Anticipation

Anticipation

Anticipation

Staying Eager for the Right Reasons

By Pastor Adam Fox

Would not be the first time in which I have been accused of being extra eager - like a kid on Christmas morning. Each week during the months of November and December, Andrea and I have had appointment television for a new show on Disney +, The Mandalorian. 

This 8 episode show takes the viewer on a journey of a bounty hunter who has been faced with a moral dilemma - kill or not to kill a very important target. Without going into to many plot points and details, the show introduces us to a mysterious and unnamed character who has stolen the show, The Child.

The Child - or Baby Yoda as some refer to him - is every part adorable and hilarious and keeps you in your seat for the entirety of the show. In fact, when each episode ended it got me frustrated because I had to wait another week for more. My desire for more Baby Yoda content in The Mandalorian, eagerness or anticipation took over me and that is a good thing, just not a great thing. 

Anticipation is defined in the dictionary "as the action of anticipating something; expectation or prediction." Anticipating something is a common human experience. The folks in Hollywood have been doing it to perfection for years now. We wanted to know who shot JR, What was in Capone's Vault, who shot Mr. Burns, even Captain America finally Assembling all the Avengers to beat Thanos. 

It is normal to be eager or anticipate something, but as believers in God should we experience the same emotions? I think we can do better. 

While being eager for more episodes of a television show, or for a sports game or big life event is one thing. Being eager and filled with anticipation of Jesus Christ's glorious return is something completely different and much better. 

As believers in God, we are forgiven from our sinful past and have an eternal future in Glory with the Creator and Author of our Faith. Heaven is a place that the book of Revelation describes in terrific detail filled with amazing things. In which the most amazing thing of Heaven is that we, plain old you and me, gets to be with God the Father forever. 

The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse from John the Beloved into what Heaven will be like and will look like. Chapter 21 gives us this big BIG point about Glory.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

There are plenty of things to be excited for about Heaven, streets and buildings of precious metals, mansions built for each of us, being with loved ones once again, being around Biblical figures that we have only read about - to name a few reasons. But nothing will be able to compare with spending eternity with the Triune God. The Father who loves us so deeply, the Son who died in our place and the Spirit who lives in us now. 

We will not only be in the suburbs of Heaven or in the background just lucky to be invited, but 21:3-4 tell us that God will dwell with us and it will be a place of no sin, no pain or illness. but a time of dwelling in perfection with our God. 

Wow.

While we may be eager to start school, the election, sports playoffs, a new job or even for another episode of our favorite television show. NONE OF THEM will be as great as spending eternity with God in a place of perfection. 

So then, if Heaven is as great as Scripture tells us (and it will be) then why are we not hyped up for Glory?

Is it because we are glued to the urgent and the immediate instead of what is truly important and what really matters? Is it because we laugh at the idea of death and cling to the idea that we are immortal? Both? Neither?

How can we anticipate and be more eager for Glory with God like we are eager for television or a date on a calendar? Look at what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 130 about the idea of truly anticipating.

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
² Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.

³ If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.
⁶ My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
⁸ And He shall redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

Psalm 130 is a marvelous psalm written to show the depth of sin of humanity and the eagerness of receiving this divine mercy. Verses 5 & 6 show anticipation of receiving forgiveness and mercy from God and the amount of eagerness that this person has.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.
⁶ My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

This is where we need to be as believers in God. Eagerly anticipating and waiting just like the author of this psalm. The author shows the eagerness of anticipation for the hope that is in the Lord. Verse 6 shows that clearly, while we may see it as redundant – since it repeats, but it is actually a literary device to show the amount of anticipation, the seriousness of the hope that he has in God.

This is how we need to be, eager as the Psalmist is and not just on foolish or temporary things but in God and what is yet to come. Heaven is something that should give us hope and fill us with great joy on a daily basis. But I do not think it does.

Sure, when we sit in a hospital or a funeral setting our minds wonder onto what is still to come. But is Glory something that is on our minds daily? Does the idea of heading to Heaven – a place with no sin, with no pain, filled with love, joy and peace fill us with this overwhelming anticipation feelings?

Sadly no. We as a modern culture are in a fast paced culture. The news cycle for example can digest a serious issue and look at it from every angle and move on in a week.

Even for myself, my weekly to-do list dominates my life and work. It is easy to get lost in the tyranny of the urgent and the immediate and forget about what should be lighting my passions – Heaven and God.

The rapture is coming. The return of the Lord and all the rest of the Revelation will be coming too. We do not know when this will happen, only God does. But we are called to look forward to this day, to anticipate it, to be eager for God’s return and the rapture of believers. Peter writes that as such in 2 Peter 3.

Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 

Peter is encouraging the church to look forward to this day. This reminder from the apostle is key for us because it shows that all of us, even the early church period forgets what motivates us or what our goal is. We are believers in God who are eager to be with Him one day in Glory. We need to be confident and comfortable in the fact of our God and of His promises in the Word.

While we have seen about the eagerness we need to have in what is to come, but we also need to have this eagerness in what God is doing in us today. Let’s look at the promises God has given to some of the Old Testament saints.

·       God told Abram that he would have a son in his old age and have a massive family.

·       God told the nation of Israel that He will be their God.

·       God promised prosperity to Israel for obedience.

·       God promised David that He will establish his thrown forever.

This sampling of Godly promises to individuals or to the nation of Israel show the trustworthiness and consistency of our God. But for the nation of Israel, the people of these promises, they had to anticipate God doing these things by faith and took comfort in the fact that they would be accomplished.

We need to be on that level of eagerness in our God. Eager for Heaven but also eager in the fact that what God say to us will come true in God’s time. While having faith in the unknown can be frightening if we think about what could happen – but knowing that God will keep His promises will bring us a greater comfort.

There is a lot to be eager about. While I have spent a few months anticipating a Friday night viewing of a television show, there is greater things still to eagerly anticipate. As fun and adorable as Baby Yoda is, this fictional creation is not even a drop in the bucket of the majesty of Heaven.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

I'm Gonna Love You Through It

I’m Gonna Love You Through it

Supporting other generations even if they are different

By Pastor Adam Fox

There are some television shows that you can watch over and over again and not loose interest in them: I love Lucy, Seinfeld, the Office and even Gravity Falls.

Gravity Falls follows the adventures of Dipper Pines and his twin sister Mabel who are sent to spend the summer with their great-uncle or "Grunkle" Stan in Gravity Falls, Oregon, a mysterious town full odd forces and weird creatures. The kids help Stan run "The Mystery Shack", the tourist trap which he owns, while also investigating the local mysteries.

This animated delight of a show pits two 12 year-olds who are filled with energy and curiosity and their great uncle Stan and his dishonest ways and routine. At times their seems to be a great amount of pressure or unnecessary toughness put upon Dipper by Grunkle Stan – which is not understood right away.

While Stan is purposefully tough or mean to his great nephew in order to prepare the boy for the adulthood and all that comes with it. This reasons for his actions are not understood till they are explained some time later in the show.

But this interaction between these animated characters to me mirrors what is happening in society today and even in the church itself. Older and younger generations are not seeing eye-to-eye and focusing on the differences.

There are many generations in our society today, each with creative names but some times it is hard to see where one generation stops and another starts. The main four generations to define and discuss are:

Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964

Generation X: 1965 – 1980

Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996

Generation Z: 1997 – Current

I point out these dates to clarify the differences between the Millennials (which I am) and the Z generation. While I know the media and popular culture likes to lump them together and make them both the whipping boy for the ills of society – it is not accurate, fair or supportive.

While it is no surprise that like each person, each generation has a different set of values and beliefs from the others. Studies show that the Millennial generation emphasize the importance of the economy, education, de-emphasize sharing your faith, families and marriage. The added emphasis for this Millennial Generation on the economy and education is no surprise to me as student debit – which is a resultant of a want for education – is like a noose around my neck daily.

As of Q2 of the 2019 fiscal year, for borrowers ages 25 to 34—a significant share of the Millennial population—there was $497.6 billion in outstanding student loan debt for about 15.1 million borrowers. This translates to an average student debt of around $33,000 dollars for each borrower. 

With the price of college increasing and the student debt piling up, this generation has a shifting value than previous generation because of the cost of education and desire to better themselves.

If this is how things are in the world, with a new generation establishing themselves and what they bring to the table – why is the church getting swept up in the same kind of unsupportive and disrespectful discourse between the generations?

The growing divide in our American society is real and we can see it on a daily bases in terms of Presidential candidate choices, the Millennial ‘killing’ industries, or the importance of technology.

But are we the same in the church as in the world? I hope not.

While yes, it is clear by now that each generation prides itself on their own perspective on things and issues, that does not make one better than the other. I have always believed in a family approach to working with the next generations – or as Mark DeVries describes it, a cloud of witnesses for each students.

DeVries writes in his book Family-Based Youth Ministry that each student, each member of this youthful generation should have a stadium filled with supporters. The example he uses is a basketball game, the stands should not be his parents and the pastor there to support, love and encourage him. It should be filled with as many people in his life that care for him, his pastor and youth workers, family AND church family. Where each part of this cloud of supporters cheer him on and help him grow in his faith and make the youth WANT to be in church.

This has been a driving principle for me for how I minister to kids but it needs to not be limited to students. We need to take this approach to the entirety of the next generations too.

Over the past decade, the Millennial generation has had a high drop-out rate from the church during the high school and college time of their lives and rarely return to church. This should alarm you.

Millennials are a part of a growing trend of youth who are leery of traditional sources of authority like the church, which have been scrutinized for their various sex scandals and resistance to social change. The institution of “the church” is not automatically persuasive to today’s young adults.

But what gives me hope is this Family-Based Ministry approach that I believe more Christians and churches should take up is the overwhelming response to peer mentorship.

In Barna’s research on this subject, Resilient Disciples or Christians who have become entrenched in the church were significantly more likely than other respondents to say that they had adult friends in their congregations when they were young. That pattern of close relationships continues with them today: 88% agree that “the church is a place where I feel I belong,” and 85% that “there is someone in my life who encourages me to grow spiritually.”

These facts and studies of the church and Millennials should prove to all of us what needs to be done: adapt to reach this generation that is slipping away.

While I consistently promote a family based approach to ministry, by encouraging all of the Saints to be a friend, an encouragement, a supporter and a spiritual guide for each and every young adult and kid. The Bible show us many examples of how we can do that and one of my favorites is the beginning of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6.

The Shema is a daily Jewish prayer that was collection of speeches attributed to Moses before the next generation of Israel entered the Promised Land. Moses challenges them with his wisdom and warning because he doesn’t want these Israelites to repeat their parents’ mistakes.

⁴ “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

For us as Modern Christians, this reminder of how to walk and act and how not live should be shown from one generation to the next. As spiritually mature Christians, that means showing these Godly characteristics to everyone. Just as Paul did to Timothy.

¹² Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. ¹³ Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. ¹⁵ Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. ¹⁶ Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

We can see in the letters to the youthful pastor Timothy, that Paul needs to remind him that age should not limit him in how he lives and does. He – and we – should be encouragers like Paul, teachers in word and deed and supportive in the growth of this next generations.

As Christians, we are called to share the gospel to all around us, not just those of our peer group and belief set. It is not an optional thing. But speaking to the Millennial and Z generations, it also means willing to learn from others with a different mindset and background.

Each of us should be wanting to reach these lost younger generations, to help them understand that they need the Lord and His grace through faith. Is there a difference between generations – you bet, but that is not an excuse to not try.

For these older generations who have a want and desire to reach these younger generations for they need to be willing to try new ways. It is clear that Millennials have a unique sense of values and motivations and the ways of old are not always going to reach them.

While it may be a frightening thought to forge new ways and adapt to what has been the tried and true – but it is worth it if we can start reaching many of Millennials and Z for the Lord and stop the disappearing from the church that happens in there teenage years.

In the same breath, these youths need to be willing to be taught and come with an open mind and heart.

Generation differences are hard and it is easy to shift blame to another generation or make them the Achilles heel of all the worlds problem. The news and media do that. We cannot.

The evidence is plain. As a church, we need to help this generation like an older mentor to a younger mentee. Show them that we care for them, help them understand what they value and that we to care for the injustice of sin in the world and the like. Or for maybe the simplest step of all – talk to them and get to know them.

If I have learned anything from watching Gravity Falls, it is that while it is difficult to prove to the next generation that you care for them and love them and want them to succeed – it is not impossible. If or when you do reach them – do not stop with just the one soul reached, keep going.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

***Flawless

***Flawless

Correcting the "bow down" nature we feel toward others

By Pastor Adam Fox

Andrea and I are considered "cord-cutters" since we do not pay for cable television - we mainly use streaming applications like HULU. As modern television viewers, we watch shows on our time and rarely with commercials. But lately, the genres we have been binging on documentaries and reality shows. 

Over the last few weeks we have spent time watching episodes about Whitewater Scandal, The Clinton Scandal, even on the Black Sox Scandal; or reality cooking shows or My 600 lb. Life. 

 

For some reason we are drawn to these types of shows lately but it may not be that puzzling or uncommon. It makes us feel better about ourselves, superior even. When I sit down at night and watch a documentary it takes me into a world or into the life of a person where something has gone wrong, a scandal has occurred or tragedy has hit them hard. By comparison then, I feel better as a cook, human, cleanliness and citizen and scandals bring that out of us.  

The word Scandal has come from the Greek word for "snare" - implying that one is snared into moral failure. Someone who is snared into moral failure sure sound an awful lot like a LOT of television shows. 

Why would we watch shows about people who are super-overweight, living in squalor, who have a very strange addiction or even who did something illegal? Because watching shows like this, reading or listening about people like this brings some level of entertainment and makes you feel better about yourself and your life situation.

For instance, I could watch a documentary on the Clinton-Lewinsky mess and enjoy the suffering of the people but also feel better about myself in the process.  The Germans know this feeling and have given it a specific term - Schadenfreude. Schadenfreude is defined as pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.

Why do we enjoy Schadenfreude, other people’s misfortunes so greatly? I think it is because we enjoy feeling superior to that person or getting pleasure or joy from their situation. And friends, thinking of yourself as Superior to someone else is a dangerous and sinful thing.

The Bible is clear in calling out these type of emotions as sinful. The Bible speaks a great deal about all of us being equal and not one person or group of people being superior to another. Look at what Paul writes to the church in Galatians:

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

As Christians, men and women who have received forgiveness from God for our sins - we are all apart of one eternal family. We all have been forgiven for our sins, making each of us forgiven and equal – never showing partiality.

While there are plenty of shows from Hollywood that encourage us to believe we are better than this person, or this group – but the Bible is clear that we are not. God does not love me more than you or favor you over me – Godly Equality.

Paul had to remind the church in Roman to not think of themselves as better than others or superior to another but equal - just as God sees us. 

16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

God calls us to see other people as we see ourselves, as God sees us. We should not look at a person and see the flaws in their life and character but what God sees in them. Someone who needs kindness, love and forgiveness. 

So what does that mean for us? Are we to filter out the television shows and other forms of media that belittle and isolate the flaws of people so that we will feel better about ourselves? Are we to stop judging people on what they did but what they can be with a relationship in Christ Jesus. Those would be a good start. 

I think the first step would be changing why we are viewing others. We are not to watch the super-over weight person so that we can feel better about our bodies or watch the show about people who cannot cook so we feel better not being great at it. But instead, see these people as people who need help - physically, emotionally and Spiritually. 

In Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of  two men who go to the temple to pray - one a Pharisee and the other a Tax collector. 

9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Scandal and people’s misfortunes will never go away, there will always be it in some form. Just like there will always be sin in this fallen world of ours. While it is tempting to digest television shows that broadcast these themes for the delight of the viewer. But that is just like temptation – it will always be there for us as Christians in some form or fashion but it is up to us to not fall into those temptation traps.

What we do need to remember in all this, real life and in television, that we are called to treat all men with love and kindness. The Bible tells us this often, look at Ephesians 4:32

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Or more directly in Philippians 2:1-4: Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, ² fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. ³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

As soon as we stop seeing ourselves as better than others and see people how God sees them, we will always be stuck wanting to be superior. We are not ***Flawless (sorry Beyonce) but we are forgiven. And as forgiven people, let us aim being more like God in all that we say, do and think. And that means stopping with the Schadenfreude and stop seeking pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Lean on Me

Please, Lean on Me - when you're not strong

Life Lessons from Shazam!By Pastor Adam Fox

Every summer, Andrea and I try to get away for a little trip - a nerd-cation. Chicago has a yearly comic convention every August, Wizard World. It is a time for adults of all ages to come and engage there geekiness. There are times to shop for things that you need and those that you do not need, see artist, be with celebrities, listen to the finest of nerd discussions (my favorite is which is better: Star Wars or Lord of the Ring) and of course dress up in costume. 

This year my wife and I and my brother Steve went for the weekend, and had a blast. Shopping, dressing up, more shopping and of course listening to a discussion. The panel discussions are one of my favorite things to do and this year they did not disappoint. We got to sit in on a Star Wars talk, a Heroes TV show reunion and a chance to see the star of Chuck and Shazam!, Zachary Levi. 

Levi is an actor that has been around for a while in the TV and Film industry and was the star of one of my favorite shows Chuck. the plot of Chuck was simple and odd, the series was about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck Bartowski, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The message embeds the only remaining copy of a software program containing the United States' greatest spy secrets into Chuck's brain, leading the CIA and the NSA to assign him handlers and use him on top-secret missions. Simple. 

I loved the show and wished that I was Chuck for many a year. So while at Comic Con, getting to hear him talk about his life and long Hollywood resume which includes Thor, Shazam and Tangled to name a few blockbuster hit films. 

While we were sitting and resting our tired feet, listening to so many questions from excited fans, an unusual question was asked to Mr. Levi. What is your favorite word? Okay so not a special question, but the answer shook me. Empathy. 

"Empathy. You can applaud that but more than applaud - let's go live that. Let's amen that by actually going and being love, kindness, grace, understanding and empathy in the world. Let's go and make the world a better place and it all starts with loving ourselves. We have got to love ourselves. Look in the mirror in the morning and tell yourself that you are so worthy of love and then build on that. When you start feeling stronger in your love, everyone around you will love so much more competently, more beautifully, so much more holy. It feels great. We do not have to be afraid of this world and the people they're telling us to be afraid of. We need to be afraid of being disconnected from one another instead. Go hug each other." 

After hearing Levi say these words of wisdom, these Godly words about how we are called to live it too k me a minute to process what just happened. Was Levi a Christian? If so, did he just witness to the thousand people in this room? Is he right?

That night I did some research and Zachary Levi is a Christian. His testimony is recorded in an interview in Relevant Magazine.  The interview shares that Levi accepted Jesus as his personal savior when he was 18. While his resume includes so many acting jobs in film and television but should also include hosting a weekly Bible Study in his Los Angles home. 

But are the words from Brother Levi true? Do we need to be better at being empathy? What does it even mean?  Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Empathy seems an awful lot like sympathy and compassion - but there is a big difference. 

Sympathy is a shared feeling, usually of sorrow, pity or compassion for another person. You show concern for another person when you feel sympathy for them. ... With empathy, you put yourself in another's shoes, often feeling things more deeply than if you just felt sympathy.

The key is we need to see things from the other's persons perspective and the Bible calls us to do the same thing. Paul calls us to do the same thing in Romans 12:15-16 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

If we are participating in the emotional joys and sorrows of the person, we as Christians are fulfilling the Greatest Commandments of loving God with our all and loving our neighbor as our self. If we are loving others as God loves them, sharing in the emotions of the person it gives us an opportunity to share the love of God with them and that is key. 

We can see empathy and compassion that we need to display in the life and actions of our risen Lord, look at how Jesus interacted with a mourning mother in Luke 7: 11 Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. 12 And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

In verse 13, Jesus had compassion for the woman. This is HUGE, because it shows us that the God of the universe, the Creator and sustainer of all things sees, knows and understands what this woman is going through. The pain, the fear, the hurt, the worry and has compassion for her. Compassion in the original Greek is: ἐσπλαγχνίσθη(esplagchnisthe) which means for someone to be deeply affected in one's inner being, deep in the bowels. 

The compassion that Jesus had for this woman, a woman that He just met, is wonderful - but it is more than that. He has empathy towards her and her problems. This is the type of deep compassion and empathy that we are to have for all of humanity - one that stirs us from the deepest spot, from the bowels. 

The calling is clear, we are to show and be compassionate and empathic - just as Jesus was. But how can we do it, how can we be more compassionate and empathic? I think the first step is understanding before reacting. See why the person is reacting before lashing out and understand what they are going through before we discuss. 

Look at what the prophet Micah wrote to the nation of Israel that is sound advice to us as well.  

He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

If we take this calling to the nation of Israel from the prophet Micah and live out our lives by acting justly with people, showing mercy to everyone and living our lives humbly with our God we will be different than the world and that I hope leads to others accepting Jesus as their personal savior.

While I am not telling you to never take a stand on your beliefs, but we need to see where the person is and coming from too. Being a Christian means being examples of God - all the time. It means showing mercy and kindness to people that we disagree with politically, socially, philosophically, heck even sports wise. 

Being empathic, showing mercy to people, sharing Godly justice to all, being the light and salt to a world that is blinded by Satan from the truth and most importantly, seeing things from their perspective. You and I can both hear the same message, but it may move you to tears and not me. The person that displays empathy and God-like character attempts to understand why this person is moved to tears instead of just telling them to shut up or be happy more. 

Let’s take a page from TV’s Chuck – Brother Zachary Levi – and be love, kindness, grace, understanding and empathy to all of mankind. And as he said, it starts with loving yourself. After all, God does an awful lot. He made you special and loves you for who you are. Share that truth with someone today. 

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam