Common Sense Reborn

Yesterday was a perfect example of letting the world get the best of me. Everything that is happening across America is extremely frustrating. And it seems like no one wants to address the root problem, and that’s what is in our hearts. What’s in the hearts of those that are looting all the way to the top and what is in the heart of our “Law and Order” President. No one is even close to being brave enough to live like Christ. Or to raise children that truly know Christ. You want to have a lasting change in America? Finish the Good Work that was started almost 2,000 years ago when Christ died on the cross.

Still haven’t watched the conversation below? Well, make today the day you do.

June 3

⁷To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.  ⁸But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.  ⁹There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil:  first to the Jew, then for the Gentile; ¹⁰but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good:  first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  ¹¹For God does not show favoritism.  (Romans 2:7-11)

These verses are the constant reminder we (those who try our best to live Godly, righteous lives, in the face of a world that openly and relentlessly sins) have that God is for us, and the wicked will face their justice in due time.  The crazy thing about these verses is that Jesus has taught us that even those who are self-seeking and reject the truth are not to be punished, but are the ones that need our love the most. These are the lost sheep, the lost coin, the robber on the cross.  To Jesus, no one is ever too far gone.  And this is the difference between the New Testament and the Old.  The Old Testament teaches us that God will punish all those that do not follow the Law of Moses.  And we like to cling to that thought as good, law-abiding, commandment-following Christians.  However, we obviously fail to read the Old Testament, because God rarely punishes the Jewish people for not obeying Mosaic Laws.  God has to correct the Israelites time and time again because the Jewish people stop believing in God and constantly worship other idols.  So, if you are waiting for God to step into your life and punish those that do evil against you, that will not happen in this lifetime.  That is not how God works.  But Jesus teaches us to love one another, regardless of the transgression. Jesus teaches that if someone slaps you on the right side of your face, respond to them by offering them the left side of your face as well.  We, as a society, have never gotten to that understanding.  We create more and more laws because a small slice of humanity constantly seeks ways to exploit other human beings.  It’s so hard to reach the point that Jesus wishes for all mankind.  To just love everyone no matter what they do, no matter how much they hurt us.  We seem to have just given up on ever reaching that level.  And the problem with that is we just keep going back to our worldly distractions.  We constantly ignore the root problem, and that is that we do not know the true Jesus.  The deep, down, dirty, I love EVERYONE Jesus.  We want to put Jesus in our own comfortable little box that fits our specific life.  Jesus’ teachings are so small compared to the rest of the Bible, yet those few lessons change EVERYTHING.  Everything we study from this point forward is another person’s interpretation.  What we see from Paul today is his interpretation of living righteous lives.  What you are reading right now is my interpretation of this same passage.  It’s up to you to read the Bible, to learn the Bible so you can form your own interpretation.  And continue to pray for everyone to seek righteous, Jesus-loving lives and abstain from sin and evil.  Then we can all spend eternity feasting in Heaven.

Reading plan:  Romans 3

Deeper reading plan:  Psalms 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

Prayer and meditation:  Pray for our country.  Pray for love to conquer all.  Pray that Christ infects our hearts and ignites a final fire of revival to sweep this land.

Fitness Challenge: Calisthenics day.  For June we are doing a new circuit, still just seven exercises.  For this first week we’ll keep it short reps.  Perform the following circuit for three rounds, seven reps each exercise.

1.  Hand-release push-up
2. Single Leg Glute Bridge (7 each leg)
3. Jumping Sumo Squats
4. Handstand Wall Walk (up and down is one rep)
5. Frozen V sit (hold each set for ten seconds)
6. Reverse lunge with leg raise (7 each leg)
7. Burpees