Relationships: Making Things Right!

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  1 John 1:9

"And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River."  Mark 1:4-5

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."  James 5:16

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."  Matthew 5:23-24

 

Relationships: Don't Give Up!

"[...]Don't give up.  Don't give up on people; the minute you do, they'll surprise you.  Don't give up on prayer; God is doing so much more through your prayers than you can see.  Don't give up on God's promises.  You have some dreams that are based on God's promises; don't give up on those dreams.  When you feel like giving up, choose instead to act.  Act on Jesus' command - and 'love one another.'"

- Tom Holladay, The Relationship Principles of Jesus (pp. 93-94)

Galatians 6:9

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Happy Independence Day!

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance."  Psalm 33:12

What a great privilege it is to live in a nation in which we are free to practice our Christian faith, free from persecution and threats of violence, or worse.  This isn't so for tens of millions of people around the world. 

Liberty is a gift from God.  We are called to preserve and defend it for future generations.  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

May we always prove worthy of God's blessings for our lives and our nation.  May God continue to bless these United States of America!

Relationships: Like Jesus Does

"[...]Not only are relationships more important than money; they are also more important than tasks.  Jesus' life is filled with encounters that show how he balanced the needs of people and the tasks before him:

• While being pressured to hurry through the crowds to see Jairus's daughter, who was near death, Jesus stops to give a shy woman the opportunity to voice her faith (Mark 5:21-43)
• When the disciples tell some parents that Jesus' schedule won't allow time for their children to be in his presence, Jesus says, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them' (Mark 10:14)
• Jesus and his disciples plan to get away from the crowd, only to have five thousand men meet them at their place of quiet retreat.  As the day gets late, the disciples show Jesus the logic of sending the people away to buy something to eat.  But Jesus says, 'You give them something to eat' (Mark 6:37)
• Jesus' disciples are shocked to find him taking the time to talk to a woman beside a well in Samaria (see John 4), because other teachers in Jesus' day thought themselves too important to speak to women in public.

- Tom Holladay, The Relationship Principles of Jesus (pp. 35-36)

Ask yourself today: How do the choices I make in my life compare to the choices Jesus made in his time on earth?  What do my choices say about how I value relationships?

What's Most Important?

"[...]One of the most noticeable things about Jesus' interactions with others is how people loved to ask him questions.  Crowds press in with questions; Jesus' disciples call him aside for questions; and those who disagree with Jesus try to trap him with questions.  It's easy to dislike this third group, and it often seems as though Jesus is wasting his time when talking with them.  Doesn't he know that their questions are just thinly veiled attempts to trick him into saying something they can use to accuse him?  Yet he patiently listens to their questions, and he answers them one by one.

This day the questions are coming fast and furious.  One group asks a question about paying taxes; another group launches into a series of questions about marriage.  Jesus' answers are brilliant and right to the heart, as always, but it seems that maybe it's time to move on and talk to some who are more open to what he has to say.  Then a teacher from the edge of the crowd asks a question with a slightly different tone.  There seems to be a genuineness to his question not heard from the others.  He simply asks, 'Of all the commandments, which is most important?'

In Jesus' answer is the most important statement about relationships you'll ever hear.  As Jesus speaks, he leaves no doubt as to the value he places on relationships:

'The most important [commandment] ... is this: ... Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your sould and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.'"  (Mark 12:28-34)

- Tom Holladay, The Relationship Principles of Jesus (pp. 25-26)

Got Relationships?

This month, our Bible study will be based on Tom Holladay's The Relationship Principles of Jesus (available for purchase here if you're interested!) to coincide with our series Got Relationships?  It's Complicated at Walnut St UMC.

Our meeting this month will be held Sunday, July 7 at 6 PM in the lounge.  Bring a friend!