Baptism is a happy funeral.

The Bible does not say that baptism is required for salvation, but it is important. When we receive salvation through the blood of Jesus, we are born again. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2Cor 5:17) We start a new life. Our old life is dead, and we begin a new life in a new kingdom.

Baptism is our acknowledgement of our death. It’s a funeral Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (Rom 6:3) But it’s a happy funeral. All the old things that harassed us and hurt us in the past are put under the blood for Jesus to manage for us. He’s so much better at it than we are!

If you have not been baptized, it’s not too late. Make it your celebration of your life in Christ. It’s your acknowledgement that you belong to Jesus and are a proud card-carrying citizen of the kingdom of God. You’ll be amazed at the blessing that follows that act of love.

It’s time to let it go.

How do you forgive someone? Is it enough to mumble the words and avoid looking into their eyes? Is it really forgiveness if you are still angry in your heart? Is it really forgiveness if you say you forgive, but bring up the issue again in the future?

You see where I’m going here. If you can’t forgive and forget, then you haven’t really forgiven at all. Now, you won’t really forget, because something happened and it was upsetting, but when you truly forgive, you have to let go of the offense. You have to love back. Yep, we are people of love. Our response is to forgive and give the issue to God to work out.

When you hand over the situation to God, He will be on your side. If you’ve been robbed blind, you can’t hold onto ugly emotions. When you forgive, God will be your advocate, and you can’t get any better than that.

This is not an option. You don’t get to choose who you forgive and who you don’t. If you don’t forgive others, then God doesn’t have to forgive you! (Mark 11: 26) That’s serious stuff. Be real about it. It’s not always going to be easy, but that’s why you have the Spirit of God to help you. Give it over to Jesus and forgive every time. It’s the right thing to do.

Anyone who claims to be a Christian must try, in all sincerity, to follow what Jesus taught. If we claim to belong to God, but don’t obey Him, then we don’t have a clue about what He taught. But knowing and understanding that teaching is far, far away from living it.

The kingdom of God is about showing kindness.

The message of the gospel is hard. It goes against our human nature to be right, to protect what is ours, and to fight against what we think is bad. The gospel of Jesus is the opposite of our natural reactions and choices. If our buttons are pushed, and we respond in anger, it’s hard to bless. But He never said it would be easy.

But we continue to call ourselves Christian, even when we do not obey Him. And the scary part is, we think we are right. We righteously defend God against a culture that has no respect for Him at all, but we do it in a way that dishonors God. He doesn’t need that kind of help.

For instance, what would you do if your pastor, someone loved by the church and the community, suddenly announced that he was gay? I can see hackles rising up from here. For some reason, he can be charged with tax evasion, have an affair with another woman, or get into a fist fight with a board member, and he will not be as vilified as admitting to being gay.

How do you respond to that? The church’s first reaction is to demand repentance. What if that doesn’t happen? Then demand that he go into intensive counseling. What if that doesn’t help? He will be banished into outer darkness where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth, and the church will feel justified in doing so. The man will be left alone and broken with no possible way to be healed or helped because if his choices.

I’m not sure that’s what Jesus would do. When the woman caught in adultery was brought to Him, He wrote in the sand until all the men who demanded her stoning went away. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (Jhn 8:9-11)

Jesus did not condemn her! He told her to stop sinning, but He did not judge her or cast her out. She felt His compassion because He actually had compassion for her. We are to be known by our love, not our judgment. The pastor who can’t get himself out of a gay lifestyle needs to be loved. That does not mean agreeing with his lifestyle, it means loving him. How will he be influenced to come back into the church if he has been vilified? But if he has been loved the whole time by people who have compassion for him, he has the means to see the way home.

Psalm 51 Repentance

The gospel of peace is hard to follow. We have to confront our own judgment and evil responses. We have to be willing to be changed, to be renewed in our minds, so we think, feel, and respond in the love of God, despite how deeply we are offended.

And if we have responded badly to offense, we are responsible for repenting. Carrying judgment against anyone is not our job and it is sin. Our job is to love. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Mat 5:43-45)

Pick an offense —religious, political, or martial— and allow God to change your heart so you can respond with Him, not against Him. When your response is anger, hatred, or disgust, then you are as far from the kingdom of God as the person you have targeted to judge.

Repent. Ask God to fill you with His love, kindness, goodness, and mercy. Ask Him for wisdom to know how to respond. Ask for revelation to know how to be the door to compassion and life to those who are losing their way.

Don’t defend God by choosing not to love. Now you need rescuing too.

Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy, and other times it’s not us at all. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Eph 6:12)

The enemy knows you better than you think. Your weak areas are lit up in the spirit world so the enemy knows exactly where to push. You are tempted in just the right areas. You are frustrated in just the right places.

But the most insidious attack is to your mind. The enemy whispers thoughts that make you feel bad about yourself or other people. Even when you have the best intentions, evil thoughts can creep in. We feel horrible even thinking about them, but fail to realize that they are not our thoughts at all. We can be influenced by the enemy very easily.

You are meant to live in peace.

The good news is, as soon as you recognize that those are not your thoughts, you can rebuke them and claim good thoughts. For instance, if out of the blue, you begin to think thoughts of suicide, rebuke those thoughts and think about the goodness of God and His love for you. You have a future and a hope. You are blessed with life and grace.

You don’t have to put up with the enemy tormenting your mind. Just say no to him, and yes to the power of God to give you joy and peace.

It’s so sad to read about all the people in the Bible who started out well, but finished badly. It’s a lesson to us to not take our grace lightly. Solomon was the wisest man ever to live, and he still failed to honor God at the end of his life.

The kingdom of God is like a pearl of great price.

So how do we hold onto our salvation and not fall away? We are called to endure for our salvation. (Mat 24:13) We have to hold onto it as a precious gift. Jesus called the kingdom of God a pearl of great price and a treasure hidden in a field.

Our relationship with God must be intimate and deeply loving. It must be the most important thing in our lives. Guard it. Protect it. Work to make it grow and be stronger, like a tree planted by rivers of water. Love God with all your heart, your soul, and your strength. Give it everything you’ve got.

And when you do, you will live in grace and protection. God promises to meet your needs and bless your desires. You can pray on earth as it is in heaven and see results, because you belong to Him. Your salvation is precious and priceless. Protect it, and it will protect you.