jesus

The Incarnation

/ Susan W. LaVelle / Leave a comment

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1, 14

When we think about the coming of the baby Jesus to earth, too often we are thinking only of the cute little baby, the gentle mother Mary, the faithful father Joseph, the animals in the barn, the hay, the star, the angels. But do we think about it as the incarnation, the coming of God into the physical realm of the body and the earth, to bring His deity into a place and time, to walk among them as they walk in history, sharing the physical world with the very creatures He had made?

That angel choir at Jesus’ birth sang one performance in all the history of the earth, and who was the audience? Sheep and simple shepherds, not musical elites. God’s highest values are to the lowly and humble, and He paid attention to the individuals of that particular moment in space and time. This shows God’s sense of values and His character more than we like to think.

Through the specifics of the incarnation, we can feel invited in, from our own specifics and our own locality, into the flesh and blood specifics and the locality of the manger of Bethlehem. God started His walk on earth as a man, in a place that was not one of perfect genetical ancestors, nor godly governmental institutions, nor perfect circumstances, according to anyone’s ideas of what that might mean. The DNA of Jesus’ genealogy was full of badly behaving and weak people, just as much as it was full of kings and leaders. Yet, the God of the universe chose to become man in that DNA, in that family, in that place in time. Despite that humble beginning—or because of it—He accomplished His purposes.

From all of this we can be sure that as we walk out our lives on the earth in our space and time, we can follow Jesus, the God who went before us. In following Him, we can walk like He walked, do what He would have us do, speak and think as He did. Why can I say that?

Because He came and put aside His riches of glory and walked in the most humble and not-perfect of circumstances, in a specific locality in space and time—a real place, with real people. Childhood playmates, family, friends, tasks. Someone sat in chair he made as “the carpenter’s son.” He ate food: some He liked, some He did not. Some of the girls He grew up with probably hoped that someday they might become Mrs Jesus.

He lived out a life for 30 years in a body that was just like ours, but He had a divine purpose for doing it. The wonder of it, is that God wanted to come and be like us in our weakness so that He could serve our sentence for us before the justice of God.

Live the Walk

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Have you ever heard the statement, “Preach the gospel all the time and if needed, use words”?

There are two things to remember about this: 1) St. Francis of Assisi never said it, even though he is often claimed to have; and 2) the main point of the statement is that too often we only talk about the gospel, but don’t live the gospel.

No one will ever be able to know about Jesus and the good news of His saving work on the cross without us telling them in words about it. We need to use salt and grace to always be able to speak the good news to others; we also need to listen to what they have to say and in love and conviction tell them about Jesus. Jesus offers forgiveness of sin to redeem our lives in the here and now, as well as to provide for our future resurrection life in heaven with Him. As Paul wrote using words in his Letter to the Romans, 10:14: “How can they believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how can they hear unless someone proclaims him? And who will go to tell them unless he is sent?” We must be able to use words to explain the gospel (and listen to the words of those to whom we are explaining it).

But a very clear point of the misquoted statement above is that we must not only speak and tell with words but must live it out through our deeds and lives. This is very clear throughout the New Testament, James makes this very clear and succinct:

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Living out Jesus’ Kingdom every day and in every way is what this is all about. The statement we started with resonates to us and it’s worth seeing how this applies to the way we all each live out our faith.

Do we merely tell or talk—or do we live and walk?

Meditate on the Word—Psalm 1: 2-3

/ Susan W. LaVelle / 1 Comment

The last in this series of “Five ways to get the Bible into your heart and life” to discuss is “Meditate.” “Meditate” in this sense does not mean “a mind-body, deep state of relaxation” but rather “to think deeply or carefully, to consider, focus.” The highlighted verses from Psalms 1 show the focus of the chapter is not really on those who do not walk in the way of the Lord, but rather, on those who do and how that happens. Therefore this holds an important clue in how to more closely follow Jesus’ teaching on how to live as a Christian with the Bible genuinely in the heart and life.

“Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

For one thing, taking delight in the Lord and meditating on His words brings fruitfulness.

Another thing to notice here is the contrast between absorbing and meditating on the ways and thoughts and words of the world—walking in the steps of the wicked, standing in the place of the sinners, sitting in the seat of the mockers, scoffers—versus taking delight in and meditating on the words of the Lord. The contrast here is between people who absorb or are fed by the world around them, and of those being fed by the words of the Lord: which way is actually feeding the soul of the person? Which one prospers the person? Which way brings fruitfulness and life? Meditating on the word of God.

Jesus said to His disciples: “I have food to eat that you do not know about” (John 4:32). After being asked by the disciples what food that was, Jesus replied,“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” This is Jesus speaking about being nourished by the word of God and by His relationship with the Father through prayer. This nourishment from the Word and prayer is how He was able to know and do the will of the Father. Don’t forget, that when Jesus walked the earth, although He was God and came from heaven, He had set aside His Godhood and lived as a man, needing to pray and hear from the Holy Spirit and live out what He read and meditated on in the Scriptures, just as we are to do today. (Phil 2:6-8)

He modeled that for us and that is what we must do.

We live in a world in step with the wicked and filled with mockers and scoffers, all of which are calling out loudly for us to join in with them. Instead, to follow Jesus better we need to “delight” in the word of the Lord and meditate on it, day and night.

Even if we don’t actually know what all is meant in Phil 2 when Paul writes that Jesus “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself,” we do know that the section starts out with the instruction that we “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus “ (Phil. 2:5). Let us follow that model we find in Jesus of being filled and nourished by the Word and taking delight there, rather than taking delight and nourishment from the world system and its ways.

Memorize the Word—Psalm 119: 9-11

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This week, we are going to discuss Bible memorization as a way to get the Bible into your heart and life. As Psalm 119: 9-11 says, “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

When you memorize verses and whole chunks of the Bible, you are tucking away those words into the recesses of your heart and mind. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit comes alongside of us as an encourager and helper through our lives to speak to us what we need to hear. When we have the Bible—the Word of God— deep in our hearts and memories, there is much more for the Holy Spirit to use to speak to us that will resonate in our inner selves. We are better able to test the words we hear and the thoughts we think, the words we say, and the actions we do, when we have tucked into our minds the words of the Bible, especially the words of Jesus in the gospels and the rest of the New Testament. We also are better able to speak those words to others in the right time and way when we have immersed our minds in Jesus’ words through memorization.

Verse memorization doesn’t have to be overwhelming or difficult. Start with one verse that means a lot to you or that speaks to you in a personal application. Write it down on a 3 x 5 or smaller card and carry it with you. Tape it to the bathroom mirror and look at it while you brush your teeth. Say it to yourself when you are walking into your work and over to yourself at points during the day. Always include the verse’s “address” (the book, chapter, and verse where it can be found). A growing knowledge of where to find a verse in the Bible is very useful when sharing with others or just finding the verse again. Remember to go over verses from previous memory sessions regularly so that you don’t forget them.

In the WWJD? Facebook page, the verses are shown not with pretty pictures behind them but rather with a plain blue background so that our focus is the words and nothing else. You could use your phone instead of 3 x 5 cards by taking a screen shot of verses from this page and keeping them handy to go over during your day. Whatever works for you, do that!

It is totally better to start small and be consistent, instead of biting off too much at once and then giving up. Just pick one verse, write it down, say it to yourself, and go from there!

Read the Word—Revelations 1:3

/ Susan W. LaVelle / 1 Comment

Reading the Bible is more than just reading a random verse—or skipping around the Bible and reading one little chunk you happen to put your finger on. Such skipping and skimming will not give you a firm foundation of what the words of Jesus really are or what they mean.

Certainly one or two verses at a time is important for study and application, for inspiration and correction or for sharing with other people (why else would this page be sharing one or two verses every day if it weren’t important?) However, what this week’s method is getting at is finding a larger picture and context for the individual verses that you know and hear.

To get the most out of and to understand well what the Bible means, you want to make a lifelong habit of reading larger chunks of the Bible at a time. This will help you understand the full picture of what is meant therein. By regularly reading the Bible, you will gain a much broader understanding of what is being said about the range of topics, like faith, prayer, suffering, purpose and mission, others who are not like you, the church, judgment, and family life. So much more!

By making a habit of reading larger chunks, you will also be much better at preventing yourself from ripping single verses out of context or skipping verses you don’t want to follow. For example, often cults are started by someone taking one verse out of context and building a whole dogma out of it, for the cult leader to use it to hold unbiblical sway over followers and to build a little kingdom for themselves. Sometimes a whole new translation of the Bible has been based on one misapplied verse that followers are vulnerable to because they don’t understand the whole context of scripture. Sad but true!

Another very important aspect to note is that sometimes people find parts or verses of the Bible they don’t like and don’t want to follow because it speaks to something that they’d rather ignore about their own lives, for example, like those verses that speak about humility, sexual promiscuity, lying, stealing, gossip, or laziness. By regularly reading through the Bible to get the context of what is spoken about, you will not be able to easily hide from the fact that the Bible speaks about those things. Don’t we want to know what the Bible has to say in its entirety? Don’t we want to fully know and understand what God is speaking to us today through His word?

A great suggestion is to read a chapter every day, working through the various books start-to-finish or even the reading through the whole Bible or the whole New Testament. You can buy a “Bible in One Year” book which has the suggested readings laid out for you after the fashion of a devotional. There are many around but here is one that I have used: https://www.amazon.com/One-Year-Bible…/dp/1581347081/

Also, you might try an online one, which there are many as well, but here is the website for one that I have used by downloading the app to my phone so you can listen while in your car: https://bibleinoneyear.org/en/

The main point is to get started (or get back to) reading the Bible, maybe even just setting a little time limit, like at least 5 minutes per day and following a schedule, like, starting by reading through one of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Or how about the book of Acts, which talks about the early church. Wherever you start, just keep it up!

Revelations 1:3 says this about the book of Revelations, but you might take it to mean all of the Bible, as this hand illustration seems to do: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

Blessings to those who apply themselves to read and learn the word of God!

Hear the Word—Romans 10:17

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Five Ways to Get the Bible into Your Life: Hear

We are not very good listeners! We get distracted, forgetful, and misunderstand what we do hear. Hearing and listening: are they two different things? A good little study to do this week might be to take a blank piece of paper and draw a line down the middle from top to bottom and write “Hearing” and “Listening” one each at the top of the columns. Write down your thoughts about those two words. Maybe you will look up the dictionary definition or even find out if these two words are used differently in the Bible or even the original languages. Check a concordance and find some verses using either or both words. Jot all that down.

Doing this slows us down and makes us focus so that we hear and listen to what it says, what it means, and what it means to us.

Romans 10:10-17 (English Standard Version)

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Five Ways to Get the Bible into Your Life

/ Susan W. LaVelle / 1 Comment

New 5-Part series: “Five Fingers and the Hand Illustration”

Are you looking for ways to get the Bible into your life practice? Into your mind and thoughts? Into the words you speak? Here are some great ways to start. In coming weeks, on Sunday, this blog will elaborate on each of them.

  • Hear
  • Read
  • Study
  • Memorize
  • Meditate

Become a disciple: Grounded in reality

/ Susan W. LaVelle

The apostle Paul stated categorically what the first most important points were regarding the Christian faith and life: That Jesus came to Earth, lived, was crucified, and rose again, being witnessed to personally by those who told it in the Bible.

All of it, grounded in the reality of space and time.

In 1 Cor 15:1-8, which is situated after the well-known verses about spirtiual gifts, worship in the church, and love, Paul sums up his message:

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” And he concludes this by saying in verse 11, “Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.”

These verses are very pertinent to those of us who wish to understand WWJD in the world we are living in today. Though the planet Earth has many wonderful and beautiful things, Earth is a hard place to live. We as Christians remember that Jesus broke into space and time from heaven, and we today (if we, as Paul states, “believe” it) show his present reality on the Earth through our lives, words, and actions.

We must press in to know what that means and how we each can individually live that out!