failing to eagerly wait

I'm not sure if it's because I'm mostly a pessimist, but I have really been dropping the ball on eagerly waiting for the redemption of both the world and the New Jerusalem and my own redemption.

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 24:45-51 NIV)

Part of eagerly waiting for the appointed promise is to "give them their food at the proper time...". I take that to mean that we are to constantly be serving and encouraging fellow servants (other believers) as well as non-believers. We are to be in a constant mindset with the gospel on the tip of our tongue...always sharing it in word and deed.

After all, Paul writes that "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed." Romans 8:19. The specific 'creation' word in the Greek that Paul uses, ktisis, is taken to mean a "creature" of creation, as in Gentiles, non-believers.

Now that's interesting. Even non-believers are eagerly waiting for the redemption. Which I think makes perfect sense. Non-believers, whether they like it or not, admit it or not, I believe were originally created in the image of God to worship Him and reflect His glory. And when that doesn't happen, something is off and not right ("subjected to frustration"...Romans 8:20).

The point is, as believers in Christ, we have the vision and promise of Revelation 21, the New Jerusalem.

For living out my present faith, I would do good to more eagerly anticipate Christ's return and actually try to believe in His promise and listen to His words.

can love be understood?

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8

I've been thinking a bit lately about love, and what that looks like in our media driven, for-profit day and age. Culture tries to splotter love all over the place, and I think people get de-sensitized to what love really is, at its core.

First, remember that love is something we don't understand well as humans -- that's why it goes in the abstract noun category. But certainly, love is demonstrated or exemplified by certain acts. It's hard to identify love without some sort of concrete, physical, can-be-seen act.

Well, this verse tells us that love comes from God, and that God is love. Can we understand God? I don't think God is abstract, but He's too intense, too vast, too full to understand fully by us and our feeble minds, in my opinion. So if we can't understand God, we can't understand love.

Certainly, love was showcased by the concrete, physical in-the-flesh act of Jesus on the cross. It was a manifestation, or the playing out of love, God's love...but that still leaves us a little in the dark on an absolute definition of love.

There's something else unique that I'm figuring out about love. Acts of love are not earned nor deserved. They result from grace. This is true for my human relationships. The most memorable things I remember about acts of love on me or to me are not done to earn anything back from me -- there is a genuine heart to love me because of the person I just happen to be.

Appreciating someone for them just being them and the way they are. Love doesn't try and instruct or tell, it simply celebrates.

Jesus did the necessary thing to fully celebrate each and every one of His. And driving it was grace -- not anything that Jesus expected to earn or deserve back from the people He saved.

In light of this, I think it frees us up to love in our human relationships like He did -- with freedom, no fear of condemnation, not thinking we have or deserve something in return -- we can simply celebrate.

the example of Mary

Unfortunately, Mary, the mother of Jesus, has been deified by certain lines of the Catholic church. In lines that have not deified Mary, she is thought to have always been a virgin (please explain James and John), and is revered close to, if not more than Jesus.

In some ways, I think Protestant churches and Protestant theology have rebuked Mary a little too much in response to Catholic views towards Mary, by virtually never talking about her example or how faithful a woman she was to the Lord. She submitted faithfully and steadfastly to God's plan for her life, and I think that should be celebrated.

She is a great example of faith to consider, but not the reason for our faith. Jesus alone (includes the Holy Spirit and the Father) is the reason for our faith.

Consider her worship song:

And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
(Luke 1:46-55 NIV)