Tell me, Jesus,
Which of these is worse:
Losing our faith
In God’s existence,
Or knowing that Yahweh lives,
Yet feeling abandoned –
As you did,
On the cross?
At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46; NLT).
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NIV).
It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor-Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you] (John 16:7; AMP).
We trust in you, our Advocate:
Our truth, our God,
Our shining light.
We hope in you, our Counsellor:
Our help, our fire,
Our guide through life.
We dwell in you, our Comforter:
Our faith, our peace,
Our only good.
We pray in you, God’s Holy Ghost:
The Spirit of
Our Saviour’s love.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion (Ephesians 6:18; NLT).
References
We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love (Romans 5:5; NLT).
The Spirit, too, comes to help us in our weakness. For we don’t know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit expresses our plea with groanings too deep for words. And God, who knows everything in our hearts, knows perfectly well what the Spirit is saying, because her intercessions for God’s holy people are made according to the mind of God (Romans 8:26-7; TIB).
At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46; NLT).
Lord Jesus,
Even when you felt
Completely abandoned by God,
We know you still had perfect faith
In Yahweh’s existence and love.
We know this because
At the moment of your death,
You cried out:
“Father, into your hands
I commit my spirit.”
Lord Jesus,
May our faith, and hope, and love
Be just like yours:
For love is as strong as death –
Beyond all time!
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NIV).
References
Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away (Song of Songs 8:6-7; NIV).
Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22; NLT).
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me (John 14:1; NLT).
Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13; NLT).
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).
No one is abandoned by the Lord forever (Lamentations 3:31; NLT).
Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43; NLT).
Behold, I am with you every day, even unto the end of time (Matthew 28:20; ABPE).
Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her (Luke 1:38; AMP).
I pray to you, O Holy One,
As Mary did, so long ago:
May it be done to me, my God,
According to your word.
I beg of you, O Holy One,
As Jesus did, so long ago:
Please take this cup away, and yet
Your will be done, not mine.
I cling to you, O Holy One,
With mind and heart; soul, flesh, and blood:
For you’re my way, my truth, my life;
My faith; my hope; my love.
Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13; NLT).
References
The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts” (Isaiah 57:15; NLT).
Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).
I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely (Psalm 63:8; NLT).
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6; NLT).
The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; KJV).
Yahweh,
You create us all,
And keep our souls and spirits safe.
Jesus,
You forgive us all,
And lead us into truth and faith.
Helper,
You confirm us all
As members of your worldwide church.
Godhead,
You receive us all
When death concludes our earthly search.
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
References
I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5; NLT).
The Lord’s will be done (Acts 21:14; NLT).
He restoreth my soul (Psalm 23:3; KJV).
The Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins (Luke 5:24; NLT).
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6; NLT).
The Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you (John 14:26; AMP).
A few days ago, I saw that whilst we are waiting for God during contemplation, God is also waiting for us. This means that even waiting is a shared experience, although we may feel completely alone.
We tend to dip in and out of experiencing our oneness with God, but for God oneness with us is constant. As we build our relationship with God over the years, we can slowly grasp that no matter how alone we feel, we are still always one with God. This is faith. As Saint Paul states, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1; NLT). Jesus said this first, when he taught, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (John 20:29; NLT).
Christ himself experienced this paradoxical oneness at first hand on the cross. Despite crying out in despair, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34; NLT), he still prayed with complete faith, “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46; NIV), before taking his final breath.
In the light of these thoughts, here is today’s blog:
Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act (Psalm 37:7; NLT).
Be still and silent;
Do not pray:
Here, in darkness,
Wait for God.
When your thoughts
And feelings stray:
Let them go –
Just wait for God.
S/He is with you
All the way:
Whilst waiting,
You’re alone with God.
There’s nothing
That you need to say:
To wait is to be one
With God.
The LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).
References
Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD (Psalm 27:14; NLT).
Come close to God, and God will come close to you (James 4:8; NLT).
The LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him (Habakkuk 2:20; NLT).
We are the temple of the Living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NIV).
The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21; KJV).
The LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it! (Genesis 28:16; NLT).
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalm 23;4; KJV).
Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he [Jesus] said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34; NLT).
Introduction
Being a Christian means following Christ’s teaching and lived example, in order to grow more and more like him, until we become one with him.
I call myself a Christian, so I’m asking myself some very basic questions. The response to each question is clarified by Biblical quotations.
Do I love everyone?
If my love isn’t inclusive, I’m not behaving like a Christian, because the Bible says:
Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).
Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).
Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).
Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else (1 Thessalonians 3:12; NIV).
Do I judge others?
If I do, I’m not behaving like a Christian, because the Bible says:
Do not judge others, and you will not be judged (Matthew 7:1; NLT).
Am I kind?
If I’m unkind to others, I’m not behaving like a Christian, because:
A servant of the LORD must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone (2 Timothy 2:24; NLT).
Do I forgive those who hurt me?
If I nurse grudges, I’m not behaving like a Christian, because Jesus teaches:
Forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too (Mark 11:25; NLT).
Do I serve others?
If I don’t serve others the best I can, I’m not behaving like a Christian, because Jesus says:
Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else (Mark 9:35; NLT).
Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others (Mark 10:45; NLT).
Do I try to follow Christ’s example?
If I don’t genuinely try to do this, I’m not being a Christian, because we are to:
Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ (Ephesians 5:2; NLT).
Am I growing more like Christ?
If I’m not growing more like Christ, however slowly, I need to ask myself whether I really am a Christian at all:
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
Conclusion
Perhaps, in the end, I only need to ask myself one question:
Do I believe it’s okay to judge, look down on, control, discriminate against, dominate, exploit, abuse, reject, exclude, hate, or hurt others in any way whatsoever?
Strange as it may sound, if my answer to this question is, ‘Yes’, then I may still have a faith of some kind. It might even be a religious faith. However, it is definitely not Christianity, because:
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out (1 Corinthians 13:4-6; NLT).
The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22; NLT).
References
Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him (Philippians 3:8-9; NLT).
Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:41; NIV).
Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me (Matthew 25:45; NIV).
Live like Jesus here in this world (1 John 4:17; NLT).
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5; NIV).
YHWH is our strength and our courage; you have become our deliverance. You are YHWH we will praise you; the God of our ancestors – we exalt you! (Exodus 15:2; TIB).
You are my body,
My mind, heart, and soul;
My Breath, my Creator,
My Friend.
You are my comfort,
My faith, hope, and love;
My life, my beginning,
My end.
I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:13-14; NLT).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the differences between religions of all kinds, and personal spiritual development. A conversation a few days ago helped to focus my thinking, which crystallised yesterday morning to form today’s blog. So, here are some of the significant differences between religions and personal faith I have been shown so far:
Religions often generate rules people are required to follow in order to belong, whilst true faith is based on freedom.
Religious dogmas often aim to control people’s beliefs, thoughts and behaviour, but genuine spiritual support encourages exploration of self, others, and God.
Religious creeds often discourage ongoing, personal faith development. However, spiritual change and growth are fostered by respect, acceptance, understanding and love.
Denominations often result from human intolerance of different spiritual understandings and practices. Inclusiveness, on the other hand, creates genuine oneness with all people.
Religions are often imposed on people, but spiritual development grows organically out of personal experience, personal choice, and a personal relationship with God.
Finally, let’s remember that despite having infinite power over us:
God gives us all freedom of choice.
God gives us all the right to reject Her/Him.
God loves us all unconditionally, even when we do not return Her/His love.
He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked (Luke 6:35; NIV).
References
This is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help (Isaiah 58:6-7; NLT).
Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: “I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.” For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners (Matthew 9:13; NLT).
I hate all your show and pretense – the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies (Amos 5:21; NLT).
The LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).
He helps me (Psalm 28:7; NLT).
Lord,
You help me
Through each sorrow,
Each new day,
And each tomorrow.
So I’ll thank you,
Come what may,
Rejoice in you,
And always pray.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NIV).