Day 108: Couragious Spirit

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  2 Timothy 1:7

This is a message we have to hold onto at all times.

It's crazy that the word spirit could even be used in a way that incorporates fear or timidity.  It means air.  In many Indo-European languages, the word for spirit or soul comes from the word for wind or air or breath.  It implies motion.  It implies power.  Our spirits are the things that move us in every situation.

It is our fears that quench the spirit.  It is when we start getting on our high horses with our logic that we start to fall apart.  And that's because we start to put barriers on our spirit.  We will start to hide our talents.  We will lower our voices.  We will continue to hide ourselves until we find a place where only our mind can take care of us.  We could become so isolated that everything that we shielded ourselves from is truly distant.  Yet, that would involve us being far away from everything good as well.

Paul probably wrote this letter understanding that his martyrdom was very near.  However, even in that dire situation, he found a way to give encouragement, and it must have been encouragement for himself as well.  Jesus called for all of us to go out into the wild world in order to preach the Good News.  I'm sure you're just like me, observing that this world needs more of the Good News.  We need Jesus.  We need a peace of mind.  We need love.

Our fears only become taxing for us, for they are things that we have to give an effort just to come up with.  When we're afraid of the dark, it only starts to sound ridiculous when we start considering our fear.  In the same way, we need to start evaluating our fears.  Jesus told us to go out, show our talents, bring others to God.  Nowhere did Jesus say to cower in the face of adversity.  In fact, Jesus showed us to do the opposite, first with miracles and casting out of demons and then with going up to the cross.

We have been created with a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.  When we let our spirit lead us, we will find ourselves getting closer and closer to God.

Day 015: The Good News

Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  Matthew 10:5-6

When Jesus was carrying out his ministry, there were many people who were wondering what was going on.  People wanted guidance, and Jesus reassured them in this way.

Each time I read this, I hear Jesus speaking in a way that is very excited but poignant at the same time.  It's intense.  He raises his hands as he's listing out what's going on.  He's saying that so much is changing.  And that's a good thing.

Any reading through the gospels reveals that there were many outcasts in Jewish society.  If one wants to read more about that, just go to Leviticus to read about how many more people are supposed to be put off to the side in order to sustain the early Jewish society.  The blind and lame were just that, sitting off to the sides.  The lepers were people you wouldn't look at, because your parents told you that their sins brought them there.  The deaf were people who served no purpose.  The dead were eternal, and the poor didn't deserve the gospel.

Jesus came into the world in order to bring together all of the outcasts!  Jesus came to overthrow all the corruption that society had condoned, and Jesus came to bring wisdom and discernment to everybody.  Jesus is here to change all of our lives, and blessed are we who are not offended because of him.

Blessed are we who are not offended because: the poor can have houses; the sick have doctors and healthcare; those who look different aren't ostracized; God's mercy extends to everybody, even those we don't like; our prejudices are proven wrong; God's love reaches to the heavens and God's faithfulness stretches to the skies; God's love extends to all colors, races, sexual orientations, genders, gender expressions; God calls all the faithful.

Jesus made us think in ways that are still difficult for us to comprehend, but he understands that and is willing to work with us, to change us, and bring us closer, so that we may all walk together, in the same direction, hand in hand, with one accord, in the Spirit.