“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore." [Psalm 133]
Why do we mask our faces from those who, like us, mask their faces too? Will anyone ever be seen? Will the true beauty, which God has graced on us, be revealed with joy, or hidden with shame?
Living in close quarters here at college has been hard. People are starting to miss home, community, and/or the sense of normality.
In times like these, our patience grows thin, and it's as if grace were like a car running on empty. Lately in these past few years, my patience has dwindled. It’s been reduced to all that I can stir up. But God is patiently there, at the gas station, joyfully awaiting our arrival.
My advice is this: Be on the prowl for community. It ain't gonna be easy to find. Specifically good community. Remember, though, the word good differs very much then the word nice.
In fact, the word nice does not appear in the bible, however 610 times, the word good appears!
Good means doing the just and true things in line with God’s grace. Sometimes doing the good thing in this life isn't always going to be easy.
Loving my friends isn't always the easiest thing to do, because it demands good grace. Grace that doesn't die at a soft breeze. Grace that is given freely also costs the most from us. In fact grace given to people that do not deserve it, is and always will be, one of the hardest things I will struggle with in this life.
Unforgiveness is a silly thing. It is like drinking a poison and expecting the other person to die. The pain and suffering that comes with bitterness, isn’t always aimed at the person who deserved it. It is faced against us, and the person who caused the pain seems unaffected. For the enemy, it is a win-win situation.
It slowly kills us, and the hurtful get to walk freely.
Yet, Grace is our antidote. In fact grace died. It died for me, and ffor You!
Grace incarnate, walked among us, and gracefully took our beating for us. He stood in front of that cigarette and took the last puff of toxic filled air, and He did it with a pure heart. He stood in front of you and took the punches, and smiled as he did it. He took on the radiation, the last bottle of beer.
For each of us, He takes the pain. What a beautiful friend!
It seems I have identified what community. It is doing exactly those things, but for each other, with the same attitude. It means taking on those burdens for each other, as if they were our own.
If this were what community was like everywhere, the rates of depression would drop dramatically. We wouldn't be slaves to loneliness, depression, and suicide.
I want to take a stand against selfishness, and the king of depression. The enemy is no longer the one I am slaved to. I am adopted with royal bondage to the King of Kings.
My hope is that as the church on the rise, we may reflect the church of Acts. The church that multiplied from 120 to thousands, in a day!
Grace and Peace,
D.C. Reyes
Why do we mask our faces from those who, like us, mask their faces too? Will anyone ever be seen? Will the true beauty, which God has graced on us, be revealed with joy, or hidden with shame?
Living in close quarters here at college has been hard. People are starting to miss home, community, and/or the sense of normality.
In times like these, our patience grows thin, and it's as if grace were like a car running on empty. Lately in these past few years, my patience has dwindled. It’s been reduced to all that I can stir up. But God is patiently there, at the gas station, joyfully awaiting our arrival.
My advice is this: Be on the prowl for community. It ain't gonna be easy to find. Specifically good community. Remember, though, the word good differs very much then the word nice.
In fact, the word nice does not appear in the bible, however 610 times, the word good appears!
Good means doing the just and true things in line with God’s grace. Sometimes doing the good thing in this life isn't always going to be easy.
Loving my friends isn't always the easiest thing to do, because it demands good grace. Grace that doesn't die at a soft breeze. Grace that is given freely also costs the most from us. In fact grace given to people that do not deserve it, is and always will be, one of the hardest things I will struggle with in this life.
Unforgiveness is a silly thing. It is like drinking a poison and expecting the other person to die. The pain and suffering that comes with bitterness, isn’t always aimed at the person who deserved it. It is faced against us, and the person who caused the pain seems unaffected. For the enemy, it is a win-win situation.
It slowly kills us, and the hurtful get to walk freely.
Yet, Grace is our antidote. In fact grace died. It died for me, and ffor You!
Grace incarnate, walked among us, and gracefully took our beating for us. He stood in front of that cigarette and took the last puff of toxic filled air, and He did it with a pure heart. He stood in front of you and took the punches, and smiled as he did it. He took on the radiation, the last bottle of beer.
For each of us, He takes the pain. What a beautiful friend!
It seems I have identified what community. It is doing exactly those things, but for each other, with the same attitude. It means taking on those burdens for each other, as if they were our own.
If this were what community was like everywhere, the rates of depression would drop dramatically. We wouldn't be slaves to loneliness, depression, and suicide.
I want to take a stand against selfishness, and the king of depression. The enemy is no longer the one I am slaved to. I am adopted with royal bondage to the King of Kings.
My hope is that as the church on the rise, we may reflect the church of Acts. The church that multiplied from 120 to thousands, in a day!
Grace and Peace,
D.C. Reyes