September 16, 2013
“They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.” Acts 2:42 The Message
With Jesus there is an “inside life” and an “outside life”. You begin to want what is real about faith. The earliest Jesus-Followers centered their lives around the words and ways of Jesus and “life together”. His life created a community with Christ as the foundation for living a life of love. It wasn’t just any love .. an emotion .. or good intentions. It was the kind of love Christ showered on your life from the cross. It is the kind of love Jesus pours into your life and out of your life through His Spirit. Life together is not easy. You quickly discover flaws and all those little aggravating differences of opinions .. preferences .. and personal choices colliding around a meal centered around Jesus. All those differences begin to fade, some quicker than others , but fade nevertheless they will. Because Jesus shapes the lives of his family along the same lines of His life. Families can be intensely loyal .. argumentative .. and sacrificially giving all in the same breath. They can create deep wounds that leave real scars. On the inside, Jesus is working forgiveness and prayer into your life. He’s making your life whole .. room by room .. anchoring your mind and emotions in His indwelling life. All the while that He is doing this inside of you .. He is working on the outside connecting your life with others. We rarely “love as if our lives depended on it”. As a result, we often miss the gift of “life together .. prayer together .. and the kind of love that “makes up for practically anything”. If you are walking with Jesus today, He is about His work of shaping your life to look .. live .. and love like He did. Jesus-Followers have all kinds of quirks and oddities about their lives. But central to everything about their lives together is a real love found only in Christ. Life together .. the words of Christ .. a shared meal and prayer will create in you a love as if your life depends on it. There’s no getting around it. Whatever is before you today … it only takes a moment …
“Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.” 1 Peter 4:7-8 The Message
