1 Peter: Foreigners and Aliens

I’m a home-body.

While I love to serve churches, and that service takes me to the air and the road, I find myself counting the days until I am back home where I belong. It can be exciting to be in a new place, and experience new things, and meet new people, but I am always glad to be back at home.

And, it goes even deeper than that. Even though my first home – on Rural Route No. 5 / Brookwood Road – has been swamped by metropolitan Atlanta, and the majority of my kinfolk are dead and gone, I still find myself pulled to Brookwood Road when I visit "home." I park alongside the road and my mind returns to my childhood days and the memories of life on the farm. I often park at the old church cemetery.

Home. It’s where I can be completely and authentically me, where I’m surrounded by people who unconditionally love me, and where I can control the clatter of the world.

And, yet, it’s really an illusion.

There is not one mailbox, street, house, city, state, country – nothing – about this world that is truly my Home. In fact, everything of this world is temporary. My Home – the Home of every believer – is with God, who reigns in heaven and will one day bring His Kingdom to triumph over this world.

The words of the apostle Peter can be overlooked and discounted easily. In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter writes, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”
             
You and I are born into this world with the world as our Home. As Jesus calls us to follow Him, and as we respond, we abandon this world and understand that our Home is somewhere else – somewhere not of this world. Somewhere supernatural to this world. We are aliens and strangers here. We’re not “like” aliens and strangers – we are aliens and strangers.

And, the closer I personally draw to Jesus, the more I understand that. Like I’m living in a foreign culture, things of this world just make less and less sense to me. Self-centeredness, pitiful and pathetic attitudes, mean-spirited people, chaos and confusion, and values that are counter to Scripture – more and more my life here on Earth feels foreign to where I actually belong.

Have you ever heard it said of someone who just died, ‘Daddy told us he was just ready to go home.’ Many people, confined to their death beds, get a glimpse of Home, I'm convinced. And, they can't wait to get there. I know that feeling. As I conclude my service with a church, I can't wait to get to the airport and get home. For believers, Home - that place with God - calls us because of the peace, love and joy that will surround us.

 Peter is writing this passage to his friends, to like-minded followers of Jesus, reminding them and us that this world is not our home. And, he warns us that while we are here on this Earth, "sinful desires" will war against our soul. As much as I want to say "my eye is on the eternal prize and things of this Earth don't matter to me," the world calls me to focus on it and its problems and its confusion. And, as I do that - my shoulders slump and I become weary. Because this is not my home, and yet this place wars against my soul. And, this sinful and worldly culture is going to brush against us and we are each going to fall to its temptation. We must take precautions to control environments that trigger sinful desires, which lead to sinful actions. And, by sinful action, I mean anything that distracts our focus from the unbiased love of God and the unbiased love of others.

• I’m an impulse-shopper. If I wander into Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Advanced Auto or Lowe’s, and I have time on my hands, I roam around, and I spend money on crap. I walk out of these stores having spend 2x, 3x, 4x what I originally intended. The money is gone. The time is gone. And, now the full depth of my ability to give is affected by my desire to serve me rather than serve others. So, I stay away from those stores, or I go with Vicki because she is much more logical than I am.
• Vicki and I once loved to watch the prime time sit-coms together. But, now, it seems every episode of every show pushes the envelope of sexual exploitation. I’m not a puritan; I never have been. I'm not easily offended. But, I've had to change my television viewing habits. I watch a lot of Turner Classic Movies and the Encore Western Channel, and I remove myself from the sit-com environment that Satan might use to plant thoughts that might become action.
• You know that I am an advocate of Christian hospitality. Nothing thrills me more than seeing Christians open their homes to people with whom they can build deeper relationship. And, the more authentic the home the better. I want to go visit people who focus more on the hospitality than they do on the cleaning. I’d rather go see people I love who have forgotten to put up the laundry than go to see people who are want to impress me. In fact, I have to stay away from the pretentious people – no matter whether there home is big or small, new or old. It’s easy for me to fall into “comparative living” – what you have v. what I have. Satan uses comparative thinking to destroy people from the inside out. He rages against our soul by whispering that we have failed, not lived up to expectations, and are not worthy. To avoid giving Satan that foot-hold, I am cautious about the environments I visit.

Those of us who are followers of Jesus must have a personal accounting of our weak spots, and then stay away from those weak spots – even if it means altering friendships, altering workplaces, altering recreation, and altering our thinking. We are strangers in this world – as we grow closer to Jesus, the world should make less and less sense to us, and by contrast, we should draw closer to the things of faith – prayer, Scripture and being with like-minded believers for support.

But, Scott, this sounds reclusive. I mean if I completely withdraw from the world, that pulls me away from people who need Jesus, and therefore limits the people I can tell about Jesus. Right?

Yes, staying away from some environments will certainly remove us from some people, but Peter comes back in verse 12 with the solution. He writes, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong (being better than them), they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

You see, in verse 11, Peter says that we should have our inner lives under control so that, in verse 12, our outer lives honor the god we claim to love through Jesus. A person's following of Jesus is going to evidenced by the good they do for others.

I can avoid the environments that might cause me to compromise my witness, but still live completely in the world, be kind and considerate, put others ahead of self, avoid whining, and expect nothing in return.Worldly people won’t understand that, but good and authentic lives will convict them of selfishness and some will be converted to follow Jesus. That's right. Leading upright lives will draw some to Jesus without a word being spoken.

I was scared straight as a boy. I did not drink at all in high school or college. In fact, I was the often the designated driver. Those looking for an excuse for bad behavior criticized me, and said my motives were condescending. But, I maintained a lifestyle of being active in my church, serving others through school clubs, working hard and be faithful to my employers, and encouraging people that I knew. Many, I know for a fact, were influenced positively, and found their way to faith conversations.

Peter is writing that it's not an either / or, but a both. We must avoid the weak spots that might cause us to stumble, and we must be about doing good for others because we love Jesus. This one-two punch will put us in positions to tell some about Jesus, and to reflect the Jesus that we claim to love. People will be convicted by both. And, we will have done our work in a foreign land toward looking ahead to our true Home.

A litmus test for your walk in faith is how alien the world and its value system begins to feel to you. If you are comfortable in the world, or if you are justifying bad behavior as a means as an opportunity to witness, my friends, your faith life is either non-existent or it is completely stagnant. You and I can't serve two masters. You and I will never live perfect, sin-free lives on this Earth, but we can lean on the Holy Spirit to remove temptation from us. Protect yourself by avoiding the environments that might give Satan leverage over your witness to others. Protect your witness. Build relationship with as many people as you can by doing as much good for others as you can. And, through those relationships, be candid about your life and authentic about your love for Jesus.

Home really is where the heart is, and I am a stranger and alien in this world.

The simplicity of the Gospel

By Monty Hope

No matter our Myers-Briggs profiles, there are only two types of people in our class today.  There were those who know Jesus as their personal savior and those who do not.  Those who have accepted Jesus need to hear the simplicity of the Gospel often.  If not, we will let Jesus slip from the center of our life and replace Him with ourselves.  For those who have not accepted Jesus, they yearn for His peace, love, and salvation.  The Gospel is a must for both groups.  We should not complicate it.  Jesus made it simple and we must keep it that way.

First, there is the life of Jesus.  He is our example.  As he said:

• John 13:15 “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
• Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

We need a role model to live by.  Jesus’s life was that model.  He was a humble servant.  He placed himself behind others.  He led a sinless, spotless life.  All other role models are flawed in comparison to Him.  How could we ever hope to emulate this model?

Good news, we do not have to live up to His example.  There is every expectation from Jesus and God that we should, but we are flawed.  Praise be to God, Jesus knew we could not live up to his example so He gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins.  He died for our salvation.

• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

After we accept Jesus as our savior, our holy God can commune with us.  When he sees us, he sees us through lenses covered with the blood of His son.  Through these lenses, we are seen as pure as Jesus.

The role model through Jesus’ life and the salvation through Jesus’ death are more than enough in terms of the Gospel.  We are blessed that there is more.  Death was not the end.  The third simple component of the Gospel is the resurrection of Jesus.

• Mark 16:6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

We are a weak race; a frail people.  We need hope.  Jesus resurrection from the tomb is this hope.  In fact, it is more than hope.  It is the assurance that when we trust in Him as our Savior, death is not our end.  We will live with Him in eternity.

So there it is; the simplicity of the Gospel.  Remember Jesus’ life through the manger; humble, pure, spotless.  Remember Jesus’ death through the cross; atoning blood spilled for our salvation.  Remember Jesus’ resurrection through the empty tomb; the assurance that we too can conquer death through Him.  If you were part of the group today who know Him as your savior, keep the simplicity of the Gospel at the center of your being.  If you were part of the group today who has not accepted Jesus as your savior, DO SO NOW!  Accept the simplicity of His plan.  Be assured of your fate.

Beware of thieves

By James Berry
My Mamaw Calla (my mother’s mom), was a very special woman.  She endured many struggles and hardships in her life.  The “crossroads” crisis that still impacts our family to this day happened when her youngest daughter, Kathy, was killed by a school bus in front of their Sumter, SC home at the age of 10.  

I’ve heard the story many times of how Mamaw rode in the backseat of the car with Kathy’s head in her lap all the way to the hospital. My mom still speaks of the blood stain in the road that was a constant reminder for many years. My grandparents took two different paths to dealing with this loss. My grandfather put all of his energy into his work as a farmer and insurance agent.  He basically pretended that it never happened and did not grieve at all.  Mamaw grieved for her daughter, and struggled with depression and emotional problems to the point that she eventually needed to be hospitalized for a period of time. While my grandmother was hospitalized, my Grandfather developed a relationship with another woman and my grandparents were eventually divorced.  My grandfather basically took everything and left Mamaw with nothing.

Mamaw moved back to Kentucky and lived with family there until she fell in love with a man named Bob and remarried.  Mamaw and Bob were so happy together and I remember sitting in their apartment listening to Cincinnati Reds games with “Papa Bob” during visits there.  During this time, she witnessed the death of her oldest daughter to cancer at the young age of 33.  Bob was so supportive through this difficult time. He was a great guy and they were so happy together until Bob’s teenage son and a few friends who were high on heroin broke into the house one night. They beat my grandmother with a baseball bat and shot Bob in the head multiple times.  Bob survived and recovered physically, but was never the same emotionally.  He became paranoid and violent. Mamaw stayed with him as long as she could but eventually Mamaw had to leave as she feared for her safety.

Mamaw spent many years living with her parents and taking care of them until they passed.  After their death, she came to live with my family in Columbia.  She and I shared the upstairs of my parents’ home, so I obviously spent a lot of time with her.  We were later able to get her a small one bedroom apartment where she lived for her last 10 years on this earth.

Despite the many struggles in her life, I would say that my Mamaw was one of the most positive and giving people I ever knew.  She volunteered by reading to local elementary children and served food to the homeless at local soup kitchens.  I particularly remember grade school care packages that were filled with baseball cards and baseball t-shirts (items she clearly couldn’t afford to buy and mail), but she knew how excited I would be to receive them). She had very little monetarily, yet she made a point of hosting a small Christmas celebration for our entire family at Christmas. She did her very best to make it as fancy and entertaining as possible and she was always excited as she gave the grandchildren some quite unique presents at Christmas. She had JOY, despite all of the trials she had faced.

I am convinced now more than ever that we are engaged in a spiritual war every day and for whatever reason we are afraid to admit it.  I have heard many sermons based on the statement “God has a plan for your life” (Jeremiah 29:11), but I rarely hear anyone mention that Satan has a plan for us as well.  I believe one of Satan’s main ways of attacking us is through worry, stress, and regret. I also believe that he attacks followers of Christ in an attempt to lessen our witness in hopes that he can keep nonbelievers from becoming believers. 

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The “thief” discussed here clearly is Satan.  I believe that one of the main ways that Satan attacks believers is by trying to steal our joy.  We get so wrapped up in troubles and stresses in our life that we miss seeing where God is at work.  We focus too much on the problems at hand and trying to fix them ourselves that we forget that our Savior wants us to give these burdens to Him.

When Jesus was explaining the parable of the sower in Mark 4:19 he said, “but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful”.  I don’t know about you, but I want to be fruitful.  I want to produce each of the fruits of the spirit, especially joy.  But a lot of the time, I let the “stuff” of everyday life steal that away from me.

Another area where Satan attacks us is our past.  I know that in my life there are times in my past where I know I failed both God and my family miserably. I have confessed my sin, asked for forgiveness, and know that God has forgiven me. Yet, I still find myself reflecting back on those times and experiencing feelings of guilt and regret for those actions.  God has forgiven me, but I can’t seem to shed the feeling of guilt associated with some of my sins of the past. 

I heard a great analogy recently at a PowerUp Lunch here in Lexington.  Mike Crapps of First Community Bank shared this quote from a sermon at his church that he said has really changed his outlook on life.  He talked about how Jesus was crucified on the cross for our sins and that he was hung between two thieves.   Then, he said, “Most Christians are being crucified on a cross between two thieves; Yesterday’s regrets and tomorrow’s worries."

Don’t let Satan steal your joy by keeping you focused on worry and regret! Remember that Jesus wants you to turn all of that “stuff” over to him so that you can have life to the full.

 

Why is forgiveness so hard?

By Chris Hammett

If someone asks you what the world needed most in these days of terrorist attacks, school shootings, wars, and all types of other issues what would your answer be?

Then if that same person asks you what the church needed most what would you answer?

When I think of these two questions I am led to think that the only relief from the world's issues will be revival. I mean a true deep spirited turning to Jesus - the type Paul had when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. I also believe this is the same for the Church, learning to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us more and more into likenesses of Christ. Today, I want to direct your thoughts to an issue the church faces at all levels. 

THE COST OF FORGIVENESS!

Why is forgiveness so hard? Why do we all think we have the right to hold grudges? What are some things we don’t want to forgive? In a class this large I can only believe there are all sorts of opportunities to extend forgiveness, and also hold grudges. These can be big items, or at least to us they seem big. They can be small. I have had chances over the past few weeks to encounter several people who wanted to tell me why they had every right to hold a grudge. A couple weeks ago Sharon and I were doing some much needed spring cleaning and we came across a box of various items we had stashed under our bed. As we started to pilfer through the items we were taken back to a time in our life’s journey that we both would love to forget. As we found these items I was transformed to a time of pain, hurt, and despair. Sharon quickly recognized the change in me and asked,  "What did you find?" I handed her the findings and she quickly recognized them and knew why my countenance had changed. She reminded me that that was the past and we were over it now. This did lead to several questions I have asked myself over the past couple weeks. 

First, If I truly extended forgiveness then why did I keep these items?

Second, Why is it so hard to forgive?

Third, When are we commanded to forgive?

Fourth, do we forgive without being asked to forgive?

Let’s look at a few examples in scripture and see how followers of God extended forgiveness.

Genesis 45: 3-5 - How would you reply? Joseph would have had every right to be bitter. How can someone have this level of forgiveness in their hearts? I propose the closer you are to the will of God the more understanding and forgiving you are. Joseph spent years as a slave only to then be thrown in prison before he was put in a place to realize God’s purpose.

1 Samuel 24:1-7 - What would you do? Would you have taken this opportunity to remove a clear and present threat to your very life? Remember also that God had already removed his hand from Saul and passed His anointing on David. David could have taken this opportunity to begin his reign as King.  He instead chooses to defer to God’s timing and not raise a hand to Saul. As a side note in 2 Samuel the first chapter I find it interesting how David responded when Saul did die. David spent years of running and hiding and never being able to rest while Saul pursued him.

John 23:34 - What would you do? This is probably the most under emphasized area of the Easter Story. We focus on the Trial, the Sentence of Death, The two Thieves, the Death, the Burial, the empty tomb and the Resurrection. All are greatly important but how often do we take time to really focus on the three words My Savior uttered on behalf of those killing Him. Jesus gave his own life for the ones who were executing Him!

Lucy's Story - A Parable

In September 2008, our German Shepherd, Queen, died after being bitten by a snake. Normally, a single snake bite would not kill a 100 pound, healthy German Shepherd, but it was the right bite in the right place, and she could not recover from it.

Matthew had never known a day of his life without Queen. And, it was his first encounter with the death of anything beloved. So, he was heartbroken. When I went to pay the veterinarian’s final bill, I took Matthew with me so that the veterinarian could console him – helping him understand what had happened and why death was a relief to Queen’s agony.

In the few days after Queen’s death, I thought it best to get another dog pretty quickly. But, none of us wanted another German Shepherd. It would be impossible for us to replace Queen, and another Shepherd would keep reminding us of her. So, I asked the veterinarian to recommend a good dog for a boy of nine, and she recommended that we get a beagle. Yes, I know, a howling, digging, and overly-playful beagle. “Every boy needs a beagle,” she said.

Not knowing anything about beagles, I asked her where Mathew and I might go see one and learn more about them. She directed us to an area breeder who raised beagles, taught them to rabbit hunt, and sold them across the country. I called him, and Matthew and I, on a Monday evening, went for a beagle visit.

It was a first-class operation. I learned more about the personality and temperament of beagles in 30 minutes than I suppose most beagles owners really understand. As we received an education worthy of The Discovery Channel, he pointed to female and said, "If you want one, I can let you have her for $100. She's a year old and completely up to date on shots. I can give you her health history.” And, he only wanted $100.

We became beagle owners.

Perhaps I was the victim of shrewd salesmanship because I believe he intentionally talked of the sale with Matthew’s ears on full alert. But, Matthew was happy, and our family is very comfortable with dogs. And, so we left with a one-year-old, full-blooded beagle that we named Lucy. When I completed the ownership transfer with the American Kennel Club, I learned that Lucy’s sire was paid royally for his stud services.This further added legitimacy to the man’s rabbit-hunting operation and to Lucy’s pedigree.

Let me add a bit of disclaimer. We love dogs. We are not indoor dog people. Vicki and I have had beloved dogs all of our lives. My family even raised full-blooded Cocker Spaniels. But, we are a family that understands dogs are dogs and people are people. We don't ever get that confused.

Lucy, just like Queen, was going to be an outdoor dog. Well, sort of.

As soon as we got home with Lucy, we noticed something was wrong with her. Though the September temperatures were warm, she was noticeably shivering – her heart racing out of control. As the boys moved in to love her, she retreated. I understood that all the noise was probably overwhelming to a dog with very limited human contact, and so we wrote it off to first-day jitters. I put her in Queen's extra large kennel box that night so she could stay indoors with us. I didn't want to put this terrified dog in our back yard for the night.

Over the next several days, the fear did not go away. In the back yard, Lucy went behind the shed, cowered in the underbrush, and stayed there all day. Where was the playful beagle? Where was the diggingest dog? Where was the howler?

We decided to continue bringing her in the house at night, if for no other reason but the human contact. So, at night, I went out to get her. I would approach her and she would run from me. She would not let us get near her. She did not threaten to bite me. She never snarled or growled. She didn't whimper. She just ran and hid - and hid well. And, she trembled. We tried everything.

Hoping to connect with Lucy, we tried everything to approach her in the yard and point her, at night, to the light and warmth of the house. But, she would not respond. Finally, I took a lesson from my childhood around the hog farm. We developed a system of corrals, forcing Lucy into smaller and smaller spaces until we could pick her up and bring her into the house.

When we brought her in, one of us would sit in the floor, holding her, consoling her as she trembled. We noticed that she never once soiled the kennel box, and so one night we left her out of the box. The next morning, she was in the exact same place we had left her the night before – a comfortable pet bed on the floor. She had not moved, or explored. And, no accidents. I opened the back door and she ran outside, and hid. In fact, let me interject here: In five years of coming in - or being brought in - at night, Lucy has never explored another part of our home. Once inside, she goes to her bed, curls and rests . . . and never moves until the next morning.

Days, weeks and months passed. We watched Lucy get more comfortable with the back yard, playing by herself. She took an old tennis ball, nudged it forward and then chased it down. We had a big oak tree cut down and she would perch on the stump like the ruler of the back yard. She owned the back yard, and we would spy on her through the window blinds. But, if we ever opened the back door or she saw us in the window, she would run behind the shed and hide.

And, at night, even on rainy and cold nights, she would not come inside. We physically had to bring her inside. Some nights, I can walk to the far corner of the yard, leave the back door open, and she will run inside on her own. But, she will not run inside if any of us are near the door.

Once inside, she curls up on the floor. One of us will often sit by her, love on her, and offer her a dog treat. She doesn't love back. She just rests.

Last year, Matthew and I built a small patio and fire bit. We are out there a lot, and I thought surely she would come up to the patio and sit with us. Nope. As we sit around the patio, she is hiding over behind the shed or under the shed. I even went to her one evening, and brought her to the fire pit. As soon as I let her go, she ran away.

This past winter, on a particularly cold, wet and miserable day, I looked outside to see Lucy cowering under the shed. I went to get her. I opened the door to our home and moved far from it, but she would not run inside. I went to the shed, and lay down on the ground, looking at her. I began talking to her.

“Lucy, why won’t you come inside?” I asked her. “Inside, it’s bright and warm, and we all love you. Out here, you are all alone, it’s dark, and it’s cold, and it’s lonely. Why are you so content to stay out here? Why has this gotten so comfortable for you?”

She just looked at me.

“Lucy, we aren’t trying to clean you up before we bring you in. Not one time in five years have we tried to give you a bath as a requisite to coming inside the house,” I said. “It doesn’t matter to us." (We do bathe her,  obviously, but as therapy it's always in the tub with warm water.)

She just looked at me.

“Inside there are people who genuinely love you. Even big Richard loves you though he doesn’t show it like Matthew shows it,” I said.

Finally, I got far enough under the shed that she let me get a foot, and then I inched her to me until I carried this mentally wounded, dirty, wet dog into the comfort of our house.

As I hope you understand . . . this is not a dog story.

I look around Lexington. I see hundreds if not thousands of people who would have gotten comfortable in the dark, cold, and lonely world that we live in. They have gotten comfortable with the lie that being a follower of Jesus is limited to an hour of dress-up on Sunday morning. Nothing about this world loves you and me – not one thing of this world loves us. Only in faith with Jesus, can we experience love that can't be defined. John 15:19: “The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”

I don’t understand why these good people won’t come inside of faith, where the pressure and pain of this world is made joyful and peaceful and hopeful. I don’t understand why people value this world more than they value Jesus, and, yes, they do, we do – all the time. I know people inside of faith are noisy, imperfect, and do stupid things – but it’s still a better place than living in the dark.  John 3:19: “ And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” (Any deed grounded in self-fulfillment is evil).

God doesn't expect any of us to come to Him in perfection. He doesn't ask us to get squeaky clean before we come to Him. He sent His son to us just as we are, and Jesus just says "follow me." Jesus never says, "take a shower, and then follow me." As the old hymn reminds us, "Just As I Am, I Come." You and I cannot get clean enough for a Holy God, and God knows that. He judges sin, yes, but he loves us enough to send Jesus to be with us. Psalms 130.3-4 – If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness… I don't understand why people put up barriers, preventing their own faith from taking root.

I don’t understand why people can’t see that God loves us so much that He sent His son to save us. God didn’t say, “Find me on your own or go to hell.” No, he sent his son to crawl under the shed and be with us – to find us where we are and to love us right there. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus is still in the business of coming to us every day and saying, "Follow me."

I don’t understand why a loving God never gives up on us. No matter how much we resist Him. No matter how much we resist His love for us, God never gives up on us. He is always opening the door and calling us inside. It breaks my heart that people can’t let God love them the way He wants to love them.  Philippians 1:6: "God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns."

What about you?
Are you living in the light or are you comfortable in the darkness?
Perhaps you have even experienced the light, but still find a lot of contentment in the world. You can't serve two masters.
What’s stopping you from going into the dark places and talking to people about Jesus?
What’s stopping you from running to faith, full throttle, and discovering what God needs to do through your life?
How long will you live this life, day after day, living tomorrow just like today, knowing it’s better on the inside of faith, but unable to fully commit to it? How long will you waste the precious time that God has given you on this Earth to reflect the Savior who loves you?
Today, do something. Turn to Jesus. Come inside and fear no more.