Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

Bottom Line Spirituality: Worldly and Godly Thinking

Click here to go to the Bottom Line Meditations for Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Godly Abiding Spiritually in Jesus Changes the Meaning of What we See Worldly When Not Abiding in Jesus.

Spirituality is our innate ability to feel the difference worldly or godly thinking makes to the way scripture translates to our daily life and relationships.

Remember: The DISCIPLE-SHIFT

(see Pentecost Sunday Meditation by Clicking Here)

The Virtual Small Group

Members share once a week with their group through the internet when a shift from being out to being in the Presence made a difference.

All Scripture is a testimony to Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God. He is the complete revelation of God’s will of grace for salvation. Grace is the only unfailing rule of faith and practice for the Christian life.

The Gospel of grace is: rather than praying to feel the Presence of God in us, to feeling the Presence of God in us to pray.

The War on Legalism

God declared War on Legalism when He sent His Word into the World. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us … full of grace and truth. John 1:14 Legalism fought back against grace believing the Bible, not Jesus, is the word of God. Grace is based on the Two Great Love Commandments. All the Law and the Prophets have now been changed into “do the loving thing.” Matthew 22:37-40 The New Command is to be in His Presence in order to Love one another. John 13:34 “Apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

The Gospel of grace is rather than getting all our ducks in a row to feel at peace, to feeling the Peace of God in us to get all our ducks in a row.

Motto, “Come to legalism – we have cookies.”

Rules of legalism: cut to fit; beat into place.

Grace is mastery of fear – not absence of fear.

Luke 12:13-21 “A person’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

Beware of F.A.D. (Facebook Addiction Disorder)

There is nothing wrong with being on Facebook. It is a wonderful way to share our lives with friends. However, it can be like drinking alcohol. Nothing is wrong as long as we do not get addicted to it. What is F.A.D.? It is when one creates a picture of themselves to hide their low self image they have of themselves. When we depend on something other than what God has already given to us, we become addicted. It might be an addiction to how much we possess in order to hide who we really think we are. Low self-esteem is caused not by who we are, it is caused by who we think we are. When we experience the Presence of His Love, Joy and Peace we will discover who we really are. We are a happy, peaceful, loving, wise person filled with high self-esteem. 

Seeking self-esteem to be given to us through Facebook or any other worldly thing is an addiction. That is because self-esteem is our gift to ourselves. When we give our self to others, it becomes an addiction that leads to low self-esteem. No one can take our self from us unless we let them have it. No one can give us high self-esteem because we already have it. What they give us is conditional esteem. It does not last. Real esteem can only be discovered by the individual person. That is why Jesus did not give people answers. He gave solutions.

Today’s lesson is an excellent illustration of His way of grace. The teaching is to know the difference being in or out of His Presence can make.

Here are two brothers who are out of the Presence. They have become angry, greedy and bitter. Why did Jesus not give fair judgment to the two brothers? The answer was to either change the inheritance or not change it. Regardless of which was chosen, one would be happy and the other would remain a bitter, angry victim the rest of their life.

So why did he answer the way he did? Because He was teaching people how to solve their own problems: to find solutions. If he started giving answers, the lines would back up from one town to another!

If the brothers knew how to get into the Presence of God’s Peace and Wisdom, they would understand that a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. In the same solution, the next parable tells us rather than store up future treasures for ourselves, we need to be rich toward God right now and then comes the Wisdom.

Jesus was giving the Wisdom of the Presence which anyone can find by consciously opening their heart to feel the Presence of His Peace and Wisdom. What difference does it make for your esteem when you feel His innate unconditional Love or when you are out of His Love and depending on someone other than God to conditionally love you? What are their conditions?

THE DISCIPLE-SHIFT: The Virtual Small Group:  Members share once a week with their group through the internet when a shift from being out to being in the Presence made a difference.