Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. …
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
- Hebrews 11:1-3, 17-19
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
- Philippians 2:6-11
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
- 1 John 3:16-20
Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”
- 2 Corinthians 8:13-15
For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
- Isaiah 58:2-14
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
- 1 John 2:28
“What does running toward Christ and pursuing Love look like in daily life?
“The best place I know to look is in Scripture; here we gather wisdom and study the examples of those who followed God wholeheartedly. The best passage is probably Hebrews 11, a chapter often called the ‘hall of faith.’ It is tempting to assume that the people listed there were super human, or supersaints, and that you and I could never do the kinds of things they did.
“But did you know that Abraham was afraid for his safety, so he lied about his wife, Sarah, and said that she was his sister ... twice? Consider Jacob, who stole his brother Esau’s birthright, tricked his father into blessing him, and then fled in fear from Esau. …
“Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers. …
“The ultimate example of sacrifice and surrender is, of course, Jesus Christ. He had everything and still chose to surrender it all out of love for His Father. Your attitude should be the same as His. …
“When Jesus sent out His twelve disciples (Luke 9:3), He told them to ‘take nothing for the journey–no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.’ Why do you suppose He said this? Why not let them run home and grab a few supplies? Why not allow them to bring some money along just in case?
“Jesus was forcing His disciples to trust Him. God would have to come through for them because they had nothing else to fall back on.
“This place of trust isn’t a comfortable place to be; in fact, it flies in the face of everything we’ve been taught about proper planning. We like finding refuge in what we already have rather than in what we hope God will provide. But when Christ says to count the cost of following Him, it means we must surrender everything. It means being willing to go without an extra tunic or a place to sleep at night, and sometimes without knowing where we are going. …
“In [Isaiah 58:10], the phrase ‘if you spend yourselves’ stands out to me even more than the amazing promises that follow. It reminds me of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, wherein the servants are rewarded according to what they did with what they were given. It didn’t seem to matter that one was given five talents and the other two. Both servants were faithful with what their master entrusted to them, and as a result both were rewarded liberally.
“Similarly, we are each given different gifts and talents by our Master. The thing that matters most is how we use what we have been given, not how much we make or do compared to someone else. What matters is that we spend ourselves.”
- Francis Chan, crazy love
Rev. Francis Chan paints a picture of service. We are to be like Jesus. At one point, he asks what would we do if the homeless beggar who is starving really was Jesus?
What did Jesus do during His ministry? He fed the multitudes. He healed the sick. The blind were given sight. The deaf were given their hearing. The lame were given the ability to walk and run. And Jesus taught the people in the crowds. Jesus taught His disciples so they could carry on His ministry. Then Jesus laid down His life so that we might be saved. And Jesus rose from the dead, showing us the way to eternal life.
We should not think of this life as a life of comfort and relaxation and entertainment. Each of those are good in their own time, but we should tirelessly, selflessly, humbly serve others.
Whether the endorphins are flowing or not, we are glorifying God when we serve others, and that realization should bring great Joy to us. As Rev. Chan says, we should seem crazy to an unbeliever. Our tireless service to the needy should be otherworldly.
After all, we are preparing to go to another world, much like this one, but without hunger, where everyone lives in a mansion, and God walks around among us. Regardless of how good this world is, nothing could beat that best life in the next world.
That does not mean that this life is bad, but we should live it sacrificially. We should be like Christ. We may not have to be a martyr, but we can lay down our life in service.
And in showing love to others, we should never be shy about glorifying God in the process. It is God that we are serving. It is God that we are glorifying. Getting praise from those who are served must be deflected and reflected to God.
Lord, fill me with Your love. Thank You for loving me. And now, it comes to showing that love. There are those in need, and we must be moving. We cannot do it without Your help. We can do all things through You because You strengthen us, but You strengthen us for Your service. Let us glorify Your name in our service to You. In Your name I pray. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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