The Be One Life

Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength together a one.

Unbreakable Marriage

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Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have an amazing marriage that would last happily ever after like the fairy tales?  

 

That kind of marriage does exist and it is no fairy tale.  

 

That unbreakable marriage is between Jesus and His church. Saying yes to Jesus and becoming his follower is like a wedding ceremony where you are becoming part of the bride of Christ, the church, and Jesus is the groom.  During His time on earth, Jesus never married in the traditional sense; however, he did commit his life to his bride, the church. Every disciple of Jesus, comes together as one in Christ to make up his bride, the church.  Ephesians 5:31-32 says,

 

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”  

 

When we confess that Jesus is Lord and submit to him, it is like saying our wedding vows, beginning the covenant of marriage. Jesus established the Lord’s supper as his marriage covenant with us at the meal with the apostles the night before he was crucified as we read in Matt 26:26-28:

 

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

 

When a believer is baptized into Christ, washed with his blood, and transformed into a new self by the Holy Spirit, it is like the Holy Spirit is the wedding officiant pronouncing the couple husband and wife, sealing the covenant, adding the believer to the church and making them one with Jesus.  Romans 6:3-4 (ESV) tells us,

 

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

 

We are no longer the same old person living with sin, but a new, complete person made whole, through the blood of Christ. Best of all, we are part of the bride of Christ, the church, sealed with a covenant the no man can break. This is a marriage of our spirit to Jesus and it is the only marriage that is sealed for eternity.  There is no ‘til death do us part; there is no divorce between Christ and the Church, we are His bride forever.

 

Now that is unconditional love.  

This is the kind of love and marriage we want everyone to experience.  May we always celebrate our spiritual marriage to Jesus through our lives, and let it reflect in our actions so that others may experience Jesus’ love.  

Be One.

Gratitude- Life Debt to Jesus

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Have you ever read a book or seen a movie where the hero saves someone’s life, and then in gratitude the saved person dedicates her life to serving the hero? This life debt concept is highlighted in many stories, including Star Wars and Harry Potter to name a couple. The greatest story ever told also has the life debt concept, but what sets it apart from other stories is that it is our story and it’s True. The redemption story features Jesus as the greatest hero to ever live. God loved this world so much that he sent Jesus to save the world by taking the punishment for the world’s sin. Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice to God for us all. If anyone has reason to be grateful, it is us.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus, used this same type of life debt concept when describing the relationship those who follow Jesus have with Him in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. He says, “Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive this new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.” Those who believe in Jesus are given a second chance with a new life free of the guilt of sin. How great is that?! Does knowing you are forgiven of every wrong thing you have done in your life make you feel grateful?

As followers of Jesus, we live in service to God out of gratitude to Him for his love, mercy, and grace. We are not working to earn our salvation, but because we are already saved by Jesus’ sacrifice. Romans 8:7-11 gives an excellent explanation of how God’s love, mercy, and grace produces gratitude in everyone who believes in Jesus.

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”

Our gratitude for God and desire to spend our lives serving him stems from the love God first showed us. Through our restored relationship, we can rejoice and gratefully give God all the glory. This month, join us as we explore what the Bible says about living in gratitude and how it flows into our relationships with our spouse, children, extended family, and friends.

Be One, Beloved

Discipleship: WWJD

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Discipleship2017Do you remember the saying that was popular in the ’90s, “WWJD”? It was on everything from bracelets to bumper stickers. WWJD stands for “What would Jesus do?” When you had to make a choice, you were suppose to stop and think about what Jesus would do in the situation and do that. While this movement had great intentions and probably helped many people make better choices, we believe there is a foundational flaw. How is one to know what Jesus would do or think, if they don’t know Jesus? How would one know whether their choice is Jesus-like or not if they didn’t know what Jesus actually said and did. The place we get this information is from the Bible, and particularly the gospels. A disciple of anything is simply a “follower.” To be a true follower of anyone, you must know what they stand for and where they are leading you. This is no different with Jesus. To be Jesus followers (disciples) we have to first learn what He stands for, what He teaches, and where He is leading us.

Jesus said loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is the greatest commandment and loving others is the second greatest (Mark 12:29-31). He loves each of us because we are His creation and He died for our brokenness. He did not do this because it was an easy choice. In fact, the the world hated Him at the time (John 3:16-17, Romans 5:7-11). We show our love for Jesus by obeying his commandments (John 14:15-21).

All of us have to search our own hearts and decide whether we want to serve ourselves or if we want to follow Jesus. He says we can’t do both. This month, please join us as we study His word to learn more about being disciples (followers of Jesus). Let’s imitate His example and begin to live and love like Jesus.

Gentleness – Gentle Words

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Gentleness2017Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. -1 Peter 3:15-16. (NLT)
What happened to respect and decency when expressing our views to one another? It seems that we have chosen to turn a deaf ear to truth, and instead focus our attention on the loudest voice in the room. Do we truly believe it is okay to engage in conversation or debate using any means necessary? Even if it means completely disregarding the other person’s humanity or well-being? One of the reasons our conversations have sunk so low in our culture (including our homes) is an underutilized spiritual gift from the Creator–gentleness. Gentleness in speech can make to difference in having a conversation or an argument (Proverbs 15:1).

There’s an old saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” That is so untrue! Words are much more powerful than sticks and stones. It is often words that cause people to pick up the sticks and stones. James 3:5-10 teaches us about how words have a powerful effect on us and can be like setting a forest on fire. Words have the power to both bring peace and start wars. It is up to us to choose our words carefully to build up our relationships instead of tear them down. We should “always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” (Ephesians 4:2)

If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. Your testimony about how Jesus changed your life may be exactly what that person needs to hear. When we share the words of God with someone, we plant a seed in their hearts for God to nurture and grow. It is not our job to bully people into accepting Jesus. Only Jesus can save and the Holy Spirit works on the hearts and minds of those that hear the gospel to bring them to salvation. So friends, we must answer people who question our faith gently and respectfully. When people see the love of Jesus in your heart play out in our lives, it will be much easier for them to believe the words that we say.

Let us live our lives with love and gentleness towards one another so we can build up one another in our relationships! When we have trusting relationships, we can gently and humbly help a spouse or loved one who has gotten off course find their way back to Jesus. Be gentle.

All Things Work Together For the Good

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IMG_1017“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” –Romans 8:28 (NLT)
How many of us love this verse? This portion of God’s love letter speaks to our souls because it reminds us of the big picture. It is easy to misinterpret God’s message to us here and make it all about us. Let us say it plainly friend, it is not about us.

This verse is about God.

Often we make this verse mean that everything will work out the way we want it. Our desired outcomes become the only ones that matter. We start to think “if I do this, then I can make x happen.” We get lost in the details of our lives and take the focus from God to us.

But our amazing Creator is too big for that box. When we shift our focus from us to Him, we see that “the good” is something that will always draw our souls closer to our Creator. When we are focused on only our own good, we often choose things move us in the opposite direction. Putting the focus back on God reminds us that even when horrible things happen, God will use them for His glory and to draw us into deeper relationship with Him through Jesus.

Scripture tells us in James 1:17 that “every good and perfect gift comes from above.” We must remember that all good things come from God. In the Kingdom of God, many things that Jesus considers good (suffering, humility, dying to self) are seen as exactly the opposite in our fallen world.

This month’s theme is goodness. Let’s open God’s word together and explore what it says about this fruit of the Spirit. As we grow together in goodness, we can reflect more and more of God’s light into the world.

Love and Be Loved

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LovejesuThis is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. -1 John 4:10 (NLT)

Last month we explored our identity by looking at whose we are. As children of our Creator, our Heavenly Father, we can also learn our purpose in light of God. We all struggle to find purpose in this life. We all ask the question, “Why am I here?” Our Creator planted this question in our minds and souls so that we would seek Him out to find the answer. What an amazing answer it is! Dear friends, our Creator has all the answers to all of your life questions. He teaches us in His Word that we are His children, and as His children, we are called to LOVE and BE LOVED. Yes that’s right, God created us to love us. Does it get any better than that? Each one of us were uniquely and specifically created by our Heavenly Father so that He could love us.

Like a loving father, God not only tells He loves us, He consistently shows it. His lavish and consistent love for us helps us learn how to love and be a reflection of it. God so intricately designed us with feelings,thoughts, desires, and free will, so that we could not only experience His love, but also fully love Him in return. God defines love, but love is not the only definition of God; He is so much more! He gifts a piece of Himself to us in the form of Love.

Our Eternal God displayed the highest form of love in sending Jesus to earth to take on all the wrongs of this world and die for us. Jesus said that there is no greater love than to die for your friends and He did just that for us! We look to Jesus as our example of how we should love God and each other. Love is not embodied by the symbol of a heart but rather by a cross. True love requires sacrifice of self for those we love. So let us love like Jesus, through our words AND actions.

This month’s theme is Love – God and Us. We will focus on what God says about His love for us, our love for him, our love for ourselves, and our love for each other. Understanding and accepting God’s love for us allows us to fully love and be loved from a place of wholeness. Love is not a feeling, but an action and it guides our lives toward oneness with our Creator God and in our marriage.

So join us in our journey to love and be loved as the Eternal created us to be.
#thebeonelife #love #Godislove

Whose You Are…Identity

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Identity2017Happy New Year! Many blessings as you unwrap the gift of a new year.

Who are you? This is such a loaded question. Often, when someone asks us who we are, we respond with our name, our job, the family we belong to, and perhaps even some activities we like to do. After we answer, though, many of us are never quite satisfied with the answer. It feels incomplete somehow.

That’s because it is.

The truth is we can never quite answer the question of WHO we are until we understand WHOSE we are. You see, our Eternal God made us in His very own image; we are HIS. Just like the moon reflects the light of the sun, for it cannot create its own light, we also reflect the light of the Son.

God has many names for us, but none of them include the things on our usual list. To God, you are His child, His beloved, a co-heir with Christ, a friend of Jesus, a saint, and many other beautiful descriptors.

The most interesting thing about this list is that they all begin with being His. We cannot fully grasp our identity until we realize that it all begins and ends with the Eternal.

So chosen child of God, journey with us throughout the month of January as we explore what God’s love letter says about our identity.

Peace

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Peace“I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
-Jesus (John 14:27 NLT)

It’s December, friends! We cannot believe that it has been a whole year of sharing God’s love letter with you. It is also that time of the year that many in our world focus on peace. We want to take the focus off of experiencing peace and instead focus on the Source of all peace.

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, came to bring peace to all who believe in him. You see, true peace comes from a deep assurance and faith that it is well with your soul no matter what circumstances you face. We have peace in knowing that Jesus conquered sin on the cross and won the war over death when He rose from the grave. Jesus conquered sin and death–once and for all.

Did you read that slowly enough to absorb it? The war is won–that is Peace.

Yes, there are is all sorts of evil around us, but do not be discouraged. Knowing he was lost the war, Satan still battles, but he CANNOT win. Let us side with Jesus, on the side of grace and truth, and experience true peace from the Eternal Source.

We receive this gift of peace when we submit to the Eternal God and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. We become heirs along with Jesus to an eternal kingdom in heaven where there is no war, no sadness, no troubles, no hunger, no conflicts. Instead there is an abundance of joy, peace, love, and worship to God.

The assurance of heaven that we find in Christ Jesus gives peace to our souls.

This month as we explore more about the peace that Jesus gives we pray that each of us live out the words that Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And along with letting peace be with you, share the Prince of Peace.

We Are The Church

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churchDear friends,

Ready for some truth? This one will be hard to swallow and it is even harder for me to say but, well, it needs to be said.

You CANNOT love Jesus and reject HIS church.

The whole point of Jesus giving up his place in heaven to put on human skin, to be hated, spit on, rejected, tortured, and killed was for His church.

In our American, “it’s all about me”western way of thinking, we like to think that he died and rose again just for us, but that is sadly a lie from the evil one.

Real talk? Jesus died for His church. The church is his bride. That church includes those who call on His name, who accept Him as their Savior and who follow him wholeheartedly as disciples.

Can we be hurt by the institution of the church? Can we hate the hypocrisy? Can we feel left out? Can we feel like it is not relevant?

Of course we can.

The church is made up by a bunch of imperfect, broken people trying to walk in the way of the PERFECT one. We get it wrong all the time. But guess what? He knew we would; that’s why there is grace upon grace.

Remember that old saying: wherever you go, there you are? If you are a follower of Jesus, if you have put off your old self and put on the new, then wherever you go, you are the church. You cannot get away from it or separate from it.

Instead of writing the church off because we are disillusioned or hurt, we must remember how much Jesus went through to pay the price for the church.

He paid his life. God gave his Son.

So I challenge you and myself to BE the church that Jesus died for. Be the church you wish you had. Look at what he actually says about his church and what it means to follow him.

Love. Learn. Be. Follow. Obey. Love.

This is the journey of a disciple of Jesus, the journey of the members of His church.

Discipleship

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Discipleship“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison–our father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even our own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.” -Jesus (Luke 14:26-27 NLT)

In our “Jesus is only love” society, this is a hard pill to swallow, no? A difficult teaching to understand from a God/man who has been painted as a “we are the world”, hippie type. But let’s not forget that Jesus is God. He is man. He is the word. He is just. And He is love.

Because of His great love for us, Jesus came to earth to establish a kingdom where he will reign forever. Jesus graciously forgives and brings all who believe in Him and dedicate their lives to Him into His kingdom. This is where a disciple’s walk behind and towards Jesus begins. Imagine God’s kingdom as a circle. When we, as Jesus’s disciples, first step into the Kingdom of God, we are are on the fringe and Jesus sits on a throne in the center. Each day that we follow Jesus, study his word, and live by his teachings, the love in our hearts for Him and others grows. We begin to take baby steps closer to him. As we grow in faith and in our relationship with Jesus throughout our lives, the blurry image of him at a distance comes into focus, and the light of His glory shines brightly through us. Jesus extends this free gift of grace to all of us, but this grace came at a cost.

The grace that God extends to us through Jesus was not cheap. It cost Jesus his life. It cost Jesus His place in heaven for a time. It cost God his Son.

Grace is costly and we continuously cheapen it.

In the verses following our key verse, Jesus goes on to say that we must count the cost of following Him. Our relationships with our families are important, our lives are important, our jobs are important; but they all pale in comparison to WHO should have the place of ultimate importance in our lives. Before we become disciples of Christ, he asks us to count this cost.

He MUST come BEFORE everything else.

To be a disciple of Jesus, you must choose Christ. If the choice is between your mother and Jesus, you choose Jesus. There is no comparison in the life of a disciple, Jesus is always first.

Like I said, hard pill to swallow, Amen?

What does this look like on a daily basis? How do we count the cost and still choose Jesus over all things. How do we make him preeminent over all things? What does it look like to put Jesus first, for real and not just as advice to graduates and newlyweds?

This month, we will be exploring discipleship. We will be looking at what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus, to follow him wholeheartedly as Lord of our lives. We will look at some common mistakes that we make, and how His word tells us to follow him. Most of all, we will be encouraging and challenging ourselves to follow him more fully, to more fully count the cost.

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The Be One Life

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