what if...

This is Jesus speaking here.

What would our lives, & our world, look like if we truly believed it?



Luke 12

22 Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, 

"That is why I tell you don't worry about everyday life;

whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear.

23 For life is more than food, 

and your body more than clothing.

24 Look at the ravens. 

They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, 

for God feeds them. 

And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!

25 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

26 And if worry can't accomplish a little thing like that, 

what's the use of worrying over bigger things?



  27 "Look at the lilies and how they grow. 

They don't work or make their clothing, 

yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, 

he will certainly care for you. 

Why do you have so little faith?



  29 "And don't be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. 

Don't worry about such things.

30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, 

but your Father already knows your needs.

31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, 

and he will give you everything you need.



  32 "So don't be afraid, little flock. 

For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

XIX

Psalm 19

1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

  The skies display his craftsmanship.

2 Day after day they continue to speak;

  night after night they make him known.

3 They speak without a sound or word;

  their voice is never heard.

4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

  and their words to all the world.


God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.

  It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

6 The sun rises at one end of the heavens

  and follows its course to the other end.

  Nothing can hide from its heat.


7 The instructions of the LORD are perfect,

  reviving the soul.

The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy,

  making wise the simple.

8 The commandments of the LORD are right,

  bringing joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are clear,

  giving insight for living.

9 Reverence for the LORD is pure,

  lasting forever.

The laws of the LORD are true;

  each one is fair.

10 They are more desirable than gold,

  even the finest gold.

They are sweeter than honey,

  even honey dripping from the comb.

11 They are a warning to your servant,

  a great reward for those who obey them.


12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

  Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

  Don't let them control me.

Then I will be free of guilt

  and innocent of great sin.


14 May the words of my mouth

  and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

  O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

LGLO

Luke 10

25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: 

"Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?"



  26 Jesus replied, 

"What does the law of Moses say? 

How do you read it?"



  27 The man answered, 

"'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' 

And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"



  28 "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!"



So there you have it...

This whole business of God, boiled down into 2 sentences...

2 sentences...

which can be expressed succinctly in 4 words...


Love God, love other.


When we quit putting people in bondage to our own prejudices & predilections & encourage them to embrace the simplicity of what it's all about?

Love God, love others.

LGLO

everything

This is Jesus talking here.

Let's remember that salvation is free, but to follow Jesus counts us everything...



 23 Then (Jesus) said to the crowd, 

"If any of you wants to be my follower, 

you must turn from your selfish ways, 

take up your cross daily, 

and follow me.

24 If you try to hang on to your life, 

you will lose it. 

But if you give up your life for my sake, 

you will save it.

25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul?

26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, 

the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

the mind of Christ

A remarkable passage - wait for the very last sentence - unbelievable!

Why aren't there bunches of sermons using this passage every Sunday?!



1 Corinthians 2


9"No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
  and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
  for those who love him."


  10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. 

For his Spirit searches out everything 

and shows us God's deep secrets.

11 No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, 

and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit.

12 And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), 

so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.



  13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. 

Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, 

using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths.

14 But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. 

It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, 

for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, 

but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.

16 For,

"Who can know the LORD's thoughts?
  Who knows enough to teach him?"


But we understand these things, 

for we have the mind of Christ.

loving our enemies

If only we'd be & do what Jesus tells us to be & do in this passage.

What would our world look like if we did?



Luke 6

27 "But to you who are willing to listen, I say, 

love your enemies! 

Do good to those who hate you.

28 Bless those who curse you. 

Pray for those who hurt you.

29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, 

offer the other cheek also. 

If someone demands your coat, 

offer your shirt also.

30 Give to anyone who asks; 

and when things are taken away from you, 

don't try to get them back.

31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.



  32 "If you love only those who love you, 

why should you get credit for that? 

Even sinners love those who love them!

33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, 

why should you get credit? 

Even sinners do that much!

34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, 

why should you get credit? 

Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.



  35 "Love your enemies! 

Do good to them. 

Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. 

Then your reward from heaven will be very great, 

and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, 

for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.

36 You must be compassionate, 

just as your Father is compassionate.

being like Jesus

Matthew 5

27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector's booth. 

"Follow me and be my disciple,"Jesus said to him.

28 So Levi got up, 

left everything, 

and followed him.



  29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. 

Many of Levi's fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them.

30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus' disciples, 

"Why do you eat and drink with such scum?"


  31 Jesus answered them, 

"Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do.

32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, 

but those who know they are sinners and need to repent."



If we claim to be followers of Jesus, 

& are trying to be more like Him, 

then we should want to hang out with who the self righteous people today think of as "scum", 

as well as be the kind of person "scum" would want to hang out with?

encouraging

I hope this encourages someone today...



Psalm 27

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
  so why should I be afraid?
The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
  so why should I tremble?
2 When evil people come to devour me,
  when my enemies and foes attack me,
  they will stumble and fall.
3 Though a mighty army surrounds me,
  my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
  I will remain confident.

4 The one thing I ask of the LORD—
  the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
  delighting in the LORD's perfections
  and meditating in his Temple.
5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
  he will hide me in his sanctuary.
  He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
6 Then I will hold my head high
  above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
  singing and praising the LORD with music.

7 Hear me as I pray, O LORD.
  Be merciful and answer me!
8 My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me."
  And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming."
9 Do not turn your back on me.
  Do not reject your servant in anger.
  You have always been my helper.
Don't leave me now; don't abandon me,
  O God of my salvation!
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
  the LORD will hold me close.

11 Teach me how to live, O LORD.
  Lead me along the right path,
  for my enemies are waiting for me.
12 Do not let me fall into their hands.
  For they accuse me of things I've never done;
  with every breath they threaten me with violence.
13 Yet I am confident I will see the LORD's goodness
  while I am here in the land of the living.

14 Wait patiently for the LORD.
  Be brave and courageous.
  Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

prophetic words

Psalm 37

1 Don't worry about the wicked
  or envy those who do wrong.
2 For like grass, they soon fade away.
  Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good.
  Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the LORD,
  and he will give you your heart's desires.

5 Commit everything you do to the LORD.
  Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
  and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

7 Be still in the presence of the LORD,
  and wait patiently for him to act.
Don't worry about evil people who prosper
  or fret about their wicked schemes.

8 Stop being angry!
  Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
  it only leads to harm.
9 For the wicked will be destroyed,
  but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land.

10 Soon the wicked will disappear.
  Though you look for them, they will be gone.
11 The lowly will possess the land
  and will live in peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the godly;
  they snarl at them in defiance.
13 But the Lord just laughs,
  for he sees their day of judgment coming.

14 The wicked draw their swords
  and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
  to slaughter those who do right.
15 But their swords will stab their own hearts,
  and their bows will be broken.

16 It is better to be godly and have little
  than to be evil and rich.
17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
  but the LORD takes care of the godly.

18 Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent,
  and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
19 They will not be disgraced in hard times;
  even in famine they will have more than enough.

20 But the wicked will die.
  The LORD's enemies are like flowers in a field—
  they will disappear like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and never repay,
  but the godly are generous givers.
22 Those the LORD blesses will possess the land,
  but those he curses will die.

23 The LORD directs the steps of the godly.
  He delights in every detail of their lives.
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
  for the LORD holds them by the hand.

25 Once I was young, and now I am old.
  Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
  or their children begging for bread.
26 The godly always give generous loans to others,
  and their children are a blessing.

27 Turn from evil and do good,
  and you will live in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice,
  and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,
  but the children of the wicked will die.
29 The godly will possess the land
  and will live there forever.

30 The godly offer good counsel;
  they teach right from wrong.
31 They have made God's law their own,
  so they will never slip from his path.

32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
  looking for an excuse to kill them.
33 But the LORD will not let the wicked succeed
  or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

34 Put your hope in the LORD.
  Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
  You will see the wicked destroyed.

35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people
  flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
36 But when I looked again, they were gone!
  Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

37 Look at those who are honest and good,
  for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
38 But the rebellious will be destroyed;
  they have no future.

39 The LORD rescues the godly;
  he is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them,
  rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
  and they find shelter in him.