Introducing Mr. Lovewell — Is that you?

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. – 1 John 4:10-11

Just this morning, I’ve come across a very special idea.  No — not a new idea!  No — not a foreign idea!  No — not an obscure or obsolete idea!  But, YES! … it’s an idea that is vital although it’s been undervalued at times.

What is this idea?

It’s called Love-Well!

MercyMe, a contemporary Christian band,  has touched upon heavenly manna with its newest album, “The Generous Mr. Lovewell.”  It’s quite the inspiration. MercyMe is one of those groups that I enjoy listening to because its song are lyrically so well-written and the message is clear; Jesus is Lord!

With that, MercyMe has again proven why it remains one of the most well-loved and most well-received Christian vocal bands.  They have a heart for God, a heart for people, and a love of serving others.

The album, “The Generous Mr. Lovewell”, revolves around a fictional character we created who reminds us that we simply need to love others well. For some of us, it means that we need to put hands and feet on our ideology and rhetoric. For others, it means that we need to continue in doing well, but not stop there. We need to let people know why we are called to make a difference. Our prayer is that this album would mobilize the body of Christ to encourage people in word and deed.

It’s almost like a ‘pay-it-forward’ idea that revolves around the Cross. We are called to be servants to our neighbors, but if we don’t share the gospel with them, it’s almost offensive and we have only accomplished a part of what God has called us to do. We need to stop letting the world teach us theology about how to act or speak. We need to encourage one another to provide a helping hand to our neighbor, offer up random acts of kindness and share with others how our lives have been transformed by the power of the Cross. It doesn’t take much action – or even many words – to make a difference both here and forever.

– Bart Millard, MercyMe

 

The only question to answer now is do you love well? 

Are you a Mr. Lovewell?

Do you love Jesus and therefore love on other people with such passion as He did and does? 

Let it be said of us, that we Christians are guilty of loving others…well!

Well? Go love someone!

Lifewarrior

Word of God Speak – God Wants to Gives Us Good Things

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

–Matthew 7:11–

My devotional time this morning found me in the book of Matthew.  The scripture speaks of fathers giving their children good things.  What father really desires wickedness, turmoil, sadness, strife, grief, stress, or meanness for his children.  I’m not being silly there, though it might seem silly, I’m seriously asking you to consider who wishes bad things upon his children?

I haven’t met anyone yet who has sat around hoping for bad in the life of children.

Children are innocent.

This verse says, if we who are evil, full of sin, and full of animosity towards the things of God by nature, still understand and know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more does God want to give us good things.   As I ponder, I think of how much God loves us.  Sending His son to redeem us was His biggest act of a good thing towards us.

However, it seems this verse indicates as well, the daily things.  The small things.  The material things.  The spiritual things.  All things.  God wants to do good in our lives.  When will we get that concept in our minds?  When will it resonate in our hearts and souls?

Today, I embrace the idea that God wants to do good things in my life.  Not because I’m deserving, but rather because I’m NOT deserving and He has compassion on my helpless estate.  Thank you Lord!

Lifewarrior

Quick Thought: Christian Rights Infringed Upon?

Are Christian’s being persecuted just for being Christian?

When a 31-year-old single woman in Grand Rapids placed an ad for a Christian roommate on her church bulletin board, she had no idea it would result in a civil rights complaint accusing her of illegal housing discrimination.

The Alliance Defense Fund, which represents the woman, sent a letter last week to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights asking that the groundless complaint be immediately dismissed, but the division has not yet offered any response.

“Christians shouldn’t live in fear of being punished by the government for being Christians. It is completely absurd to try to penalize a single Christian woman for privately seeking a Christian roommate at church–an obviously legal and constitutionally protected activity,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster. “Not content to just lock Christians and their beliefs into the four walls of their church or home, some groups also want to invade those walls and force their own ideas upon them by force of law.”

Where’s the media outrage over this woman’s rights being muffled?  Where’s the cries of intolerance?  Where’s the women’s lib movement now?  Come on people…let’s be consistent!

Lifewarrior

NPR, Muslims, & Christians…Oh my!

No Catholic, Presbyterian, or unaffiliated congregant of the Assemblies of God will ever cut off your head for drawing a cartoon of Jesus. Many, many muslims would should you draw a cartoon of Mohammed. The fear of muslims within the secular left is why the media could be fully fixated on one preacher in Florida burning korans and avoid like the plague the other very legitimate story that we share the Earth with a large group of people who can be incited to global violence by one moron in Florida burning a book.

And this all gets us to the most significant truth — also the one that will offend a great many people, but still needs to be said.

The most significant truth is that had Juan Williams made his comments about Christians or Jews he would still have his job. The world is at war with Christ and, more generally, the Judeo-Christian God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Islam, derived from a man of this world, and the world are in supernatural alliance against Christ. This is the moment non-believers laugh and believers nod knowingly.

The secular world hates the real God of the Bible and those who follow Christ. Any group that is not of Christ or allied with Christ is spared by the world because it is of the world. Any group of Christ or allied with Christ is fair game for attack and ridicule.

Christians are aliens in this world and ultimately, on the last day, win. But until then, the world hates them.

It is a truth that we should all remember.   -Erick Erickson–

 

For years, I’ve been saying the same thing.  A few days ago, Juan Williams, NPR associate and anchor, was fired for expressing some of his feelings, fears, and views.  Whether you agree or not, should he have lost his job?  Afterall, isn’t he too, a liberal by most accounts, under the freedoms we all share in this wonderful United States of America.

Here’s what Williams said: (on Fox with Bill O’Reilly)

“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil-rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

Is that blaming all Muslims for the actions of a few extremists? Sure. But Williams was describing his feelings, not saying that Muslims should be singled out for profiling or otherwise discriminated against.

 

So watch the media squirm and shake when Muslims are singled out.  BUT, run ads about Christine O’Donnell from Delaware trying to demean her for, well, NOT even being a witch.  She’s a Christian being painted as this wacko!  And, how about the pastor from Florida who was sounding the alarm for burning the Muslim’s holy book. He was labeled a menace to society.  And I see that point, however,  the point is that there’s no media outrage over the Muslim world proclaiming death to the infidel (all of us who aren’t Muslim).

YET, the media sees no reason we should have any apprehension about placing a mosque at Ground Zero.  They see no reason why we should label terrorists as terrorists.  AND, if by definition that represents Muslim extremist, we’re not supposed to say it!

Let’s stop all this political fluff and call this what it really is and be real.  Christian’s and conservative values are being squelched and squashed while the devil and all his forms are being tolerated.  It’s the war of  the worlds.  The war of ideologies.  The clash of good vs. evil.  The battle for man’s soul.   And, Armageddon creeps one day closer!

Thank God He’s still on the throne!

Lifewarrior