This is how we know that we remain in God and God in us, that God has given us of the Spirit.
We speak and think about God the Creator and God the Redeemer and we often forget about God the Spirit.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, remains in God and he in God.
The Holy Spirit looks for a dwelling place in every human heart.
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
We cannot avoid these words. If we say we love God we must act it. If we say we know God we must show it. If we say we love God we must love as God loves. This is how we know that God is within.
Tomorrow, victory over the world.
Click on the scripture link above and read the different versions of this citation. Choose another version from the drop down menus and reflect on what great love God has for us and what great love we might have for God.
Enter the wordSpiritinto the blog search bar and reflect on the dwelling place we have arranged for God within, and on how we extend an invitation to God to live in our hearts.
Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright by the land’s afflicted.
Isaiah shows us a vision of God’s Kingdom and of the world as it might be. We are welcome to paint our own images upon this enormous canvas of hope. The prophet describes a dominion the hunters live peacefully with their prey. A child plays near a venomous serpent; division, harm and ruin have come to an end. Our superficial system of judging and choosing no long functions. God’s justice sees what is in the heart and mind. Our empty gestures are seen for what they are, hollow hope, false hospitality and silly pandering. We forget that those who live on the margins are the closest to God’s heart. When we exclude the poorest among us we exclude Christ.
What might we do to welcome this vision of the kingdom in honesty? How might we welcome Christ as generously as he has welcomed us?
Edward Hicks: The Peaceable Kingdom
Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Paul speaks to an audience in conflict; his listeners and readers have allowed petty differences to divide them and they have openly ignored the beauty and wealth of God’s offer of this peaceable Kingdom. With clear reason Paul presents his cogent argument: God’s Kingdom is not a club with rules; rather, it is a state of being in which everyone speaks the Language of Love.
How might we examine our own actions and thoughts to root out our pettiness? How might we nurture our growth in God’s Law of Love?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
In the end there is one sure way to know if we are hearing, speaking and acting in God’s love: our personal yardstick is the fruit our labor bears. If we call on candor and patient waiting, we will quickly see how much we welcome the Christ in others and how much we exclude.
Do we invite everyoneto learn about Jesus by the way we live? Do we chase away lions and bears assuming that they do not belong in the Kingdom? Do we exclude adders and vipers because we cannot see their potential for change? Do we welcome only those who look and act and believe as we do?
On this Second Sunday of Advent we are welcomed by Christ – along with countless billions – to prepare for his arrival. Let us ready our hearts and our minds to receive the greatest gift of all time and space – the gift of an amazing Kingdom, the gift of unbelievable peace, the gift of Christ’s universal welcome.
When Jesus called, the disciples left their nets and followed him.
If we look for pat answers in scripture we are not seeking God in both the divine and human. If we hope for a “black and white” world we are not growing. If we believe that God loves some to the exclusion of others . . . we have not yet begun our journey.
God says: There in only one commandment: Love one another as I have loved you. All the finagling and deception you believe shows me your power is like a child who struggles against the loving arms of a parent. All that I ask is that you follow; I will protect you. All that I ask is that you do my Word; Jesus will show the Way. All that I ask is that you abide in love; the Spirit abides in you . . . and I ask that you abide in me.
We spent many hours seeking answers to questions we need not ask when all we need is God alone. All of the earthly plots and schemes are useless in God’s eternity. The only tool we need is God’s Language of Love. And this we learn as we follow Jesus. This we put into action as we yield to the Spirit.
When Jesus calls, let us leave behind our nets that have been so important to us . . . and let us follow . . .
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