Friends?

"I shall not call you servants anymore, because a servant does not know what his master is about. Instead, I call you friends, since I have made known to you everything I learned from my Father." - John 15:15

In our religion, it seems that there are so many rules to follow that it all just seems like a big burden. Jesus understood that things can seem this way to us and that's why He pulled His apostles aside and told them straight up that He wasn't speaking to them as the Lord Almighty and they must obey each and every commandment, but that He considered all of them His friends. He didn't want to be a weight on their shoulders, He wanted to share the news of the Kingdom of Heaven with them, and He wants to share it with us as well.

I know that religion and God talk can be the last thing people want to hear about sometimes, but when we feel like this, we need a change of perspective. While we might run away from our bosses sometimes, we usually always welcome our friends, and their good news becomes our good news. Jesus is longing to share His good news with you. I remember when those "Jesus Is My Homeboy" shirts were popular and it seemed funny at the time, but it's actually very true. Jesus wants to be a friend, a companion, a guide for us when things get tough. Learn to look at Him in this way so that you can share in His Kingdom with Him.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for looking at me as a friend and not a servant beneath You. Help me to respond to Your call of friendship and bring others to You as well. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Humility

"And listen: He who is found to be the least among you all, he is great indeed." - Luke 9:48

This weekend in church was the celebration of Christ the King. The reading they used to describe it was of Jesus dying on the cross and getting jeered at by the Romans and the rest of the crowd. In the world's eyes, Jesus wasn't a king. A king is rich, powerful and sits upon a throne being waited on. But in reality, a king is made leader because he is supposed to serve his people. Jesus, dying on that cross was serving all of humanity, washing away the evil inside of us. By doing this for us, He was setting an example of how we need to serve one another. Many times we think we deserve so many things and wait for others to do something for us first before we do anything for them. I'm guilty of this. I forget that to God, the humblest person is really the greatest, even if he is poor. The rich mean nothing to God if they are not rich of heart and compassionate to others. This is why if we really want to be admired by people and gain respect, we need to humble ourselves and serve others, as Jesus did. My boyfriend doesn't need to tell me he loves me because he goes over and beyond anything I ask for. And I know so many people like him in my life and this is making me want to serve them better. But it's not just them because they were nice to me first, Jesus calls us to extend ourselves and perform random acts of kindness everyday, whenever we see an opportunity. This is the true indicator of the goodness and heart of a person, if we have the humility to serve others and put strangers, and the poor before ourselves.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, help break me out of my selfishness so that I could mold my life to help others. I want to do good before Your eyes Lord, and do what is pleasing to You. Help me to help the least in Your kingdom. In Jesus' Name, amen.