Sunday, December 25, 2016

WDJD- What did Jesus do?

Isaiah foretold of the birth of a Child who would be something wonderful. The Angels at His birth declared peace and goodwill.
Religious folks need their own spin on the story. He didn't come to enforce regulations and straighten things up. He came to flip everything upside down because we were so wrong and so off course and couldn't even recognize God. But He did it in love and with peace and goodwill. God himself.
He didn't come to be an elevated spiritual ruler. He came to be a man. He came to do life with us. He came to show us that he fully understands everything about us. He came for the rejected, the outcast, the victims... He rebuked religion. He came for relationship. He came for us to have a perfect example. He showed us how to live with compassion and love in peace. He came to take away the sin aspect that was the sole focus of everything religious. He did that.
Then we murdered Him. We murdered Perfect Peace. Where are we today? Pretty much off the same course, with the same focus on sin, looking for another scape-goat for every fault found in ourselves, yet demanding blood from those we want to judge.
Tonight, I'm thankful. Thankful He came to show man that His desire is to be with us, for us to have peace and goodwill, and for us not to focus on sin but have loving relationships with each other and God.
Emmanuel. God with us. He is always with us. He came for this very reason. Nothing else. He just wants to be your everything. In Him we live and move and have our being.
Instead of the old thought, "What would Jesus do?" I offer a better idea... "What did Jesus do?" His example is perfect.
God Incarnate.
A Nativity Revolution!

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Oh Jer-Bear.. no one is listening.. still.

Jeremiah could deliver the same message at the entry of "church" across America and it would fall on ears that can hear but refuse to hear. #rebellion#detox
“The Message from GOD to Jeremiah: “Stand in the gate of GOD ’s Temple and preach this Message. The Message from GOD to Jeremiah: “Stand in the gate of GOD ’s Temple and preach this Message. “Say, ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship GOD. GOD -of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, has this to say to you: “Say, ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship GOD. GOD -of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, has this to say to you: “‘Clean up your act—the way you live, the things you do—so I can make my home with you in this place. Don’t for a minute believe the lies being spoken here—“This is GOD ’s Temple, GOD ’s Temple, GOD ’s Temple!” Total nonsense! Only if you clean up your act (the way you live, the things you do), only if you do a total spring cleaning on the way you live and treat your neighbors, only if you quit exploiting the street people and orphans and widows, no longer taking advantage of innocent people on this very site and no longer destroying your souls by using this Temple as a front for other gods—only then will I move into your neighborhood. Only then will this country I gave your ancestors be my permanent home, my Temple.
“‘Get smart! Your leaders are handing you a pack of lies, and you’re swallowing them! Use your heads! Do you think you can rob and murder, have sex with the neighborhood wives, tell lies nonstop, worship the local gods, and buy every novel religious commodity on the market—and then march into this Temple, set apart for my worship, and say, “We’re safe!” thinking that the place itself gives you a license to go on with all this outrageous sacrilege? A cave full of criminals! Do you think you can turn this Temple, set apart for my worship, into something like that? Well, think again. I’ve got eyes in my head. I can see what’s going on.’” GOD ’s Decree!
“‘Take a trip down to the place that was once in Shiloh, where I met my people in the early days. Take a look at those ruins, what I did to it because of the evil ways of my people Israel. “‘So now, because of the way you have lived and failed to listen, even though time and again I took you aside and talked seriously with you, and because you refused to change when I called you to repent, I’m going to do to this Temple, set aside for my worship, this place you think is going to keep you safe no matter what, this place I gave as a gift to your ancestors and you, the same as I did to Shiloh. And as for you, I’m going to get rid of you, the same as I got rid of those old relatives of yours around Shiloh, your fellow Israelites in that former kingdom to the north.’
“And you, Jeremiah, don’t waste your time praying for this people. Don’t offer to make petitions or intercessions. Don’t bother me with them. I’m not listening. Can’t you see what they’re doing in all the villages of Judah and in the Jerusalem streets? Why, they’ve got the children gathering wood while the fathers build fires and the mothers make bread to be offered to ‘the Queen of Heaven’! And as if that weren’t bad enough, they go around pouring out libations to any other gods they come across, just to hurt me.
“But is it me they’re hurting?” GOD ’s Decree! “Aren’t they just hurting themselves? Exposing themselves shamefully? Making themselves ridiculous? “Here’s what the Master GOD has to say: ‘My white-hot anger is about to descend on this country and everything in it—people and animals, trees in the field and vegetables in the garden—a raging wildfire that no one can put out.’ “The Message from GOD -of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God: ‘Go ahead! Put your burnt offerings with all your other sacrificial offerings and make a good meal for yourselves. I sure don’t want them! When I delivered your ancestors out of Egypt, I never said anything to them about wanting burnt offerings and sacrifices as such. But I did say this, commanded this: “Obey me. Do what I say and I will be your God and you will be my people. Live the way I tell you. Do what I command so that your lives will go well.”
“‘But do you think they listened? Not a word of it. They did just what they wanted to do, indulged any and every evil whim and got worse day by day. From the time your ancestors left the land of Egypt until now, I’ve supplied a steady stream of my servants the prophets, but do you think the people listened? Not once. Stubborn as mules and worse than their ancestors!’
“Tell them all this, but don’t expect them to listen. Call out to them, but don’t expect an answer. Tell them, ‘You are the nation that wouldn’t obey GOD, that refused all discipline. Truth has disappeared. There’s not a trace of it left in your mouths.” Jeremiah‬ ‭7:1-28‬ ‭
When God says, don't even pray for them because I wont hear it. That is a tragic place to be.
“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.” Ezekiel‬ ‭12:2‬

Monday, December 5, 2016

Stahhhp.

There are formulas for everything.
A formula for marriage.
A formula for love.
A formula for sex.
A formula for birth.
A formula for raising kids.
A formula for education.
A formula for finding a job.
A formula for religion.
A formula for salvation.
A formula for prayer.
A formula for Bible study.
A formula for goodness.
A formula for friendship.
A formula for health.
A formula for every dadgum thang.
Formulas. We seem to be on a constant search for the next formula to happiness, success, salvation, productivity, wealth, whatever.
What formula are you trapped in that is doing nothing for you?