Mentoring Minutes

“Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Jesus (Mark 9:50)

Love and Lordship in Focus…Christ never promised His commands would be easy…simply that they would be good and if we love Him we will obey them (John 13:34-35)! How can you be both salty and at peace with others? By trusting Him!

Our first “One Another” is found in Mark 9:50 where Jesus is giving some pretty stern warnings to His disciples after they questioned someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name because the person wasn’t following them (in their group or church so to speak). Jesus strongly exhorts His followers, along with some encouragement to those who will simply serve others (give a cup of water – v. 41 in their role as His disciples), and then closes with these words, remain salty and “be at peace with one another” (v. 50).

How’s that for contradiction and yet we know both are Truth because He is The Truth. We must never lose or compromise the potency of His Word (salty) by our words or our lives but we must also present them in such a way to build peace with each other as much as is possible and within our ability to do so. Remember this is in the context of Christ followers for in v. 40 He reminds them (and us) that “whoever is not against us is for us.”

Paul repeats this command in Romans 12:18 where he simply states that as far as it depends on us as Christ followers, live at peace with all people.

This is not about appeasing others just to avoid conflict or disagreement…that would cost us our saltiness. This is trusting in The Lord’s peace (John 14:27; 16:33) that we know assuredly, by faith, that we have in Him even in the midst of the struggles, disagreements and chaos. This is the peace that passes all understanding as we give thanks in all things and rejoice in Him (Philippians 4:4-7). Don’t lose your saltiness but be ever striving for His peace in and through you! What is His Truth and your tone and attitude saying to others? Are you salty and peaceful? How are you doing when it comes to being at peace with one another? Jesus in your life is the only way this can happen. Do you know Him as Savior and Lord and are you walking in His peace no matter what the world brings your way?

Food for Thought…You can’t be at truly at peace with others unless you have Christ in your heart and live in such a way that “all” others will know that you belong to Him…it is by our love that they will know who we are and have an opportunity to know our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ!

Love in Action Item –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this post as a way to start
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you
3. Ask someone you love how you’re doing when it comes to living in Christ’s peace in your own life?
4. Ask The Lord to show you how you are doing when it comes to living at peace with others without compromising His Truth?

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father help me to love others in such a way that they will know that I’m a follower of Jesus Christ and will desire to know Him as Savior and Lord as well. I want to know and want others to know and live in His peace. In His Name. Amen.

Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one;and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

Love and Lordship in Focus…Knowing God, worshiping Him alone and loving Him with all we are is the 1st and Greatest Command…and one we spend very little time in our lives and churches helping folks grow and mature in as disciples of Christ.

(Matthew 22:39)

In previous series we dove into the 2 Greatest Commands in Scripture…1) Worship God alone and love Him with your entire being, and; 2) love others as you love yourself (Mark 12:29-31).

Knowing God, worshiping Him alone and loving Him with all we are is the 1st and Greatest Command…and one we spend very little time in our lives and churches helping folks grow and mature in as disciples of Christ. This leaves us empty as we then begin to try to love others as is taught and systemically programmed into our churchianity lives. This was the purpose of our series, The Names of God, and I pray that each of us will continue to grow in our love for Him.

Not only are we struggling to fulfill and help others fulfill the most important and greatest command but in so doing we’ve made it nearly impossible to know who we are in Christ and love ourselves in the way that He did so that we can humbly and sacrificially give ourselves away to love others…even more empty in our attempts to show the world His Love! This was the purpose of focusing on our Identity in Christ series so that we are truly equipped through these to continue to mature in our love for God and for ourselves, according to His Love.

In Christ, as we grow in this Love, we can begin to live out this same Love for others….beginning with our love in our families and in the Family of Christ, to strengthen our walk in Him as disciples and together as His Church. Until we do so the world will continue to mock our empty, half-hearted efforts of programmatic service and “love.”

BTW – there are many effective worldly organizations that meet many of the needs of this world but they can never meet the deepest need(s). When we try to meet the same needs with programs and systems rather than in deep loving relationships we offer little more than these organizations.

This week we begin our final series on the Greatest Commands, moving from Loving God and ourselves to…LOVING OTHERS!

Only when we can die to self and learn to love as He did…God first, ourselves next, can we then love others. That’s what the world is clamoring for…His Love in and through us!

I pray that Christ’s Church will awaken to doing it His way rather than the world’s way. This is our upcoming focus that is done in relational love and servant-leadership rather than in buildings, systems and programs that reach many but love few…and often a very shallow love at that!

Join us and invite others as we move through this series on loving others as we love ourselves (Mark 12:29-31) but point them back to the previous series and help them grow FIRST in a whole-life love for God, and then knowing who they are in Christ, to be able to truly love as He did. With this as a long introduction for a much needed message let’s dive into this series on…

Loving Others – How to “One Another” in Christ

As we’ve been preparing for this, our next step in this journey of Love is to “love others as we love ourselves and as He loves us (Mark 12:31; John 13:34-35)! Bear with the redundancy here as we prepare to move into loving one another according to His Word.

Remember that in Christ’s Covenant Order commands, we must first have a heart, and be learning to worship God alone, and love Him with all our being (the “Names of God” series I referenced previously. He then teaches us to know and love who we are recreated to be in Christ and as He does so we learn of His great Love for us and how to love ourselves and then give ourselves for His sake and the sake of others.

Again, my prayer and hope is that as we take God at His Word and the priority of His commands we are much more able to love others as we are called and commanded to do.

Did you know that there are, by most counts, 59 “One Anothers” in Scripture that literally guide us in practical ways as to how we are to do just that…love one another! Over the next few weeks we will be looking at these “One Anothers” and building on the foundation of His Love for us (1 John 4:19; John 3:16) and our love for Him (Mark 12:29-30) and how we can humbly love our self (Mark 12:31)…then we will be much more capable and able to “love one another as He has loved us” (John 13:34)!

This is how discipleship moves from loving God to loving others and must be done in relationships and communities. BTW if you are married every one of these should begin in your marriage and family…how are we going to “one another” in His Church if we can’t first do so in our most intimate of relationships and those which precede His Church in time and priority…how can you lovingly lead in my family if you can’t first do so in your own? (paraphrase of 1 Timothy 3:4-5…keep this in mind throughout this series). For those who are single or single again, remember that your love and identity is in Christ (as is true for all of us) and continue to “one another” where Christ has planted you.

Food for Thought…Throughout this series we will explore all the ways we are called and commanded (remember Scripture is full of commands but no demands – we must lovingly choose to follow in obedience to Him and His truly being our Lord) to love one another and fulfill the greatest commands.

Love in Action –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this post as a way to start
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you
3. Find one practical way to love someone close to you on a daily basis
4. Pray for someone who may not get along with you (or you with them) and how you can love them

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, we live in a world that is sorely in need of Your Truth and our living and sharing it in love. May we walk in Christ and His Truth, without compromise, while choosing His peace in all situations and with all others as much as it depends on us. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Happy New Year – Hope, Peace, Joy and Love to You in Christ!

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Love and Lordship in Focus…If your focus is on this world you can be assured that any hope, peace, joy and love is temporary just like this temporal world.  If your focus is on Christ and His Kingdom you can know and be fulfilled in His Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that is Eternal just like His Kingdom!

If you want to know the hope, peace, joy and love of Christ today, into the New Year and throughout your life, begin by asking and answering this question, “What’s your focus?”  In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Paul states by The Holy Spirit, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  Is your focus Temporal of Eternal? 

As we wrap up CHRISTmas and 2022, the craziest of years in our lifetime (at least for most of us), what are you looking forward to…or what are you fearing as you look to the New Year? If your focus is on the things of this world (temporal) you will likely be caught up in more worry, anxiety and uncertainty that will drag you down.

However if your thoughts, no matter the circumstances, run toward God, His Word and Kingdom (Eternal) then you can be assured that He will provide, prune, prepare and protect you for His Kingdom (Eternal) fruit and purpose!

Oswald Chambers says, “We think that we must reach some predetermined goal (temporal), but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty (eternal). (Parentheses mine and added)

He goes on to say that the eternal life, the life hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), is a gracious uncertainty!  Uncertain because of the temporal nature of this life but gracious and even glorious as you walk with Christ into what He has prepared for you to live out for His Glory (Eternal) even as you do so in this life (temporal).  Which are you focused on?

Are you focusing on this world…or are you living in this world with a gracious uncertainty by faith, focused on His Word, His Will and His Kingdom? You can have the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that Christ brought to us at CHRISTmas this day and year, into 2023, and beyond into Eternity as you live with your focus on the Eternal today!

Remember there is only One HOPE that will endure beyond 2022, beyond 2023…forever (Romans 15:13)!  That HOPE is found in Christ alone!

That Hope is found in His Unfailing Mercies and Amazing Grace…

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” Lamentations 3:22–24

In the Jewish culture that the Bible was written in (which we should pay close attention to in order to truly understand context and meanings even for today) the end of one year and preparation for the next was focused strongly on repentance. We would do well to spend time reflecting not only on the blessings and trials of the past year and looking forward to better things in The Lord for the coming year…we should take the time to look introspectively to where we are personally in our walk with Him.

As we humbly repent we can be assured that His mercies are new every single day…we do not receive what we deserve because Christ came, lived and died to receive the punishment that should have been ours. Praise and thanks to The Lord for His unfailing mercies toward us!

Christ promises Hope (Romans 15:13) found only in Him; Peace unlike the world gives and one that I can’t fully understand so must accept by faith (John 14:27; 16:33; Philippians 4:6-7); a Joy in any and every circumstance that is complete in Him and allows, and even compels, me to find it (Joy that is) in the most difficult of trials and circumstances…including 2022 (1 John 1:4; James 1:2-4) and finally; Love that is based on covenant and commitment and not on fleeting feelings and emotions…His Love is forever Faithful (John 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 13:8a; 1 John 4:7-21)!  It’s not the Love of the world and you and I can count on it always. 

Notice the contrast of His hope, peace, joy and love (Eternal) to that of the world’s fleeting and circumstance and emotionally-based desires rooted in the selfish flesh (temporal).  Which are you focusing on as you wrap up 2022 and look forward to the New Year?

Faith is the key to living in His Love & Lordship that will bring and mature these incredible traits and assurances into your life regardless of what you, or we, have face, are facing or will face in the future!

An upside down world will not win! Election fraud and mainstream media cover-ups will not win! Diseases will not win! Social anarchy and chaos will not win!

Christ has already won and promises that victory to all who believe in Him as Savior and Lord (Romans 8:26-39)! 

Make it a great Advent/CHRISTmas season with family and loved ones in Christ!

Food for Thought…His mercies are new every morning and are never ending (Lamentations 3:22-24) and His grace is all-sufficient to save us and meet all our needs in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 4:19)!  He alone is where we can find Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that endures for all time and eternity!

Love and Lordship…Action Item(s) – Do you know Him?

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily
2. Seek Him and ask Him to help you know Him
3. Ask Him to show you how much He loves you
4. Pursue a loving relationship with Him… Christ died to give it to you
5. Choose the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love found only in Him not the false pretenders found in the circumstances or struggles of the world or in our fickle feelings.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, Thank you, that Your mercies never fail, Your grace is amazing and Your love never ends.  As I focus on Your Word and Kingdom, I can know hope, peace, joy and love that blesses and sustains me through every trial and struggle that I face.  I have this as my life is hid with Christ in You, focusing on that which is Eternal rather than that which is temporary.  In His Precious Name I pray.  Amen.