Good Apples and Bad Apples

Jesus taught you would know a tree by its fruit. He went further in the analogy to say that He was the vine/trunk and we (His followers) are the branches. He talked about the branch bearing fruit, good fruit, fruit that will last.

Paul continued this analogy and said that there are two trees, a cultivated tree (the tree of life) and the wild tree (a tree that leads to death. Hmm, could this be the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?).

He also stated that each branch (person) bears fruit according to the tree it is living out of. A branch that is living according to the wild tree (the selfishness of fallen man) will produce one kind of fruit (which is bad/sinful/wrong) and the branch living according to the tree of life (the Spirit) will produce another kind of fruit (which is right, just, love, joy, peace, etc.).

There is a whole lot of talk about producing good fruit, but the questions is: Where does the fruit come from?

The reality is the fruit comes from what’s inside the tree. The branch is an extension of that tree. The Fruit is what it is because of what is on the inside, not because it tries to be something different.

Another important thing to remember is that no branch is perfect; perfectly good or perfectly bad. There is no branch that is all good fruit. Even good branches have a few bad apples from time to time. There are very few branches that have all bad fruit. Even some of the worst of branches have at least a couple good apples here and there.

The key issue is what vine/tree am I (the branch) connected to? The kind of tree I’m a part of will determine the primary kind of fruit I produce. But, in the fallen broken world death does exist and so from time to time we will all have some bad apples even on the best of branches.

Do we accept the bad fruit? No! Do we cut the branch off and throw it away because of a bad fruit here and there? No! According to Jesus the only branch that was going to be cut off and thrown away was the branch that didn’t produce any fruit (John 15).

We need to aspire to be the best branch we can be, allowing the Holy Spirit of God to prune out those areas of our life that are unproductive branches, so we can be even more fruitful.

We also must remember that if the overwhelming majority of the fruit being produced in our life is bad fruit we really need to check and see if we are really connected to the right tree.

One more thing to remember is that growth and more fruit come because the branch allows the life of the tree to flow through it (it’s a giver), not hold on to it for itself. The more fruit bearing a branch is, the more the live of the tree is flowing through that branch, thus the greater the experience and fuller the life of that branch.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/970640/good_apples_and_bad_apples.html

What if... to What next

We just finished up a very challenging and inspiring series titled “What if…” which capitalized on the potential of those two words.

We saw that these two words could inspire, encourage, challenge, and build up, or they could discourage, depress, tear down, and steal away.

We saw that the determining factor in the effect of these two words was our Faith and Thought-life. What we choose to believe is ultimately what will happen and our thoughts are ultimately what we gravitate toward being and doing.

We saw that God has uniquely designed each of us for a unique and special plan and purpose. We also saw that God’s plan and purposes are always with best in mind, never less than best. God’s plans and purposes always intend for you to be reaching your fullest potential, never less, for you to be living life to the full, never less. In a nutshell, God’s plan is for you and your life to always be at your/its best, never less than best, according to the talents, abilities, interests, dreams, and resources God has given you.

We saw that to be best or great at anything there is always a price to pay. This is no less true in following Jesus and becoming all He made us to be and experiencing life at it’s best, as He intended.

The question is NOT “WILL we pay a price?” The question is “FOR WHAT will we pay the price.”

Many people pay the price for wealth, others for health, others for pleasure, others for fame or prestige, others for accomplishment, many for a combination of the above mentioned.

But, Jesus said, “27"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:27-34

Or how about Matthew’s version… “25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34

So, we see that as a Christian we have a real issue with the above list of goals, ambitions, and priorities. Jesus isn’t in it! Even if He was in the list, would that be enough? Not according to Jesus. Jesus teaches us that life at it’s best isn’t experienced when we just add Jesus to our lives and plans. Jesus teaches us that life at it’s best is experienced when Jesus is our life and plan; when He becomes the first priority and leading factor through which all other things are filtered.

So, What if…
What if we were fully devoted to Jesus and His ways?
What if we really LOVED Him?
What if He was our PASSION?
What if I lived my life like Jesus, His teachings, and people really mattered.
What if we really put Jesus first?
What if we really lived like this world was not our home?
What if we really lived like people mattered to God?
What if it really was all about Jesus?
What if you could really know Jesus?
What if Jesus really loved us?
What if Jesus meant what he said?
What if it really was spiritual?
What if it really was practical?
What if we lived according to the teachings of Jesus?
What if we prayed for people?
What if we told people about Jesus?
What if we blessed the people around us?

I could go on and on. The “What if’s” never end. But these are just a starting point and a waste of ink, paper, cyberspace, and thought if we don’t ask the real question…

What Next?

Will we apply or just add this information to the files in our brain, but do nothing with them?

In our series we saw that most of us know WHAT God’s standards are and what we should be doing. The problem is NOT ignorance. The problem is obedience.

We know what the Bible says; the question is “will we DO what the Bible says?”

Jesus tells us…”24Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

It’s sad, because I see people meet Jesus all the time. I see people experience God’s touch in their spirit, their mind, their emotions, their body, their relationships, their finances, their family, etc. and for a while they make Jesus #1 and priority in their life, but over time as the things in this world press in we lose sight of Jesus, but not just Jesus, we lose sight of who He made us to be and do, His unique design, plans, and purposes for us. We get caught up in the rat race of life as a regular earthling.

So, what is next? What will we do with the information, inspiration, talents, abilities, interests, time, money, relationships, and all that God has given us? Will we be like those who don’t know God and don’t know any better and live for the things of this temporary world? Will we just file the information into the hard drive of our brain to be forgotten or collect cyber-dust? Or will we apply/obey the teachings of Jesus?

Remember, the single greatest cause of atheism is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, but then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle.

And, may I add, that besides the selfishness of our own hearts, the single greatest cause of backsliding is that people know what the Bible says, but because they don’t do what the Bible says they lack the experience with God, and thus satan and their own mind reasons them into believing that it’s not that big of a deal, or worse, that it’s not true.

I want to encourage each of us to answer the important question… What next?

How will you go about pursuing and seeking God? How will you apply His commands in your life? How will you use the abilities and talents to serve God and others? How will you use all the resources God has given you to serve and honor the Lord, to bless others, and advance the Kingdom of God, thus investing in a world and life that is eternal?

What would our lives look like, what would the effect be in our community and world, if we simply did what Jesus told us to do and didn’t do what Jesus told us not to do (AKA: Obedience, which is the proof of faith)?

LEFTOVERS

I don’t know about you, but if I walked into a restaurant and ordered a meal and it came out cold and soggy I’d be a bit miffed. Let me add, I’d feel a little weird if someone invited me over to his or her house for dinner, without forewarning, and it was cold soggy leftovers. I may or may not have passed.

Does this turn your stomach? Let me give another picture…

Imagine a pro athlete on Game Day going out to the beach, swimming, maybe going to a mall shopping, going out to dinner, and heck, let’s mow the lawn too, then he goes into the arena, suits up, and runs onto the field to play the game.

How good of a game do you think he’ll have? What benefit will he be to the team? What is he really offering to his boss and teammates? (The answer is leftovers or not much of anything)

We do this often with God… but he deserves our best. Our best time, best talents, best energy, best character, best thought, best you name it.

So often we claim Jesus is number one in our life, but in all honesty we are hypocrites.

A hypocrite is literally a person who wears a mask, a person who pretends or acts, a fake, someone whose claims and lifestyle do not match or line up.

While we claim Jesus is Lord (the master, boss, supreme authority) of our life we don’t live like it… we still run our life (acting and reacting) the way we want to or feel like in any given circumstance.

While we claim Jesus is number one (first place) in our life we don’t live like it… If we can’t fit Bible reading, prayer, church, serving in ministry, or just plain acting like a Christian by serving someone in need into our busy schedule then we just cut one or all of these things out because we can’t cut out those extra hours of work, or hobbies, or movies, or TV, or household chores, and so on.

In a very real way, when it comes to our lives, for most of us God is just getting our leftovers, the cold soggy parts of our lives; Certainly a lot less than our best.

I challenge you to examine whether God’s getting your best or your leftovers. Ask the tough question: Am I a hypocrite? And then respond accordingly.

We don’t ask these questions just to gain information. The point of learning is always transformation through application. In other words, if we’re not acting like a Jesus is really number one in our life, then let’s admit it, and change! Start living with Him as number one, doing things his way getting His results!

The fairness of the gospel

As I’ve spent much time witnessing to non-Christians I’m constantly questioned on the fairness of God in requiring people to go through Jesus alone to be saved instead of alternate means. Why not just being a good person will get you into heaven? Why not just any religion will do?

If you entertain these questions seriously other questions must inevitably be asked. Like: How good is good enough? Where would you draw the line?

It wouldn’t be fair for God as the creator of all mankind to have made some able and good enough to do it on their own while others fail (some in little ways and some in major ways).

And, in regard to various religions: How do we deal with the exclusiveness of some of the religions? In other words, All religions claim to be right, but many of the religions claim to be true and the ONLY way.

For example: Islam claims to be the only way. Christianity claims to be the only way. Hinduism claims that all ways are right. Buddhism believes the state of perfection is ultimately the state of nothingness and in the big picture there is no right or wrong, no God or man, it’s all one, it’s all nothing, but something (this particular religion is a contradiction in itself). It is clear that while all these religions claim to be right and true, they cannot all be right and true. Whether it is due to exclusive language claiming to be the only way, or whether it’s beliefs that contradict other religions and spiritual reason, the bottom line is THEY CANNOT ALL BE RIGHT.

We all have different personalities and abilities. We all have different desires and dreams. While to one being rich is a sign of being blessed, to another it is a sign of selfishness and sin. So, we can clearly see that man is not the one who should be in the position of defining the standards of right and wrong or deciding for themselves or others what’s the best way to heaven.

So, back to the question… HOW CAN GOD BE FAIR IN REQUIRING THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN TO BE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST?

The fairness is this:
Rather than basing a mans eternity on his own standard or the standard of others God established the standard, so it would be fair to all and show with absolute clarity and accuracy the standard of right and wrong.

This Perfect Standard is found in the Old Testament and is known as The Law.

God showed the world what is good and evil, right and wrong, according to HIS standard, which by the way is the standard of heaven. Therefore, in fairness God established the code and, in fairness, no one measured up. No one could make it to God on his or her own merit. No one is perfect or good enough by God’s standard.

Thus God implemented a second phase of his plan for imperfect people to access a perfect world/existence; by the perfect man and sacrifice, Jesus Christ.

It’s perfectly fair for God to say, no one measures up and therefore all need a savior.

It’s perfectly fair to put all of humanity in the same boat of imperfection and need. And, it’s perfectly fair to make the issue of right standing with God an issue of faith in the work of God in the flesh (Jesus Christ) as opposed to one mans moral goodness over another.

Faith is something we can all do, being good enough (if it were possible) would only be for a select few who were educated and influenced to make sound moral judgment over personal wants and desires.

The fairness of God is that he equally loves and values every person and has made the way to heaven equally easy by simply choosing to put our faith/trust in the work He (God) did on our behalf through Jesus Christ. By simply choosing to make Jesus the ruler of our life and do our best to follow his way from this day forward, which, by the way, Jesus summed up the spirit of the law (not the letter) by defining it as simply loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself.

So, as Jesus becomes the ruler of our life and we start to follow the Jesus way of life it is simply a life lived in love toward God and people.

How much fairer could it be? Trust God instead of earning it and from that point on do things his way (loving God and loving people) as best you can, always striving to get better. It just doesn’t get any easier or better or fairer than this!

The fog of Self-absorption

Self-absorption. It is when a person is so focused on themselves they loose sight of reality. Their focus is on what I WANT, what I FEEL, what I NEED ( this particular one is more an issue of perception that actual need. Need being by definition, something that is a necessity in sustaining life. In other words, you can’t live without it. An example of a real NEED would be air, water, etc.). They become consumed with this focus to the point that it’s really an obsession and they loose sight of reality. They live according to a false perception of life. The result is they make decisions that are not according to truth/wisdom. Many times these decisions are unlike them and contradict common sense. Almost always these decisions are destructive in one way or another and of coarse there is the negative impact on our experience with God. We enter this fog and loose our joy of the Lord, we loose a thankful and praising attitude, and we usually drop off in our prayer and Bible reading, only to take up a negative, pessimistic, victimized, depressed, gloomy attitude, becoming more prayerless, faithless, and viewing life less and less according to the reality of the truth of God. In this fog of self-absorption we loose sight of the truth/reality of circumstances and people, including ourselves. We begin to enter into this deception/delusion and perceive everyone and everything else as the reason for our unhappiness and dissatisfaction. With the fog of self-absorption we pass the responsibility and blame on other people and circumstances rather than recognizing the reality of the situation and our part in it.

This description sounds extreme and we may to quickly write ourselves off this list, but my experience is that all to many of us are SELF-ABSORBED / SELF-OBSESSED. Whether the obsession/focus is proactive (pleasing self, focusing on what I want) or reactive (pleasing self by justifying and victimizing self, focusing on what people or circumstances have done to me), either way you are still focused on self.

My finding is that very few people, even professed Christians/Jesus Followers, are absorbed or obsessed with pleasing Jesus and being more like him. I’m finding that many, maybe even most, are absorbed/obsessed/consumed with pleasing themselves and being Christ-follower/pleaser in name, but in lifestyle they are a self-follower/pleaser.

My finding is that it is our obsession with self that is the root of the majority of our problems and unhappiness in life. Our focus on self brings us the very results in life that cause us to be dissatisfied and unhappy, but we can’t see this because of the fog that self-absorption brings. We’re blinded by this desire to please self and so we can’t see that our very motivation to please self is what leaves us displeased. Our focus of making self happy is why we’re unhappy. As it is written in Galatians 6:7-8 DO NOT BE DECEIVED: GOD CANNOT BE MOCKED. A MAN REAPS WHAT HE SOWS. THE ONE WHO SOWS TO PLEASE HIS SINFUL NATURE, FROM THAT NATURE WILL REAP DESTRUCTION;

We are consumed with pleasing our Ego (being stressed about peoples opinion of us), pleasing our fleshly desires consuming whatever it wants (in whatever form that comes in from food, drink, drug, sex, to excessive sleep, excessive entertainment, and so on), and pleasing the desires of our eyes (we’re never happy/content with what we have. We always want more. The newest thing, The latest special edition, the faster version, the sparkle and the glitter, it’s a sale so I saved money!). The problem is none of this truly satisfies, fulfills, and brings meaning to life. It won’t make you truly happy.

We fail to recognize that this self-obsession of pleasing our Ego FOR OUR LIFE TO COUNT AND HAVE MEANING is what keeps it from counting and having real meaning, because it’s still ALL ABOUT ME and my exaltation/satisfaction/happiness. Our life will never count and never have real meaning until it is lived the Jesus way; FOR JESUS! For Jesus’ pleasure, glory, and satisfaction.

It’s funny, but many Christians are approaching live (especially life as a Christian) with the exact opposite mindset of what is written in Matthew 10, where Jesus says, ANYONE SEEKS TO FIND HIS LIFE WILL LOOSE IT, BUT ANYONE WHO LOOSES HIS LIFE FOR ME WILL FIND IT.

Why do I constantly hear so many Christians saying, I’M JUST NOT HAPPY, or I FEEL UNLOVED, or I WANT THEM TO ACT THIS WAY OR DO THIS, or I FEEL DISCONNECTED, or I NEED YOU TO DO THIS OR SAY THIS, or IF THEY DON’T ACT THIS WAY THEN I’M JUST GOING TO LEAVE?

What is all that talk? That’s not the Jesus way. That’s the way of the selfish world.

Why can’t I see the extremeness of my self-absorption? Because, I grow up this way! I’m used to living by what I feel. I’m used to thinking about what will please my flesh or ego. I’m used to seeing and wanting. In this lies the FOG of self-absorption.

I’m so focused on what makes me happy, how this person hurt me, how I want this but can’t get it, how unhappy I am, how nominal my life is, how these people don’t include me, how nothing is done my way, how this will make me feel good. In it all I loose sight of Jesus. I loose sight of reality, truth, life, and the way. Then people wonder why they feel so lost, so distant and disconnected.

The problem is that most are so blinded by the fog of self-absorption that they can’t see the truth and reality of their situation. They can’t see that much of their problem is excessive focus on themselves and that much of their perceived unmet needs are really just exaggerated concerning their priority/necessity and are the result of not doing things the Jesus way.

Only the Jesus way sets me free; truly free. Only the Jesus way brings me true happiness, true satisfaction, true meaning, and even glory.

Jesus never said to focus on self. He said to DENY YOURSELF DAILY. Jesus never said to fix your eyes on self. He said to FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS. Jesus never said to focus on pleasing yourself. He said to THEREFORE, I URGE YOU, BROTHERS, IN VIEW OF GOD'S MERCY, TO OFFER YOUR BODIES AS LIVING SACRIFICES, HOLY AND PLEASING TO GOD—THIS IS YOUR SPIRITUAL ACT OF WORSHIP (We're to please God).


So many of us say, I BELIEVE IN JESUS, or I FOLLOW JESUS, or I BELIEVE WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS, but we don’t live this way. We don’t live according to our values. We live according to our feelings/desires, and most of those feelings/desires are focused on what self feels/wants, not what Jesus feels/wants.

You see, if I feel unloved. My natural selfish response would be to withhold love, but Jesus teaches to love even those who hate us and are our enemy. I admit this is not easy, but the reason it’s hard isn’t an issue of the labor of application, but instead is an issue of breaking out of the old self-pleasing way of doing things. The old way that always puts self first… what will make me happy, feel good, feel vindicated, feel pleasured, feel satisfied, feel free, you name the label.

When we act selfishly it goes against the nature of God. To put it in musical terms, to act selfishly is to play a note that is not in harmony with the chord/song that God is playing. It’s an off sound that doesn’t go with the music.

Not only does our selfish/self-absorbed living offend God, but it’s out of harmony with the God life, therefore we don’t experience what God wants for us and instead experience far less. Then most of us want to blame God. How silly.

Not only does our selfish/self-absorbed living offend God, but it offends others. Society/Civilization only works when people live selflessly, keeping God first and caring about others. The more self-absorbed/selfish a society gets the more offended the people are and the more disharmony you’ll experience in both severity and quantity. Whether we’re talking about a home or a nation or a world, this truth prevails. Selfishness destroys.

So many people are hurting, but they don’t see that whether that hurt is legitimate or just a perceived hurt (due to an unmet expectation) they are continuing the hurting. By focusing in on self they are staying hurt, magnifying it, even increasing it.

Many fail to see that by chasing after the fulfillment of their Ego Desire, Flesh Desire, or Eye Desire they will only increase the pain and hurt. By chasing after that possession they will only end up financially distressed, not to mention that possession will still leave them unfulfilled. By chasing after that other person, because they’re unhappy in their marriage, will only end up making their marriage worse, never better. By fearing rejection and never confronting a problem in a relationship we only end up enabling the problem to continue and it continues to hurt us. By being negative about things we end up reaping the seed we sow and our experience will be negative. On and on we fail to see the consequence or effect of our self-absorbed living.

Only when our focus gets off of self and on to Jesus (who is the way, truth and life) will we be able to see things as they truly are, experience life to the full, and know the way to this fulfilling life.

The path of true fulfillment, meaning, and happiness are not found on the wide road of selfishness, but instead on the narrow road of selflessness. Jesus told us few would find this road, because the bottom line is, while many say LORD, LORD, not all DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER (Matthew 7:21)

So, here are some practical steps to burn away the fog of self-absorbed living…

1. Pray and ask God to show you how you’ve been selfish lately and especially to show you in the times where your being selfish.

2. Read the scriptures faithfully, especially the New Testament.

3. Decide to not speak negatively, but instead develop the lifestyle of looking at the good and potential in things and people.

4. Start to praise and thank God for all you have, all his blessings, all the ways he’s worked in your life and the lives of those you know. So, praise God, not just for you, but for others as well. Develop the habit of praising and thanking God all day every day in all things.

5. Pray for God’s blessing upon those people or circumstances you struggle with.

6. Pray in all circumstances to see things as God sees them. (As you become more knowledgeable of the Bible, you’ll know some of these answers without asking.)

7. Always keep the question in your mind, even in front of your eyes if necessary, WHAT WOULD PLEASE JESUS IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE or AM I PLEASING JESUS BY WHAT I’M THINKING, SAYING, AND DOING?

When we do these things, when we do things the Jesus way, we will get the results he promised… LIFE TO THE FULL, A YOKE THAT IS EASY AND BURDEN THAT IS LIGHT.

The yoke most of us are tied to is hard and the burden is more than heavy, it is unbearable. We feel depressed, exhausted, like we can’t go on, like it’s not worth living, like we want to escape, angry, let down, unloved, stressed, and so much more all because we’ve never taken the yoke of Jesus and carry his burden; we’re still holding on to our own burden. The thing is, we were supposed to give that to Jesus when we became a Christian. We were supposed to have surrendered and given Him our whole life. We were supposed to have LOST OURSELVES FOR HIM, giving up the old yoke of self-absorbed living and all that comes with it and taking on the new yoke of simply living to please Jesus alone, doing things his way, seeing things his way, feeling things his way, thinking things his way.

I could say so much more, but you get the point. I pray God will help us all to hear his voice calling us to… Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:7-10)

I do want to make one thing clear: The selfless life is not carrying the burdens of other people (living to make them happy, living to please them, living to be the answer to whatever crisis or circumstance they find themselves in). No the selfless life (the opposite of self-absorbed living) is to carry the burden of one (living to make Jesus happy, pleasing Jesus, and being His answer to whatever particular situation he desires to use you in).

When we decide we will no longer live selfishly it doesn’t mean we take on this life and perspective that just works and stresses itself to death to please and care for other people and never caring for ourselves.

It all starts and ends with Jesus. When we decide to no longer be absorbed with self (in a positive view of self or negative view of self) we are simply putting Jesus first; his pleasure, his glory, and his burden.

The great thing about the Jesus way is that we recognize we’re not God and can’t do it all. Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything FOR him, he’s asking us to do things WITH him, and it makes all the difference in the world. Now I don’t carry the burden of the outcome. I don’t carry the burden of pleasing everyone, making sure they all make the right decisions, making sure they’re all happy and cared for. Now I’m free to love them all and prayerfully be lead by Jesus on what to get involved in, who to try to help and in what way.

We don’t stress about caring for and pleasing others or ourselves. We trust God to meet our every need (and some desires) and to use us as he sees fit to bless and help others grow in the Jesus way.

Optional Obedience

If God says to do something or NOT do something, do I have an excuse to disobey if other people disobey?

For example: If a fellow Christian doesn't treat me in a loving way is this an excuse to disobey Jesus' command to "love one another as I have loved you"?

If a spouse is unfaithful does this mean the victimized spouse is free to break their marital vows too, engaging in romantic or sexual relations outside of their marriage covenant, ignoring Jesus' command "do not commit adultery"?

If a co-worker acts arrogantly and self-serving does this give the Christian license to disobey the command to "clothe yourselves with humility, serving one another out of love"?

I think we as Christ-followers have been approaching our obedience to God from a very worldly/non-christian perspective. The reason why is obvious... doing it the way God says to is not always easy, comfortable, pleasant, or pleasurable. In fact, sometimes it's just plain hard and uncomfortable, but something to remember is this: Our comfort zone is usually within the parameters of what we (man) can do, so we'll experience ordinary, natural, man-sized lives/works/experiences. On the other hand when we step outside the comfort zone, outside the parameters of what we (man) can do for ourselves, but instead step out into the unknown, the place beyond us and our abilities it is there that we experience the extra-ordinary, the super-natural, God-sized lives/experiences/works.

Have we lost sight of the fact that only God can change people and if we're really going to see people changed then we've got to release God into the situation. This is done by praying and obeying. It's done when we handle the situation and behave in the way that Jesus says to. Our disobedience simply closes the door to us being used by God and everyone involved experiencing what God wants in that situation.

Only through our obedience, especially in the hard situations, will we be used by God, see God do amazing things, and experience Gods blessing in our lives.