By: Undre Griggs, Jr. Identical to us, Jesus Christ had the freedom to live a life of His choosing. Jesus could have lived a life seeking peace and prosperity, but instead, He chose to live a life of service. He focused on spreading the Gospel and making sure His disciples were prepared for a life without Him. His goal was to make sure each of us had the opportunity to join Him in heaven one day. Jesus endured suffering, ridicule, and torture because our sin. He lived a life of humility as a pattern for us to understand how we should live. John 13:12-17 (ESV): When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Jesus withstood anguish because He wanted us to know how we ought to handle ourselves in similar situations. He wanted us to know how to interact with people we do not like, even those who wish ill on us. Jesus wanted to make certain we lived a life appreciating others more than ourselves. This sometimes requires us to be more patient than we would prefer, or it may require us being more forgiving than justified. Jesus asked Jehovah to forgive those who put Him on the cross, while He was hanging on the cross (Luke 24:14). Jesus was not concerned with being right or justified; He was concerned about the well-being of others. Galatians 5:13 (ESV): For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Through His actions, we lose the ability to mistakenly live a self-centered life. Through His life, we are able to understand what it means to serve each other in love. Our service should be honest, patient, kind, and of a gentle heart. Our actions should be thoughtful, forgiving, and understanding of each other’s differences. We do not have to sacrifice our life on a cross, but we do have to sacrifice our time in service to each other. The most precious item we have at our disposal is our time. It cannot be replenished once it is exhausted, and how we use it speaks volumes about who we are. Let us be mindful our time on this earth is not promised, and live each day in service to each other.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. Think back to the last time you helped someone who was unable to give you anything but a thank you in return. Imagine the appreciation in their face and the joy you felt because you knew you made a difference in their life. The ability to provide a positive impact on someone’s life is not something we should take for granted. Who knows what that experience may have done for that person going forward. And because we gave the glory to God, they may return to church. They could have felt lost, and we found them. Or they felt alone, and we offered friendship. These are the types of experiences that will impact us for the rest of our lives. Acts 20:35 (ESV): In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Sometimes we are swept away by the idea of receiving a gift, but we don’t actually remember the gifts we receive as well as those we give. While receiving a gift may provide instant gratification, it does not last long. How many Christmas presents do you remember from your childhood? I cannot remember many: a bike here, a gaming system there. What I remember most is my family driving around every Christmas looking at the best Christmas lights in the neighborhood. It is the human interaction that we remember much more than the material ones. 2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV): Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. While our actions are how we exhibit our faith, we should remember we cannot earn our way to heaven through our works. If we give to the needy for any reason other than love, God is going to judge us as if we did not give. It is important to make sure when we give to others, we enjoy it and we give God the glory. If we are giving because our friends or our parents compelled us, while it is a nice gesture, God is not pleased. God is looking for us to be humble and caring enough to want to give to others as God gave us. By Jehovah sending His only begotten son to die on the cross in our place, we have an opportunity at eternal life. By having such a large debt forgiven, we should feel compelled to give to others whenever we have an opportunity. By us wanting to share the joy Christ gave us through the gift of eternal life, we also have an opportunity to make a lasting impact.
For some, our value is often based on what we can provide. If we are seen as valuable, we have likely done something or will do something in the near future. When God looks at us, he does not see our value the same way. God sees us as valuable from the day we are conceived in our mother’s womb. From that moment he is fully invested in us, our life and our soul. It is an amazing feeling to know God is devoted to us and is going to keep track of our maturation. Matthew 18:10-11 (ESV): “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. We can take for granted the impact we have on those around us. There are kids who need encouragement and a little accountability to succeed, but we don’t give it to them. There are others who need to know they are appreciated and missed so they can attend church more often, but we didn’t notice they were absent. We are all partially influenced by our environment, so we must be mindful of the environment we are creating. Matthew 18:12-14 (ESV): What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. We tend to make the mistake of weighing a person’s value by some personal measurement. We may weigh their attendance or participation at church, their grades in school, or their overall attitude when we interact with them. God sees each of us as valuable, independent of whether we deserve it or not. He is willing to go beyond expectation and do whatever it takes to save us. If that means leaving the other ninety-nine sheep for a moment, He is willing to take that risk. Are we willing to be as indiscriminate in who we are willing to extend ourselves for? Of all the ways we can show someone we love them, putting our ninety-nine at risk for one is one of the best. Jesus left His glory in heaven and came to earth to be born in the flesh. He left all He knew to save us and we recognize His love for us is limitless as a result. Are we willing to love and care about others to the point we leave our comfort zone to save them? Could the limits we put on love be a hindrance to some from joining the body of Christ? Let us live in a Christ-like manner where we be can be certain our love is an encouragement to all.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. The Old Testament (OT) is an excellent source to better understand God and His relationship with man. We can see His holiness exhibited throughout Scripture, while seeing the desires of man drawing them away from God. We can see God is a righteous God who keeps His promises, and we can see the confirmed prophesies in the OT showing its inspiration. The OT provides immense value to Christians in a variety of ways, but should it be used today to make rules for the Christian church? Hebrews 10:1-4 (ESV): For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. For many, it depends on the rule being discussed. There are Christian churches today who believe tithing is a part of worship, without advocating for the sacrifice of animals on an alter. They recite Malachi 3:8-10, which speaks on robbing God by not giving tithes and contributions. But they ignore the OT passages that command burnt offerings be offered to God (Leviticus 1:1-3). How do we reconcile bringing in some laws of the OT, while leaving others out? Hebrews 8:3-5 (ESV): For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” Jesus Christ came to create a new covenant, and in doing so, He would make the old convent “obsolete and ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13). Jesus brought many laws from the OT into His church, but it is not our place to bring anymore. Jesus is the perfect one-time sacrifice that removes the requirement of us needing to continually deliver burnt offerings. Likewise, since God instructs Christians to give cheerfully and as they feel compelled in their heart (2 Corinthians 9:7), there no longer remains a requirement to tithe. We will be judged by heart; if we give $10 but wanted to give $5, our judgement will be based on $5. As Paul put it, “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3).
There is something liberating about knowing as humans we are going to make mistakes. We are going to make mistakes we wish no one witnessed; some mistakes feel so bad we are going to think they are unforgivable, but is that the case? While we may know the answer is “all of sins can be forgiven”, do we truly believe it? Understanding the sacrifice of Christ can make Christians feel unworthy anytime we fall short, but does God share that feeling? Galatians 6:1-3 (ESV): Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. In his letter to the church of Galatia, the Apostle Paul encourages Christians to combat temptation by bearing one another’s burdens. Even if a Christian catches someone in the act of falling into temptation, they are still to treat their brethren with a spirit of gentleness. As difficult as this can seem in the heat of the moment, Christians are to take a moment to consider how they would want to be treated if they were caught in a temptation. There is the temptation to speak as though another’s burden is “heavier” than our own, but Paul tells us we deceive ourselves if we believe that. As Jesus stated, we are to treat others as we want to be treated (Luke 6:31). Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV): For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. There is not a person able to boast a lifestyle that earns them God’s favor. By faith and obedience we are offered God’s grace, but that is not be confused with us earning salvation. If God did not forgive our smallest sin, we would not be able to join Him in heaven (Romans 6:23). It is a human trait that has someone believe one sin is larger than another’s. In a world where everyone sins, some are compelled to make others feel their sins are more egregious. Jesus challenges this mindset with the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee knew of God’s greatness and lived a life many would believe is pleasing to God; while the Tax Collector knew of God’s greatness and lived a life many would see as an abomination to the Lord. Jesus said the Tax Collector was the one that went home justified, not because he lived a “better life”; but because he was humble and those who humble themselves will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled. Let us be humble and gentle with our brethren so we may be pleasing and exalted by God.
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Dean Road
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