Listening to the Word

 Exodus 28-29; Acts 7   “…where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things? You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears!...You always resist the Holy Spirit!” Acts 7:49-51   Stephen’s sermon to the Sanhedrin was a brilliant summary of Israel’s covenant history with God. The point of the sermon was that the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of God’s desire for a relationship with his people and to be a “resting place” with them. However, rather than welcoming the Messiah and the Holy Spirit, the Sanhedrin was resisting the Holy Spirit and had killed the Messiah and his followers. Why did Stephen’s historical sermon take such a sharp turn? The Holy Spirit was exposing the root of religious pride. The Sanhedrin continued to resist the Holy Spirit, despite the many thousands in Jerusalem who were repenting of their sin and receiving the baptism of repentance and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Stephen was less interested in convincing the Sanhedrin of

Exodus 25-27; Acts 6   “’Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you…Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times…Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning…’” Exodus 25:9, 30; 27:21 Moses was shown the original design of the temple in heaven and instructed to make a copy on earth. The writer of Hebrews goes into detail explaining how Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of the sacrifice offered at the tabernacle/temple. Jesus is also our permanent high priest, always living to make intercession for us. He is the “bread of the Presence” sent from heaven to give life to all. Jesus is the light of the world, which shines in the darkness.   Is Jesus our life, or are we still looking for life in the acceptance of others through our religious rituals or our accumulation of things or experiences? When Jesus is our life, we listen to him and walk in his love each day. He actually l

 Exodus 23-24; Psalms 14; Acts 5   “’See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.’” Exodus 23:20 “…during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ‘Go, stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people the full message of this new life.’” Acts 5:19, 20 God sent an angel to guard and guide his people on their journey to Canaan. He also sent an angel to open the doors of the Jerusalem jail and release the apostles with instructions to boldly share the “full message of this new life” (Acts 5:20). Does God still assign angels today to his servants who live on mission with him? The writer of Hebrews asked, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14)? John saw an angel with the eternal Gospel to proclaim to every nation, tribe, language, and people (Revelation14:6). The angels are assisting us today as we live and sh

Exodus 21-22; Psalms 12; Acts 4 “’Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword;…’” Exodus 22:21-24 “’Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,’ says the Lord. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’” Psalm 12:5 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” Acts 4:32 How we treat the weakest members in society and in our faith community is an indication of how well we know God. God’s ears are open to the cries of widows and orphans. If our ears are open, God will speak to us about them. God’s heart is to protect those who are weak, needy, and oppressed. Those who live in covenant with God and are filled with his Spirit are the hands and feet

 Exodus 17-20; Acts 3 “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’” Exodus 20:20 “’Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,’” Acts 3:19 It initially appears that Moses was contradicting himself when he called the people to not fear, but to fear God. However, the words in Hebrew are different. The fear to avoid is that which sabotages our obedience and faith in God. This fear is sin. However, the fear of God is a holy reverence of the awesome power and glory of who God is. This reverence will keep us from treating God lightly and willfully sinning. Do we live with awareness of the presence of the Lord? Are the pull and presence of temptation and sin greater than the presence of the Lord in our lives? Maybe we, too, need a Mount Sinai encounter with the living God. Peter’s sermon at the temple after healing the crippled

Exodus 14-16; Acts 2 “’Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days…’” Exodus 16:29 “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized…And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:38 Are we tired of ‘performance Christianity’ where we strive in our own strength to overcome sin and pursue sanctification? The Sabbath rest of God is God’s gift to us. It is a time when we rest from our labors and put our full reliance on the finished work of Christ on the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to express the life of Jesus. It is normal for those who live with this full reliance on Christ and the Holy Spirit to experience rest. It is normal to hear the voice of the Spirit counseling us through the Word so we know how to live, to lead, and to love. The Sabbath rest of God is operationalized in the life of a Christ-follower through grace and the power of the Holy Spirit; however, many Christians are still se

 Exodus 12-13; Ps 21; Acts 1   “’But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes…” Acts 1:8, 9 Jesus knew the greatest gift he could give his disciples was not his ongoing physical presence, or even the overthrow of the Roman occupation. Jesus’ greatest gift was to pour out the Holy Spirit on his disciples and empower them to be witnesses of his kingdom Gospel to the ends of the earth. There is no greater mandate, or requirement to complete that mandate. We are called to be witnesses of Christ locally, nationally, and globally, as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Has the Holy Spirit filled us so we can experience power from within to be a bold witness? If we claim the Spirit’s power, but ignore or avoid bold witness, we must question the reality of the Spirit’s power in our lives. This promise and witness ha

 Exodus 9-11; Luke 24   “’Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.’ (The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)” Exodus 11:2, 3 Moses had the favor of God on his life, as did all the Israelites, even though they were the reason God’s judgements were falling on Egypt. That can only happen when God sovereignly intervenes and his hand is on the lives of his people. All of Moses’ earlier fears, that no one would listen to him or accept him, were calculated on the influence he had. However, today the favor of God on our lives is based on his resources and influence. The favor of God was a greater weapon than his judgments because it was the favor of God on Israel that enabled the plundering of all of Egypt’s wealth. Living under God’s mighty hand requires complete surrender and obedience to his will; however, it also mea

 Exodus 6-8; Luke 23   “’…Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.’… The magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ But Pharaoh’s heart was hard…” Exodus 6:1; 8:19 When the hand of God is on our lives and ministries, we become ambassadors and extensions of his kingdom mission in the world. God purposed to deliver Israel from Egypt just as he has purposed to make disciples of all nations. We, too, have been reminded like Moses that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to the Lord. The smallest finger of God can shake a nation, even the mightiest nation on earth. Will we keep our eyes on the Lord, his will, and his kingdom mission, or will we be distracted by the magicians of finance, politics, education, and religion? God’s kingdom will confront every earthly kingdom in the last days and his mission will prevail. This is no time to harden our hearts to

 Exodus 3-5; Luke 22   “’But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians…I will make the Egyptians favorable disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed…take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.’…And he took the staff of God in his hand.” Exodus 3:19, 20, 21; 4:17, 20 God’s mission requires God’s mighty hand on our lives. The same hand which compelled Pharaoh to release the Jews empowers God’s servants today. When we live for our own prosperity and dreams, our lives are in our own hands. When we submit to the hand of the Lord, our lives become extensions of God’s hand. Moses’ staff, once surrendered to the Lord, became the staff of God used to both reveal God’s power and his presence. The skills, capacities, and activities of our hands can become extensions and expressions of God’s redeeming and saving power. Are we in the hands of

Exodus 1-2; Ps 88; Luke 21   “One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” Exodus 2:11, 12 Despite growing up in Pharaoh’s palace and receiving the education and training of a prince, Moses discovered, or was taught, that he was not an Egyptian but a Hebrew. At some deep level he identified with the oppressed Hebrew slaves. However, Moses himself was not yet clear on who or whose he was. His quest for purpose and meaning in life first meant he needed to know who he was.   How many oppressed people resort to violence when they attempt to solve injustices before first knowing who they are and why God gave them life? There are many refugees like Moses today who are trying to discover what it was that Jesus came to freely give. Our value, identity, and purpose come from

Genesis 49-50; Psalms 8; Luke 20   “what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you are mindful of him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:” Psalm 8:4-6 Christ’s purpose for his Church is that we would live as his ambassadors of reconciliation here on earth, representing his kingdom authority on his mission. Christ has crowned us with salvation, freed us from the power and penalty of sin, and crowned us with glory and honor. Christ has made us rulers over the works of his hands and stewards of his creation. Do we understand whose we are, and who we are in Christ’s kingdom?   Satan’s scheme with Adam and Eve and with every culture and society since then has been to usurp our delegated authority and seduce us into worshiping him. The Church has been distracted with her own success and survival rather than living in the fullness of our

 Genesis 47-48; Psalms 10; Luke 19   “’If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes…you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.’” Luke 19:42, 44 It is the presence of Jesus, his coming in all the fullness of the Holy Spirit, which brings peace with God, with our enemies, and with one another. How many cities is Jesus weeping over today, who are also unable or unwilling to recognize the time of God’s coming to them? Our nations and cities turn to greater law enforcement, more money, or the assistance of other global actors to help them find peace. Jesus’ peace plan for Jerusalem during the occupation of the Romans and for every city since then is that they would receive his shalom , his life in all its fullness lived under Christ’s authority and accessed through his Gospel. God has kairos times and seasons for every generation; times to respond to his salvation and to experience shalom . Will we call out to the

 Genesis 44-46; Luke 18   “Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, ‘Have everyone leave my presence!’…And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians hear him…Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph!…I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!…God sent me ahead of you.’” Genesis 45:1-5 Reconciliation will often release the inner pain of conflict and broken relationships. Joseph’s outburst represented many years of pain bottled up inside of him. His brothers, including Judah who had conceived of the plan to sell Joseph into slavery many years before, had to process their guilt and shame for abusing Joseph. Reconciliation requires the truth to be spoken - the truth of who we are and the actions that brought separation. Reconciliation also is advanced when at least one party is considering God’s redemptive plan in the story of reconciliation. Joseph released his bitterness toward his brothers because he could recognize the hand of God

 Genesis 42-43; Psalms 5; Luke 17   “…’If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent’, forgive him.’ The apostles said to the Lord, ‘increase our faith!’…’So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luke 17:3-5, 10 In the individualistic western culture marked by moral relativism, Jesus’ call to rebuke our brother for sin could be more challenging than his call to forgive our brother’s sin seven times in a day. We find it challenging to confront sin in one another’s lives. However, Jesus treats this call to both rebuke sin in one another and to forgive one another as simply our duty as servants of God. Rather than requiring great faith, Jesus’ focus is on duty as the motivation for mutual accountability and forgiveness in our relationships. This is every day, expected behavior of C

Genesis 39-41; Luke 16   “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered…the Lord gave him success in everything he did. Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him charge of his household and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.”   Genesis 39:2-4 The presence of the Lord is the most valuable reality we can pursue. Joseph valued and lived in God’s presence. Despite being enslaved by his brothers and living in a foreign country, Joseph recognized the most valuable attribute of his life was God’s presence. God gave Joseph success, authority, and wealth, but initially, not freedom. Joseph was being prepared to lead Egypt. Will we, too, pursue the presence and favor of God above any gift or success that he can give to us? Even though our circumstances might be very challenging, God is preparing us to rule and reign with him. Learning to be faithful with whatever God gives us to do is the key to being entrusted with more. We can all live for the presence of

Genesis 37-38; Psalms 7; Luke 15 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found’. So they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:22-24 The father determined how the household responded to the return of his prodigal son. Jesus said that God the Father is full of compassion, love, joy, and celebration. How does the Father respond to us when we repent and turn our hearts back toward home? In the same way, how should we be responding to the prodigals in our community who return to the Father? Are we celebrating the right moments and experiences? We remember and celebrate traditional feast days in the Church calendar; but, are we celebrating with our Father in the return of the prodigals? How is God inviting us to join him in his celebration? “Father God, thank you for

Genesis 34-36; Luke 14   “’…anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate [count] the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?’” Luke 14:27, 28 The cost of being a follower of Jesus is our death to the self-life which takes pride in our accomplishments, or beauty, or influence. The cost of knowing and following Jesus in mission is the surrender of everything we are and have including all that is most precious to us. Understanding this price is an amount higher than most of us are prepared to pay. Jesus spoke to large crowds and called them, and us, to “count the cost” - not negotiate the cost, not minimize the cost, but rather, “count the cost”. If we want to become disciples by salvation, the cost is our lives. Yes, Jesus gave his life for us; in return, we give our lives to him. This is the Good News of the Gospel. “Lord Jesus, all I have and all I am are yours, for

Genesis 31-33; Luke 13 “The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip…Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men;…He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.” Genesis 32:31; 33:1, 3 As Jacob prepared to meet his estranged brother Esau, God broke Jacob’s hip. The dislocation caused him to limp as he approached Esau. More than his gifts of appeasement, Jacob’s limp moved the heart of Esau to reconcile with him. Jacob had come to him in weakness rather than strength. Which relationships are we in that require healing? Are we aware of our limp - emotionally, spiritually, or in any other area of our lives? In what ways is God using our weakness rather than strength to bring reconciliation and peace in our relationships? Peniel was the place where Jacob met God and surrendered his will. We, too, must surrender, not just our sin, but our strength to see the face of God. “Lord God,

Genesis 29-30; Luke 12 “’Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ Jesus replied.’…Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions…I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones…’” Luke 12:13, 15, 18 Jesus points out that there are many different kinds of greed. Even the seemingly reasonable rationale of storing away more resources for retirement (bigger barns) can be a form of greed. Jesus focused on the heart of the man’s request to force his brother to share the family inheritance. What is at the heart of our ever increasing retirement barn strategies? Once again, Jesus speaks to our heart when he says, “…do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear” (Luke 11:22). Worrying if we will have enough in our retirement can open the door to greed. Will we trust the Lord and live with both good stewardship and generosity? “Lord Jesus, you are my Source and

  Genesis 27-28; Psalms 4, Luke 11   “He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it…Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.’” Luke 11:28, 52 What is the “key to knowledge” in Christ’s kingdom? Is it a graduate degree in theology? Is the key to knowledge a year of cross-cultural service and mission somewhere in the world? Jesus was clear that the key to knowledge in his kingdom was obedience. If we don’t obey God’s commands and his Word, we don’t know them. Jesus pointed out to the religious leaders of his day that even when they thought they were obeying God’s commands, they were still doing it for the wrong reasons. They had neglected justice and the love of God. Motives for obedience are also a key to knowledge. What is the Holy Spirit asking us to do today? What is God saying to us as we listen? Will we apply the key to knowledge? “Lor

Genesis 25-26; Psalms 6; Luke 10   “…’I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children…no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’…’Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” Luke 10:21, 22, 25 Salvation is a gift of grace we receive from God. However, salvation is not a formula. Jesus points to the humility, teachability, and dependence of a little child as he describes those who receive revelation of the Father. In response to a question regarding how we inherit eternal life, Jesus affirms that loving God with all that we are and loving our neighbor as ourselves describes those who are experiencing a relationship with the Father. Salvation is in knowing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in a relationship that is real and very experiential, not a theological formula as in ‘fire insurance’. Little children hav

Genesis 23-24; Luke 9   “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.’…So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.” Luke 9:1-3, 6 Why did Jesus feel the disciples needed power and authority before they left on their mission trip? They were confronting Satan’s kingdom and calling people to freedom. Has the context changed for us today? Paul said to the Thessalonians (1:5), that his Gospel came to them not merely with words, but with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction. Why do we believe communicating the Gospel merely with words will be any more effective for us than it was for the disciples and Paul? Jesus also instructed his disciples to take nothing for their journ

Genesis 20-22; Luke 8   “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” Genesis 22:1, 2 Why did God test Abraham? It wasn’t because God didn’t trust Abraham, nor was it to discipline him. God tested Abraham because he wanted to know if Abraham feared him and would obey him no matter what he asked him to do. Do we fear the Lord and obey him in all things? Do we believe God’s promises to us, even if they seem beyond our current experience or capacity? What Jesus has called all his disciples to do, exceeds what God called Abraham to do in this test. We are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. In exchange for our life, we receive the life of God in us and through us. We are living sacrifices for God’s glory. “Lord Jesus, I offer my life to

Genesis 18-19; Psalms 3; Luke 7   “’…her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ The other guests began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’ Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” Luke 7:47-50 Peace is more than a word we read about in our newspapers or websites. A woman, who lived in prostitution, left the presence of Jesus with inner peace, the peace that comes when our sins and wounds have been forgiven and healed. This all-encompassing state of well-being, or shalom, is what Jesus is still offering today. The heart of shalom is peace with God so we can be filled with his love. Those who have experienced God’s mercy and forgiveness for all their sins love much because they understand through experience how much they have been loved. When we know God’s forgiveness and love, we, too, can go in shalom and live at peace

  Genesis 15-17; Luke 6   “…so she said to Abram, ‘The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maid-servant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’…’No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful;…her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her…’” Genesis 16:2; 17:5, 6, 15, 16 Like Sarai, our Churches can feel the shame of not reproducing. This can cause us to desperately try to build a family through our own effort. God had a better plan for Abram, but it required surrender, patience, humility, and faith in the Word of the Lord. God’s promise to him, and to us, is that we will be very fruitful as we abide in him. Responding in faith to the Lord and his Word to us, changes our future and our identity. God changed Abram’s and Sarai’s names and he is still naming those he covenants with. Will the Church receive God’s promises and his Word, and wi

Genesis 12-14; Luke 5   “So Abram said to Lot, ‘Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me…for we are brothers.’…The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, ‘Lift up your eyes…All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.’” Genesis 13:8, 14, 15 When we quarrel and fight with our brothers for our inheritance, whether in families, ministries, or the community, we have put our eyes on the wrong thing. When our focus is on the Lord, we discover that he is our inheritance. Abram graciously offered his nephew Lot the pick of the land, and then discovered God had graciously given him all the land that he could see. To the east of Shechem is a mountain with views of the Jordan River valley and the central range of Israel. We need to elevate our perspective to see this world and our lives from God’s perspective and not our own. The only way we can do that is to spend time in his presence, and then invite him to open our eyes of faith to see from his pe

  Genesis 9-11; Luke 4 “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech…So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel – because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world…” Genesis 11:1, 8, 9 Babylon represents man’s pride and building capacity. At Babel, God judged the pride and rebellion of men by confusing their speech and scattering them. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out and the Church was birthed. The intercession of the prophets and faithful servants of God culminated in 120 disciples being united in an Upper Room, waiting on the Lord for power from on high. The outpouring of the Spirit has made possible the uniting of nations within the Church. Just as the curse of Babel was broken, so it is today. It is now Jesus who is building his Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The temptation to build our own towers and kingdoms continues, while Jesus ha

Genesis 6-8; Luke 3 “…Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God…Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence…all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.” Genesis 6:9, 11, 12 Jesus said that the second coming of the Son of Man would be in a generation much like in the time of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39). Partying, drunkenness, and violence marked Noah’s generation. The Hebrew word for violence is Hamas. Hamas grieves God’s heart and was the temptation to which Cain surrendered in his conflict with his brother Abel. Yet, even in the midst of self-indulgence and Hamas , Noah was living a righteous, blameless life because he walked with God. God is looking for Noahs in our generation. As sons and daughters who have been purchased by the blood of Christ, it is our privilege to be walking with God each day.. We become more like the people we spend time with, and it is no different when we spend time with God. The Spirit-f

  Genesis 3-5; Luke 2 “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Genesis 3:7 The eye-opening revelation of good and evil, promised by the serpent to Adam and Eve once they ate from the tree in the garden, didn’t play out as they anticipated. Rather than being like God, they became aware of their sin and ashamed of their nakedness. This focus on body image with awareness of nakedness and shame continues to plague men and women to this day. With the explosion of social media and photo postings, many are obsessing about how they are being perceived by others. The ideal body shape and corresponding pride or shame are distracting us from loving and serving others. There is freedom from this focus on self as we turn our attention to the Lord, receive his forgiveness from sin and shame, and choose to walk with him. Jesus has broken the curse of sin and invites us to fix our eyes on him. “

Genesis 1-2; Luke 1 “…’to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.’” Luke 1:77-79 As we begin a New Year, we, too, are invited to walk with God on his path of peace. The incredible inner freedom through the forgiveness of our sins and experience of the tender mercy of God fills our hearts and minds with peace. We choose to live in the light of God’s presence, rather than in the darkness of fear and death. As we choose to surrender our will to God and invite Jesus to fill us with the Holy Spirit, we, too, experience the hand of God guiding our daily choices and our feet as we walk with him. There is no better way to live. The internal peace of God spills over into all our relationships and endeavors as we obey the Spirit and listen to the Lord. When w