Habits

Sometimes we tend to think of ourselves as being spiritual in one part and physical/emotional in another. Actually we are this one big, complex whole. What affects us physically will affect us mentally and spiritually and vice versa. It is important to keep a balance in our lives and see about our overall health. Prayer and Bible study are necessary to spiritual health. Eating correctly and exercise are necessary to physical health. Both of these things affect our emotional health. We must not put all of our emphasis on one area and neglect the rest. The key is discipline, a word we don't often like to think about.

Discipline isn't something that comes naturally to most of us. We usually think of discipline as punishment when in isn't. Discipline is having structure in our lives. When we were children we were told to go to bed at a certain time and get up at a certain time. As adults we go to bed and get up because have to be at work. Some may be able to get up without an alarm but most do not. The important thing is, we have learned to get up and get dressed without some one telling us that we must. This is called discipline.

As important as discipline is in our daily lives, it is even more important in our spiritual lives. Have you ever noticed that as soon as you begin to pray the phone rings? Or you think of a million things that need to be done. You get the picture. The reason is that prayer requires disciplining the natural mind to deny itself so that the spirit can commune with God for a little while.  Just like training ourselves to get up in the morning, we can train ourselves to pray. It may not be easy at first but the results are well worth the effort.

Most often when we begin to diet or exercise we do it only for a little while and then go back to our old habits. The same is true of prayer. We get up earlier and make ourselves pray but it only lasts for a short time. Then we are sleeping to the last minute again. (At least that's been my cycle.) But discipline is good for us and we need it. They say that actions become habits and habits form our destinies. If this is true, then I am determined to create good habits. After all, they just might make the difference of a lifetime.

Committed to Jesus,

Sullivan Jones 

What is Grace?

May 23, 2014

Romans 3: 23-24
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 

Royalty! The very word brings a host of different ideas to our minds. Some may think of red carpets, crowns of gold and extravagant wealth. Some may think of unlimited political power and freedom to do as one pleases. The reality is that none of this is true. In this day the royal houses of Europe have lost all but a trace of their political power and many of them are far less wealthy than a successful business men. The little power that is left to them is largely symbolic, having been limited by constitutions and bills of human rights. Still the idea of royalty provokes some awe in the best of us. Especially us Americans who have no royalty of our own.

Did you know that when a commoner marries royalty, the commoner is no longer common but royal? Of course, you might say. That is as it should be. When Kate Middleton married Prince William he did not become William Middleton, rather she became Princess Kate. Upon becoming a princess, Kate's life changed drastically. She immediately became a celebrity and with that came certain obligations and responsibilities. As a member of the royal house she is supposed to represent the people of Great Britain. She can longer go in public unattended or unguarded. Here every public move is watched. The way she dresses is supposed to set the standard for the latest styles. She is always to act as a lady and should never be involved in anything scandalous. How she chooses to conduct herself will become a symbol for the women not only of Great Britain, but of the world.

In many ways, we can compare the life of the commoner -become-princess to the church of the living God. How so? All of us were once lost in the muck and mire of sin. We did as we pleased as long as we were one of the masses. Our lives had no meaning and no purpose. But when we became Christians, we accepted a proposal from the Son of God, the Crown Prince of Peace to become a part of his bride. As such, we are now royalty in every since of the word. With that knowledge should come a sense of responsibility. As royalty we should have a desire to set a certain standard of living for those who are watching us. This is not necessarily because we are expected to do so but because we love our husband, Jesus Christ.  One day the one we know as the Son of God will cease his role as the mediator for our sins and will take his seat as the King of Kings to judge the world. On that day his church, the bride of Christ, will rule with him in all of her glory. With that knowledge, surely we should be striving with all our might to be like Christ and represent him at all times to the world we will one day judge.

All of us have sinned. Surely none of us would deny that. We know how frail we are spiritually and how prone we are to mistakes and bad judgment calls. "After all, we are human", is the oldest excuse in the book for why we do some of the things we do. Yet this verse is not a license to sin. Rather it is an invitation to forsake our sins and walk in the glory of God. How do we know? Because the next part says "being justified freely by his grace through the "redemption" that is in Christ Jesus. Wow! What a thought! We are justified through Christ's redemption. "To redeem" Is to buy back from someone who held power over us. So through the grace of Christ we are bough back from the power of sin that once held us in bondage. Now we are no longer under the power of that sin but set free to live in victory over sin in Christ Jesus.

The problem is that most of us don't really understand who we are in Jesus Christ. When we are born again (redeemed), we are no longer commoners who have to live under the power of the law of sin.  Now instead of having to obey the law for fear of punishment, we exemplify the law from a sense of honor, knowing that we have become an example to others.

 In most countries a member of the royal house can not be charged with any crime. That's right. The prince and princess of Wales are not going to be given a traffic ticket. Who is going to give a ticket to the Queen's grandson? So does that mean they can do as they please? Far from it. They are actually held to a higher standard than you and me for the reasons we mentioned before. Whatever they do, the people of the kingdom will do in imitation. Therefore, if law and order is to be upheld, royalty must show the people how to live. They do not do this for a fear of displeasing the queen but for respect for her rule.

This is the perfect picture of grace. As a Son of God I am no longer bound to the law. I have been set free. The penalty that it carried before is washed away because of Jesus' blood. If I do make a mistake, it is already taken care of. I can go to my father, the king, and he will make the charges disappear. But I can not live as I once did; the people who know I am a Christian expect me to represent my father to them. Whatever they see me do, they will imitate. Why? Because they understand the relationship I have with God and will assume that whatever I do is acceptable to him. Surely if the King's son can get away with it, we all can. Consider the scandal when Prince Harry was caught on tape in a Las Vegas hotel room playing strip poker. Why would the queen let him get away with such! You get my meaning.

Grace is the most beautiful word in the Bible, yet the most misunderstood. Grace takes a commoner and makes her royalty. Grace forgives her social blunders and recognizes that she (or her) was not raised in a palace. Grace teachers her to be a princess in every sense of the word. Grace doesn't leave her where she was but exposes her to a higher standard and then expects her to live there with all the privileges,  and yes, responsibilities of one befitting a queen.

Let us exemplify his grace today - the world is watching!

Living in Grace,

Sullivan Jones 

Homesick

Have you ever been homesick? It is a common malady. It happens to almost everyone at one time or another. It is that feeling you get when you've been away from home for a few days. Sometimes it starts the minute you leave home. It has different symptoms. Most of the time it is just a feeling of emptiness, a longing to see someone. But it can have real physical complications as well. Everything from headaches, to stomach cramps, to phantom aches and pains has been attributed to homesickness.

I once accompanied a young man to the emergency room to interpret for him. When we arrived, to my relief, the doctor spoke Spanish fairly well. He had done a couple of years in a clinic in Mexico. After checking the young man over thoroughly he began to ask questions about his family, friends, etc. Finally, he diagnosed the man with a serious, although not medically related disease. You guessed it - homesickness. The doctor went on to explain to both of us that home sickness can cause us to feel all sorts of pains that aren't really happening to us.

As I pondered homesickness this morning, I couldn't help but think of my church family. Apart from my flesh and blood family, I miss my church family the most when I am away. There have been times when I am away working or at home sick that I couldn't be in church. I could hardly wait until service was over to ask someone how church was. I wanted to know who was there, what was preached, if there were any visitors, who got baptized, etc. Why? Because this is my spiritual family and I was homesick.

I know there are people who make every excuse not to be in church. All I can say is that they are missing out. I love the feeling of being at home that I get in church. I have known the people in my church for many years. They have been there for us through sickness, death, loneliness, you name it. We have all seen each other at our highest and lowest points and we still love each other. Why? Because we are family and that is what families do.

I have friends and spiritual family all over the world. Perhaps you do as well. Some I will see again many times. Some I may never see again because of distance. The short time we spent together, however, forged a feeling of spiritual connectedness that does not go away. The good thing is that there will be a family reunion of all my brothers and sisters in the Lord one day. On that day, when the trumpet of the Lord sounds, we will all gather around our fathers throne, throw the crowns he has given us at his feet, and the the party will begin. Some people we will see that day we will have know for a lifetime. Some we will not have seen for may years. For some, it will be a first time meeting. But the good news is, it will never end. The reunion will go on for eternity. Just thinking about it makes me homesick for that day.

Don't you want to go? You can. Your reservation is already made. You just need to secure your place by obeying God's plan of salvation found in Acts chapter 2. The invitation is open. Don't miss out on the party of eternity. Everyone will be there, will you?