Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
12 16 2024
We can build walls, or we can build bridges.
We can build strongholds, or we can see how that excludes us and others and simply say NO;
There must be a better way. We can unleash a volume of anger, or we can try to pause and think
and understand another’s point of view.
There is a war of words happening around us every day. A war of half-truths, misunderstandings, intolerance, and prejudice. They are all walls. How do we build bridges like Jesus showed us?
How do we bridge the gap?
We are in the season of Advent. The fourth Sunday before Christmas is a time we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. We do that globally by reflecting on what Jesus stood for and what he commissioned us to do. To speak hope, peace, joy, and love to everyone we see… To slow down and reflect on the year and where the Christ child settled into our daily living vs just a Sunday thought. Advent means “coming” in Latin. Not just the first time at Christmas but the anticipation of the second coming too. Sometimes we forget that. He came for a real loving purpose. To ransom a world of people, the only way it could be done is by offering us the sacrifice of God’s only son to pay the price so that
He could save us from ourselves. Save us from sin.
Building walls or building bridges? Which one have you built this year? Isn’t it time to take a more concentrated look at ourselves and where we have allowed God the Holy Spirit to lead our lives and build bridges?
The mark of a Christin is self-control and discipline. That’s how we take control of the desires of the flesh that build walls and strongholds that separate us. Satan lays out these temptations to tantalize us into desires and emotions that seek to rule over us and take over our lives and daily existence. The truth is without the power of the Holy Spirit, and you cannot resist the arrow that flies by night. You cannot live a pure and loving life in this day and age without Him. Jesus Christ. I just cannot be done.
I have been truly blessed in my life to have some really true friends. It is said that if you can count 5, you are a very rich man. I am a very rich man! But even my close friends, at times, have faded away for a little while. They get tied up with their own lives, and although our friendship is real and present, sometimes friends must take a back seat to life’s curveballs, medical issues, financial pressures, and disharmony at home. But Jesus is that friend who is closer than a brother. Prov 18:24 He will never fail you or leave you abandoned. He is the kind of friend we can never find on this earth. His is a bridge of eternal love and commitment. It’s called Agape. It is a Greek word that means selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial. It is the highest kind of love there is. It’s not based on feelings or emotions, but it is a commitment…a decision without expecting anything in return.
The apostle in John 3:16 gives a powerful representation of Agape love. God gave His son so we could have eternal life. It is the kind of love that builds bridges, empathy, and a clear path forward.
We pride ourselves in writing songs and sending Hallmark cards that touch hearts, but the Agape kind of love is what frames the great commandment. “Love God, your God, with your whole heart; Love him with all that’s in you, love Him with all you’ve got!” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The second part is to love your neighbor as yourself. That is bridge building. That is what Jesus did. Everything He said and everything He taught provided a way for people to access forgiveness and salvation by accepting him as their savior. Connecting them to a loving creator who has a plan and place for each of us. Jer 29:11 The Ultimate Bridge between God and man. That bridge allows each of us to come closer to God through his word…his teaching, and His actions.
Jesus built a bridge with people from every walk of life… Including the lepers, the tax collectors, and the prostitutes, and with every step, he broke down racial divides and created a real sense of inclusion. Not the one that is telegraphed today. That is building a bridge, not the walls that divide us. And I am not just talking about the walls we partition between us and others but the walls we build within ourselves. They keep getting stronger as we try and deal with them alone without God. We are so proud that we don’t need the help of others to help us stay accountable or to help us grow in character with deep moral values that are taught in His word. We build this stronghold of self-sufficiency, self-indulgence, and pride, and we become blind to the fortress we have built around ourselves. It doesn’t just keep the world out. It keeps those who love us out. They can’t get to the real us because we have buried ourselves in the stockade of prideful sin. We cannot even get to ourselves as we have become blind. Yes, even Christians get like this. They wander off like the sheep who grazes into another pasture, and before he knows it…He is lost. He didn’t mean to. It wasn’t his heart. He just had his head down, and He lost the shepherd. To put it another way, he lost his focus, he got a little lukewarm.
But Jesus offers us the bridge of redemption and forgiveness. His agape love never dims, never fades, is never a step behind us, but is always before us, ready to take your outstretched hand and lift you up. Even now, as you assesS this Advent time, finding you have wandered a little or didn’t grow in some areas you had previously earmarked for attention…He is waiting for you. It says he will never reject a broken and contrite spirit. Ps 51.17
We have to do nothing more than turn around and change our direction.
That’s what repentance is.
Even though you may be broken because of how harsh the year has been and you just can’t wait for it to be over. But we can never run away from ourselves.
We cannot run away from the mountains that have assailed us.
But God, Jesus, has come to show you the way home. His is not just the bridge of redemption but of forgiveness, kindness, and compassion. Everything he ever did was to show the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation, encouraging everyone to let go of resentment and rebuild relations with others. (That may include setting some better boundaries too)
The only wall that separates you from the relationship you really want with Jesus.
Is You.
You were as close to Jesus as you wanted to be in this last year. If you are looking to change, then you can’t do the same things and expect something different. His was the ultimate act of building the bridge that you need….and we all need. The moment on the cross when he made everything right.
We are living in a time of extreme division and anger. Each of us needs to clean out our own houses and our own hearts and be a bridge for others of understanding, forgiveness, kindness, and God’s kind of love. Let’s make a commitment today …to Jesus.. and build that bridge all the way home.
I write a Christian devotion 3 times each week. If you would like to pass this lesson and future devotions to someone, send them this Signup link: http://eepurl.com/gKlklD
My website to view past devotions is https://fearlesslycourageous.com
This was inspired after listening to an old Billy Graham crusade.
I will sing of the goodness of God Carrie Underwood.
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