One Greater

Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.

Matthew 12:6

In our search for answers we accept the fact that we must be open to finding something greater than what we now consider great. We understand that one great discovery will probably lead to another great discovery, so we adjust.  When we stop adjusting we run the risk of rigid boredom. Remember typewriters?  They were great, but now...

What we now consider great can, in fact, be great but not the greatest.  To find out that what we think is great is not the greatest does not mean we abandon entirely what we now consider great.  We adjust.

Coming from Miami, where even a small hill seems like a mountain, when I first saw the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, I thought they were great. Then I saw the mountains of Colorado!  I didn't lose my admiration for the Smokey Mountains.  They are still great, but as mountains go they are put into perspective by the mountains of Colorado.  I am sure there are other greater mountains beyond Colorado so I am prepared to adjust even more when I see them.

Jesus, on the other hand, is the final greatness when it comes to human beings.  There may be many great people we meet along the way.  Jesus, however, is the final demonstration of   what human greatness looks like.  Some of the people of Jesus' day missed His greatness and would not adjust. They preferred the Temple. How sad for them!

I am sure I have not even begun to know just how great Jesus is, but I am happy to know beyond Him there is no greater human greatness. This fact gives me comfort, focus and excitement about continuing to adjust to Him.

I have been adjusting to Jesus' greatness for over 50 years and I feel my admiration of Him growing day by day.  I believe I will never get to the end of greatness no matter how long I adjust.  The Jesus I see is never rigid or boring!

Bud McCord

Abide International

The Gift

                                                                                                                                                                                                   For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

True love always inspires intentional, authentic and effective giving of ourselves to others. The one who genuinely loves is willing to give that which best communicates the depth of their willingness to give themselves to their beloved. So, a true giver always includes something of themselves in every gift.

The deeper our love, the more of our true selves we put into the gift we give.

That is why the Father gave us Jesus. In Jesus God is giving all of Himself to us.

That first Christmas the Father packed all of His fullness into Jesus just for us.

When we say we love someone, we are saying "The best I am and the best I have I am willing to give you at the right time, in the right measure and in the right way."  To withhold ourselves from another who needs us is the opposite of love.

Gift giving should always include giving something of ourselves to another.  It should be more than just giving something nice to another.

Seeing Jesus as God giving us Himself makes Christmas take on its true meaning.  Examine Jesus closely this  Christmas and you will see God giving you everything.

When someone asks what you got for Christmas.  Just say, "Everything!".

Bud McCord

Abide International

Words

Jesus understood the power of His words. We often do not. He also understood that many who heard Him could not understand Him. Listen to how He describes those who could neither hear nor understand Him.

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.” John 8:42-43

Truly hearing the words of another person and understanding their words requires much more than ears that work.  It requires a relational and cultural connection to the one speaking. Communication requires a living history. Only relational and cultural connection allows  words spoken to be heard correctly.

The first part of us that needs to be “born again” is our hearing.  We need to learn like a newborn child learns to hear with understanding.  To abide in the words of Jesus is like learning a new language—the language of God. Jesus is the language of God. It takes time but the rewards of being able to hear and understand in a new language is worth the effort.  It is liberating.

Keep listening to Jesus and you will grow more and more aware of the liberating power of His words.  Disciples of Jesus abide in His words and become more and more aware of what God is saying and doing.  When they do they are see free to join in.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” João 8:31-32

Bud McCord

Abide International

Exit

Great Britain just voted to exit the European union.  Some are celebrating and some are weeping.  Most of the world is a little confused about what this all  this means.

There are times when an exit means loss and there are times when an exit means gain.   Exits always change things.

Time always reveals what an exit really means.   Over time one will either say “That was a really great decision!”   or  “I wish I could go back!”.  Read the story of Israel in the wilderness and you will see both reactions.  Disagreements over exits are nothing new.

For every believer in Jesus there was a moment when His invitation to follow Him came to us.  We accepted the invitation and exited our old life and entered His new life.  Through Jesus’ initiative, we changed kingdoms.

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love…”  Col. 1:13

As you remember your decision to exit with Jesus what do you say today about that deciision?

Bud McCord

Abide International

Resilience

Resilience seems to be the hot word for these turbulent times.  Resilience is the quality one needs to adapt to a constantly changing world.  It is the quality one needs to face and overcome the 24/7 news cycle of each day.  Without resilience nothing survives.

Jesus was way ahead of His time.  In fact, Jesus was from before time!  Jesus is the very source and definition of resilience.  Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

In the Sermon on the mount Jesus defines resilience using one of the most necessary elements of life-Salt.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."  Matthew 5:13

Men step on anything that is not resilient.  Just take a drive through a city with a depressed economy that once thrived and you will see what being trampled underfoot by men looks like.

Every Christian can and should be resiilient because the very essence of resilience is Christ within.  One day at a time every disciple of Jesus can be renewed and resilient.  Jesus is bigger than any change that mankind faces. 

Bud McCord

Abide International

“All For” and “All In”

Christianity rises and continues based on what Jesus is for us and what Jesus is in us.  All things truly Christian begin in and are sustained by Jesus.  If He all for us and all in us then all of Christianity is ours to live.

 

The good news is that Jesus is all for us and all in us.

 

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “He gave all for us.

 

Collossians 3:11 says  “Christ is all and is in all.”   He now lives as all in us.

 

When we connect with all Jesus is for us and all He is in us we can truly say “For to me to live is Christ.”

 

When we connect with all Jesus is for us and all He is in us we can truly say “I am what I am by the grace of God.”

 

Christianity is always and “all for”  and “all in” experience with Jesus.  Someone well said that one does not have to be much of a man or a woman to be a Christian. Even so, one must give all one is to Jesus.

 

Are you “all for” and “all in”  with Jesus?  He is all for you and in you.

Bud McCord

Abide International

Law or Light

If you wanted to change the behavior of human beings, including yours, would you choose law or light to inspire change? 

When confronted with humanity’s need for change, which did God choose?

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3: 17-21

Law can inform, educate and inspire but law cannot change human behavior.  Human behavior needs Divine light if there is to be hope for real change.  Human behavior needs the light that Jesus is.

When we sense a need for change in ourselves or others we will choose something that we hope will work.  We often choose law but according to Jesus we should choose Him.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

The most practical thing I have ever learned about Christianity is that I need to take all of my behaviors to Jesus so I can see them for what they are and from where they originate.  When I come with myself and my behavior into the light of Jesus,  I can see what matches with Jesus and what does not. 

When I walk in the light of Jesus I see the change I need in Jesus and then I can receive the change by His grace and generosity.  

When you want yourself or others to change, take them to the light of Jesus not the law.

Bud McCord

Abide International