Are you sure?”

Rose smiled, not regretting her decision in the least. “I’m positive. Here.” She handed over the umbrella to the pair. The woman held the umbrella over her and the little boy.

“Thank you so much. We just moved here and I was taking him to the doctor and got turned around and it started raining…” She trailed off. “You probably don’t care about that, sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m glad I could help. Have a great day!”

“Thank you, you too.”

That said, Rose and the pair went their different ways. Rose was now getting soaking wet, but smiled as she continued walking in the cold rain.

This is why I’m here, she thought to herself. I’m here to show love.

~~

That's a short story I wrote a while back. We're all in different places for different times, but one thing remains the same: We're here to show love. That may look different for some of us. Perhaps its starting a Bible study, or serving children in your church, or engaging your cashier in conversation. Or maybe it's giving up your umbrella :).

1 John 4:7, "Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

Redefined.

A few months ago I wrote a post about freedom and grace, looking at the book of Galatians. I wonder what we would be like if we actually walked in that freedom and grace everyday...


We would be joyful in the freedom we're living in.
We would be confident in our identities in Christ.
We would freely walk in grace, showering others with grace.
We would remember and delight in the fact that we're children of God.
We would love others with all our hearts.

I think of Proverbs 31:26, "She walks in strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future."

That list goes on. So what holds us back from living in that freedom and grace? I can think of a number of reasons....

We're prone to think with a negative mindset.
We're insecure about how we look and act.
We're afraid of standing out too much, its easier to do what others are doing.
We're afraid of rejection.
We feel ashamed of our sin and transgressions.
We struggle with our identity in Christ.

I think that one issue we have is the fact that our world has redefined certain things. We lost the line between what we are and what we're supposed to be. Somewhere along the way we're forgotten who we are in Christ. At some point we allowed the world to define us.

You can walk in confidence in who you are in Christ without being arrogant.
You can take care of your needs without being selfish.
You can be selfless without being a people pleaser.
You can look on the bright side of things without being naive.
You can be gentle while being strong in Christ.
You can live in the now while looking ahead to eternity.

-

Christ has redefined us.

~ We were once slaves, but now we can be children of God.
Galatians 4:7, "So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir."

~ We were dead in our sin, but now we can be brought back to life.
Ephesians 2:4-5, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!"

~ We were afraid and alone, but now we've been adopted into God's family.
Romans 8:15, " For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ""Abba, Father!""

~ We are sinful, but can become righteousness through Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21, "He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."


When we realize who we are in Christ we can live freely for Christ. We exist for His glory and for His Name.

I don't want this to come across as a "feel good" post. I want this post to encourage you to live in the freedom Jesus Christ has offered you. It's a daily struggle to live for Him, but it's worth it in the end. It's easy to fall back into slavery, to put on the chains He broke, pick up the burdens He lifted.
Let's live in the freedom and grace He's offered us. Let's bring glory to His name.

Romans 11:36, "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen."

Recognized

Two weeks ago we focused on Judas and his betrayal of Jesus, last week we looked at Peter and his denial of Jesus. In this post, the last of the three part series, we're going to look at someone whose name is never actually mentioned in scripture.

Before I jump into the main passage let me summarize what's happened so far. Jesus prayed, Jesus was betrayed, Jesus was condemned to die, He was whipped and mocked. Along with two criminals, He was led to a place called The Skull and they crucified Him between the two other criminals.

I love what He says in Luke 23:34, "Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.""

Moving down a few verses.... Jesus is hanging on a cross between two criminals. People are still mocking Him, saying that if He's the Son of God He should save Himself. Even one of the criminals beside Him jeered at Him.

But then comes one of my favorite parts of the passages about Jesus' crucifixion.

Luke 23:40-42, "But the other answered, rebuking him: "Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.""

This man beside Jesus, a criminal whose crimes deserved one of the most painful deaths according to Roman law, he got it. The religious leaders, the other Jews... they didn't understand. But he understood. He'd probably heard all about Jesus and he recognized that Jesus was innocent, while he was guilty. He believe that Jesus was the Son of God.

He saw his own sin and instead of looking past Jesus, he recognized Who He was and what gift He holds.

I love Jesus' response in verse 43, "And he said to him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.""

Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied Jesus, but this criminal, who had probably never actually met Jesus, he recognized Jesus. He recognized that Jesus was the Son of God, who didn't deserve death.

~

Judas betrayed Jesus and while he felt remorse over it, he didn't repent.

Peter denied Jesus and he wept bitterly because of it. He went on to truly love Jesus more than his own life.

The criminal had committed terrible crimes, but he recognized who Jesus was.

The question is: what will our response be? We've looked these past three weeks at the passages of scripture surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection. What will your response be? Will you see your sin and feel remorse, but not repent? Have you denied Jesus in the past, but are now striving to love Jesus more than yourself? Have you sinned against God and repented, recognizing Who He is?

~

Let's talk....

Which has been your favorite post from this series... Judas, Peter, or the criminal? Which gospel has your favorite account of scripture about the events occurring around Jesus' crucifixion? Would you like to see more post series like this? Any other thoughts?