God is Love

Bible:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. I John 4:7-12 ESV

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O Lord.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light. Psalm 36:5-9 ESV

Reflection:

The early church, during the time of the Roman empire, wasn’t very large or powerful, and sometimes it was persecuted. But for people who became a part of the church, it changed their entire lives. A man named Justin wrote that people who had loved their money and possessions more than anything now brought what they had to a common fund so they could help people in need. People who had hated and destroyed one another and would not live near someone of a different culture or tribe, now loved and lived near each other. A man named Tertullian wrote that other people looked at Christians and said, “See how they love one another.” When others looked at the church, they couldn’t understand why Christians called each other brothers as a sign of their closeness with each other. But the early Christians really understood that the heart of their Christian life was love.

John wrote that we all should love one another, because love was from God, and when we are born of God we learn to love each other the way he loves us. People might think they understand things about God, but if they aren’t able to love, then they really don’t know him at all. Even though we haven’t seen God, our love for each other brings to light the truth that God lives among us and works in us to make our love perfect.

Love is something that isn’t always easy to understand, but God made it completely clear to us what love means when he sent Jesus. He sent his only Son so that we could have life through him, and Jesus died to pay the penalty for all our sins. God didn’t do this for us because we loved him, because we had turned away from him in sin in rebellion. Instead, God sent Jesus to us because he loves us so much, and wanted to bring us back to himself. If we want to know what love is all about, we can look at Jesus and what he’s done for us, and if we want to grow in our love for others, we can be sure that we have Jesus in us to give us his love for each other.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us what love means through Jesus. Help us to love that way that you love us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sources:

https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.viii.ii.xiv.html
http://www.tertullian.org/anf/anf03/anf03-05.htm#39_7

Rich People and Poor People

Bible:

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? James 2:1-7 ESV

And [Jesus] lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” Luke 6:20-21, 24-25 ESV

Reflection:

The Titanic was a luxurious steamship for people who were able to pay the price to travel in first or second class, but there were some people who were traveling from Europe to find a new life in the United States who were too poor to pay for anything but what was called steerage, or third class. These passengers slept on cots in crowded cabins below the water line in the steamer, and they weren’t allowed to come up to the decks where the richer passengers were staying. When the Titanic struck an iceberg, the people in steerage probably didn’t know what had happened right away. Many of them didn’t speak English and wouldn’t have been able to understand directions crew members gave them, and they might have found some of the doors leading up to the top deck locked. Even if the doors weren’t locked, there wasn’t always a direct route to an upper deck. There weren’t many crew members trying to help them, and the steerage passengers would have had no way of knowing which corridor to take since they hadn’t been allowed on the upper decks. By the time they got to the top deck where the lifeboats were, there was little space left for them, and many of them drowned in the disaster. Only 172 out of the 709 steerage passengers survived the sinking of the Titanic.

What happened on the Titanic is the kind of thing that so often happens in this world. People who are rich have an easier time with life and are often seen as more valuable and are treated better by others. This was even happening in some of the early churches. James scolded the Christians for treating rich people better than they treated poor people who came to church. Rich people were given the best places to sit, and poor people were told to sit on the floor or to stand off to the side. The early Christians might have thought that people who were rich were better people, and that God loved them more, but James wrote to them that this wasn’t true at all. He said that God often chooses people who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and to be the ones who will inherit God’s kingdom. And he reminded them that rich people are often people who dishonor God by their unjust and selfish behavior toward others.

It isn’t whether we are poor or rich that makes God love us. But sometimes being rich makes people feel that they are able to handle life on their own, and that they don’t need God. Wanting to stay rich and to get richer sometimes causes people to use their power to hurt others. For these reasons, rich people sometimes have a harder time realizing that they are sinners and trusting what Jesus did on the cross for them. Whether we are rich or poor or somewhere in between, there is nothing we can do to earn God’s love. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins, a price that no one in the whole world is rich enough to pay. Because of Jesus, our sins are forgiven, and we are God’s people. We can see other people the way God sees us, as people who are loved through Jesus.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us and sending Jesus to save us. Help us to love others, whether they are rich or poor, the way you love them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

Life Below the Waterline: The Third-Class Passengers of Titanic

Peter in Prison

Bible:

About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. Acts 12:1-5 ESV

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.
The nations raged,
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Revelation 11:15-18 ESV

Reflection:

Do you remember when King David’s son Absalom was trying to take his father’s throne from him, and there was a battle between David’s men and Absalom’s men? King David wanted to go out and fight with his armies, but they didn’t let him do that. They needed to protect their king, because if he died, everything would be lost. Other people weren’t as important, because only David had the throne. So King David stayed behind and didn’t fight with his men.

King Herod started to persecute the early church. He killed one of the apostles, James, who was John’s brother, and in doing that he removed a very important leader in the church. The Jewish religious leaders were very happy that Herod had done this, and so he decided to go after the apostle in the early church who seemed to be the most powerful person of all. Herod arrested Peter and put him in prison, and his plan was to put him to death also. He might have thought that he had captured the king of the church, and that killing him would be the end of the church. The other believers might have felt a little like that, too. What would they do without Peter? They were very upset, and they prayed together very hard that God would take care of Peter and set him free.

The truth is that Peter wasn’t the king of the church. Jesus was the king, and he still is. Sometimes terrible things seem to happen to Christians, and we wonder why God allows such things to happen, and how we will survive. But God reminds us that Jesus is our king forever, and that there’s nothing that can put an end to his rule. When he lived among us on earth, he was put to death on the cross, and it seemed as if that were the end of everything. But Jesus rose again on Easter Sunday, and because of that, we know that he has defeated sin and death and all the forces of evil, and that there is nothing that will ever put an end to his love and care for his people. We can always put our trust in Jesus, no matter what happens.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for being our king and for taking care of your church. Help us to trust in you when things seem hard. Amen.

New Brothers and Sisters

Bible:

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. Acts 10:44-48 ESV

And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit. Joel 2:28-29 ESV

Reflection:

Catherine Bunin was adopted. She had brown skin, but her mother’s skin was white, and she had a younger sister who was also adopted. Her little sister had much darker skin than she did. When people saw the two girls together or with their mother, they would sometimes ask Catherine, “Is that your sister?” People were amazed to think that they were a family when they didn’t look alike. It wasn’t the kind of family they were used to seeing. But Catherine knew that they were truly a family who belonged together, because adoption and the love of her parents had made it that way.

The Jewish believers with Peter were amazed when Cornelius and his family and friends received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This group of Gentiles was speaking in languages they hadn’t learned and praising God just as the first believers had done at Pentecost, and there could be no doubt that God the Holy Spirit had made them his own through faith. Peter knew that they needed to be baptized, and that there couldn’t be any argument to stop them from doing that. So Cornelius and his family and friends became the first Gentile believers who hadn’t first converted to Judaism. Even though they weren’t the kind of family members that the early church expected, God’s love and grace had made them part of the family. Peter stayed with them for a number of days and taught them more about their life in Jesus.

People who believe in Jesus have an amazing family that includes members from all around the world. Our brothers and sisters in Christ come in many different colors and speak many different languages. When we meet someone very different from us who is also a Christian, we can gladly say, “This is my brother,” or, “This is my sister.” The love of Jesus given to us on the cross opened the way for all people to be God’s children, and the gift of the Holy Spirit brings people from many nations and groups of people into God’s family forever.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your amazing family that Jesus won on the cross and that the Holy Spirit brings to you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

Bunin, Catherine and Sherry Bunin Is That Your Sister?: a true story of adoption Wayne, Pennsylvania: Our Child Press, 1992.

God Shows No Partiality

Bible:

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:34-43 ESV

[Jesus said:] I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 8:11 ESV

Reflection:

In the United States, there are some places where people who sell or rent houses might discriminate against people who are of a different color or culture, and sometimes for other reasons as well, such as how old they are or if there are children in a family. What this means is that people who are showing property for sale or for rent might show some people fewer homes, or homes in some areas but not others, or some types of homes but not others, or maybe offer some people better terms for paying for or renting a home. To try to stop this problem there is a job called a fair housing tester, and in this job people pretend to be looking for a place to live. The fair housing testers–perhaps some will be black and others will be white, for example–can compare their experiences and see if an agency is discriminating against people who are a different color or culture, and then show evidence of this discrimination.

In a way, Cornelius was a test to see if God discriminates against some kinds of people. Cornelius was a Gentile, and the Jewish people thought that God didn’t love Gentiles as much as he loved Jews. The early church wasn’t even sure that Jesus had died for Gentiles or that they should be included in the church, and for awhile they didn’t share the good news with them. But Peter was starting to see things differently. He saw that the Lord wanted him to tell Cornelius about Jesus, and he began his talk by saying that God shows no partiality, which means that he doesn’t discriminate. Then he told Cornelius and all his friends who had gathered to hear him speak all about Jesus and the forgiveness he had won on the cross.

It is good news for us and for all people that God doesn’t discriminate. We can be sure that no matter who we are, God loves us and sent Jesus to die for us. We can be sure that all people who believes in Jesus have all their sins forgiven and have eternal life with God. We know that it is true for us, and also that it is true for everyone we meet in our lives. We know that it is true for people all around the world, and it is our joy to share this good news and to support others who work hard in many places to tell others about Jesus.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your great love for us and for all people. Please help us to share this good news with everyone. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

Fair Housing Testers – Testing For Housing Discrimination

Scattered but Growing

Bible:

And Saul approved of his execution.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Acts 8:1-4 ESV

Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
and a poor man is better than a liar.
The fear of the Lord leads to life,
and whoever has it rests satisfied;
he will not be visited by harm. Proverbs 19:21-23 ESV

Reflection:

Do you ever have a campfire? They can be a lot of fun, but they are also dangerous. When you are finished with your fire, it is important to take the time to put it out properly. The first thing you should do is to douse the campfire with water. After you’ve done that, you mix up all the ashes and all the embers of the fire with dirt. If there are any logs that are only partly burned, scrape the embers off them and make sure they get mixed with dirt. Then, make sure that all of these embers and ashes are wet, and add more water if you need to. Then, feel all the ashes, embers, logs, and even the rocks of the fire ring to make sure there are no hot spots left. You should even check under the rocks and also your whole campsite to make sure there isn’t a hot ember or spark left anywhere. Finally, douse all the ashes and embers with water one more time. This seems like a lot of work, but fire safety is very important for preventing wildfires from starting and spreading.

The religious leaders, and especially an angry young man named Saul, kept on trying to stop the young church in Jerusalem from growing. Saul went from house to house and dragged out people who believed in Jesus and had them thrown into jail. This caused the people of the church to leave Jerusalem and to be scattered around Judea and Samaria. But this didn’t stop the church from growing. What Saul was doing was like scattering hot embers around without putting them out. Wherever God’s people went, they preached the good new about Jesus to others, and other people came to believe and to follow Jesus. Saul was working against the purposes of God, but God used his evil deeds for the good of the church, especially to help it spread.

We might sometimes feel as if the hard times of the church and the way others often hate the followers of Jesus will completely put out our fire, but God is always working out his purposes, even in difficult times. He loves all people in the world, and he sent Jesus to pay for the sins of the world on the cross. Jesus promises that he will take care of his church, and he is always helping the message spread to others. We might not always understand why things happen the way they do, but we can be sure that God is with us, keeping his church alive and safe and helping it grow.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us and taking care of us. Please help your good news to spread to others around us and throughout the world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/alerts-notices/?cid=fsbdev3_053601

A Great Fear

Bible:

After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. Acts 5:7-11 ESV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. I Peter 5:6-11 ESV

Reflection:

Many years ago a painter named Nicholas Poussin painted a picture called Et in Arcadia ego. The painting shows some handsome, strong young shepherds in a beautiful countryside called Arcadia who have come across a grave. The title could mean that the dead person in the grave was once happy and alive in Arcadia also, but it could also mean that even in a beautiful place like Arcadia, there is death. Either way, the shepherds are puzzled and very sad as they look at the grave. They had been so happy in their beautiful countryside that they hadn’t thought about ugly things like death, but now the shadow of that grave will haunt their life and their happiness.

The people in the early church must have felt the same way when they heard of the deaths of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. She came in a few hours after her husband had died, but she hadn’t heard what had happened. She repeated her husband’s lie to Peter, and God’s judgment immediately fell on her also, and she died. The Bible says that a great fear came upon the young church when the people heard about this. Everything had seemed so wonderful. People were hearing about the love of Jesus and more and more people were believing in him, and rich people were sharing their wealth with poor people, and everyone seemed to love and care for each other. But even in this lovely time and situation, there was sin and evil and death. It must have been very hard to understand.

The Lord warns us that as long as we live in this world, there will be sin and death and evil. He tells us to be on our guard and to resist the devil and the sin of this world. We don’t need to be surprised when we run into ugliness, even in the church, because we will be haunted by sin and death until Jesus comes again. But the good news is that Jesus defeated sin and death when he died on the cross and rose again from the dead, and he stays with us to help us and defend us when evil attacks us. We are not free from trouble and sorrow yet, but we have the wonderful promise that someday we will be. Because of what Jesus has done for us, someday we will live in the perfect paradise that we all long for, and that God has prepared for his people.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for conquering sin and death for us. Please stand by us and help us when we struggle with trouble and evil, and bring us to your heavenly kingdom. Amen.

Source:

Beckett, Sister Wendy The Story of Painting London: Dorling Kindersley, 1994, pp. 218-219.