The Be One Life

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

Whole and Good

by Leave a Comment

What if the lie in the Creation story is not “The Fall,” but something much more subtle and far-reaching?

What if the deepest lie carried through our world religions, philosophies, marketing strategies, and cultural messages is the belief that we and the world are innately flawed?

This worldview is so insidious that most of us rarely notice it. It whispers, “If you do one more thing, then you’ll be whole.” It looks and sounds good. It grows on a beautiful plant that mimics the truth. It looks nourishing, wise, even holy. But once we ingest it, our entire worldview shifts.

Instead of seeing with an ayin tov, a good eye, we begin to see everything as flawed, including ourselves. We blame one another, nature, our bodies,  time, and circumstances. We treat our lives like projects instead of experiences. We treat mistakes as character defects rather than lessons in the human journey. We even begin to treat the human experience itself as something to escape.

But in the beginning, the Creator called it all good, very good.

What does it mean, then, to be made in the image or likeness of God? Does it mean we all look like God physically? We don’t look exactly the same, and Numbers 23:19 reminds us that God is not a man. Does it mean we share characteristics of God, like when someone says you remind them of your parent? Do we share God’s spirit? Genesis 2:7 says that the Eternal God formed man from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the spirit of life, and man became a living soul. Perhaps it is that our spirit is a part of the Eternal God’s spirit, and that is what makes us made in the Divine image.

The Eternal created humans in their image, both whole and good. The Eternal is a spirit with no beginning or ending who created all life in our world. Humans were made differently from all other life because the Eternal lovingly placed a portion of that eternal, infinite spirit within our finite bodies. We are eternal spirits with finite bodies, not bodies with a spirit. The combination of the two, spirit and body, makes us human and makes us a whole soul. Every person is born whole, lacking nothing. That is why the Eternal lovingly formed each of us in our mother’s wombs, making us beautiful, complete, and whole. The Eternal looks on every person and says we are “very good.”

In Hebrew, wholeness is shalom; it is the state of something fully formed, completed, or finished. A related word, shalem, means complete or whole. That is how the Eternal created each of us: whole, with all the potential we need already within us.

Yeshua pointed to this wholeness when he named the greatest commandment:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord 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.” (Mark 12:29–30) Wholeness is lived when these four elements–heart, soul, mind, and strength–work together in unity. Yeshua lived from this place of wholeness to show us how to reconnect with the Eternal and awaken from the delusion that we are broken or separate.

Many of Yeshua’s teachings on wholeness are misunderstood today because the Hebrew word shalom is often translated as “peace.” Peace is only one aspect of wholeness. When the angels sang at Yeshua’s birth, they were proclaiming wholeness on earth (Luke 2:14). When Yeshua healed people, he sent them away in wholeness. When he prepared to leave his disciples, he said: “Wholeness I leave with you; my wholeness I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27)

Yeshua came to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to the truth that we are already whole, and to give us an example of how to live from that wholeness in connection with the Eternal. When we awaken to this truth, we can also accept that we were created good and can return to the good life at any time. The Hebrew word for good is tov, which means functional, or operating as designed. Its opposite, ra, means dysfunctional.  Humans were created good, with the freedom to choose actions that are functional or dysfunctional. People are not completely good or completely bad; they simply choose to operate in functional or dysfunctional ways. The Eternal, though, is wholly good, and our goodness flows from being created in the Divine image.

Yeshua recognized that he could not live functionally in a world full of dysfunction, illusions, and lies without maintaining unity and oneness with the Eternal. He taught that while no person always chooses good on their own, with God all things are possible. His life demonstrated how we can operate out of wholeness and goodness when we are aligned with our original design.

The Bible, then, is a story of relationships and restoration. In the beginning, humans lived whole and good, walking with the Eternal. We lost that connection when we believed the lie that we were lacking something; that we could become like God by grasping for more rather than living from the wholeness already within. This is our human story, but it doesn’t end here. 

Whenever someone or something reminds us that we are already created whole and good in the image of God, our relationship with the Eternal is restored. Yeshua taught this human experience in the parable of the prodigal son. He showed us how to live as children of the Eternal, whole, good, and deeply loved.

Perhaps this is what his life, death, and resurrection reveal most clearly: that Nothing, NO THING, not suffering, not failure, not injustice, not sickness, not loneliness, not even death, can separate us from the Creator. The lie says we are broken and need something more to be fixed. The truth says we were created whole and remain held within the Eternal, always.

We experience liberating peace when we unravel the lie, spit it out, and refuse to plant its seeds in our lives or in the world; then we begin to recognize shalem olam, the wholeness and goodness of ourselves and all creation. The human experience is not evidence that something is wrong with us. It is simply the embodied experience of being human with all of its highs and lows. In this lifetime, it is the only experience we have, so let’s choose wisely.
Our prayer is that we live as those who trust that we were created whole from the beginning and that we walk with the Eternal in that truth, here and now.

Unity Bound in Peace

by


Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. -Ephesians 4:3-4 (NLT)

What is peace? How can we live in it? Peace is not just the absence of war. Peace is a blessing from Jesus; a state in which we are reconciled with God. We have peace when we are one with the Source. Jesus created all things and in him all things are held together. Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Let us meditate on how can we live together in peace after we first accept the beautiful gift of peace from Jesus. It is this peace that bonds us in unity.

Paul, an Apostle of Jesus, wrote in Ephesians 4 that we who believe in Jesus should “make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” We are called to use peace as the bonding agent to keep us united in the Spirit. Being united in the Spirit is not about everyone having to agree about everything, but about the whole body agreeing that Jesus is the head. The unity of the body of believers is motivated by our one glorious hope for the future, the hope of eternity in heaven with Jesus. This foundational hope can lead us a live worthy of our calling!

How can we continue to keep this peace and be one in the Spirit? Paul gives some insight into this in Ephesians 4:2; “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”

Let us answer this call by God to live our lives in peace with one another! This teaching has great application to our marriages. The bond of peace helps us to act as one with our spouse. When we cultivate peace in our marriages by practicing humility, gentleness, patience, and making allowances for each other’s faults because of love, we will be united in the Spirit. Be One in the Spirit!

God’s Power in Our Prayers

by

Ephesians 6:18 (NLT)
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

 

Let us continue to pray with and for all believers everywhere because there is so much power in prayer, dear friends. Why is it that we don’t pray more? God does amazing things for us when we pray. The fullness of God works on us, around us, and through us when we pray. Cultivating our prayer lives is an amazing, life changing practice.

The Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, can be a very confusing concept that is difficult to fully grasp on this side of heaven. While we are certainly not experts on the Trinity (sorry!), we can tell you that the all of the Trinity is at work when we pray. When we are adopted into God’s family through Jesus, God sends the Spirit into our hearts to cause our souls to call out to him (Galatians 4:4-7). Prayer is our intimate and powerful soul connection to God.

There are several parts of the Bible that talk about God working in our prayers. All of the Trinity is present in prayer in Ephesians 6, the Holy Spirit in verse 18 and the Father and Son in verse 23. Romans 8:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit helps us and prays for us when we can’t express ourselves in words. When we sin and ask for forgiveness, Jesus, the Son, is our advocate before the Father pleading our case (1 John 2:1). Whenever we pray to God, the Father, He will answer our prayers and supply us with whatever we need (Matthew 7:7-11; Philippians 4:6; 1 John 3:21).

Isn’t it a blessing to know that God gladly works on our behalf when we pray? This allows us confidently call on God with the assurance that He will hear us and answer us. We pray that God blesses you as you pray for others. So let us pray everyday for our families, our marriages, our friends, the church, and for those who are still seeking the peace that comes from following Jesus!

 

Be One!

How to Protect Your Marriage From Holiday Stress

by

‘Tis the season. Bells are ringing. Lights are twinkling. All is merry and bright–or is it? How is your marriage? Are you and your spouse struggling with the effects of holiday stress? For many couples, the holidays are full of extra events, extra commitments, and extra people. All of this “extra” can lead to feelings of overwhelm.

Stop for a moment. Notice your breath–is it shallow and up in your chest? Do your shoulders and neck ache? Is your chest tight? Do you have a dull headache or feel overly anxious?

Instead of enjoying this time of celebration and excitement, are you and your spouse snappy and high strung? It doesn’t have to be this way. With the right perspective, you can take care of your marriage and even grow closer during this holiday season. It all starts with a little marriage soul care.

Here are some simple, yet impactful ways to protect your marriage from holiday stress.

  1. Choose your priorities! Want to relieve stress and cut it off before it starts? Then focus on what matters most. Spend a few moments in silence and ask God to show you what is necessary to focus on during this time of year for your family. From here, begin to think about your priorities and choose 3 areas of importance for this Christmas season. Perhaps you want to focus on connecting with the Creator, remembering Jesus’ birth, or even just enjoying the season with your family. Whatever your priorities are, write them down and focus your time and energy on them as a couple.
  2. Release Expectations. This is the hardest right? It’s not saying that we cannot have expectations, but we do need to hold them loosely. Grasping at our expectations too tightly is a surefire way to end up anxious and disappointed. Instead of focusing on all the things people say the “perfect holiday” entails, how about looking around at what is actually happening in the moment. Be present to what you are currently doing and allow yourself to engage with whatever is in front of you. You see, anxiety comes when we are preoccupied with the future. It is our ego’s way of trying to control things that we have no control over. When holiday stress and anxiety rear their ugly heads (and they will) ask yourselves: What is happening now? What beauty is here? How can we fully engage this moment?
  3. Read God’s Word together. Spend a few minutes each day (you can start with 5) reading the Word. Time spent in God’s word tunes our heart to His and reminds us of what is important. Read a few verses together and have a quick chat on how it can be used to shape your marriage.
  4. Pray together. We all know we need to pray together, but are we actually doing it. Sure, you may pray for your spouse, but are we praying with them? Praying together helps you to grow in oneness because you are seeking the heart of the Father as a unit. You can share you deep needs, desires, hurts, and joys as one. When you pray together, you, your spouse, and God are all in communion in a way that doesn’t happen when you pray separately. Use this short time to not only speak to God, but to invite a few moments of silence in for listening.
  5. Keep regular couple time. Make it a regular practice during the holidays to make time for each other. Whether it is a date night at home or a shopping date, spend some time with just two of you. During this season when everyone and everything is vying for your time, make your relationship a priority. Spend quality time together often.

The holidays are often a time of stress and strain. But they don’t have to be. Choosing soul care for our marriage can keep us focus on what and Who matter most. May you walk through this season of Advent hand in hand and eyes toward heaven.

Be One, Beloved!

 

Self-Control – Discipline to Answer the Call

by

Self-control2017For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. -2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

Self-control–it’s that final aspect in the list of the fruit of the spirit that seems to trip so many of is up.  All of the other aspects give us a green light; we interpret and readily accept them as character traits to embody and put into action.  We want to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, and gentle, right.  Then we read self-control.

And something inside us shifts.

Instead of us exploring how we can practice self-control, we shut down a bit because of what we have learned about self-control. We have been tricked into believing that self-control is all about what we don’t do; what we shouldn’t do. When we think about self-control in only this way, it limits our understanding of the power of the Spirit.

See, self-control means we have the discipline to do the work we have been called to do. It helps us to do good for others and to do well for ourselves.  Self-control allows us to see the freedom that comes with having the choice of saying either yes or no.  The more we become like Jesus, the more we will exercise self-control.  Though He is the master of self-control, He is known for what He actually did; not what He avoided.  And like Him, we will be known for both living and living well.

What a blessing!  Self-control moves us toward freedom.

This month, we will be exploring what God’s love letter to us says about self-control.  We are praying that you will join us as we learn to embrace the we freedom gain as we become more self-controlled. #thebeonelife #selfcontrol #fruitofthespirit

Gentleness – Gentle Words

by

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.

Kindness

by

Kindness“But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 (NLT)

God showed us great love and kindness when he sent Jesus to save us, not because of anything we had done to earn it, but because we needed it; we could not save ourselves. As we look at God’s loving kindness this month, we want to pose a few questions:

Love and kindness go hand and hand. Is it possible to be loving without being kind?

Jesus was the personification of love, but was he always kind?

If Jesus was always kind, what form of kindness did he show when his mother and brothers were standing outside asking to speak to him and he answered, “who is my mother and who are my brothers?”or when he overturned the money changers’ tables in the temple, or the many times he rebuked the religious leaders?

To help us answer these questions, we should first clear up the misconception that being kind means being nice. There are clear differences between the two. Being kind means giving others what they need according to God’s will (Roman 11:22-23). On the other hand, being nice means giving the other person what they want, even if it is not what God wants. Being nice focuses on pleasing others, but being kind focuses on pleasing God. Being kind requires us to tell the truth in love (2 John 1:4-6), whereas being nice requires we tell people what they want to hear. Being nice worries about pleasing the other person or what they might think of you, while being kind focuses on what best for the other person in light of salvation (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
The biggest difference between being nice and being kind is that kindness leads us to value one’s soul in light of eternity over making them momentarily happy. Would we let a child (or any loved one) play or stand in the middle of a dangerous street? No! We would push, pull, and if necessary, drag them to safety. Pushing someone is not always seen as nice, but in this case, it is the kindest thing to do.

Simply put, Jesus was kind to everyone he met, but He was not always nice. What example does Jesus leave us for being kind and loving? The kindness Jesus displayed put other’s spiritual well being over pleasing them. Was that also an expression of his love? As his disciples He wants us to show love and kindness to all those who cross our path, even if it means “pushing” them away from the danger ahead. Kindness is a huge part of loving one another and loving our enemies. In order to have strong, Christ-centered relationships with our spouses, children, and friends, we must cultivate kindness for one another. Today and everyday, let us all bear the fruit of kindness with the people God has put in our lives!

Follow us on Instagram @thebeonelife.

 

Joy – Rainbow After the Storm

by

joyHave you ever watched a child experience something for the first time? Think of the way their face lights up. That initial light is inevitably followed by a smile, maybe even laughter. Childlike awe is so precious and infectious; it makes you want to smile and laugh right along with them. It’s amazing to us how children keep that awe even with things they get to see over and over again.

Jesus said that if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven we must be like little children. Could He mean that we should approach God with humble, childlike awe? One of the things that brings joy to our daughters is spotting a rainbow. We search the sky to see who can point it out to everyone. You can see their faces light up when they spot it. Joy is that rainbow after the storm.

We all go through storms in our lives. With God, we can endure those storms and look forward to the rainbow that He has promised us. It is because of the great joy that was ahead of him that Jesus suffered the shame and endured the cross. (Hebrews 12:2) We can look to Jesus as our example as we eagerly wait for the Joy that is to come. Jesus teaches us in John 15:9-11 that if we remain in his love and follow his teaching, we will be filled with His joy and our joy will overflow! What can be better than that?

When we have the overflowing joy that comes from Jesus conquering death and giving us the hope of eternal life, no circumstance can steal that joy away from us because it is based on an unchanging promise. Join us as we focus on living with joy and approaching each day with childlike awe for all God is doing. 

Love and Be Loved

by

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

by

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.

The Be One Life

The Be One Life

Social

Recent Posts

Contact Info.

Hampton, VA
757-880-6838
thebeonelife@gmail.com
Appointment only