This Is Going To Hurt

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - This Is Going To Hurt

I’m going to be real.

I have oriented my life around avoiding pain.

It’s evident even in the little things.

I cling to the sheets of my bed a little longer waiting for the chill of the morning to subside.

But there is nothing that hinders growth more than avoiding pain.

When I look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, He was literally in paradise.

But, unlike me with my bed covers, He didn’t think paradise was anything to hold on to (Philippians 2:5-8).

Rather, He considered the will of His Father to be greater.

“He became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross,” Philippians 2:8 says.

Doing that demonstrates a love that’s greater than His comfort.

It also demonstrates an unwavering trust of His Father.

I imagine Jesus, my Elder Brother, loving the Father and knowing His will to be perfect, steps forward without flinching, completely willing to take on the challenge.

God the Father asks, “Who will go for us?”

Jesus, God the Son, says, “I’ll go.”

As He goes, I can imagine Him thinking,
“This is going to hurt, but this is going to be good.”

I repent.

I aspire be like Him, to love God more than my comfort, to trust His plan, to go –to cast aside comfort and take on the day, fully embracing the challenges, pain and suffering before me to grow, and to be made like Christ, fit to rule.

I go. I attack the day out of love for my Father, trusting and executing His plan, thinking,

“This is going to hurt, but this is going to be good.”

Nothing Is A Waste Of Time

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Nothing Is A Waste Of Time

A dear brother named Tim Boden dropped a nugget, and like a pebble in a pond, from then to now it sent ripples through my heart.

He asked a simple question,
“Was Jesus ever interrupted?”

I was driving to address a network outage when I received a text saying that the affected business was back up and there was no longer any need to come out.

I had already driven about an hour and my knee jerk reaction was frustration about the waste of time.

And at that very moment, Brother Boden’s comment returned to me, riding the wave of the ripples his question caused so many months ago.

I thought of Jesus who was requested urgently to heal the daughter of a man named Jairus who was at the brink of death. On the way, He was, from our perspective, unexpectedly delayed by a woman who couldn’t stop bleeding (Luke 8:41-56).

It wasn’t an interruption for Jesus because He is Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14) which means “God with us”. To be God with us was the very thing He was here to do.

That revealed to me that like my Elder Brother Jesus, when I’m with God, nothing is a waste of time.

When we operate as His children (walking in the Spirit), God is either preparing us or using us, very often without us even being conscious of it. Just by being available, He “diffuses through us the fragrance of His knowledge in every place”
-2 Corinthians 2:14.

Furthermore, when we’re on His program, He supplies what’s needed (versus the needless anxieties we create by our own selfish pursuits). He provides the resources and opportunities, as well as an awareness of His provision because, like Him, we’re keen to make the best of every occasion.

There is such great freedom in simply seeking to be with God and trusting Him with the rest, trusting Him to “redeem the time” as my dear brother Bobby Craig says, trusting Him to provide, trusting Him to make the best use of everything we do –even the most seemingly mundane of tasks and I can have full confidence that when I’m with Him, absolutely nothing is wasted.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
-1 Corinthians 15:58

Always Winning

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Always Winning

When we misunderstand what Christianity really is and the desire of our hearts are amiss, we can often think and feel that we’re losing when we’re actually winning.

In the biblical account of Acts 16 we observe how Paul and Silas have devoted themselves to the work of the Lord. There is no question that they are where God would have them to be, doing what God would have them to do.

Yet, by verse 22 of the same chapter, they find themselves having their backs beaten open, their feet shackled and being thrown in a dark jail cell.

Admittedly, were it me, I would have thought,

“What have I done wrong?”

“I’m trying to do the right things.”

“Then, why is this happening to me?!” as though obedience and living for Christ should only result in pleasant things and a life of ease without hardship.

But where did that idea come from? Jesus certainly did not teach that.

By the Spirit of God the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:12,
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

This, I believe, was born out of Jesus’s own words in John 16:33,
“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Obedience and living for Christ as a means of gain, attaining worldly pleasure and a life of ease without hardship is an insidious deception that Satan harvests from our own unregenerate, fleshly hearts so he can inoculate us with it later, a deception that can be reintroduced casually, subtly and imperceptibly –even from the pulpit as preachers tickle our itching ears with what we want, which infects our heart and causes our desire to be amiss.

It’s a Christianity that makes God merely a means to an end (“the good life”), when He should be everything.

This is why it is imperative to stay immersed in the Word, to submit to the Word, to stand on the Word and watch, guarding against my own heart because it is deceitfully wicked. His heart should be the pursuit and the Word is the seed of His heart being formed in me by the work of the Holy Spirit.

So, I repent.

The true aim of Christianity is TO BE WITH GOD.

That results in us:
Going where God goes,
Doing what God does,
Loving who God loves,
Wanting what God wants.

Where does God go? Everywhere. (Psalm 19:1-4, Matthew 24:14, Mark 16:15 )

What does God do? Making Himself known and giving life by doing so. (Isaiah 11:6-9, Habakkuk 2:14, John 17:3)

Who does God love? The world, especially those who love Him. (Exodus 20:5-6, 33:19, John 3:16)

What does God want? His creation redeemed, all things reconciled to Himself, Us conformed to the image of His Son, His children to be part of His work. (Genesis 12:3, 2 Corinthians 5:18‭-‬20, 2 Peter 3:9, Ephesians 2:10)

He did that.

All that He desires, He has done. (Isaiah 55:11)

Jesus’s last words from the cross, “It is [was/is/shall be] finished” recorded in John 19:30 was the cry of victory.

God has won.

And it is this reality and Jesus’s words in the latter part of John 16:33 that I believe Paul and Silas have confidence in and that allow them to respond to tribulation in the manner that they did -“praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25). Again, those words from Jesus were,

“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33

“I have overcome the world.”

The hearts of Paul and Silas were not amiss. Their desire was not for a nice house, a successful career or easy going. Like Jesus, their heart was to be with God, to the extent that they WANTED to share in Christ’s sufferings to be with Him and to see God’s will done –a will they were confident was being accomplished even in the midst of what appeared to be a setback.

And, God’s will was being accomplished.

“Then he [the jailer] called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'” -Acts 16:29-‬30

That night, the entire prison was witnessed to, the jailer and his entire household (which may have extended well beyond his immediate family, potentially including servants and their families, etc.) were saved and baptized.

Hallelujah.

Would this have occurred if Paul and Silas were sulking, crying, complaining and begrudging their circumstances?

No.

But Paul and Silas were operating from a position of winning.

Their example in Acts 16 encapsulates Romans 8:28-29,

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

“We KNOW…”

Paul and Silas were confident in the victory of Jesus Christ and they knew that even their imprisonment would work together for good.

And, what was that good?

That “whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Said another way, Paul and Silas knew that the good that would come of a seemingly bad situation was that either they (or another) would be made to look more like Christ (“conformed to the image of His Son”) and/or the family of God would grow (“that He might be the firstborn among many brethren”) which pleased God and therefore pleased them.

The Apostle Paul writes victoriously,

“So [at the end of the day] when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:

‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’
‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
-1 Corinthians 15:54-58

When my heart is amiss, it can feel like I’m losing even when I’m winning.

But when I center my hope and expectation in Christ, seeking those things which are above and eternal such as being with Him and being like Him, rather than seeking those things below and temporary such as worldly goods and pleasure, I can live joyfully in any circumstance to His praise and glory, knowing because He’s won, I’m always winning.

What do you see?

A prison cell to complain about or a platform to glorify Christ and secure a crown?

For those of us in Christ, everything is an opportunity “for we know ALL things work together for good to those who love God.”

Whether we seize it, depends on how we see it.

Delight yourself in the Lord, make Him alone the desire of your heart and you will see

Because He’s won, I’m always winning

Resulting in growth and life in Christ.

#perfectourlove #winning

52 Weeks of Gratefulness #15 – Hanging Out With Our Boys

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks of Gratefulness #15 – Hanging Out With Our Boys
Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks of Gratefulness #15 – Hanging Out With Our Boys

In Week 15 of 52 Weeks of gratefulness I give thanks for hanging out with our boys.

Mom’s out of town.

She’s the fun one, always coming up with fun things to do.

I’m not great at that.

I don’t think in terms of, “Oh, that would be fun to do.”

I think in terms of accomplishing things, “It would be cool if X existed, to accomplish Y or if the boys were exposed to Z”.

So, I plan “fun”.

I know. Horrible.

So, I Google “fun things to do with young adults” and break out a spreadsheets to sort possible activities by distance and time required.

True story.

As I discuss the possibilities with our boys: hiking, miniature golf, fishing with Granddad, etc., Chris said, “I don’t care what we do. As long as I’m with y’all.”

(How did pepper get in my eyes?!)

They then conclude together, almost simultaneously, “Let’s get on Minecraft! We haven’t played with you in forever, Dad.”

And, for three hours that’s what we do.

My eldest son, Chris, takes note of the spawning point as I figure out how to get logged in, remarking, “I’ll help Dad get to the camp” because we’re playing survival and he knows I’m horrible at the game.

We talk. Challenges we face in the game spur a host of conversations about all sorts of things like ambitions, experiences, ideas and attitudes about life.

We laugh as we each die in the most ridiculous ways, mostly me (e.g. “brainflurry dies attempting to swim in lava.”)

Afterward, my youngest son, Roman, says, “I made an awesome soup the other day, can I make you some Dad?” and then proceeds to cook for us.

I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

And, I didn’t plan any of it.

Awesome things happen around awesome people, when you let it.

My kids are awesome. My wife is awesome.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

The Thief On The Cross And What It Really Means To Be Saved

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - The Thief On The Cross And What It Really Means To Be Saved

I am so thankful for the cross because religious people try to complicate salvation and create hoops for people to jump through, but the cross demonstrates the simplicity of Christ.

At the cross we find astonishingly simple clarity.

Namely, the salvation of the thief on the cross, where Jesus saves a convicted sinner in his dying moments.

There is no time for religion, no perfectly worded expression of faith, no baptism, no works, no apparent fruit in that moment.

Yet, the thief was saved.

All of our theology has to square with this fact.

I draw many things from it but the one that’s heaviest on my heart right now is grace.

What’s displayed gloriously in the interaction between Jesus and the dying thief is grace.

Not grace in the sense of leniency or merely benevolence, but grace in the sense of the sovereign, unmerited, unassisted work of God.

God does it all.

The thief was mocking Jesus along with the crowd that was crucifying Jesus and him! But, at some point something changed.

I believe what Jesus described to Nicodemus in John 3:8 happened here,
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

I believe the Holy Spirit gave the thief ears to hear and eyes to see and at that moment he was allowed to see Who was hanging next to him.

Above Jesus’s head was written, “King of the Jews” (John 19:21) but the thief was allowed to see that He was not just an earthly king, He was the King of a Kingdom not of this world –a kingdom where the thief wanted to be.

“Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.'” -Luke 23:42

And Jesus responds,
“Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
-Luke 23:43

God does it all.

We like the thief are dying.

Sin is the disease that’s killing us.

We were without hope until Hope was revealed –hope established before the world was.

God had the Cure.
He promised the Cure.
He showed us the formula of the Cure (but even with that we could not grasp it).
He gave us the ability to receive (perceive) the Cure.
He gave us the Cure.
He is the Cure.
He heals us through the Cure.
The Cure is Jesus Christ.

Grace.

All the thief did was not reject it.

I feel led to take a moment and ask why would he [reject it]? At this point he has nothing to lose.

God had to bring me to such a point –of utter brokenness and despair where I had nothing else to lose. Very often it’s comfort, wealth or even just sufficiency -life being “good enough”, that’s deceiving us, holding us back and that causes us to fail to see our desperate need for Jesus.

I implore you, don’t be proud like I was, I would spare you that pain!

Humble yourself and seek the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God has come in the person of Jesus Christ. Seek the Lord while He may be found!

With a humble heart, petition the Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see and ears to hear as He’s done for the thief on the cross.

Look upon Jesus, hear Him through the Word, believe and be saved.

Grace.

God does it all.

All the thief did was not reject it.

The clarifying message of the salvation of the thief on the cross was that God does it all. Salvation is a gift that we simply receive –a gift that is imparted when we accept Jesus as He really is, just as the thief on the cross saw Him.

Dear brother, formerly called the thief on the cross, what did you see?

“I am a sinner, justly condemned (Luke 23:40-41), but this man is what is spoken of Him even though I may not know what that fully means: the Christ, King of The Jews (Luke 23:35-39), a King of a Kingdom that is not of this world –a kingdom where I want to be, He is One who will live again and who can make me live again (Luke 23:42).”

I love a commentary by Pastor Alistair Begg on the matter: “The thief enters heaven and he is asked about how he got there and what he knows about this doctrine or that and the thief replies, ‘All I know is that the Man on the middle cross said I could come.'”

Hallelujah!

The thief did everything that is necessary to be saved: He did not reject the grace God made available through Jesus Christ.

Right now, Jesus Christ, the grace and salvation of God, is being presented to you.

All you have to do is not reject it.

Accept it. Believe Jesus. Be saved.

I conclude with a caution: the thief did all that was necessary to be saved and enter life, yet their is so much more to be had. He was like a baby that was born but who’s earthly body was immediately aborted.

Yes, by all means, enter life BUT DON’T STOP THERE.

There is more life to be had.

Let us who live also continue on to maturity, enjoying and exercising the grace of God to His glory for all of our days.

Don’t live a minimal life.

Enter by grace.
Continue in grace.
Grow in grace.

Amazing Grace.

#grace #resurrection #ressurectionsunday

Believe Jesus All The Way

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Believe Jesus All The Way

It was good to fellowship this past Resurrection Sunday with the beautiful people of Sand Creek Chapel Church.

Their Pastor Abdural Lee preached on a powerful interaction from John 11:25-26 where Martha says to Jesus,

“If You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

And Jesus responds,

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”

“Do you believe this?”

Pastor Lee shared an illustration of him being a barber.

People have seen Pastor Lee cut hair, so they come to him trusting that he can cut their hair.

But, they don’t trust him to fix their car because they’ve never seen him do that type of work.

Pastor Lee uses this to illustrate how Martha trusted Jesus to heal her brother because she’s known Him to heal. “But,” as Pastor Lee says, “she’s never seen Jesus raise anyone from the dead.”

At this point Pastor Lee asserts what Jesus asserts that He “is the resurrection and the life” and then poses the same question that Jesus poses to Martha from verse 26,

“Do you believe this?” [that Jesus is the resurrection and the life]

From there Pastor Lee prompted us to assess to what extent we trust Jesus and then challenged us to “trust Jesus all the way”.

There are things Jesus has said He will do even beyond the resurrection that we’ve never seen and may not see in our lifetime.

We cannot receive what Jesus offers unless we trust Jesus all the way.

I’ve written before that salvation requires pinhole accuracy. Only Jesus can do it. Only Jesus can get you there. Jesus alone is The Way.

The world offers many paths, many doors, many versions of Jesus even, but Jesus is THE Door. And, there is a very specific Jesus we must go through.

It’s the Door that you only find by believing Jesus all the way, only by the full embrace of believing the most unbelievable event in human history –the resurrection: that Jesus was the only begotten Son of God given by God to die for our sins and He was raised from the dead “with all power” (Matthew 28:18).

Only by believing Jesus all the way can we receive what He offers: salvation, fellowship with God and resurrection.

Believe Jesus. All the way.

Thank you Pastor Abdural Lee.

#resurrection #ressurectionsunday

One More

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - One More

Something that struck me today as we were reflecting on the last utterances of Jesus from the cross…

There’s no indication that the Man had eaten.

He’s likely dizzy from the blood loss of the scourging alone. ¹

He struggles to carry the implement of His torture, weighing upwards of 175 lbs (79kg), for more than 650 yards (600m). ²

When He finally gets to the hill, He’s rewarded with nails driven through His flesh to fix Him to the cross. ³

He’s struggling to breath from the asphyxiation the cross was designed to produce.

He’s being humiliated, openly mocked even by both of the thieves He’s being crucified between. ⁴

But somewhere along the way, one thief has a change of heart. ⁵

Bloodied, beaten and dying, what does our Lord think?

One more.

Hallelujah.

In His state, Jesus makes the time for a thief, a “convicted felon” as someone put it today, to accept his repentance and to assure his salvation because the condemned man simply believed Jesus was a King not of this world. (Luke 23:39)

Jesus makes time for him in the midst of all He was going through to minister to him and say, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” ⁶

To His dying breath, Jesus used every ounce of strength He had to do His Father’s will.

This illuminates John 13:1,
“[…] Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” -John 13:1

He loved them to end with everything that He had -love that reconciled them to the Father.

That’s the standard.

This is a Perfect Picture of what it looks like to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ⁷

My Lord and My God.

What excuse do I possibly have for not loving to the very end, especially since I “have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin”?! (Hebrews 12:4)

The calling is indeed high. So, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12)

When I am tired, hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and beat down ⁸, by His grace I aim to be like my Savior and think, “One more.”

¹ Matthew 27:26, John 19:1
² Matthew 27:29
³ John 20:25
⁴ Matthew 27:44
⁵ Luke 23:38-42
⁶ Luke 23:43
⁷ Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:29-31
⁸ 2 Corinthians 4:7

Our Dream

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Our Dream

Arguably, there is no institution more vital to the growth of God’s Kingdom than marriage and the family.

My wife and I have a burden for marriage and family.

One of our dreams and lifelong goals is to build a multi-tenant space like a farm with multiple cabins or cottages where we can host couples and families for rest, redemption and renewal, or to shelter people in need and help them get on their feet.

This we will do if the Lord permits. Please pray for us.

#perfectourlove #marriageranch

52 Weeks of Gratefulness #14 – A Special Day

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks of Gratefulness #14 – A Special Day
Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks of Gratefulness #14 – A Special Day
Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks of Gratefulness #14 – A Special Day
Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks of Gratefulness #14 – A Special Day

In Week 14 of 52 Weeks of gratefulness I give thanks for a day.

On this particular day I start my day at 6:30 AM at a bible study being held in the equipment bay of a local construction company. I’m there because I was invited by a brother that I had met at a men’s lunch held at New Horizons because I was invited by another brother who I met because… and it goes on and on.

Then, at 7:45 AM I join a men’s prayer group for our schools that I became a part of because a brother that I met at… I’m sure you’re detecting a pattern.

I could go on and on about the various functions I’ve participated in with these men. I’ve done bible studies with these men. I’ve preached with these men. I’ve volunteered, worked, sweated and bled beside these men. But, today hit me differently.

Earlier this morning, Good Friday, April 07, 2023, I participated in an event called the Stations of The Cross, jointly observed by Catholics, Protestants and people of every denominational stripes where we walked through town carrying a cross to symbolize the Via Dolorosa or Way of Sorrow.

The weather was perfect for it, overcast, gloomy and raining.

It concluded powerfully with these closing words,

“Lord Jesus Christ, your passion and death is the sacrifice that unites earth and heaven and reconciles all people to you. May we who have faithfully reflected on these mysteries follow in your steps and so come to share your glory in heaven where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Then we sat quietly solemn, the cross in the backdrop, the silence only broken by the ongoing but irregular sound of heavy rain drops upon the earth and on our heads -like tears from heaven.

Then this afternoon, I attended the Seven Last Sayings of Jesus at Mt. Peiler Missionary Baptist Church. There were congregants from different churches all across our city, as pastors and ministers from these varying fellowships expounded on the last words our Savior uttered while on the cross.

Many of these preachers were brought together because of the events and initiatives that I mentioned earlier. We sang together. We worshipped together. And, because of these men, people from their different churches were brought together too.

My point is this: what started as simply coming together for a meal or for prayer for our schools has resulted in us increasing our presence in each others lives.

God is doing something.

And, we’re just getting started.

My heart burns.

So, I’m thankful for a day that made all that possible. That day was the cross.

“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:19–20.

I’m grateful. #52WoG

Perfect Our Love Triangle

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Perfect Our Love Triangle

A weapon is not any good if you don’t know how to use it.

I’ve previously shared what I refer to as the Perfect Our Love Triangle.

It emphasizes the Father’s love for us and Jesus’s love for the Father which results in Jesus’ love for us.

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” -John 15:9

The aim is to be conformed to Jesus’ image and reflect His example by focusing on God’s love for us that allows us to love God with all our heart, mind and soul, which results in us loving others -who God loves in the way that He loves.

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” -1 John 4:10-11

How did God love us?

He spared no expense, to the extent of willingly suffering, being humiliated and allowing us to kill Him, for the purposes of saving us from what’s hurting us, to remove everything that’s separating us (which is the same as what’s hurting us -sin)and reconcile us to Himself that we may be together and have life abundantly and safely in Him.

I heard a great quote last night from Dr. Andy Brown, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Starkville,

“Jesus loved lavishly in so many ways. The cross is the greatest, most unimaginable expression of love we’ve ever seen. But, He would have gone farther.”

And, God does.

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” -Romans 8:32

So, how am I to love others?

To focus on God’s love for me, to stand firmly in the love of God by loving Him with everything I am and have, and to spare no expense to draw others into that love, seeking to destroy everything that is between me and them, that we may be together and have life abundantly and safely in Him.

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” -Ephesians 5:1–2

When do I use this?

The Sunday School answer is “always” and that is correct but what does that look like practically in real life.

I take instruction from a recent fight with my wife. A useful cue is anger.

Whenever, I feel anger or an unpleasant emotion toward someone, it should trigger remembrance of this triangle.

First, remebering God’s love for me in that Jesus has paid for all sin -not for mine only but for the whole world (1 John 2:2).

I don’t (and shouldn’t) have to make them pay (Matthew 18:21-25).

That switches my approach from debt collection to compassion, and instead of dealing with someone on the basis of what I believe I’m owed, I can deal with them on the basis of what I can give which is admonishment and edification about how we can more effectively walk together in a way that does not cause offense and that produces more love.

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” -Ephesians 4:32.

I honestly didn’t mean it to be -God’s timing, but as we celebrate the Passion of Christ on this Good Friday, this is the message of the cross, God’s unsearchable love for us, Jesus’ perfect demonstration of that love and the high calling for us who believe to take up our cross and follow Him.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16.

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” -John 15:9

“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'” -Luke 9:23.

#perfectourlove