Hostage to Hope

I am a hostage. I am a person who is confined. I hope. I wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment. I am a hostage to hope. I am confined to wish for love with the expectation that love will be fulfilled. When love is fulfilled heaven will come, heaven will be here. I am a hostage to wish that Jesus would be real in this world through those who call him Master. I am a hostage to expect that this will be fulfilled. I am a hostage to hope that I am called to be the life and light in this world because Jesus lives within me.

"I'm a hostage here for hope, not doom."

Acts 28:17

I am here a hostage for hope. I am here constrained by love. I am compeled by the love given to me, the life force of God, of Jesus within me to hope. I am forced to love because I have been loved despite any thing evil that is within me. I am a hostage to love that says that we are all on a journey together and that as a Christian I can make things better for everyone I encounter, no matter if they "believe" or not. I must hope that the people I know lives can change when they are loved. If their lives change so do those lives of those around them. If them, then the world. I am a hostage to hope that Jesus came to change the world no matter if everyone believes or not. What holds you hostage?

Namaste'

Mission

What was the mission of Jesus? He came to preach the good news of God to everyone! He came to save the whole world. Jesus came to give good news to everyone - believer and non-believer! This good news is for everyone, not just the ones who have decided to believe it.

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Genesis 12:1-3

Notice that God tells him that "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Jesus was a jew and so he was one of Abrahams decentdants. How did Jesus do this? How does Jesus do this now? How does he bless the entire world, believer or not? (John 3:17) Well, Jesus selected 12 people and trained them in a new of way life and living. He sent them to teach everyone else this way of life. Some would believe and become practictioners and teachers of this new way of life. Then there are some who would not believe. Even if just a few do believe and teach it, this way of life benefits everyone, the many. Oppressed people are set free, whether they believe or not. Hungry people are fed wether they believe or not. Poor people are set free from poverty, whether they believe or not. People would be treated with respect and compassion, whether they believed or not. All sinners would be loved and not resented.

The kingdom of God would come to everyone and everywhere. It would not happen all at once, but it would be gradual. It would be like the morning sun beginning to cover the earth and throughout the day it does. (Matthew 5:14) It would be like yeast spreading through a lump of dough that takes several hours. (Matthew 13:33) It would be like a seed you plant and months later yields its fruit.

Imagine if every Christian could understand that they are to "live him!" That as Christian all people are blessed through the love of God, our love for them, believer or not. What if we all joined Jesus on this mission to express the love of God to the whole world. What if we all follow Jesus on his mission of saving love for the whole world? What would happen? How would the world be saved/rescued from sin if we just loved? What is your mission? I think it should be to just love. I wonder if this is why Paul says that without love I am nothing? (I Corinthians 13)

Namaste'

Forward

Move forward in your life today. Stop worrying about rules, what to do, what not to do, what things are the right things to do, what things are the wrong things to do. Live the life of Christ, live him. Living like Christ, a life of love, caring, kindness, service, selflessness, you will find that all the "rules" take care of themselves. Our problems arise from us attempting to get what we want, getting frustrated by the getting, and suffering because our ego gets frustrated. So we put in place rules to help us tame our ego, and it never works. The only way that we can tame our ego is to live a selfless life of service giving our lives away. We come from no where with no thing, we are now here and things will all be gone soon, and we will return to no where with nothing. The only life that matters is the life that is found in God. The only goal of our life is to give it away.

So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? "Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!" Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important. So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.

Colossians 2:20-3:2

So today stop worrying about "right" and "wrong" rules and just live the life of Christ, live him. Stop worrying about the things that will be gone tomorrow - stuff, reputation, others opinions, desries, and wants - and start living a life that is the imitation of Christ. Pursue what Christ taught us to pursue and watch your life take care of itself. Watch as you no longer think about rules, but become more like Christ each day. Be alert to the opportunities around you to give love, kindness, care, and allow others to come first. Watch your perspective become that of Christ. This is truly moving forward.

Namaste'

Live Him

So what is the point of knowing Christ? Why have his light and his life in our life? Why would I even try to understand the mystery of God and the principles that Christ taught? I mean if I gain salvation through a prayer, and gain eternal security - forever to be with God in heaven - what makes me want to learn anymore about the life of Christ?
Could there be more of a point to the living the way of Jesus than our eternal destination? I believe so! I believe that we are to live him. When we live him, our personal world changes, then the world around us changes, then the world changes. Idealistic? Maybe, but did not Jesus say that we would do what he did and even greater things?

My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

Colossians 2:6-7

We have prayed that prayer. We have believed in our hearts. We have been given the gift of life and light. We understand. We have been schooled. It is time to stop worrying about studying, and to start living it - living him. Live him and bring light to the world around you. Bring kindness, love, patience, care, compassion, abundance, and grace to your world. Bring it to your world so that every person you meet and know will bring it to theirs. I believe that the world changes. I believe that if we live Christ, then the world changes. Jesus says that he came not to judge the world, but that the world through him will be saved. Not just in eternity, but saved now. The light came to the world and sent the darkness away. That light is not just for some future salvation. That light is also for our salvation now. That light is to lift us out of the the darkness of hate, anger, depression, sadness, and sin right now. Live him, bring light and give thanks that you have been rescued from a life of darkness.

Namaste'

Suffering

Where in the heck does suffering come from? We all ask that question don't we - If God is so good why do I have to suffer? We ask some version of it at some point in our life. Why is the biggest question we want an answer to. I think that one of the major reasons that we "suffer" if because we fail to find the real wisdom of God. We fail to really see what God has in store for us, and we fail to give up our selfs, our egos, because we think it will be hefty a price to pay. However, that is where the real wisdom, the real life of God lives!

Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble."

James 3:17-4:1-6

We all, including myself, lust for what we do not have. We think that in some way it will "complete us." We think that if we could just get......(you fill in the blank with whatever, it does not have to be material) then we would be happy. If we could just get someone to love us more. If we could just get someone to forgive us. If we could just get someone to understand. If we could just pay off all the debt we have. If.......... This drives our anger and frustration sometimes to the point that we actually act out in anger, rage, or depression. Since we cannot get what we think will cure our ills, we experience pain. When we experience pain and continue to hold to the thought that we need something to solve the pain we create our own suffering. I heard this a very short time ago:

Pain happens to everyone, suffering is choosing to hang onto that pain

So true life in God is learning how to get along with everyone. It is being able to give up our own desires, our ego, and learn that God gives us what we need and trusting that. It is trusting that every situation, every interaction is a spiritual one that is not a coincidence, but actually coincides when God has planned. It is being able to sit back and trust this. Pain is attempting to control that and make it happen the way we think it needs to. Suffering is holding onto that pain and continuing to believe we have to make it so or we will never experience freedom. Freedom is found in letting go of ourselves. Remember Jesus said that if you lose your life you will find it.

Namaste'

Determination

We cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself. It is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. Jesus reminds us:

I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."

Luke 6:35-38

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

Recognize

Would we recognize Jesus if he was walking on the earth today? What exactly would we be looking for in a person who would claim to be the Messiah and the Saviour of the world? I wonder if we would miss that he was right in the middle of us? I wonder if we would be like the pharisees and question who exactly this person is because we would not be able to recognize him?

When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest. He didn't evade the question. He told the plain truth: "I am not the Messiah."
They pressed him, "Who, then? Elijah?"
"I am not."
"The Prophet?"
"No."
Exasperated, they said, "Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself."
"I'm thunder in the desert: 'Make the road straight for God!' I'm doing what the prophet Isaiah preached."
Those sent to question him were from the Pharisee party. Now they had a question of their own: "If you're neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?"
John answered, "I only baptize using water. A person you don't recognize has taken his stand in your midst. He comes after me, but he is not in second place to me. I'm not even worthy to hold his coat for him."

John 1:19-27

Jesus did not come and take a stand that was noticed by anyone, except those who were spiritually perceptive, like John the Baptist. Jesus did not come to establish a kingdom of this world, or to take over as the spiritual leader of the jewish customs. Jesus came to establish a new order of love that no one took notice of except the people that were in desperate need of that kind of love. This sacrifical service and love did not place Jesus in second place, but made him so powerful and wonderful that John felt like he would not be able to even hold his coat. He would not be able to serve him!

So I wonder if we would really recognize Jesus if he showed up today and walked around our community? What would we be looking for? Someone to take over politically? Someone who would show the world its moral failures? Someone who would be on television making a big powerful speech? I wonder if Jesus would do just what he did here. I wonder if he would just begin with a few people and attract crowds through his love. I wonder if that would even attract a crowd today?

Namaste'

Living for Free

Do we realize that we all live for free? I think there is a line in one of my favorite movies, "Titanic," where the main character says something to the effect that he "lives on God's good graces." We all do.

We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, this endless knowing and understanding— all this came through Jesus, the Messiah. No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.

John 1:16-18

We so easily forget that God gives us gift after gift after gift. We forget that all that we have comes from the one who created us. We forget that God is continuously giving both in a physical and spiritual manner. It is the nature of God. We think that somehow we are creating something, doing something, and making things happen. We think that our ego is going to make something happen. We forget to connect to the one of a kind expression of God - Jesus! We forget that we must think like Christ, act like Christ, and treat others as Christ did. This is when we experience the abundance of God. This is when we know that wonderful giving that God does. I have a favorite quote:

"If you knew who walked beside you on this path you call life, you would never experience fear again."

Do you realize who is right there allow you to live for free? Do you realize whose bounty and abundance you are living off of? The God of the universe!

Namaste'

God Selves

Ever thought about the idea that you are a creation of God? Really, have you stopped to think about it and what that means? We all identify ourselves through our physical body - who our parents are, what we look like, what blood type we are, what we wear. What if we began to identify ourselves as God's? You see when we do not identify ourselves as God's we are walking in the darkness of life. We are not "plugged in" to the source of our creation and live in darkness. When we plug in to God through Christ, we find life and light. We find out who we really are.

The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life he brings into Light. He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn't even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn't want him. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten.

John 1:9-13

Do you notice? Have you noticed that you are God-begotten? Has this changed your life? Has the light and life of God changed your life? Do not miss the life of God that is in you right now. Do not miss the light that is offered because you think there is something better out there for you. This is your true self - you are a child of God - you are a piece of God created by God.

Namaste'

Always

God and Jesus always have been. There is no beginning and there is no end to the spirit of God. Everything that we are, everything that we see, everything that will come into existence is because of God. Jesus entered the story that God set in motion. Jesus always was and is. Jesus just entered the story of humanity to remind us that God is here, right now. Jesus came to give light to a world that seemed to know only darkness. Jesus came to show that life was real and that our life should be light. It is what we were created for.

The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one.
Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.

John 1:1-5

All life came into existence, is in existence because of God. Jesus came and showed us how to live life. Life that was light to live by. What is this life? A life of love, forgiveness, kindness, expansion, beauty, abundance, creativity, and peace. This is light - to live a life full of these kinds of characteristics. This kind of life cannot be put out by the darkness. It explodes out of the darkness and has to be noticed. Life always has been. God and Jesus always have been. Light always have been. We have not noticed because we live our lives in such darkness. We live our lives from places of envy, anger, frustration, depression, disappointment because we do not get what we think we need or desire, such places of percieved suffering. Darkness appears to be all around.

However, introduce a little light into a dark room and the light takes over, the darkness is no more. Introduce some light into your life today. Treat someone with kindness. Be thankful for your many blessings. Notice how beautiful life is. See how your life continues to expand into areas that you did not think were possible. Notice how much abundance you have. Love each moment that you are in, find the good in it. Then notice how darkness will not be able to put out the light, the life that you have. God always is.

Namaste'

Missing the Point

Ever missed the point? What is the point of life? Are we missing the point?

"You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want.
"I'm not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God's love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?"

John 5:39-44

We all get worried about the approval of the crowd. We all think about how to "jockey" for position with each other, how to be the best, and how to make things work for us. We read our Bibles thinking about how it will lead us to some kind of eternal life, if we could just "unlock" the secrets of the scripture we will find what we have always wanted. We miss the point that the entire scripture is about Jesus. Our point in life is to live a life that is like Jesus, which means that we may not get others approval at all. We would do that things, make the decisions, and life a life like Jesus. We are not to worry about what position we have, how to get it, or what people may seem really important. We are to make our life move and live in the spirit of God.

This will not come with everyone's approval and getting to rank who is the best and fighting for that position. It will come with us understanding the point of sacrifice and love.

Namaste'

Choice

People have to choose God. This is what we think. We think that people, us, have to choose God before God takes notice. Somehow God is just sitting on the sidelines waiting for us to do something. In a sense, I guess that God is. God is waiting for us to recgonize that we have already been the choice of God.

So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
So, friends, confirm God's invitation to you, his choice of you. Don't put it off; do it now. Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I Peter 1:5-11

Imagine being the choice of God. Just something good in that! Something gives us confidence that we are loved. Something that reminds us that it is not up to us anyway. Something that gives us freedom to live our lives with the qualities listed in this passage. It just feels good to be loved and have eternal life right now. So do not put off accepting that God has choosen you. Do not put off walking the wide open road of life, of eternal life right now. Live a life of love, service, patience, and kindness. This is life eternal and God has handed it to you, choosen you for it.

Namaste'