Colossians 1:15-20 is one of the earliest pieces of Christian writings known to date (written around 55 A.D), but it's also considered by scholars to be an even earlier hymn. This earliest of Christian writings places Jesus at the very centre of all things and above all things in authority. It follows that knowing Jesus intimately is the the ultimate point of life, and gives meaning to all of life! Good metaphors can help us express and unpack deep meaning, and the deep parts of our being, which usually defy language. Take the phrase weight of the world on her shoulders. Does she really have the weight of the world on her shoulders? How much does the world weigh? How would you know if you had that much weight on your shoulders? And if you did have it on your shoulders, then where would you stand, because the thing that you normally stand on wouldn’t be there because it would be on your shoulders? I draw this out because this phrase about the weight of the world is true even though it isn’t literally true. It’s more than literally true. "Our elders are the history we still have with us, adults are the pillars that carry society, and youth are the fresh voice of the next generation" - An MCS Student "God specializes in doing amazing things through people the rest of the world has forgotten. No matter how lonely, broken or far-gone you think you are, God's business is in repairing broken hearts and making all things right" - Shauna Niequest Everyone deserves to have their voice really, truly, honestly heard. But this also means that everyone needs to allow themselves to be corrected from time to time. "We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us." 1 John 3:16 "How you believe and what you believe are two different things. Two people can believe the same thing (or the same information) about God, yet they may hold their belief in very different ways - one destructively and one constructively." To know the difference is to ask: Does the way I hold my beliefs lead me to increasingly give the love, grace and peace I have been given in Jesus to others? Luke 10:27-37 When things go wrong; when we're down on our luck; when it seems like nobody is listening; when it feels like there is no way out, remember: Why Does Love never fail? Because love is not just another attribute of God among many, Love is the very essence of God (1 John 4:8). "All the rusted signs we ignore throughout our lives Choosing the shiny ones instead, I've turned my back, now is there no turning back? No matter how cold the winter, there's a springtime ahead I'm thumbing my way back to heaven" There's a certain kind of despair that sets in when we live as though things were better back then, so we're stuck back there, and we're not fully present. When we're still holding on to how things were, our arms aren't free to embrace today. So if you are waiting until tomorrow to live the life God has for you, tomorrow will come but it will be yesterday, and you'll have missed it. You can tell where the Kingdom of God is present, because it always looks like Jesus. The moment you're ready to quit is usually the moment right before a miracle happens. Don't give up! - Unknown ------------------------------- I am a Christ-follower, and though I fail regularly, and am keenly aware that I fall completely and utterly short of even the most menial moral standard, I know that I'm forgiven and loved; being made new and made whole day in and day out, for ever and ever. Amen. We can't be reminded enough about this: God LOVES you like crazy! Remember that when it seems like no one else does. Romans 8:37-41, Galatians 2:20 ------------------------------------- God Doesn't Show up --We do. God's been there the whole time. Genesis 28:16, John 5:17 Humbly Search for Meaning What we say is important and what we mean by what we say is just as important. Still, it's impossible for two people to properly communicate if the meaning of what one says is lost on the other. So, in our increasingly divided, polarized culture, our willingness to hear out and actually work through the perspectives of others (especially those with whom we disagree) is actually one of the most Christ-like things we can do. ---------------------------------------- How to Interpret Metaphors The image that a metaphor brings to mind is not the meaning of the metaphor. The meaning of a metaphor (or any figurative speech) is found in how it relates to the rest of the story, poem, or context it is found within. - Mr. Mc ---------------------------------------- Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.
C. S. Lewis Mere Christianity ------------------------------------ ----------------------------------- Jesus' willingness to die on the cross (and the fact that he carried it through) must be at the core of our understanding of who God is, because God and Jesus are one in the same. ----------------------------------- You are free in Christ. You are redeemed in Christ. You are righteous in Christ. You are renewed in Christ. You are no long a slave to anything in Christ. Anything, any idea, or anyone that tells you or convinces you otherwise is not in tune with reality. KINGDOM “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10 God's kingdom and reign on earth as it is in heaven is not about Christians separating and segragating ourselves from the world. Rather, God's kingdom is crashing in on the world, with renewing and restoring justice, peace, joy and faith. This kind of kingdom transforms how we interact with everyone - and how we engage the world around us; not with hostility and fear, but with truth and love through the power of the Holy Spirit of Jesus in us. |