jesus

One Another

/ Kelli Jordan / Leave a comment

In Scripture, there is a single Greek word that is translated into our two-word phrase, “one another.” It is allēlōn (a-lay-lone), and it is used to describe people in a relationship with each other.

Throughout Scripture, we see followers of Jesus living and working together. Many are people with nothing else in common other than the fact that they have been transformed by the love and life of Jesus. Taking a closer look at some of the “one another” commands will help us see how God wants us to live in community. Let’s look at five of these allēlōn statements. Read the Scripture listed and consider the following question and statements for each:

  • How can you practically live out the instructions given on your leadership team and in your group?
  • Take a moment to express gratitude for those who have shown you how to live this out in community.
  • Take a moment to privately confess if there is a shortfall in your life in this area.

Love one another. 

  • John 13:34 — A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
  • 1 John 4:12 — No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Serve One Another.

  • Galatians 5:13 — You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Forgive one another. 

  • Ephesians 4:32— Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Honor one another.

  • Romans 12:10 — Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Pray for One Another.

  • James 5:16 — Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

First Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Let’s be women focused on consistently building each other up — whether through simple words of encouragement, living well in our community or having hard conversations.

Consider This:

  • How can you encourage someone today?

Not a Supermom

/ Kelli Jordan / Leave a comment

Life can sneak up on us, and before we know it,  we are carrying a burden that is far heavier than we are intended to carry. We grab hold of the “supermom” mindset that says I can (and should) be able to carry it all, no matter the weight. In Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV), Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

The thing about a yoke (that wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and keeps them working together) is that it doesn’t take the burden away completely, but it makes it lighter to carry because the weight is shared. We get weighed down by others’ expectations, our fears and our past mistakes, but when we take on Jesus’ yoke, the weight shifts, and he carries most of it.

We may still be surrounded by the things that weighed us down in the first place. We may still hear the haughty and demeaning voices of the world, but we can shift the weight and understand who we are because of who God is. We’re already loved and loveable. Understanding this changes the way we parent, how we treat ourselves and how we respond to others.

Trading our heavy burden for Jesus’ light one requires some work on our part. It’s not about earning love, because God’s love isn’t based on what we do. Nothing we do can make him love us more or less. But we should put our effort into learning more about Jesus, taking time to monitor the voices we allow to speak into our lives and doing the work to free ourselves from old patterns of thinking or habits that hold us captive. If our goal is perfection and claiming the “supermom” title, then the outcome will always be frustration. We don’t have to be “super” anything because we are God’s beloved children. Children who don’t have to earn or hustle for our worth. Children who just need to shift the weight and find rest.

Let’s stop settling for what simply gets us by and do the work to get to what’s best. Let’s stop trying to carry all the weight alone, because we were never designed to do that. Trying to do things on our own doesn’t make us “super”— it just makes us tired. Take Jesus’ yoke and learn from him; allow his love to change the way you feel and talk about yourself.

Consider this:

  • What is weighing you down?
  • What is your first step toward shifting some of that weight onto Jesus’ shoulders?

The Work We Do

/ Kelli Jordan / Leave a comment

God has called you to something. There is something that moves you, that keeps you up atnight, or that makes you jump off the couch – something that you cannot help but speak up about. You may look at the work and think you can’t possibly do it, but God promises that if you will dive in and get to work, he will make sure you have what you need.

Let’s look at some examples of people doing work they were purposed to do.

Deborah was many things: judge, counselor, mediator, leader, prophetess and song writer. She was not afraid to do the work even when it meant she had to speak honestly to people in power about things they might not like. In Judges 4, Deborah told Barak that God had work for him to do. She pushed him and got him moving, but then she stepped out and let him complete that which was his to complete. Deborah led from a place of reliance on God and people looked to her for guidance because of her faithfulness and grit. Deborah was determined.

Nehemiah was so moved by the disrepair of the wall around his home country that he found funding, support and workers to rebuild it. They faced mockery and physical threats from people who opposed the work, so much so that they had to split the workforce; half would build while half stood guard. Nehemiah 4:6 says, “The people worked with all their heart,” and they kept working until the wall was done, but even then, Nehemiah kept working. Nehemiah 5 ends with, “Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.” Nehemiah worked faithfully.

Esther found herself in what we see as an incredibly odd wife-search for the king. While she had no choice in her circumstance, she did have a choice about how much of her own history she would share. At first, she was ready to remain silent, but Mordecai sent a message admonishing her: For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this? (Esther 4:13-14 (NIV). She hesitated at first, but eventually Esther walked in to face the most powerful man in her world, the king, in order to protect her people. Esther worked bravely.

Moses was working so hard leading the Israelites that he was exhausted. He was pulled in so many directions that he was not doing any of his work very well. In Exodus 18:17-23, God sent his father-in-law to help think through a better way to do his work. Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone … select capable men from all the people … That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.” (NIV) We see him start to delegate. Moses worked smarter.

We see David as a young man, facing down a giant with tools that one would not usually consider for such a job, but he used what he knew. Later, we see David shirk his responsibility as king. While his armies are off fighting, he stays home and his idleness draws him into infidelity and a horrible attempt at a cover-up. But as we follow David’s story, we see how he did the work he needed to do as he sought God’s forgiveness.

In Psalm 51, David says: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love … Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight … Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” David worked broken, but forgiven.

In Zechariah, we see the Israelites rebuilding the temple. “So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” Then the word of the Lord came to me: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone] in the hand of Zerubbabel?” – Zechariah 4:6-10 (NIV)

Zerubbabel was discouraged, but was reminded that God would keep his promises and would finish what he’d started through Zerubbabel. He worked inspired.

God has placed some good kingdom-building work in your heart. What he has laid before you may be completely different than what he laid before your mom, your sister, or the woman next door, but he has opened opportunities to YOU for YOUR work. He did not place us where he has just so we could have some fun and post some pics on Instagram. Every experience, every obstacle, every great opportunity, has been laid out to prepare you for the work he has for you.

How are you working? Would you describe it as determined, faithful, brave, smart, inspired or joyful? Or would you use an equally positive adjective?

What’s In A Name?

/ Kelli Jordan / Leave a comment

I use endearing names a lot: for my husband, my children, my grandkids. My most common name would be “Sweetie,” and I use it for anyone. I call my husband “Hon” and my grandkids are Sweetpea, Peanut, Bug and Bo.

Why do we use nicknames? To be honest, sometimes it’s because we can’t remember someone’s real name. Or we want to show respect for someone, like when we call someone the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all Time). But usually, it’s because we really like the person we are naming. We know their real name, but these affectionate endearments remind them how special they are to us.

In the Bible, we find quite a few terms of endearment God uses for us.

FRIEND: A friend believes the best in us and brings out the best in us. John 15:15 NIV says, “Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” He is the perfect kind of friend. He knows exactly what we need. His timing is perfect.

MASTERPIECE: God thinks we are beautiful, in a way no one else is. Ephesians 2:10 ESV says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we would walk in them.” The word translated “handiwork” could easily be translated to “work of art” or “masterpiece.” That is what God thinks when he looks at us, and he has already prepared good things for us.

TREASURE: I have two treasured physical possessions – my mom’s Bible and a necklace from my husband. These things may not mean anything to anyone else, but they mean a lot to me. In Deuteronomy 7:6 NIV, God says: “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” God wrote this about the Israelites, and about us. He treasures us.

SONS AND DAUGHTERS: God wants an intimate relationship with us. 2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV says, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” He is a good Father to us – one who provides, protects and supports his children. He knows what we need and doesn’t withhold any good thing from us (Psalm 84:11).

DELIGHTFUL: When was the last time someone called you delightful? Zephaniah 3:17 NIV, says, “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Psalm 18:19 NIV says, “He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” Think of the delightful things your child does. God feels the same way about you. He looks at you, grins at you, admires your artwork (even if he can’t figure out what you drew), and he laughs at your jokes – the same way you do with those little ones (or big ones) you love.

There is great power in the names God calls us. Remember those names.

Consider this: What names are you calling yourself that you need to replace with one of the names God uses for you?

    It’s the Small Things

    / Kelli Jordan / Leave a comment

    In chapter 4 of Zechariah, Zerubbabel was working on rebuilding the temple. (Yep, that was his real name!) Up until this point in history, Solomon’s Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem. It was the pride of the Jewish nation. People traveled great distances just to see it. It was the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal of its day. But to the Jewish nation, it was much more than just a grand building, it was their center of worship. Eventually, this gorgeous temple was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar’s armies. After years of captivity, a new king came along and allowed some Jewish leaders to return to Jerusalem and begin the work of rebuilding the temple and the city. Work on the new temple was progressing, but the people were frustrated because this temple was not as grand as the first one, and the work was progressing slowly. Zerubbabel was leading the work and was faced with political conflicts. They were surrounded by nations that wanted him and the entire Jewish nation to fail.

    For 16 years, work on the temple stopped. The surrounding nations felt like they had won; Zerubbabel and the others in charge of the project felt like failures. Most of the citizens had given up hope that it would ever be accomplished and had gone on to do other things.

    But one day, the word of the Lord came to a man of God named Zechariah. At that time, that’s how God spoke to the people. He would send a trusted prophet with a message. Zechariah said to Zerubbabel, This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (Zechariah 4:6 NLT)

    Zechariah reminded Zerubbabel that this whole project had very little to do with him, but had everything to do with God and what God wanted to happen.

    Zechariah goes on to say, “Do not despise these small beginnings. For the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” (Zechariah 4:10 NLT) The surrounding cities despised what was happening, some Jewish citizens despised it because it wasn’t as good as Solomon’s temple, and others despised it because it was taking too long. But the Lord was rejoicing over the work that had begun there – and he was promising that the work would be completed.

    How often do we follow the example of this Jewish nation? How often do we get discouraged because we are comparing what we have to what someone else had before? How often do we let things less important than the work at hand distract us? How often do we think that bigger is better? How often do we give in to the belief that fast and furious is so much better than slow and steady?

    But think about it, most of the things we do in life are made of small steps. Just about everything starts small – babies, buildings, cities, churches, families, relationships. Without the small steps, there would never be big things. God works in the small things. We just don’t always see him there because we are looking for bigger and better.

    This story about building the temple is mentioned in seven different places in scripture (Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah and Daniel). It was a small temple being built by a small group of easily distracted people, but it ended up being a really big deal.

    God rejoices over small steps, and so should we. When we do, we may see later that the small things were actually big things.

    Consider this:

    1. What small thing are you involved in?
    2. What do you think God may be doing through it now?
    3. How can you better embrace the small thing in front of you?