In his book, The Call: The Life and Message of The Apostle Paul, Adam Hamilton writes, “It could reasonably be argued that no other human, apart form Jesus himself, has had a greater impact on the world than Paul of Tarsus.” Paul, also known as Saul, described himself in this way, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus…Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law” of the Jews (Acts 22:3 NIV). “I persecuted the followers of the Way (Christians) to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison” (Acts 22:4 NIV). On one occasion, Saul obtained letters from the Jewish High Council to arrest Jesus’ followers in Damascus so that the movement of Christianity did not spread further into the Roman Empire (Acts 22:5). While on the road traveling to Damascus, Saul was overwhelmed when “a bright light from heaven flashed around” him, so he “fell to the ground and” heard “a voice” (Acts 22:6-7 NIV). It was the voice of Jesus. During their conversation, Jesus told Saul to “go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do” (Acts 22:10 NIV).

 

Saul became temporarily blinded by the light of Christ on the road to Damascus. His traveling companions had to take him by the hand to continue their journey to the city. After three days of being unable to see while in Damascus, a devoted man of faith named Ananias was sent by God to Saul to restore his sight and share this message, “Brother Saul, receive your sight…The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard…Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away…” (Acts 22:13-16 NIV).

 

As Ananias’ message to Saul revealed that he had been chosen by God. The Lord has chosen us as well. Through his Son and the Holy Spirit, our heavenly Father reveals his will. Saul was blinded by the light of Christ on the road to Damascus. Where do you see the light of Christ shining in the world today? Saul was sent into the Roman Empire as a witness of what he saw and heard. Jesus sends us into the world each day to be his witnesses here and now. Christ said, “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a NIV).

If you wanted to plant and grow corn, you would need to prepare the soil.

Good soil, rain water, and sunshine would enable the corn you planted to grow, thrive, and eventually become mature and fruitful. For children, teens, and adults to grow, mature, and become fruitful disciples of Jesus, we need hearts that are prepared to receive the seeds of truth about the Kingdom of God and the king of creation, Jesus. We need to “get rid of all evil behavior” much like we would remove stones within the soil to prepare it for planting (1 Peter 2:1 NLT). We need to grow in the “knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18 NIV). We need to long for the Lord and remain in him and his love, because we cannot “bear fruit unless” we remain in Jesus (1 Peter 2:2 & John 15:4 NIV). We need to follow Jesus’ example and continue the work he did (John 14:12). We’ll know we are growing as our knowledge of our Savior deepens, our longing for the Lord increases, and our lives are becoming more and more like Jesus’ through our thoughts, words, and deeds.

 

The apostle Paul teaches us that we are to grow “in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (Ephesians 4:15 NLT). Together, we grow “as each part” of the church “does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16b NLT). Imagine if ALL the people of Avon UMC were each doing their special work as the Holy Spirit enables us, as well as each believer was seeking to grow in their knowledge of Christ, there was an increasing longing for the Lord within us all, and the entire congregation was full of the love of God. It may seem impossible, but Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works” (John 14:12 NLT). The “works” of Christ, and the “even greater works,” are the fruit of a people remaining in Jesus and together growing more like him in every way.

Within his incredible God-given vision and encounter with the Lord, Isaiah shared that the Holy One was seated on a throne as the King of creation. While in the presence of the holy and Almighty Lord, Isaiah knew that he was a sinner, “a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5 NIV). Like Isaiah, have you experienced that the closer you get to the Lord, the more aware you are of your sins? During Isaiah’s time with God, the Lord took away his guilt and his sins “were atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7 NIV). Through Jesus Christ our guilt has been taken away as well, and our sins were atoned for upon the cross. Praise the Lord!

 

During Isaiah’s experience described in Chapter 6, he heard the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us” (Isaiah 6:8 NIV)? The prophet replied to God by being willing to go and speak his message to the Lord’s people. Are you willing to go and share the message about Jesus Christ with others today? Just as God sent Isaiah, Jesus sent his disciples when he said, “go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV). If you trust in Jesus as your Savior and submit to him as your Lord, he is sending you as a disciple here and now. Go to everyone God sends you to and say whatever He commands you (Jeremiah 1:7)!

On the day of Pentecost the Spirit of God came like a mighty wind and the believers “were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:3 ESV). A crowd of thousands of people in Jerusalem were “amazed and perplexed” by what they experienced that day. Peter quickly addressed the crowd and informed them that the resurrected Jesus had sent the Spirit of God, just as he had promised. The response to Peter’s message was a question, “what should we do?” (Acts 2:37 TLB). Their question applies to each of us no matter if we are a believer or not. What should we do? If you have not placed your faith in Jesus Christ, what should you do? Peter instructed the crowd of thousands of people in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost to “repent and be baptized…for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 NIV).

 

If you already are a believer and you’ve been baptized, remember what Jesus told the disciples in Acts 1:8. We are witnesses of the resurrection power of God transforming lives, including our own. Jesus has sent us to go make disciples and be his witnesses in our homes, community, central Indiana, and throughout the world. Jesus promised that the Spirit is with us forever, helping us to proclaim the Good News and empowering us to live as the united body of Christ, a royal priesthood, and a church family (John 14:16, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 12:27, 1 Peter 2:9, 5:9).

During the Living Consistent with Christ series we have been reminded by Henri Nouwen that Jesus liberates, he is compassionate as the God who suffers with us, he humbly chose the descending way, and the God of love revealed in Christ challenges us to love our enemies. This week, we see Jesus pointing us towards the little things that over time enable us to consistently love God, self, and others as Christ has and does. These little things can be described as faith practices, spiritual disciplines, or holy habits.

 

When an expert in the Jewish laws asked Jesus which of the 613 commandments in the Torah is the greatest commandment, Christ replied, “the first and greatest commandment” is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV). In Letters to Marc, Henri Nouwen explains that, “The more you learn to love God, the more you learn to know and to cherish yourself. Self-knowledge and self-love are the fruit of knowing and loving God.” We learn to love God through the little things, such as spending the first day of the week seeking to be with the Lord and his people. We learn to love God through focusing our thoughts and desires upon God first each day through daily devotionals, scripture reading, spiritual reading, and prayer. We learn to love God by setting aside the first portions of our income for him to guide our hearts to submit to Christ. We learn to love God through ongoing gratitude as we thank and praise him daily.

 

Jesus went on to tell the expert of the Jewish laws that there is a second commandment that “is equally important” as the first one (Matthew 22:39 NLT). The second commandment is, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39 NLT). In regards to this second commandment that is equal in importance with the first one, Henri Nouwen wrote, “Laying our hearts totally open to God leads to a love of ourselves that enables us to give whole-hearted love to our fellow human beings.” Is your heart open to God? If not, how will you receive the love he offers you? If your heart isn’t open to God, how can you love yourself in a way that overflows into love for others like Christ loves us? Receive God’s love and remain in it. Utilize habits to put God first as your ongoing expression of love for him, and follow Jesus’ example for loving your neighbor…beginning with the people closest to you. As you do this you fulfill the will of the God of love.

Henri Nouwen shared in Letters to Marc About Jesus that, “I sometimes get the impression that our prisons are crammed full of people who couldn’t express their need to be loved except by flailing about furiously and hurting others…Whether we do violence to others or to ourselves, what we long for in our heart is a nonviolent, peaceful communion in which we know ourselves to be secure and loved.” When people are the most unlovable is when they need the most love. Henri also wrote, “Jesus is the revelation of God’s unending, unconditional love for us human beings. Everything that Jesus had done, said, and undergone is meant to show us that the love we most long for is given to us by God.” The apostle Paul shared this statement about God’s love, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NIV).

 

God loves everyone. He loves those who reciprocate his love, those who ignore him and his love, as well as those who deny Christ or persecute Jesus’ followers. Many people who are not Christians within the world and our community seem to be able to express love in limited ways with those who love them. Yet Christ taught and commanded his followers to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44 NIV). In his book, Henri wrote, “If you wish to learn the love of God, you have to begin by praying for your enemies.” When is the last time you prayed for an enemy? The journey towards loving our enemies begins with prayer. It you don’t pray for your enemies, today is the perfect day to start!

Are you actively striving to climb the ladder of success? Henri Nouwen reminds us in Letters to Marc About Jesus, that “Jesus chose the descending way.” Henri also wrote, “Even though Jesus was without sin, he began his public life by joining the ranks of sinners who were being baptized by John in the Jordan.” The beginning of Jesus’ ministry reveals part of his descent, but to understand the full descent, we must study his crucifixion. The apostle Paul explains this descending way of humility within the life of Jesus in his letter to the Christians in Philippi:

Though he was God,

he did not think of equality with God

as something to cling to.

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

he took the humble position of a slave

and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form,

he humbled himself in obedience to God

and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

– Philippians 2:6-8 NLT

 

Are you willing to give up your privileges for the benefit of others? Christ did. Are you willing to humbly serve others? Jesus did. Are you willing to humbly obey God even if that means denying your own will and desires? Christ did. Are you willing to lose your life for Jesus Christ? He willingly died for you.

 

The apostle Paul instructs us that we “must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:5 NLT). When our attitude becomes the same as Christ, we’ll be able to follow Jesus’ example and “give up” our privileges, or leverage them, for the benefit of others, position ourselves as the servants of God who serve others no matter who they are, and become obedient to Christ by sacrificing our own will and desires as the Spirit of the living God leads us to live the virtue of humility.

 

Throughout 2021, you are invited to focus on living with Jesus at the center of your life. To help us with Living Consistent with Christ, we are continuing our new message series connected to Henri Nouwen’s book, Letters to Marc About Jesus. This weekly Your Faith Journey devotional is connected with the series worship service messages and some of the content of Henri’s book.

Henri Nouwen explains in his third letter within the book, Letters to Marc About Jesus: Living a Spiritual Life in a Material World, that “God sent Jesus to make free persons of us. He has chosen compassion as the way to freedom.” In regards to compassion, Henri writes, “compassion…is taking part in the suffering of others, being totally a fellow-human-being in suffering.” And it is in the midst of our suffering where we find Jesus. Nouwen points out that “Jesus is God who-suffers-with-us.”

 

To live the virtue of compassion as Jesus’ followers, just as Christ lived it, requires seeing those who are suffering, listening when others are crying out, being present in the midst of the pain people are enduring, and bearing the burden alongside the sufferers. Living the virtue of compassion means denying ourselves when we are tempted to close our eyes and ears so that our lives are sheltered from the suffering of others, taking up the cross of suffering alongside our fellow human beings, and following Jesus as he leads us through the darkest valleys of life (Mark 8:34-35). For many of us, we have spent far too long avoiding the virtue of compassion because we prefer to avoid pain. Yet, according to Henri, “when you come to see Jesus more and more as the compassionate God, you will begin increasingly to see your own life as one in which you yourself want to express that divine compassion. What can happen then is that you feel a deep longing grow within you to make your own life a life for others.”

 

Throughout 2021, you are invited to focus on living with Jesus at the center of your life. To help us with Living Consistent with Christ, we are continuing our new message series connected to Henri Nouwen’s book, Letters to Marc About Jesus. This weekly Your Faith Journey devotional is connected with the series worship service messages and some of the content of Henri’s book.

In his second letter to Christians in Corinth, the apostle Paul wrote, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV). God’s Spirit sets us free. Are you free or do you feel enslaved? Henri Nouwen explained to his nephew, Marc, in his second letter within the book, Letters to Marc About Jesus: Living a Spiritual Life in a Material World, that we are free in Christ “to forgive others, to serve them, and to form a new bond of fellowship with them,” as well as “to love and to work for a free world.” Do you feel the freedom to forgive, serve, form new bonds of fellowship, love, and work for the benefit of the people of the world? If the Holy Spirit is in you, you are free!

As Jesus’ ministry was beginning, he read the following passages from the prophet Isaiah to reveal things about himself, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free” (Luke 4:18 NLT). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Holy Spirit releases captives and sets the oppressed free.

Throughout 2021 you are invited to focus on living with Jesus at the center of your life. Allow the Holy Spirit to set you free in a way that only God can. To help us with ongoing Christ Consistency, we are continuing our new message series connected to Henri Nouwen’s book, Letters to Marc About Jesus. This weekly Your Faith Journey devotional will connect with the series worship service messages and some of the content of Henri’s book.

In the 1500s, God enabled Nicolaus Copernicus to conclude through his studies of astronomy and mathematics that the earth revolves around the sun. Until Copernicus, it was believed by most people that the sun and other planets revolved around the earth. Copernicus’ conclusion was a radical revolution in thought and understanding within the world at the time.

 

What does your life revolve around? Who or what is at the center? In his book, Letters to Marc About Jesus: Living a Spiritual Life in a Material World, author and pastor, Henri Nouwen shares that, “my personal relationship with Jesus is the heart of my existence.” In his first letter within the book, he shares with his nephew Marc, “If you were to ask me point-blank, ‘What does it mean to you to live spiritually?’ I would have to reply, ‘Living with Jesus at the center.’” Are you living with Jesus at the center of your life?

 

Throughout 2021 you are invited to focus on living with Jesus at the center of your thoughts, will, emotions, and actions. To help us with ongoing Christ Consistency, we are embarking upon a new message series connected to Henri Nouwen’s book, Letters to Marc About Jesus. This weekly Your Faith Journey devotional will connect with the series worship service messages and some of the content of Henri’s book.

 

*If you would like to read the book Letters to Marc About Jesus during our series, you can purchase it through Amazon.com, ChristianBook.com, or Cokesbury.com.