Dave’s Monday Blast – September 9, 2019

MEN OF INTENTION
Good Morning Men of Intention,

Last week we commented that Christians today are facing a crisis of influence within our culture. In our efforts to speak Truth to today’s tensions, cultural issues, and trending controversies, it occurs to me that we are focused upon “being right” and unconcerned about extending God’s grace. Ephesians 4:1-4 admonishes us to “walk worthy” of His calling because we are called by God to be His ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18 – 20).

The Apostle Paul is descriptive of what it means to “walk worthy.”

Be humble; gentle; patient; bearing with one another in love; eager to maintain unity of the Spirit by being bound together in peace. In other words…we speak of the Truth to every one, but do so IN the Spirit (Ephesians 4:15 & 16).

Jesus calls upon us to “love each other as He loved us” (John 13:34). What does this look like?

1. Love Inclusively: Building a culture where there is “no Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you all are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

2. Love Sacrificially: If we stand for Biblical sexuality and marriage, the culture will attack us. If we build bridges across racial divides, those who hate others will hate us. It is seldom easy to do the right thing, but it its always right to do the right thing (1 John 3:16).

3. Love Practically: Jesus washed dirty feet and fed hungry bodies. His love was present tense and personal. Now we are His hands and feet, extending His earthly ministry through us (James 1:27).

Who needs our practical compassion today?
What bridges across ethnicites can we build?
What common projects can we advance?
How can we use our influence for God’s glory and our common good?

Inclusive, sacrificial and practical love…these are the grace gifts our Savior has given to us. We cannot not pay them back, but we can pay them forward. It is up to us to provide hope to the hopeless.