by MeredithNMills | Jun 24, 2015 | Uncategorized
It’s not enough to simply “not hate.” Racial reconciliation is going to take more than that.
Dylaan Roof claims he attempted to start a “race war.” But his shooting rampage in Charleston last Wednesday night set off a much different response. It has inspired a movement against hatred, spread not with human weapons, but with supernatural love.
“A lot of people expected us to do something strange and break out in a riot. Well, they just don’t know us. We are people of faith,” said Rev. Goff, interim pastor of Emanuel AME Church in Charleston (USA Today news report on Sunday, June 21, 2015).
A people of faith. Faith prompted the victims to welcome Dylaan into their prayer circle Wednesday night. Faith enabled their families to extend forgiveness as they looked into his unmoved eyes on a monitor at the bail hearing. Faith gives them hope for the future as they walk through the agony of the present.
Faith inspires supernatural love. We can love because we are loved by God. We can forgive because we have been forgiven through the blood of Jesus. This is what the victims’ families in Charleston modeled to a watching nation.
We are all, every human being, made in the image of God (Gen 1:27). We’re all descendants of the first human couple (Gen 3:20). We are all under the curse of sin (Rom 3:23). We’re all greatly loved by God (John 3:16). He is redeeming as His own those from every tribe, tongue, people and nation (Rev 5:9). In the eyes of our Creator, all men and women are deeply loved and are created equal.
There are really only two kinds of people in this world.
There are those without saving faith in Jesus – we’re commissioned to share His good news of salvation with them in love (Mk 16:15). And there are our brothers and sisters in Christ – fellow believers from all different nations, different cultures, different skin colors. Love is to characterize His family. In fact, Jesus said that the world will know we are His by our love for one another (Jn 13:34-35).
So there really is no room for hatred. Not for those outside God’s family. Not for our brothers and sisters in God’s family. Only supernatural love will overcome the evils of racial prejudice.
Supernatural love is an active love. It’s not just choosing not to hate. It goes beyond that into actively welcoming others into our lives – those like us, those different than us.
This love involves seeing others through the eyes of Christ and investing time, energy and compassion into their lives. It embraces humility, realizing that my own life is enriched by experiencing other cultures and by learning from the people around me.
Faith is the foundation for supernatural love. Faith in the Word of God is the basis for how we interact with others. Faith in the love of God is the motivation for how we live our lives. Faith in the promises of God is the hope for enduring pain and choosing love.
As Christians, we know that this world is not our home. Heaven is. One day we will take up residence there in the presence of Jesus with no more tears, no more hate, no more violence, no more racial prejudice.
As Christians, our primary identity is not our nationality or race or denomination. We are members of the household of faith – a family that spans the globe and reaches through time.
As Christians, we have a purpose to fulfill during our time here. We are called to show God to the world by living out His sacrificial love (1 John 4:12).
So let us join with our brothers and sisters in Charleston and choose love. Let us be tools in the hand of God to bring good out of this evil. And may many come to faith in Christ as they see our unity and love for one another.
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” Gen 50:20.
How do you express the love of God in your daily life? In what ways have you been enriched by opening your heart to learn from others?
by MeredithNMills | Mar 4, 2015 | Uncategorized
“And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” Phil 4:19 (Amplified Bible).
Do you ever catch yourself worrying about the future? Sometimes it happens before I even realize it. I am anxious and uptight and fearful about something that’s not even a need yet. It will be a need, for sure. Tomorrow. Or next week. Or at some unforseen time in the future. But I’m already stressing out over it.
I like to think I’m just planning ahead, but really I’m worrying ahead.
Lately God has been teaching me about His “daily bread provision.” I personally like it when He provides well in advance of my needs. But I’m learning that He often doesn’t work that way. Jesus taught us to pray that God would provide our daily bread (Luke 11:3), that He would meet today’s needs.
And if I stop to think about it, all of today’s needs are met. We have food and clothing and shelter and so many other things – today. I have grace and wisdom and strength to handle the problems and situations that come my way – today. And tomorrow He will be just as faithful (Phil 4:19, above).
But sometimes I’m not worrying about a need. I’m just discontent over what I don’t have. Like that remodeled kitchen I’ve been planning for years. Or that robotic vacuum cleaner my floors so desperately need. 🙂 Or more alone, quiet time. Or…and the list goes on.
In Hebrews 13:5 we read, “Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.'” The motivation behind contentment, the reason for not worrying about having more, is God Himself. He is with me. Enough said.
There are plenty of other promises that He will take care of us, but it all boils down to Emmanuel. God is with me.
The promise-keeping God. The all-powerful Creator. The God who owns everything. The One who has infinite riches in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19). The God who commanded ravens to feed Elijah (1 Kings 17:4) and rained bread from heaven (Ps 78:24-25). Who made water flow from a rock (Ex 17:6) and kept the widow’s oil jug and flour jar from running dry (1 Kings 17:14). Who multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed over 5000 people (Mark 6:37-44). That good and faithful God is with me. I am His child and He loves me. He delights in giving good things to His kids (Matt 7:11).
Second Peter 1:3 reminds us where our focus should be. “His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” In God’s realm – outside of time – all that we need for living and being godly is already ours (past tense).
We can rest in His provision and focus on knowing and loving Jesus.
What are you worried about today? How does “God with you” meet your need today?
by MeredithNMills | Jan 3, 2015 | Uncategorized
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2a.
Can I just be super real? This morning I woke up in a really bad mood. It’s Saturday and I just wanted to “chill” today. I’m tired of being tired. I’m tired of having a messy house – rugs rolled up because we’ve been in potty training boot camp this week…a bathroom vanity in my living room (awaiting a busy plumber) and dust everywhere from a not-planned bathroom remodel…clutter from a two-year old adorable tornado…never ending laundry and dishes…And I’m tired of playing referee. Why can’t we just have peace and niceness all day? The thought of an uninterrupted meal, of meeting no one’s needs but my own..that sounds so nice.
I guess it all boils down to this – I’m tired of being a servant. I can try to explain or rationalize it lots of different ways, but that’s at the heart of it. I knew I was being selfish, and I hated seeing that ugliness. But I couldn’t just make the attitude go away.
I’m oh so thankful that God welcomes me to pour all of this out to Him. Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in Him at all times, O people. Pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us.” So today I did just that. I laid bare my restless, fleshly soul. I told Him what He already knew. And He met with me. In love, forgiveness, acceptance, and grace. He reminded me that I cannot change myself. Change happens as my mind is renewed in truth (Rom 12:2, above).
I realized that I may have incessant cleaning to do, but at least I have a house to clean. And a bathroom is being remodeled, but I have two others to use. And He has provided so faithfully for the remodeling project. And dirty dishes mean we have food to eat. And dirty laundry means we have clothes to wear. And I have precious, delightful children to referee and take care of. I wouldn’t change that for the world. And my sweet big girl is a wonderful helper and my precious hubby is so kind and helpful. There is so very much to be thankful for. I lost sight of that when I was dwelling on what I wished I could change.
In addition to all of these things, I’m forever grateful that I’m loved and accepted by God because of Jesus, even in the midst of my sin. And how thankful I am that I’m no longer a slave to sin, to wrong attitudes. I don’t have to be controlled by shifting emotions because I’ve been given the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). I am more than a conquerer through Him who loves me (Rom 8:37). I am loved, accepted, and empowered to change through the Holy Spirit living within me (Eph 1:19-20).
This day, every day, is about Jesus. It’s not about me and what I want. Jesus instructed His followers that there is a daily choice to be made. “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Jesus spent His life serving His Father by serving the people around Him. He got weary, yes. And He took time to rest and refuel (Mark 6:31). But serving was His way of life.
So today, with a renewed mind, I choose to serve. To shine Jesus by loving those around me. And not in my own strength, but by His grace, through faith in the One who loves me (Gal 2:20). I choose to be a channel, a vessel that He uses – not striving to produce this “fruit” for Him, but allowing Him to do it in and through me (Gal 5:22-23). This is how I can honor Him today (Jn 15:8).
by MeredithNMills | Dec 25, 2014 | Uncategorized
“‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us’” Matthew 1:23.
Emmanuel…God with us. Wow. That just blows my mind. God with us. God Himself. The Most High God, Sovereign Ruler and Creator of all that is, who exists outside of time and whose power knows no limits. Radiant in glory. Spotless and Holy. Worshipped by angels. Feared by darkness. Incomprehensible. Uncontainable. This God, He took the initiative to come to us.
He saw the terrible mess we are in. Death and destruction trump life and order. Hatred and violence fill the planet. Pain infects every heart. Suffering touches every life. Creation itself groans under the weight of our condition (Rom 8:22). All because of a choice made thousands of years ago. A choice to exalt self and be our own gods. And since that fateful day in the garden of Eden (Gen 3), each person ever born has been infected with the disease of sin. We’re born with it (Rom 5:19). We choose it (Isa 53:6). And it breeds all kinds of wickedness and destruction in this world we call home.
God knew we needed a Savior. In fact, He knew we would need a Savior even before He created mankind (Eph 1:4). So He wrote the plan for our redemption. He would send a Rescuer – not a representative, but God the Son. He would take on human flesh, with its frailties and limitations. He would know human pain, experience human suffering. The pain of a broken heart – He felt it. The agony of loss – He experienced it. The humiliation of betrayal – He bore it. Sickness, hunger, temptation, exhaustion…He knew them all. He lived the whole range of human emotion. He became like us, so we could become like Him.
He would do what we couldn’t do – live a life of sinless perfection (2 Cor 5:21). He would pay the penalty for sins He didn’t commit. He would experience the final human reality…death. But it would not, could not, contain Him. Like a victor bursting through the finish line ribbon, He rose to life, never to experience death again (Heb 7:27).
So this Baby in a manger that we celebrate tomorrow…that was why He came. To do all that for us out of immeasurable love (Eph 3:17-19). To be “God with us.” To walk among us so that He might redeem us.
But there’s another facet to this name Emmanuel. He was “God with us” during His physical life on earth. But when He ascended to Heaven, He left His Spirit here to indwell the hearts of His followers (Jn 16:7). So, even today, 2000 years after the first Christmas, He is still our Emmanuel,”God with us.”
And that makes all the difference in my life here on earth. Because God is with me through His indwelling Spirit, I have victory over sins that once controlled me. I have hope when life feels hopeless. I have peace when life is not peaceful. I have strength when I am weak. I have wisdom when I feel clueless. I can be whole when my life is broken. I can have joy when life hurts. I have a Friend that sticks closer than even flesh and blood (Prov 18:24). He will never leave or forsake me (Heb 13:5). He is the ultimate satisfaction of every need I will ever face. Because He is Emmanuel, God with us. This is the wonder of Christmas.
