Harmony, Peace, Good - Goals for 2018 and Beyond (Part 1)

Live in Harmony with One Another. 

Live in harmony with one another. If two singers sing the same notes at the same pitch, it is not harmony. If one sings melody while another sings bass, it is not quite harmony either. But, if each sings notes, even words, unique to themselves while complementary to the other, that is harmony.

I must sing as I am able, in my voice range and with tonal quality and dynamic volume, using meaningful and thoughtful lyrics that come from my heart.

Yet, if all the world's a stage, it is not my time to bellow a solo. Alas, the stage is quite populated. Nor am I the Director who decides who else is on the stage. To seek to harmonize, I must listen carefully to other voices as well. Music is the result of collaboration, be it duo, quartet, or orchestra.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:16-21)

I believe there is a reason Paul included this advice to the Christians and would-be Christians in Rome. It is simply this:

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

~   ~   ~

Note to the reader:

To live in harmony with one another is just one of my many goals for 2018 and beyond. My other goals include living peaceably with all, and overcoming evil with good, phrases also found in the same passage above. I will write about those goals in later posts.

My hope and prayer for you are that God draws you to Himself, and then you diligently seek Him. For God so loved the world (John 3:16a), absolutely, and that includes you specifically.

If this devotional has touched your heart, please do not keep it for yourself. Share it. Leave a comment if you'd like. But most of all, thank God, the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Hearty Trail Mix

... or "Trail Mix from the Heart."

Lately, I've been sharing serious lessons I've learned about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Christian doctrine from Scripture, that is, the Holy Bible. Such revelations have had profound impact on my identity as a Christian. Yet, they are not commonly taught. Nor are they commonly accepted.

As a result, I don't trust most churches to teach what they ought. In fact, many have made a blatantly profitable business out of organized religion. The raw gospel, however, has a different intention.

My desire in these lessons is to give you verifiable truth about Christ. There are more lessons to come. But, at this time, I wish to share other parts of who I am and what I've been through. I want to get real.

Here comes the Hearty Trail Mix...

I want to share so much of what is in my heart. I desire to be vulnerable and genuine. What my Christian beliefs are is just one aspect, albeit a critical one in my life. Beyond this, my life has other aspects as well, soulful ones, human ones, ugly and pretty, which connect us all.

I'd like to share stories from my life that reveal more of who I am. Occasionally, I'll sprinkle in some shorter pieces I hope you will enjoy. I'd like to share some major and minor events from my life that have helped shape my spiritual journey, contributed to life decisions, and brought me to this point: my life is meaningless unless I bring compassion and joy to someone else's. And then, we shall discover together what David meant in Psalm 23 when he said, "My cup overflows."

Sharing my stories is my gift to you. If there's to be any value in this gift, let it be connection. 

So, it's time to mix things up a bit. I have things I want to write and share, some of which I've wanted to write and share for a long time. I was too scared then, making excuses too easy to come by.

Now it's time for me to face my fear; to do the thing I'm afraid to do. To paraphrase Beethoven, "What I have in my heart must come out. That is reason why I write."

I hope you join me. I hope you find something thoughtful for yourself. And may some fruity or nutty trail mix nugget touch your heart.

When I Don't Know What to Write, I Read What I Wrote

When I don't know what to write, I read what I wrote. When I read what I wrote, I'm amazed at how enthusiastic I was about writing.

Yet, I notice huge gaps of time between my posts on this blog. Huge gaps! My introduction to 'Write to Heal', for example, made it sound like I was going to write every few minutes. But, I did not, as evidenced herein.

Why not? Four reasons stand out:

1. I don't know what to write, 
2. I write elsewhere other than this blog, 
3. I'm not making and taking the time to write, and 
4. I'm embarrassed that my journey through life and Christianity isn't perfected and I will be judged by those who know me. This is a big one and a reason for the others.

I do believe what I have to say will resonate with a few. There will be those who appreciate what I've written and shared. Therefore, I'm encouraged and I write.

But, those few are not likely to be the ones most vocal in my life. Rather, it's my perceived judgment of this latter group that scares me. I fear being honest and vulnerable in my writing because I fear repercussions. It keeps me from writing personally and genuinely because I'm too busy validating my own shame based on someone else's opinion of me.

Yet, as time goes by, each day, I realize more fully that I am in Christ, and Christ is in me, and the Father is me, and I am in Him just as Christ is in Him and He is in Christ.

In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

The good news is I've gone through various worldly disappointments. I had hoped for deeper earthly acceptance and greater success, but I'm met with little, by worldly standards anyway. This is indeed "good news" because I've learned and still learn not to put my hope and trust in the world.

I've come to accept circumstances that were out of my control, instead of trying to force my preferred result. I've come to accept people for who they are, and acknowledge my inability to change others, instead of trying to force my thoughts, methods, and standards on them.

I thought I needed to be treated a certain way in order to feel loved. I needed to hear my love language spoken. The silence, however, has made me realize, more than anything, that real love comes from God, and I find love in what I give, rather than what I get.

Familiar with Psalm 23? If not entirely, I've pasted it below. 

I'd like to focus on just a tiny phrase of just one verse for now: my cup overflows. Here's the ironic thing I learned about love; I feel loved when I love others from a pure heart, and I am able to love others from a pure heart because God first loved me.

Therefore, I've learned, rather, am learning, imperfectly, to seek God first. Know Him. Pray to Him. Treasure His precious words of revelation to me in scripture.

Let His words be my, and your, 'Revelations For Life'. Amen!

Psalm 23:1-6

A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.