The Gateway

Mirror, mirror in my heart... To rightfully answer the question, how do I view God, I must also ask and discover the answer to the question, how does God vie...w me? These two questions go hand in hand, for the answer to one requires the answer of the other. In so doing, to answer the first, automatically provides the answer to the second. The problem we tend to create is attempting to answer a completely separate question on our own: how do I view myself? To define myself apart from my origin will only lead to faulty conclusions, and poor ones at that. If we view ourselves this way, and God knowing more than we do, surely sees us the same, if not worse. Our view of God is reciprocal. If we view Him as angry & wrathful, we will act that way. (Though He will not conform to the image we project onto Him, we see all that happens in life from that perspective.) If we view Him as merciful and graceful, we will act that way. So in a way, we become or get the God we believe in. We project onto Him what we think He is like and in return receive our own projection back on us in forms of acceptance or rejection. The good news is He will always act true to His own nature, regardless of our misconceptions of Him. I would suggest we stay away from answering the questions ourselves. I am not suggesting avoiding the answer, nor I am saying to allow others to answer the questions for us. What I am suggesting is allow the answer to come from the only One with the right perspective. The only One to see correctly is God Himself. Allow God to answers these questions.

Understanding Love If you are offended, you have yet to understand love. If you are fearful, you have yet to understand love.... If you speak of or believe in punishment, you have yet to understand love. If your love does not walk with others in their worst moments, you have yet to understand love. If you create boundaries for your love to operate in, you have yet to understand love. If your love is not taking risk to become completely vulnerable, you have yet to understand love. If you withhold your love, you have yet to understand love. If you keep record of wrongs, you have yet to understand love. If you remind others of their wrongs and how they hurt you, you have yet to understand love. If your love cannot bear and endure all things, you have yet to understand love. If hurt and betrayal hinder your love, you have yet to understand love. If your love keeps you at a safe distance, you have yet to understand love. If your love excludes, you have yet to understand love. If the God you believe in ultimately rejects those who reject Him, you have yet to understand love. If love disconnects, you have yet to understand love. If you believe man’s free will will outlast God’s patience, you have yet to understand love. If your love is only heard but not seen, you have yet to understand love. If you see them as different from you, you have yet to understand love. If your love gives up, you have yet to understand love. To misunderstand Love is to misunderstand God Himself. Christ Himself is the full revelation of what Love looks like. He fully embraced. He never excluded or withheld. He rejected no one and will sit, waiting patiently for every last lost son and daughter to return home. He never punished, nor made lists of wrongs for which we believed punishment should be given. Love looks like Christ !

Looking forward to having you join us this Sunday as we approach closer to Easter. We are currently in a series titled "When I Survey: Discovering what you see by looking deeply at the cross." This week we look at "Humanity's Judgment." I guarantee, the judgment of the cross is NOTHING to fear. Hope you tune in to discover the concluding verdict the cross has made.

1. Remain true to the identity given me by my Creator 2. Live from my eternal union with Christ 3. Not allow other’s opinions of me to sideline my destiny of what they think I should do and be... 4. Seek upgrades of truth of who God is 5. Throw away misconceptions of who I thought God was... and I was... and who you are 6. Not make the good news of the Gospel only good for those who agree with it, but bad news if they don’t 7. Love people how Christ taught and demonstrated 8. Not confine God to a box, whether that box be a book or belief system 9. Refuse to see god as the monster I was taught him to be 10. Continue to read from outside my current paradigm knowing there is truth beyond what I currently claim 11. Believe what God says about me rather than give in to an inferior voice, whether that voice is external or internal 12. See Christ within all humanity 13. Challenge you to believe God is better than you currently believe Him to be 14. Include the excluded, love the hated, lift the fallen, give hope to the distraught 15. Not relegate to some future time period a bliss I can experience in this moment