Posted on

How a New Covenant Motivates Us

 

 

 

 

862870_10200935200288520_1481892161_n

 

Day 26: Ate

889196_10200937827434197_1583117459_o

Day 27: Happy

 

Happiness is a word that I feel is drastically misunderstood. 

Mostly because I feel that this world that we live in is a word that drastically misunderstands things because of what it offers which actually is not even close to what God’s massive love and grace offers. Today I wanted to blog about two pictures actually. The first is a picture from yesterday that represents the word, “Ate.”  and the picture below is from today that represents the word, “Happy.”

Both of which have a lot to do with one another.

“After taking the bread and giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in rememberance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup after the meal and said, “This cup is the new covenant by my blood, which is poured out for you.” 

The first picture was taken as Amy was serving me this new covenant outside of the Garden Tomb (one of the places that is believed where Jesus rose from the grave). Just thinking about it gives me chills and warms my heart. This new covenant is a very important part of our faith because it is redemption and the moment where God came down and rescued us from the slavery of sin and gave us the answer. Through this practice of remembrance we remembered what Christ has done and what he continues to do on our behalf. We remember that He came for us to rescue us so that we could come home.

This for me is what leads me in all I do.

I desire for it to be known fully and intimately by my students so that they can know Jesus like I know him. Everyday I get to share this faith with the students at St. Philip’s UMC makes me so incredibly happy but that is just one of the perks of being rescued by my Savior Jesus Christ. This motivates me because Jesus calls us back to who we were made to be, who we were originally designed to be. He calls us and says that we belong to him and He will do anything to fight for us, he will even die for us, and that’s pretty flippin sweet!

That’s something that motivates all of us!

Awesome God,

Motivate us to be your children and to live as you have taught us to live.

Amen

Posted on

Day 5: Settle

563174_10200783742502170_1657650354_n

 

It would be easy for us to say, “I am just a sinner, saved by God’s grace so it doesn’t really matter what I do because God will still love me, forgive me, and extend His grace to me.”

It would be easy, but it also would be a lie.

To further facilitate this point I would like to share something from my “John Wesley Common English Study Bible” :

For John Wesley, there was both an inward and outward dimension to personal holiness. Inward holiness refers to the cleansing and renewing of our hearts and minds, which begins with faith. When we recognize God’s forgiving love in Jesus Christ, we are filled with love for God. Out of this love, the Holy Spirit cultivates thoughts and habits in us that are pleasing to God, including the love of our neighbors.

To make it simple.

If you are a true believer and devoted disciple of Jesus Christ then your life should reflect that. It should be completely obvious that you are a disciple to a perfect stranger by the way you act in all things. Now, the rub in this is that we will never do this perfectly, but thanks be to God that is why He extends grace, but as John Wesley implies when God extends His grace you extend it as well.

The operative process is that God loves us, then we love God, and then we make it our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Let’s settle for that.

Amen.