SOMETHING DON’D ON ME…

II Corinthians 5:21: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

In 1987, there was a movie that came out called The Last Emperor. It was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and garnered 9 Academy Awards including “Best Picture”. It was the first movie filmed in the Forbidden City…and it was EPIC! (The movie ran nearly 3 hours…the “Directors Cut” is reportedly over 4!)
It’s a biographical picture about the last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty in China named Puyi– who became Supreme Leader at the age of 3! They called him a “puppet emperor” because the country was mostly run by people around him. The movie is told in “flashback” mode from later on in his life…and how it played out to have that much power as a toddler.

There was one scene that stuck with me. As a teenager, he was talking with some friends. One asked Puyi if he ever made any mistakes. “What happens if you ever do anything wrong?” Puyi looked at his friend, reached over and took a glass plate, lifted it high, and dropped it. Understandably, the dish shattered all over the floor. Immediately, maids began cleaning up the mess. Then the guards took one of the servants outside and began to whip him…in the PLACE of Puyi. The KING made the mess…but the “common man” was punished on his behalf.

I shared this story with our First Service group this last weekend and it’s been on my mind a lot since then. What a powerful representation of what we see & celebrate with Communion each week! In OUR world…we are the ones that make the mistakes. We are the ones that break things, and we are the ones surrounded by messes. Yet, Jesus comes and pays the penalty we deserve in our stead. The “Common man” makes the mess…but the KING IS PUNISHED on our behalf!

“God made Him who had NO sin…to BECOME sin…so we might be and feel and experience THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD!” Now THAT is something to celebrate! Our King had ZERO sin on his ledger books…but we get the GOODNESS of God because of Him!

Whatever you are doing this week…ponder that for a moment.

“I couldn’t earn it; I don’t deserve it…still You give Your love to ME!
Oh, the Overwhelming, Never-Ending, RECKLESS…Love of our God!

Almighty God and King…THANK YOU for chasing after us. Thank you for paying the price for our sins. And thank you for giving YOUR GRACE to people like us! In the Name of our Savior & Friend, Jesus; Amen!

Shalom Alachiem-Peace Be Upon Your Household,
Don
 

NO AMP THIS WEEK DUE TO LABOR DAY

AMP, resumes Sept 10!
JH and HS, 5 – 6:30 pm

SPECTRUM RETURNS TUESDAY NIGHT!!
With FREE FOOD at 6:30, and BIBLE STUDY at 7:00… you now know how your Tuesday night looks!! Wes Weems is teaching this semester, so bring your Bible and dig into Ephesians with us!! Grab a Friend and be a part! You do NOT have to be a student at ENMU to attend! We have people from Cannon AFB, from the work force, even seniors in High School! Come on out…you won’t regret it!

ENMU STUDENTS-TAKE NOTE!
YOU, yes YOU, could be an ON-AIR personality and work with Sportslook, High School Spotlight, You Should Know and even News3! Check out our own Emily Wilbanks right in the center…and talk to her about tryouts!

MONDAY NIGHT LADIES CLASS RETURNS SEPT. 11

The Ladies Class is going to deep-dive into the life and story of Jonah! It’s only 4 chapters…but WOW, is there a lot to this prophet! This is a Priscilla Shirer study-with video and some homework. You can order your books from Amazon or Lifeway (we will not have any here) and be ready for a POWERFUL study! Mondays at 6:30 with Suzanne, Michelle, Samantha and Carolyn-you won’t be disappointed! (And yes, there IS childcare!)

“Tell me you grew up in Portales without telling me you grew up in Portales.”  Ready, go!

My answer?  The block between First and Second Street on Main used to be one-way.  The light by the old city hall had two lanes… one for turning and one for going straight.  When they made the change, you could always tell who came back to visit.  They would be trying to turn left onto First Street looking into oncoming traffic.

I’m not sure when the change was made, but I think I was driving by then.  I had become so accustomed to the street being one-way… when they changed it, I kept driving that way.  So did everyone else.  It took repetition and paying attention to break the habit.  The one-way has now become a two-way street.

I wonder how many times our relationships are like that one-way.  Maybe there’s just not enough hours in the day.  Sometimes life can be overwhelming.  We forget to check in, we stop reaching out, and we sit in silence hoping someone will call.

It came as a shock to me, but people can’t read my mind.  I guess that’s a good thing, because my mind can be a lot random and a little scary at times.  If you want a friend, be a friend.  If you want someone to check in on you, check in on someone.  And, most importantly, love others the same way Jesus loved you.

So, how does Jesus love us?  He extends grace when we falter.  He forgives and forgets.  He is there when we are in our darkest moments.  He brings joy to our hearts and peace to our life.  He makes time for us.

Life is not a one-way street.  Relationships are meant to be reciprocal.  It may come as a shock to you as well, but people can’t read your mind either.  Our lives are filled with busy, and we forget to reach out to those we love.  Everyone forgets unless they are intentional.  Remember the street change?  It took repetition and paying attention to create a new habit, a new rhythm.

What does your relationship rhythm look like?  Do you need to break bad habits?  Do you need to reach out more?  Be the friend you think you need.  Extend love and ALLOW others to extend love back.  If you give and give but you never receive, you will eventually run out.  Let others love you, help you, and walk with you.

Make your relationships a two-way street.  Be intentional in your actions and remember why we love.  Because HE first loved us.

Soli Deo Gloria!
F –