Galatians 5:25-26 We walk in the spirit of God’s love for all of His creation.

 Philippians 2:3

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 

As believers and as good citizens we should not covet our neighbors goods (oil) nor our neighbors. All people have the inherent right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Loving God’s creation includes all of His creation. Two wrongs never make a right. Carla

Galatians 5:25-26

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:25–6:1

Humility

The Bible calls that people offer an honest appraisal of themselves; or as Paul says, we ought “not to think more highly of yourself than what one ought to think” (Romans 12:3). Pride, especially the spiritual kind, can prevent people from being used by God. When people begin to be used by God, it is very easy for them to think of themselves too highly. Yet the New Testament itself repeatedly emphasizes that God uses the the unified body of Christian believers at work in the world, as a group, not just as individuals (1 Corinthians 12). Faithlife Study Bible

In these verses, Paul exhorts the Galatians to walk in the Spirit because they are already living in the Spirit. Such an action should be natural, but unfortunately we are at war with the flesh. Walk in the Spirit means to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit. A believer following the Spirit’s lead (verse 16) will not become conceited, provoke others, or envy others.  The NKJV Study Bible

It is not enough to claim to have new life in Christ by the power of the Spirit (3:3); believers must continually follow after the Spirit in the way they live while also resisting the flesh. In provoking one another, envying one another such actions represent a failure to live by the Spirit (verse 22). Faithlife Study Bible

Galatians 5:16

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 

Romans 8:4–5

that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 

Philippians 1:21

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 

Philippians 3:16

Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

“Life is difficult” is the opening line in “Road Less Traveled”.

Yes, and Amen. And sometimes, too heavy.

We don't give ourselves the grace to feel exasperated or disheartened.

We don't give ourselves the grace to be seen or embraced.

Because to receive grace, let alone wholeheartedly, is not an easy thing

To see (life in its mysterious and extravagant fullness) begins with an inner disarmament. Sooner or later, we need to remove pieces of the armor we wear that keep us from allowing life in.

With life’s craziness, most of the time, I confess that I prefer the armor.

My armor keeps me safe. But it also keeps me from seeing. From feeling. From paying attention.

But, hey, it's a small price to pay.

It is no secret that we numb ourselves. Trouble is, I have found that resentment, fear, apathy, self-pity, being a victim and shame are just as effective. They all serve the same purpose: censor. Each one, numbing us, keeps both troublesome feelings (grief, sorrow, sadness, exasperation, anger), and wonder (ecstasy, awe, amazement and grace) at bay.

What if we are here to fall in love with life, to give in to the courage “to be mad” with the wonder of it all, to live and dance on the edge of grace (where we have nothing to show to justify our existence)? What if we are here to find ways to share that grace—and healing—with those around us who are wounded and afraid?

The gladness—to just be. Embracing the sacrament of the present, at home in our own skin.

Here's the deal. This gladness doesn't tidy our life. It doesn't remove pain or sorrow or grief. It does however let us see the sacred in the midst. And the courage to speak up when we see the sacred disgraced. Excerpt from Sabbath Moments

Acts 10:42-45 As believers we are hidden in the bosom of the Father in Jesus Christ.

 Acts 15:8–9

So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 

Whoever, everyone, who believes in Jesus will receive pardon. The captives are set free in His name. Sin and death have lost their grip on humanity through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Praise and glory are God’s now and forever! We must act worthy of the grace given to us and through our actions show others the agape love of God for them. Carla

Acts 10:42-45

42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. NKJV

The good news of the gospel is not for a certain population. In every nation every kind of person is welcome into the kingdom of God. This is precisely what Christ had told the apostles (Matthew 28:19).

In order to receive remission of sins, one has to believe—nothing more, nothing less.

The Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard. The Jewish believers present were amazed because they saw that the Gentiles had received the same gift of speaking in tongues that they had received (chapter 2). 

The good news had reached the Jews, the Samaritans, and now the Gentiles. All were united by the same faith in the same Lord with the same gift of the Holy Spirit. The NKJV Study Bible

Jesus is the one to whom all will give account on the day of judgment.  Peter argues that his brief synopsis of Christ’s ministry and its implications are based on the Old Testament (Psalm 22:1–31; Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Zechariah 11:4–14). Faithlife Study Bible

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

John 5:22

For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 

Acts 17:31

because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

This week we are honoring the encouragement that when we are open. And listen. And Live into the moment, we receive the gifts of joy, wonder and delight. Sabbath Moments

May I walk this day

in the realm of grace,

walking with You

my feet firmly on your earth-path,

my heart loving all as kindred,

my words and deeds alive with justice.

May I walk as blessing,

meeting blessing at every turn

in every challenge, blessing,

in all opposition, blessing,

in harm’s way, blessing.

May I walk each step in this moment of grace,

alert to hear You

and awake enough to say

a simple Yes.

Robert Corin Morris

Knowing God's Word helps us know His restorative heart. Walls may crumble. The ground may quake. But a life built on the faithful foundation of Scripture (Jesus) will never fail. Today believers in Christ rejoice that God dwells with us always, making His permanent residence in our hearts (John 1:14) First5

John 1:14-18 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

 1 John 1:1–2

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

Grace and truth became man and lived with us to show us the way to eternal life. In Him alone is salvation. The  life of Jesus offered up for ours…that is the love of God. He shows no partiality. There are no Jews nor Greeks, male nor female, slave nor free in God’s eyes we are one. In Christ alone it is finished. He came to us that through Him the world could be saved. Carla

John 1:14-18

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. NKJV

The Son of God who was from eternity became human, with limitations in time and space (Philippians 2:5–8). This is the doctrine of the incarnation: God became human. Nothing of the essential nature of deity was lost in this event; we might rephrase became as “took to Himself.” John uses the word flesh to refer to the physical nature of humans, not to our sinful disposition (contrast Rom. 8:1–11). 

Dwelt comes from the Greek word for tent that was used in the Greek Old Testament  for the tabernacle, where the presence of God dwelt. In the Old Testament, glory refers to the divine presence (Exodus 33:18). As God manifested His glory in the tabernacle, so Jesus displayed His divine presence before the apostles (18:6; 20:26, 27). 

Only begotten (3:16, 18) means unique, one of a kind. The same term is used of Isaac (Hebrews 11:17), who was not the only physical son of Abraham, but was the unique son of promise. 

All who trust Christ are born of God. In the Gospel of John, these “born ones” are called children of God (verses 12, 13), but Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God. He is the only Son who is fully God. He is also full of grace and truth. 

When God revealed Himself to Moses, He proclaimed Himself to be “abounding in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). As applied to Jesus Christ, this phrase marks Him as the author of perfect redemption and perfect revelation. He was before me: Jesus was born after John the Baptist (Luke 1:36) and began His ministry later than John the Baptist. Yet John the Baptist said Jesus was before him, meaning that Jesus’ existence is from eternity past (verse 30). 

Grace for grace means grace piled upon grace. The background of this doubled term, as well as the use of the term in verse 17, is found in Exodus 32–34. Moses and the people had received grace, but they were in tremendous need of more grace (Exodus 33:13). Throughout the NT, grace is God’s favor expressed to sinful humankind apart from any human works or worth. Though there was abundant grace and truth expressed by God through the Law He gave Moses, it is in the person of Jesus Christ that grace and truth are realized to the fullest.

No one has seen God: God is Spirit (4:24) and is invisible (Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17) unless God chooses to reveal Himself. Humans cannot look at God and live (Exodus 33:20). Abraham, the friend of God, did not see God. Even Moses, the lawgiver, could not look at God’s face (Exodus 33:22, 23). However, the Son is in intimate relationship with the Father, face-to-face with God (1:1; 6:46; 1 John 1:2). 

God became visible to human eyes in the man Jesus. It is through seeing the Son that we see God. We cannot see Him today, but we know Him through His word. 

The bosom, or chest, is used here to designate a close and intimate relationship (13:23; Luke 16:23). The One who is the Father’s only begotten Son and who knows God intimately came to earth and declared Him. Declared can also mean “explained.” The NKJV Study Bible

Glory as of the one and only from the Father emphasizes  that the glory of Jesus, the Word, is the same as the glory of God the Father.

Grace and truth allude to two central attributes of the divine character used throughout the Old Testament: steadfast love and faithfulness. Jesus embodies the ultimate expression of God’s covenant loyalty and unmerited favor toward the world that rejected Him. The world will fully see God only as revealed through Jesus (14:6–9). Faithlife Study Bible

John 14:6–9

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”…

John 1:30

This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 

Colossians  1:19

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 

Matthew 3:11

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 

This I know, walking, one step at a time, I learn to embrace the gift of being alive.

No, sometimes it is not even close to easy… but gratefully, that’s why there’s always another step to take.

And this, from Kathy Galloway, I’ve taken to heart. “Pilgrimage is… a sign of contradiction, and of resistance to our prevailing value system, that of the market. Pilgrimage, after all, has no function other than itself; its means is as important as its end, its process as its product. Its utility value is small, and its benefits cannot be quantified or costed. Its value is intrinsic. It is something that is good to do because it is good to do. It states clearly that the extravagant gesture (because it is extravagant in terms of time and commitment) is an irrepressible part of what it means to be human and to walk on the earth. And whether the context for pilgrimage is solitude or community, we will be drawn deeper into the mystery of God and the care of creation.”

And the good news? You don’t have to travel cross the world. “Pilgrimage” can take place in your own back yard. Onward my friends. Sabbath Moments

1 John 4:12-16 The love of God covers a multitude of sin…ours!

 1 John 2:5–6

But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

We love because He first loved us! Without love in our actions we are just making noise. Carla

1 John 4:12-16

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected •in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. NKJV

No one has seen God. That is, in His full, manifest form. John argues that although no one has seen God, His character can be seen in believers who love as He does (John 1:18; 6:46).

In the Old Testament, figures like Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah had encounters with God, yet none involved witnessing God in His full glory—as He really is. John doesn’t consider Old Testament characters to have seen the fullness of God (Exodus 33:20)

God’s Spirit not only resides in believers, but teaches them the truth concerning the saving work of the incarnate Christ (1 John 4:14; 3:24).

Savior of the world describes the purpose of Christ’s incarnation—to rescue humanity from sin (1:7; 2:2; 4:10). John wants his audience to understand that properly responding to Christ’s saving act requires affirmation of Christ’s existence in bodily form (1:9; 4:2). By implication, the false teachers reject the basis of God’s plan of salvation by denying that Christ was the Son of God in the flesh.

God resides in him through the work of God as Holy Spirit in the life of a believer (2:24; 3:23–24).

Who resides in love resides in God. This phrase, which continues the thought from verse 15, represents the main point of John’s letter: A person who is truly a Christian and part of the Christian community correctly identifies Jesus as the incarnate Son of God. Christians demonstrate their belief in Jesus by loving others, admitting sin, and letting God transform their life (1:6–7; 2:10, 19). These actions also define a person as a true child of God and a member of the believing community. Faithlife Study Bible

Mutual abiding refers to the fellowship we have with God as a result of our salvation. The evidence that God abides in us and we in Him is the experience of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. In the remainder of this passage (verses 12–16), John explains how a believer can know that the Spirit is working in his or her life (verses 15, 16). Abides, in this context refers to salvation rather than the fellowship that results from salvation. To be a Christian, a person must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. And we have known is parallel to “and we have seen” in verse 14. 

Abides in love means the Christian lives within the sphere of God’s love. That love is both experienced and expressed through the Christian’s life. The NKJV Study Bible

1 John 3:23–24

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

John 1:18

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

John 3:17

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

1 John 2:23–24

Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

Here’s what I know: Life seems to ignore the script we have in our mind.

But this is also true: when that happens, we walk. We walk toward, or we walk away. Either way, we begin a journey—a pilgrimage to find or restore or forgive or heal, or to forget or bury; or perhaps, just to have the deck of our world shuffled.

And gratefully, a Pilgrimage-Camino walk is a good reminder.

Its wisdom calls me daily to pick up my pack and march on. To trust, find beauty, and to be vulnerable. To share pain, joy, and connection. To, with practice, patience (lots of patience), faith, and grace, continue walking.

So. Sometimes we need a different way to measure what really matters.

This brings to mind my mentor, Lew Smedes’ reminder, "Gratitude dances though the open windows of our hearts. We cannot force it. We cannot create it. And we can certainly close our windows to keep it out. But we can also keep them open and be ready for the joy when it comes."

Living one open window at a time.

I once did a workshop where I asked the participants to describe life. One woman said, "Life is so… life is so… life is so… daily."

Yes. She's right. And that is the secret.

The miracle is that there need not be a miracle—just a slow drip of experience. Being mindful of small things; the ordinary is the hiding place for the holy.

Places where we are able to receive. And places from which we give: wholeheartedness, joy, grief, compassion, sorrow, kindness, grace, forgiveness, gladness. And until I understand that truth (until I take it to heart), I miss the point.

Or, in the words of William Kittredge, "Moments when nothing happened. What sweet nothing."

In other words, we don't run from the moment (even moments that unnerve and distress).

We don't suffocate the moment with stuff (physical and mental).

We don't sanitize the moment with platitudes.

We sit. We listen. We look. We taste. We smell. We see.

We look for the light of God in the most ordinary, and even the most dull, of contexts.

(I know that I preordain, when I hope or try to orchestrate, rather than just experience. I also know that whether it is, experience or relationship or liturgy or prayer or meditation or Camino, if you don't bring it with you, you're not going to find it there.) SabbathMoments