Author: moving4ward7

A Christian writer and teacher who loves to encourage and challenge believers in their walk with Christ. I am a graduate of Liberty University and the proud wife of an Air Force veteran and the mom of three grown adults.

Who Is My Neighbor?

Yesterday I had the task of moving a bookshelf between rooms in my house. It’s not difficult to move the furniture itself, but with all the books its a longer process since I had to empty the shelves, move the bookcase and then move the books in from another room and onto the shelves.

In the process I found or should I say rediscovered a book from my days in undergrad that sparked today’s blog. 2 The Heart of Love: Obeying God’s Two Greatest Commandments” by Ted Rivera. If you’re not familiar with the two greatest commandments; it refers to Jesus’ take on the Law and Ten Commandments, that are summed up into 1.Love God and 2.Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Sounds very straightforward? Right? Well, over several years I have heard various sermons highlight parts of the commandments. Some focus on what it means to love God, what love really looks like, and how we can love others once we love and accept ourselves. While all these are great areas to focus on, I’d rather focus on the question posed by the expert of the law found in the Gospel account of Luke.

This expert of the law, the Jewish Law to be clear, had approached Jesus and asked Him if there was anything else he should be doing. That is to be a better person, or maybe to get closer to God, or have Jesus put a good word in for him. Or maybe to impress others that he had done everything so perfect, according to the Law, or most likely, according to his own interpretation of the Law.

I get that, and to be honest have tried that before myself. We have this tendency to see ourselves as better than others when it comes to being a good person. We run through a little checklist in our minds and pride ourselves on all our good points we add up in our self-evaluation by our own standards. Yes, we tell ourselves they are God’s standards and we are pretty good at following them, but honestly we pick and choose the standards we want to use to evaluate ourselves. We interpret the law as we decide it should be interpreted. That’s what this guy in Luke’s account was doing. And Jesus called him out on it by looking at the intent and the heart of the law to love others.

As Luke 10 tells us “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus answered “What is written in the Law, how do you read it?” the man answered “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and, love your neighbor as yourself ” “You have answered correctly. Do this and live.” “BUT, he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, and who is my neighbor?” (NIV, Lk. 10 :25-29).

In Jesus’ style of answering a question, he teaches with the use of a story, or parable that in turn poses the question back to the original questioner. And in this we have what’s called the parable of the Good Samaritan, who becomes the hero of the story in helping the beaten traveler. Jesus explains the three who came upon the poor traveler who had been beaten, robbed, stripped of his clothes and left by the roadside. The first two to pass by the injured man were both religious leaders, who presumably followed the Law, but each could not be bothered given their busyness, indifference, and there attitude that is was best if that actually crossed to the opposite side of the road. I think that maybe they could pretend they didn’t see him, or whatever, and they could justify themselves for not stopping to help. But it was, in fact, the Samaritan who stopped and helped the fallen man. He bandaged the wounds, and helped the man get to a safe place to heal, even leaving money for the injured man’s bills, “Look after him he said, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have” (Lk. 10:35).

We can learn so much from this parable. First all three men traveling could have stopped to help. We aren’t told the ethnicity of the injured man, but it is implied he was probably Jewish as were the priest and Levite who refused to help. We do know the Samaritan was not what at the time was considered a righteous Jewish person, but somewhat of a foreigner to Jews who generally would not even speak to a Samaritan.

Jesus asks the expert of Law who he thought was a neighbor to the fallen man? Which of the three? The man answers “The one who showed mercy on him” And Jesus relied, “Go and do likewise” (Lk. 10:36-37).

So maybe what Jesus was asking was not who the man thought was his neighbor, but rather was the man acting as a neighbor to others? Did he understand his neighbor was whomever he encountered? And it was his responsibility to love his neighbor as a neighbor by showing mercy. It wasn’t about who lived next to him, but whoever he was next to.

We tend to define neighbors as those with whom we share an address or zip code with us, but in Jesus’ parable all were traveling. They were not in their home town or neighborhood. The Samaritan was definitely not from the neighborhood, but yet he was the only one who stopped, cared for the man, getting his hands dirty, probably using his own shirt to bandage the wounds, I mean think about it, there weren’t any first aid kits, or prepackaged bandaids. He had money for his trip, but used some to cover the cost for a night at an inn, and left money for the bill for as long as he needed for recovery from his injuries. He even planned on returning to pay the accrued bills, but maybe also to see the man as well. It was not in his plans as he left his own neighborhood that morning. But he provided an example that we still can follow and gave the expert of the law something to think on. How to really love your neighbor by being a neighbor and showing mercy toward a fellow human being.

Be that neighbor who loves his fellow neighbor wherever they are from and wherever they reside. Let us show mercy as we have received mercy from God. God Bless- Nancy

The Least of These

The King will reply, ” I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” Matthew 25:40, NIV.

Recently, my husband and I had the opportunity to view a new film on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. If you get the chance to see it as well, I highly recommend it. It is very thought -provoking as it presents Christians with a dilemma whether to quietly abide by rules imposed by a manmade government or follow and stand up for biblical principles, at the risk of arrest and death.

The question also raised is whether it is right to take a life if it is done to save the lives of others. Bonhoeffer wrestles with this decision, but ultimately joins a group of both clergy and citizens opposed to the government of the Nazis that attempts to assasinate Adolf Hitler.

This poses a very ethical and moral question as to the responsibility of Christians to stand against a government that is harming others, and even to consider stopping the harm by whatever means. This is of course is an option that Bonhoeffer willingly follows, but when the attempt on Hitler failed, Bonhoeffer and other pastors were arrested and Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging, days after the Second World War officially ended. It is a sad story, but we have to find hope in the actions of Bonhoeffer and other pastors who brought to light to churches in the United States and England what was happening inside Germany and for their bravery in rescuing many Jews and bringing them to safety. Bonhoeffer writings are still available and we are privileged to be able to read them and learn of the tragic events of Nazi Germany.

Can such history repeat itself? I believe so, as the heart of man is above all else sinful and bent upon satisfying its selfish desires. My question is when this next event happens, will the clergy and members of the church stand with the weak? Generally speaking the bullies of the world tend to pick on those weaker than themselves. This bullying the weak, makes them feel strong and powerful and capable of anything and ruler over everyone with a constant hunger for more and more to gain and rule over.

When we look at the verse above out of Matthew’s gospel, we understand it as a parable taught by Jesus about Himself. He will inherit the Kingdom from God, and will separate the sheep from the goats. The goats are those who basically ignored other people and failed to offer help, in this case, food, water and shelter (verses 31-46). Jesus refers to even the righteous as belonging to this group of goats, implying the religious leaders of His day. These religious leaders will ask, when did we see YOU Lord as thirsty, hungry or needing to be welcomed as a stranger? His reply was that if they saw people fitting this description and failed to help, then it was if they failed to help Him. The fate of these goats? Well read verse 46.

I think the above parable from Matthew is fitting to read and ponder, on whether we could consider ourselves as a sheep or a goat. What would we do if we were faced with a similar situation as Bonhoeffer. Stand by quietly while innocents are rounded up, arrested and killed, or recognize all men as created in the image of God? Would be quietly agree with this happening by not voicing an opinion, making us complicit of the violence? Would we be willing to risk our job, home, family and even our lives to be against such actions?

Sadly, I am beginning to see an attitude of hatred, and bigotry in my own country that takes me afraid. And I am not the only one who thinks this way. Pastors are beginning to take notice and speak against bully attitudes and I applaud them for this bravery. Churches should be places of safety where everyone can come hear the saving message of the Gospel. Churches should be teaching biblical principles and following them themselves to give the thirsty drink, and to the hungry food, and to the stranger, a welcome and a place to stay. This is what Jesus taught and wanted us to follow. We were once enemies of God and yet God sent Jesus to die for our sins, while we were still sinners, not before we got ourselves all cleaned up. Luke’s Gospel tells us that Jesus forgives those who call out to Him and recognize He is their savior even when they are criminals (Luke 23:43) May we also have a heart like Jesus.God Bless-Nancy

You Are Loved

So, I’m probably going to date myself with this question, but here goes. Do you remember hearing about people who left their homes and jobs to go “find” themselves? I’m not really sure when this phrase appeared, but I just remember hearing it. There was a sense that these people were burned out with the 9-5 work or school, or whatever and needed to take a break in order to explore the real meaning to their life.

I think it has always been around to some degree or another. People wonder if there is more to this life than being born, living, working and then dying. They ask questions like why an I here? And what is my life about? Some might call this search finding philosophy or exploring spirituality or considering one’s existential reality.

From a Christian perspective, it is searching for God, but in a theological understanding it is realizing that God has been calling and initiating the search rather than the other way around. It’s pretty clear from the Bible, that God initiates the relationship with His creation. Genesis records the creation of the universe and all that is in it, including this little marble- sized planet we call home (so, I know its bigger than a marble, just thinking in relation to the other planets, we’re pretty small). Anyway, God created mankind, which if you are reading this, and unless you are AI, you are a member of mankind. This amazing pinnacle of God’s creation. We have intellect, communications, rationality, morality, and we use all these traits to communicate, rationalize, moralize and think with others and we are also in this unique way, able to communicate with God, our creator. He designed us this way. We are not on the same level as the animals, or birds, or reptiles, or insects, or fish. We are commanded and given the job to have dominion over these humble creatures. Before, you suggest that means we can do whatever we please, the word dominion as it was understood from the original language of the Bible means mankind acts as a protector of the animals, or caretaker if you will.

But I am just pointing this out so you can begin to understand how we are made and who we are. We are not merely another form of animal, we have much greater traits and attributes and are given a very important role in this world. This might sound vaguely familiar to you if you grew up understanding the belief in God as creator. For those of you who read this and do not have a Christian background this might be the first time you’ve heard this explanation of how mankind was created and how we differ from other mammals.

What does this mean for us, for me and for you? First of all it’s a place to begin to understand who you really are. Everything and everyone around us tries to tell us who we are and define us, yet, if you remember my previous blog (Factory Reset) I mentioned that what we need in the New Year is to get back to basics, back to the Bible. So, my challenge for this week, is to understand who you are, not according to what job you hold, your social or economic status, your marital status or even what church you attend or don’t attend, but to understand who God says you are.

And the first item I want you to consider in defining yourself is that YOU are loved. No matter where, when and to whom you were born to, whether you were adopted or forgotten, YOU were loved. God created YOU. For a reason, God is love and He decided to create mankind in His image. He didn’t need to, for He was complete and lacking nothing, yet He decided the earth needed you. Pretty cool, huh? Just remember that who you are is this You are loved. -God Bless, Nancy

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him -Jn 3:16-17, NIV.

Factory Reset

It’s that time of year again. A time for resolutions and the focus on self- improvement. At the start of the new year it seems like everyone is trying to make up their New Year’s resolutions and the promise to themselves that somehow this year will be different than the last year. We promise ourselves that we will exercise more, budget our money better, learn a new skill, take that trip, and improve- whatever that might look like to us.

We start the year off strong, keeping those new promises, going to the gym, saving our money instead of wildly spending it, signing up for classes and beginning planing our trips by doing research online. But, slowly as January marches into February and February turns into March, our resolves to keep these promises tanks.

So, maybe this year we need to approach this differently. Not try to improve ourselves, not try so hard to change who we are, but give ourselves some grace. Change can be good, don’t get me wrong. And trying to be a better person; kinder, more generous, more patient is a good goal. The problem is this will not happen overnight or in a few months or weeks. Maybe the change isn’t manifested by trying to do or act in a new way, but returning to what we used to do, before life seemed to get out of control. I mean if we are honest, that’s usually why we want to change, or make these resolutions at the start of the new year, because we see our lives and ourselves as out of control, our control. And to be truthful, everything is beyond our control. There is very little that we can control in this life. And that feeling of being not in control is frightening. And our resolutions become a way to gain back what control we believe we should have.

Honestly, we are in control of what we eat and how we choose to exercise or not exercise, that is in our control, but those stressors that bring about our bad habits of eating and laziness(the not exercising part) are not. It’s just how we respond to the stressors that is in our control.

I was reminded this week as I began searching for a bucket list trip for this new year, the importance of not doing something new, making unrealistic changes, but just how much I needed a reset. To get back to the basics, before life got so stressful and I began to believe it was all out of control and I needed to get it into control.

As I began my trip search I noticed that every time I selected a hotel from the list of possibilities and than went back to the search list, the filters I had selected to narrow the list down a bit, was removed, so I had to keep reseting them. This has been a bit annoying to be sure. It has made the process unnecessarily long. But it has prompted me to look back and realize perhaps instead of so much self- improvement goals I needed a reset myself. I have my own filters of what I will do and won’t do in my list of improvement goals, I decided that yes, I want to shed a few post- holiday pounds, yes I want to budget better, and yes and want to fulfill all the promises made in the previous year, but I will filter out from the list other items. The difficult ones, the ones that focus on others, I just want to focus on me this year. I didn’t want a reset on God’s terms, just my own, with applying my own filters.

That is until I was rereading the Gospel of Luke this morning, not the whole thing, just a small passage, when I realized that in my goals and resolutions I had been overlooking the basics. I had been focusing on my self and not on others. In doing so, I was setting up this year to be a self- centered one. Not a giving of myself to others, not forgiving and walking the extra mile, not giving without expecting anything in return, not the loving and praying for my enemies. The basics of what Jesus’ taught. The selfless view of treating others, that replaced the self-fish view of life, the view that tries to be the best person by focusing on self. I felt convicted yet hopeful as I read the passage.

The New year isn’t about doing something new in order to make life better, it was the need to return to what God had designed for me, for us, the kind of life and behavior that God intended. To love God and love others. We were designed for a relationship with our creator and each other. It’s the factory setting. Now it’s time to reset my factory setting. God Bless- Nancy

A Promise Kept

“For no word from God will ever fail”- Luke 1:37

How many times have I read the passage from Luke’s Gospel account of the Virgin Birth of Jesus and missed the verse above? I’m not sure, but I double checked today, and the verse was still there. It stood out to me a couple of days ago. Right when I needed it. Of course! I’ve found this out about God, He always has the perfect timing, with the right Bible verse when I needed it. And believer me this year I have needed them quite often. I’ll be honest it has been a tough year. I feel my anxiety growing gradually as the year has passed, and now here we are near the end of December, on the eve of Christmas, and I am feeling no joy, no peace, and no comfort.

But I keep holding on to God’s promise. It WILL get better. I’ve seen it before. My sadness, my anxiety, my fear will be replaced by the peace only Jesus gives. My heart will feel joy again and my mind will be filled with hopeful thoughts. This is just a season. I know God will come through and I take comfort in the verse above.

God made the promise to mankind way back in the book of Genesis. To send a Savior. To send a deliverer who would defeat the serpent. And when the people were least expecting Jesus’ entrance into the world, here He came in the lowliest, most unexpected way. He wasn’t born to a royal couple, yet He is a King, no birth announcements or baby showers to prepare for His arrival, but a couple who were young and ill- prepared for a birth in the middle of a government census, yet Jesus was prophesied to have the government on His shoulders in a Kingdom without end. Born in a barn, yet coming from a royal throne in Heaven, that He set aside. The power to create the world, yet in a lowly human body that would need a mother’s care to change his diaper and feed Him.

And here He came. As promised. Not in our time table, but God’s. To love a world and give His life for a wayward group of humans. Humans who always do their own thing, rebelling against God, like a rebellious teenager or determined toddler who say “No!” to what the parent knows is best for them. God kept His promise to deliver us. To defeat death. To offer hope, peace with Him and with our fellow man, joy and a love that surpasses all human relationships. He came, because of us, not despite us.

Darkness is not forever. The world was dark when Jesus came and He brought light and hope to it. Sometimes life feels like a darkness that will last forever, but it won’t. God brings us a word at the right time, maybe through the Bible, maybe through a song, or maybe through a friend. Let’s pause today and listen for that word, that promise and remember God’s word does not fail. He kept His promise and offers us salvation, restoring our broken relationship with Him, giving us hope for this life that we will be alright. Our circumstances might not be good, but God is good. And that is a promise I hold onto. Tightly. Merry Christmas and God Bless you – Nancy

Just Breathe

” Be still, and know that I am God”- Psalm 46:10- These words often remind me of my need to be still, to pause. To stop my anxious thoughts in their tracks, rest my mind and my soul and just be still.

Many exercise routines I’ve watched- notice I said watch- always remind the participant to remember to breathe. Why? It is because we get focused on what we are supposed to do, and forget to slow down and breathe. It is particularly important in exercise as it provides oxygen to the muscles so that they might perform better.

Of course we will all remember to breathe eventually, or we would pass out, but I admit I do need the reminder to stop and be more conscious of my breathing. But have you ever had life throw you an immense curve ball? Something that takes your literal breath away. I have recently with my Dad’s passing. I was blindsided by the news as I went about my daily routine. It was sudden. Instantaneous. Not expected. In a flash my Dad had died. Without a time for goodbyes. It took my breath away, and as I processed my sister in law phonically, I found my self struggling to catch my breath. But I knew just like with exercise, I needed someone to remind me to breathe, so I called my daughter and had her talk to me so I could remember to slow my breathing.

It has been about two months now, and I do at times get overwhelmed with my grief. In those times I repeat often to myself “just breathe, just breathe” and I can regain some sense of control. It isn’t always perfect, but I am taking one day at a time, moving forward slowly, taking breaks to just be still, to close my eyes and breathe. Letting God help with my sadness and grief, to comfort me in the moments I feel overwhelmed. May you find your rest today and be still. – God Bless, Nancy

A Loss For Words

It wasn’t the original destination, just an after thought. A last minute decision to take a turn through the open gates. But the after effects were overwhelming. I had not been to this cemetery before, but had only driven past. It wasn’t even near our home but about an hour’s drive away. What brought me here on this day was curiosity. My father has recently passed and my thoughts were turned to my own mortality and where my husband and I thought about being buried one day. My husband asked if I wanted to drive inside the brick walls surrounding the cemetery to check it out. I hesitated for a moment and said sure, we’re here and we have some time on the drive back home.

But, I wasn’t ready for the overwhelming display. I honestly was not prepared for the flood of tears that were triggered. As we entered through the gates, the view opened up and as far as I could see were the plain white markers. This was my very first time entering a national cemetery, the place in which veterans from the armed services, their spouses and even their children are buried. The winding drive meandered under the massive live oaks and perfectly manicured lawns. The headstones were precisely spaced as if the soldiers were still in marching formation. As we drove, more and more headstones appeared around each corner, lawns turned into large fields that looked as if they were growing and producing head stones as crops. We parked and got out of our car to inspect a few of the stones.

My first observation was that some stones were still blank, there’s simply no name on them. But then I turned around and looked at the stones behind me, and they had names. Then I realized the spouses names appeared on the back side of the veterans head stone, like an after thought. It bothered me. Yes, spouses are not military, but as a military spouse I can tell you we support the mission 100%. So, why the back side? Why not the front? I pondered the question for a while as I was overwhelmed with the scope of death I saw there. Hundreds of stones, all the same, all had served their country, all were laid to rest there. It was not the first time in a cemetery, but the first for me at a military cemetery.

We got back into our car and drove further to a shady spot under the trees and got out once again. This time the view was different, I saw blank stones, but many more with the children’s and spouses names. From this view, I could see the people behind the veterans the supporting people, the children, the wives, the husbands. From one side I could see the veteran’s names, ranks, and branch of service, but from the road I could see the spouses and children’s names. It was all about perspective. And now my perspective turned to the hundreds if not thousands of people buried at the cemetery.

My tears overwhelmed me and I found myself at a loss for words, just like those blank head stones. With no name on the back I wonder if they had anyone who would visit their grave. Anyone who cared for them. Did anyone even know they were buried there? I cried for myself and for losing my Dad that day, but I cried for all of the soldiers there and their families, the ones who had stood there, graveside as their loved one was buried. I felt their loss and my own. The tears comfort me and give my soul rest after I let them fall.

God Bless, Nancy

Seeing Is Believing

If I were to ask whether you believe God still speaks to us today, how would you respond? I would imagine it would depend upon your own experiences with God (and maybe what your church believes, if you attend). But, have you ever really thought whether God would speak to you personally? Most pastors and theologian might comment to the question by suggesting that God does in fact speak to us, just that it is limited to what is written in the Bible. Others might answer by suggesting that believers who have the Holy Spirit within, hear, or are impressed within their subconscious with an idea. usually the impression is in regard to what one should or shouldn’t do, with the Holy Spirit acting as a holy umpire if you will.

In my own experience, I would answer yes, God does speak and agree with the two examples from above, but I also have found that God speaks through visual aids. Often, He puts me in situations in which I am acutely aware of my surroundings, that is He seems to point out something He is trying to show me and teach me. Let me explain. Recently I have found myself sitting right behind a group of people in church, who if I can be real honest, I probably would have dismissed because of their age range. I am not of that age, so yeah, whatever you want to label it, I have a bias against. No, I’m not going to tell you what age group, but as I watched them sit down in front of me, I expected them to act in church the way I THOUGHT, they would act. But just as I was feeling my smug self rising up, they did something remarkable, they didn’t do as I had expected, but instead worshipped God as I have never seen before.

Ok, please don’t close this out and please keep reading. My point is that God has a way to speak to me that convicts and encourages by showing me just what I need to see and the Holy Spirit reminds me that it is God speaking to me, trying to get my attention, all the while exposing the bad attitude I have toward my brothers and sisters in Christ. Please don’t tell me you have never had this happen, we all bring stereotypes and biases into worship. We are all works in progress.

Later, in the same week I found myself face to face with a manager of a business I had interviewed with a year before. I was offered a job with the business, but there was something about this particular manager, that raised some doubts about the position, so I declined. Now, face to face once again, under different circumstances, I found this person was not anything like I had believed before, and was actually a nice person. Once again the Holy Spirit reminded me how I had quickly judged the company by its manager, and I had been wrong. My attitude needed a check. I realized in that week, God had been showing me and telling me that my heart needed a tuneup. So, YES! I believe God does speak to us today. He desires for us to grow up in Him and be transformed into the likeness of Christ. We just need to listen and watch. What is He trying to show you and tell you today? God Bless, Nancy

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

You might recognize the title above from a popular Christmas carol. It was written in 1744 by Charles Wesley and it has become one of my favorite “new ” Contemporary Christian Christmas songs, with its updated version of this classic. It has made me think about what I expected for this Christmas season and what I am thinking about. To be honest I can get caught up in all the present buying, cookie baking and family get together plannings, that I find myself not really thinking about Jesus.

Oh, to be sure, I sing the carols of the baby in the manger, but even when singing, my mind wanders around a bit. What I need is time away from the Christmas rush to just sit down and be quiet with Jesus. To stop the business of the season and just meditate on God’s Word and pray.

I have learned in this past year especially, that what I expect and what actually happens are two very different things. I can plan all I want and believe so strongly that I know the future and what it holds, only to be shown wrong, time and time again. Expectations are not wrong to have and planning is always needed, but I have learned that my plans and expectations are not always what God has in mind.

I am reminded of this as I sing the carol above, the people both and Jesus’ time and in the time Charles Wesley wrote the song(and our time as well) were/are expectantly waiting for the Messiah entrance into the world. Prophets had spoken of the virgin birth, yet when it happened in a small stable in Bethlehem , God needed to send His angels to announce it to the shepherds. Except for the astronomers from the east who had studied the signs in the stars, no one was expecting the King to come in the manner He did.

I believe some day the same thing will happen with Jesus’ promised return. We THINK we know how it should all happen, we read the Bible, we know what it says, but it will be probably slightly different than our own interpretation. We know who we are expecting, but God only knows the time and the how. One thing we can be sure it will come surprisingly, when not expected- like a thief- In our modern era we can attempt to prevent a thief from breaking in, but we still do not know the when.

But, just as Charles Wesley wrote, Jesus is long expected. emphasis on the word long. We are waiting, expecting, hoping and trusting for this event. But, are we really ready for what might actually happen? I pray that you will find time in the busy season before Christmas to stop and meditate on Jesus, our long expected Savior, – God Bless You- Nancy

Merry Christmas!