Author: Jerry Wirtley

by faith

Jerry Wirtley

Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see. The elders in the past were approved because they showed faith. By faith we understand that the universe has been created by a word from God so that the visible came into existence from the invisible. By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice to God than Cain, which showed that he was righteous, since God gave approval to him for his gift. Though he died, he’s still speaking through faith. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he didn’t see death, and he wasn’t found because God took him up. He was given approval for having pleased God before he was taken up. It’s impossible to please God without faith because the one who draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards people who try to find him. By faith Noah responded with godly fear when he was warned about events he hadn’t seen yet. He built an ark to deliver his household. With his faith, he criticized the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes from faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out without knowing where he was going. By faith he lived in the land he had been promised as a stranger. He lived in tents along with Isaac and Jacob, who were coheirs of the same promise. He was looking forward to a city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith even Sarah received the ability to have a child, though she herself was barren and past the age for having children, because she believed that the one who promised was faithful. So descendants were born from one man (and he was as good as dead). They were as many as the number of the stars in the sky and as countless as the grains of sand on the seashore. (Hebrews 11:1-12, CEB)

Abel, by faith…

Enoch, by faith…

Noah, by faith…

Abraham, by faith…

Sarah, by faith…

None of those listed above were said to have done anything to be in good standing with God. They were there by faith. They were there by trust.

Are you there? All it takes is trust. All it takes is faith. Faith and belief that the promises are true and God is there for you.

You can not get there by works.

It is done by faith. Faith in the unseen. stepping out and knowing that God has you.

Loving People. Loving God.

Fooled

Jerry Wirtley

When the magi had departed, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon search for the child in order to kill him.” Joseph got up and, during the night, took the child and his mother to Egypt. He stayed there until Herod died. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I have called my son out of Egypt. When Herod knew the magi had fooled him, he grew very angry. He sent soldiers to kill all the children in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding territory who were two years old and younger, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. This fulfilled the word spoken through Jeremiah the prophet: A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and much grieving. Rachel weeping for her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were no more. After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up,” the angel said, “and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel. Those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus ruled over Judea in place of his father Herod, Joseph was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he went to the area of Galilee. He settled in a city called Nazareth so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: He will be called a Nazarene. (Matthew 2:13-23, CEB)

Herod was fooled by the Magi, because they were supposed to come back and tell him where the king was when they found him, but they didn’t and when Herod figured this out he killed all of the baby boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and younger.

Herod was afraid of what the baby would do.

Are we afraid of what God will do? Maybe not the way that Herod was, we won’t lose power, well we will actually if we give up control of our lives like God wants us to, but we shouldn’t be afraid as in fear of that. We can be afraid of what will happen in a good way.

I have moved across the country and from north to the south and back and back again, and I always wonder at what God will do next. Maybe one could say that is fear. Fear is a healthy thing and keeps up alive sometimes.

God works through the details and happenings in our lives to help the world see God’s grace and mercy. Never think your life is not worth something, it is worth Jesus coming and everything to God.

Know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made and are a treasure to God.

Loving People. Loving God.

Judge Less! Love More!

Jerry Wirtley

Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Then the Pharisees said to him, “Because you are testifying about yourself, your testimony isn’t valid.” Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, since I know where I came from and where I’m going. You don’t know where I come from or where I’m going. You judge according to human standards, but I judge no one. Even if I do judge, my judgment is truthful, because I’m not alone. My judgments come from me and from the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the witness of two people is true. I am one witness concerning myself, and the Father who sent me is the other.” They asked him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You don’t know me and you don’t know my Father. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” (John 8:12-19, CEB)

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”

There is no darkness in Jesus.

When Jesus comes into your life you see differently.

You think differently.

You act differently.

Jesus said he doesn’t judge, but if he did his judgment is truthful because it is from God.

Can we be like Jesus?

Light for the darkness in the world, and not judging anyone but loving everyone?

What a way to start a new year!

What a great New Year’s resolution.

Judge less! Love More!

Loving People. Loving God.

temporary minor

Jerry Wirtley

So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day. Our temporary minor problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond all comparison. We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, CEB)

What does Paul mean by temporary minor problems?

Like my issue with my car where the car doesn’t know when I open the driver’s side door?

Or maybe the fact that my body doesn’t work right and I have to take pills to help regulate my blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar?

Or the fact I don’t seem to have enough money, or I spend more than I have?

Are those the temporary minor problems Paul is referring to here?

yes. I would say those are the things that are temporary minor problems.

They are things that are hindrances to us living the life God has for us because we let them get in the way.

If we focus on what God is bringing us to, the temporary minor problems will be just that, temporary and minor.

Loving People. Loving God.

Would we?

Jerry Wirtley

As Jesus came to the city and observed it, he wept over it. He said, “If only you knew on this of all days the things that lead to peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes. The time will come when your enemies will build fortifications around you, encircle you, and attack you from all sides. They will crush you completely, you and the people within you. They won’t leave one stone on top of another within you, because you didn’t recognize the time of your gracious visit from God.” (Luke 19:41-44, CEB)

There will come a time when your enemies will build fortifications around you and attack you from all sides. They will crush you and completely destroy you because you didn’t recognize the time God visited you graciously.

Wow.

Jesus tells them quite plainly here that God graciously visited them and they missed it. And because they missed it they are going to be destroyed.

But my wonder is, would we have missed it? Or did we miss it?

Would we know if God graciously visited us?

We need to be aware and always looking for God.

God comes in the stranger and the wanderer.

Love all, and welcome all.

Love Out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

welcome

Jerry Wirtley

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then he called a little child over to sit among the disciples, and said, “I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. “As for whoever causes these little ones who believe in me to trip and fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a huge stone hung around their necks and be drowned in the bottom of the lake. How terrible it is for the world because of the things that cause people to trip and fall into sin! Such things have to happen, but how terrible it is for the person who causes those things to happen! If your hand or your foot causes you to fall into sin, chop it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter into life crippled or lame than to be thrown into the eternal fire with two hands or two feet. If your eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter into life with one eye than to be cast into a burning hell with two eyes. “Be careful that you don’t look down on one of these little ones. I say to you that their angels in heaven are always looking into the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If someone had one hundred sheep and one of them wandered off, wouldn’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go in search for the one that wandered off? If he finds it, I assure you that he is happier about having that one sheep than about the ninety-nine who didn’t wander off. In the same way, my Father who is in heaven doesn’t want to lose one of these little ones. (Matthew 18:1-14, CEB)

Why is it some people want to take some parts of the Bible literally but other parts are allegory? I mean I have never met someone who has cut off their hand or foot because it caused them to sin, but Jesus clearly says that is what we should do here. Also, I have never seen anyone with one eye because they took one out because it caused them to sin. We seem to think we can pick and choose what we want to be literal and what we want to be allegory. But it doesn’t work that way.

And it is interesting the part before all the mutilation. Whoever welcomes a child, welcomes me, and whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to fall into sin should tie a millstone around their necks and throw themselves into the sea. How many evangelicals cause those who are not like them or fit their mold for who is a follower to be hating on themselves and doubting God loves them? And in my book that is a sin. To cause people to think that God doesn’t love them is like saying Jesus didn’t die for all. God loves everyone and no one is worthy of that love but all of us get it and if anyone says that someone is not loved because they don’t fit the mold, then they are wrong and are causing others to sin.

We all need to accept everyone as they are because God loves us as we are. It isn’t about becoming perfect and then joining in. It is about knowing you are loved as you are and being welcomed.

Everyone is welcome.

And we all need to love like God loves us, unconditionally and prodigiously!

Love Out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

liar

Jerry Wirtley

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born from God. Whoever loves someone who is a parent loves the child born to the parent. This is how we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep God’s commandments. This is the love of God: we keep God’s commandments. God’s commandments are not difficult, because everyone who is born from God defeats the world. And this is the victory that has defeated the world: our faith. Who defeats the world? Isn’t it the one who believes that Jesus is God’s Son? This is the one who came by water and blood: Jesus Christ. Not by water only but by water and blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. The three are testifying— the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and the three are united in agreement. If we receive human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because this is what God testified: he has testified about his Son. The one who believes in God’s Son has the testimony within; the one who doesn’t believe God has made God a liar, because that one has not believed the testimony that God gave about his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave eternal life to us, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:1-12, CEB)

The one who doesn’t believe God has made God a liar. When we do not believe the testimony given through the Spirit, water, and blood we do not believe in the Son and we make God a liar. And if we do not believe in God’s Son then we do not have life.

As we continue in the Christmas season we see that without Jesus we would not truly have life. Jesus came to show us how to live and love and how to have life and have it abundantly.

So love out loud and show the world why Christmas is a time to celebrate.

Loving People. Loving God.

Changed

Jerry Wirtley 
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
    On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.
You have made the nation great;
    you have increased its joy.
They rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest,
    as those who divide plunder rejoice.
As on the day of Midian, you’ve shattered the yoke that burdened them,
    the staff on their shoulders,
    and the rod of their oppressor.
Because every boot of the thundering warriors,
    and every garment rolled in blood
    will be burned, fuel for the fire.
A child is born to us, a son is given to us,
    and authority will be on his shoulders.
    He will be named
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be vast authority and endless peace
    for David’s throne and for his kingdom,
    establishing and sustaining it
    with justice and righteousness
    now and forever.

The zeal of the Lord of heavenly forces will do this. (Isaiah 9:2-7, CEB)

For unto us a child is born!

For unto us a son is given!

And his name will be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace!

He will reign forever and bring us peace.

Jesus is born and we will forever be changed!

Loving People. Loving God

.

Will you?

Jerry Wirtley 
John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

“Bless the Lord God of Israel
    because he has come to help and has delivered his people.
He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,
    just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.
He has brought salvation from our enemies
    and from the power of all those who hate us.
He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
    and remembered his holy covenant,
        the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.
He has granted that we would be rescued
        from the power of our enemies
    so that we could serve him without fear,
        in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,
            for as long as we live.
You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.
You will tell his people how to be saved
    through the forgiveness of their sins.
Because of our God’s deep compassion,
    the dawn from heaven will break upon us,
    to give light to those who are sitting in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
        to guide us on the path of peace.”
The child grew up, becoming strong in character. He was in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. (Luke 1:67-80, CEB)

John was a prophet who was here before Jesus so he could prepare the way for Jesus.

God’s deep compassion moved the dawn from heaven to break upon us and we were given a light. A light that dispelled the darkness and brought us out of death.

John came to show us this light and to help us see the peace.

Today we will receive the baby that changes everything. John told the world about him.

Will you?

Loving People. Loving God.