I think my next Rant series is really going to address what "fear of the Lord is." Because, as a father, I can tell you that I DO NOT want my son to be afraid of me. I want him to run TO me instead of running FROM me. But, like I said, I think that's up next. To close out this one I just simply want to say, "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love" (1 John 4:18 NLT). God has always made allowances for our mistakes. And if we're afraid that He's an angry, vengeful God who is just waiting for us to slip up so He can punish us... then we haven't fully experienced His love for us. The kind of love that says, "I would rather DIE than live without you." The kind of love that asks for our forgiveness even as we are rejecting and murdering Him. And, yes, I know that nobody ACTUALLY murdered Jesus. He said, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father" (John 10:17-18). Nobody COULD kill Jesus. He IS life. But He willingly laid His life down. For us. To show us what love is. He TOLD us what love is when He said there's no greater love that a man can have than to lay down his life for his friends. But then He went to the cross and did just that. He put His money where His mouth was. And in so doing--by giving His life FOR us, and giving His life TO us--He brought us out of death and into life. He brought us out of a place where we had to be afraid of punishment and into a place where we know that we are God's beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying actions don't have consequences. Of course they do. If you cheat on your wife GOD won't be mad at you but SHE sure will. Right? Everything you do has consequences and repercussions. But at the same time, NOTHING you can do can separate you from the love of God. In Revelation 21:4 in the Message Bible we see, "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God." God moved into the neighborhood, into the house that HE built, into YOU, and He is NEVER moving out. Sometimes it might feel like He is making serious renovations, but He's only getting rid of things you didn't need in the first place. Things that have really already been dealt with on the cross and are only coming to manifestation as they come to light as His love shines on you, and in you, and through you. So you never have to worry about having crossed the line. The cross crossed out the line! God has made allowances for every bad choice, every mistake, every stumble, and every fall. And He's not worried about how long it takes for you to "get it." Look at 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." God has all the time in the world to "perfect" you--by showing you HIS perfection IN you. Because He has given us everlasting, eternal, abundant, Resurrection Life! It's a never-ending life-long process of finding out who we are by finding out who He is. And He is the One revealing Himself to us, and in us, and through us, and as us. So there's no doubt that at the end of the day... we're ok!

It's like we expect God to kick us when we're down, when in fact, He makes allowances for when we fall. God knew what was in man's heart when He created him. It wasn't a shock when man did what man does. It wasn't a shock when Adam ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and it wasn't a shock when man nailed Jesus to the cross. And yet, when Jesus was ON the cross, look at what He said: "...Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..." (Luke 23:34). I honestly don't know where we got this idea of an angry, vengeful God. Because even in the Old Testament He showed the people of Israel forgiveness and mercy over and over again. We looked a little bit at the system of animal sacrifice that protected us from our inevitable failure at keeping the Law of Moses. So we see a God who met us on our level and still loved us and protected us. Protected us from ourselves. Because we didn't know what we were doing. We were doing the best we could with what we had... but we didn't know what we had. We didn't think we had anything--certainly not mercy, and grace, and love--so we tried our best to earn it. We looked for love in all the wrong places and found anything and everything else. And yet God still made allowances. He sent His only begotten Son. He GAVE His Son to us. And the best thing religion could figure out to do with Him was to reject Him and kill Him. Which makes what Jesus said on the cross even more powerful. He wasn't angry. He was in love. He asked for forgiveness FOR US because HE knew that we DIDN'T know what we were doing. He wasn't mad at us for doing the best we could. He simply wanted something better for us. A more excellent way. And according to 1 Corinthians 12:31, "...yet shew I unto you a more excellent way," and the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 13... that more excellent way is love. It's not, "an eye for an eye." That's what the Law said, but God only gave us the Law as a school master to bring us to Christ. JESUS said, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:38-39). Something different. Something new. Something better. So instead of "earning what you get according to your actions" God made allowances for us to be forgiven, and to forgive each other. He filled us up with something better, so that we wouldn't just have to give back in kind what we were given. If someone slapped us, instead of an eye for an eye... instead of slapping them back... we could turn the other cheek. We could give what we have instead of giving back what they gave us. We could break the cycle and show God to people by showing love to people. We could let what's already inside come out by knowing and believing it's in there. Not worrying about what the world has to offer, but giving the world what the Kingdom has to offer! Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Love, in other words. And, eventually, we might just figure out that while God can, and will, and does, pick us up when we fall... He is the One who is able to KEEP us from falling!

Believe it or not, God doesn't want us to fail. He doesn't put us in "mission impossible" situations. Let me explain using Genesis 17:1 as an example. "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." Now, on the surface, it seems like God is telling Abram, "Walk before me, and you better be perfect." That's how we seem to think about Him. Like He's up on a cloud with a bolt of lightning just waiting for us to mess up so He can get us. Well... first of all, on the cross He got us. Jesus was lifted up from the earth and He drew all men into Himself. And secondly, the word "before" is number 6440 in Strong's Hebrew Concordance and it means, "the face." So instead of God saying, "Walk in front of me so I can see if you mess up," what He was really saying was, "Walk facing me and you WILL be perfect." He wasn't giving us mission impossible. He was telling us HOW to accomplish what He had set out for us to do. Because what happens when you walk facing God? You see the grace in His eyes. You look in the mirror with an unveiled face and you see the glory of God. And you are changed into that same image from glory to glory. The glory within works it's way out until it's on display. Until HE is on display. Until LOVE is on display. Because if we're walking facing God... we're walking facing love. We see it wherever we look. The eyes of grace. The doves' eyes that represent the Holy Spirit that we see in the Song of Solomon. Let me say it another way. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). And, again, this isn't Jesus telling us to be perfect OR ELSE. This is Jesus telling us HOW to be perfect. "Even as" our heavenly Father is perfect. His perfection IS our perfection. How much more perfect could you be than to have the perfect One living inside you? And before Jesus told us to be perfect, He told us HOW to be perfect. "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:44-45). And HOW do we be perfect, just the same way that our heavenly Father is perfect? By loving. And not just by loving, but by loving "our enemies." Loving those people that are hard to love. Which is super important. Because the people that are hard to love are the people that aren't giving any. Freely you have received... freely give. Don't worry about how "hard" or "easy" someone is to love. Just love them. Just fill yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. Don't "try" to be perfect. Just let what's inside come out. Naturally. And IF you happen to stumble, or fall... don't worry about it. Pick yourself up, or better yet let someone help you up, and try again. Because God has made allowances for you. He didn't set you up to fail. He did the work so that you could enjoy the fruit of His labor. The fruit of the Spirit. Which is love. We love because He first loved us. He did it all so we could get it all. And now we have it all. So now we can share what we've got. We ARE loved, we ARE perfect, and complete in Him. So now we CAN love, perfectly and completely!

There's something about the Law of Moses that always struck me as a little bit weird. We seem to have this idea of an angry Old Covenant God who was ready, willing, and able to strike at the slightest provocation... and yet, He set up an entire system of animal sacrifice to make sure that when the people inevitably DID mess up... they were covered. He made allowances for what was, at that time--before the cross--"human nature." Look at what Romans 3:23 tells us about life under the Law, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." And in fact, that was the state of humanity before the Law was even ever given. That's what happened when Adam sinned. Because at that time we were in him. But God made allowances. At the appointed time He sent His Son to be lifted up from the earth and draw us all out of Adam and into Himself. So that we would no longer be stuck with that Adam "human" nature. So that we would no longer be ruled by our selfish beast nature. So that we might have a new nature. A love nature. Or a new name, if I can say it that way. Which is what Revelation 2:17 says, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To hiim that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." And I believe that new name is Jesus. Our new nature is Jesus. But you have to RECEIVE that before you can KNOW it, so I'll leave that alone for now. What I want to focus on is the truth that "messing up" does not disqualify us. Even under the Law it didn't. Because, again, there was an entire system of animal sacrifice. And here's the really weird part: We say, "I've messed up. I've fallen from grace." When in fact, according to Galatians 5:4 (NLT) there is only one way to fall from grace. "For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace." Because here's the deal: We are not under the Law. We are under grace. Jesus nailed the Law to the cross because it was contrary to us. It was against us. It could only point out what we did wrong, without being able to help us do right. It demanded perfection without being able to produce perfection. That's the OPPOSITE of grace. Grace doesn't worry about what we DO. Grace tells us who we ARE. Who we REALLY are. And falling from grace doesn't mean you messed up. God's not afraid of your mess. In fact, it seems to me that He delights in making messages out of messes. Falling from grace means you've put yourself under the Law. You're trying to earn something that can't be earned through external actions. The GIFT of God is eternal life. And you can't earn a gift. You must RECEIVE it, and RELEASE it. You must know it and believe it. You must stop disqualifying yourself from something that JESUS qualified you for. It's not about external actions. Good and evil. It's about what's inside. Love. Life. Eternal, everlasting, abundant, Resurrection Life. And if it's eternal... then it doesn't end. So no matter how long it takes--no matter how many times you stumble and fall--God has made allowances for you to be able to run the race. To find out who you really are by finding out who HE really is in you... as He reveals Himself to you, and in you, and through you, and as you!

God makes allowances. That's my thought for today, and that's what I want to explore over the next few days. Here's what I mean: Nothing sneaks up on God and takes Him by surprise. He created us. He knows what we're about. Even when "...GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart" (Genesis 6:5-6)... even when God decided to wash the world clean... He made an allowance for the human race to continue in the family of Noah. Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Even when Adam and Eve hid from the presence of God and tried to cover up their shame with fig leaves... God clothed them Lamb skins. He wasn't caught off guard. He wasn't unprepared. We always say things like, "Before God made cows, He made grass for them to eat. Before there was ever a sinner, there was a Savior." But then we always think what WE'VE done takes us over the edge. "God could never forgive me for blah blah blah." When in fact, the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. What manifested on the cross has always been true. But the tricky part is that while something is true... unless you KNOW the truth, it doesn't always do you a lot of God. The truth has already set you free and made you free. But if you don't know it, you'll still act like a slave. Jesus came and unlocked the door. Now He stands at the door and knocks. But if you don't know that the door is unlocked, you might not even try to open it. You might just cover your ears and hope the knocking stops. I think sometimes we WANT the grass to be greener on the other side, but we don't really believe we'll ever be able to experience it. And that's a problem because, "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick..." (Proverbs 13:12). We can get sick and tired of being sick and tired. But when our hope never seems to get us anywhere it's easy to give up. Now here's the rest of that verse, "...but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." So let's track this: What is THE human desire? The desire of our HEART? Love, of course. And when we run around looking for love in all the wrong places we can get ourselves into a lot of trouble. Doing anything and everything to get what we think we haven't got. It's not until we come to the source that we'll ever find what we're looking for. The source of love. The God who IS love. And that's the Tree of Life. That's where our appetite is satisfied. That's where we find what we're looking for. But I'm focusing on the middle part, for now. The part where we're wandering around in the wilderness. The part where we make mistakes (and hopefully learn from those mistakes). The part where we NEED allowances. The part where we need grace the most. Where we need forgiveness the most. That's the part where I think we find ourselves a lot of the time. And I'm telling you, that's ok. Because God makes allowances. He doesn't expect us to keep the Law of Moses perfectly. He expects us to experience the never-ending life-long journey of self-discovery that IS Him revealing Himself to us, and in us, and through us, and as us. It's a maturation PROCESS. It's learning and growning. Falling down and getting back up. Making mistakes and learning from them. It's life. Messy, and beautiful.

There's a difference between self-respect and self-righteousness. A big difference. One you need. One you can't have. If you don't respect yourself, you can't respect anyone else. You can't give what you don't have. But when it comes to righteousness... Isaiah 64:6 says, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags..." OUR righteousness. Self-righteousness. What we can accomplish by trying to make ourselves look bigger by trying to make others look smaller. Not contrast that with Philippians 3:9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." And 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Did you catch that? The righteousness OF GOD. Not OUR righteousness, but HIS righteousness. That's the difference. And when we have HIS rightouesness--through faith--that's when we CAN have self-respect. That's when we can see ourselves correctly. And see each other correctly. As human being. Worthy of respect. I honesty don't even know how we got to the place where, it seems like people have become the BOTTOM of the food chain. We'll argue about anything and leave people to suffer. I don't get that. But I think it's because we don't respect ourselves. And, again, you can't give what you don't have. We don't feel respect, so we don't respect each other, so we look for other things, and other ways, to fill that void. That's why the Holy Spirit is so important. The Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth. The Spirit that testifies of our true identity by testifying of Jesus. The light shining on us, and in us, and out of us, so that we can see things clearly. So that we can see what's important. So that we can keep our affection on things above, and not on things on the earth. So that we can see the things that are unseen. And I think a lot of the time the thing that is unseen is... hurt. We try to be tough guys. Because we've been taught--by the world--that asking for help is a sign of weakness. I don't think asking for help is a sign of weakness. I think asking for help is a sign of wisdom. Because I know--for a fact, learned from experience--that I can't do it all by myself. There are something things I can do. And there are some things I can't. But that doesn't make me less than, or inferior. That makes me one piece in a big puzzle. One part of a big body. The body of Christ. And if we could all do the same thing, some things wouldn't get done. I need what you can do and you need what I can do. But if I get all self-righteous and make you feel bad about what you can do... if I disrespect you... then really I'M the one missing out. But if I be me and let you be you... then together we can make it happen. I love Song of Solomon 5:16, "...yea, he is altogether lovely..." because I believe the reverse is that is also true. WE are lovely... all together. We can do it all. We can manifest the Son of God that all of creation is yearning for. We can truly live by loving each other. Because to live is to love and to love is to live. We can respect ourselves, and we can respect each other. We can LOVE ourselves, and love each other. Embrace ourselves, and embrace each other. We can get down off our high horses and help each other up. To me, helping someone is the ultimate sign of respect!

The biggest problem I have when people argue about "issues" is that there are usually PEOPLE behind those issues. More accurately, hurting people. And when we don't take people into account, then we've missed THE issue. Because--I've said it before and I'll say it again--God and people are the two (most) important things in this universe. Loving God and loving people. Loving God BY loving people. That's why I stay out of most political debates. Because in my heart I can usually see both sides of the issue, and I feel for all of the PEOPLE involved. I think that's simply giving PEOPLE the respect they deserve. I don't have to agree with anybody either. I can still love them. I don't have to try to convince anybody of anything. And if I DO try to convince someone that I'm right and they're wrong... well... once again I've missed the point. It's not about making yourself look bigger by making someone else look smaller. Jesus addressed this heart issue in Luke 18:11-14, "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." The Pharisee wasn't giving respect to anybody... except himself. But here's the thing about the truth: You don't have to convince people of it. If you go around shouting from the rooftops that you're the greatest... you're probably not. Because if you really were the greatest, other people would see it, and recognize it. They would say it for you. The truth speaks for itself. That's why we are innocent until proven guilty. You don't have to prove that you didn't do anything wrong. Especially when you're doing what's right. And I think it's interesting that the publican smote himself on the breast. Because, like I said, it's a heart issue. When the Apostle John leaned on Jesus' breast he heard the heartbeat of God. You can't give what you don't have. So if you don't feel respected, it's impossible to respect others. If you feel hurt, you will hurt others. But if you feel loved... you will love others. You can't give what you don't have. But you WILL give what you do have. If it's in there--in your heart--it comes out. Naturally. So (and I think I'm going to end this Rant on this thought tomorrow) you have to respect yourself. Not in the, "there's nothing wrong with me... look how much better I am than so and so," way that the Pharisee did. But just in the way that, "I'm a human being. I'm worthy of respect. I mess up sometimes, but I learn from my mistakes. Just like you." I've always said being humble isn't thinking less of yourself, it's simply thinking of yourself less. We're all the same. We're all just people. And we're all in this together. So instead of climbing over people, we ought to be reaching down to help people up. Galatians 6:2 says it like this, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." Don't worry about taking care of yourself. You're covered. Respect others enough to take care of them!

Either we ALL deserve respect, or NONE of us do. Because we're all the same. Acts 17:26, "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation." One blood. Before the cross it was the blood of the first Adam. And on this side of the cross it is the blood of the last Adam--Jesus. I mean, I really just don't think we understand that we're all different parts of the SAME body. I don't think we understand how similar we are. And I'm not saying you aren't a unique snowflake. You absolutely are. There's nobody else quite like you. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. I'm simply trying to say we're all in this together. ALL of us. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the WORLD. He didn't make distinctions between Jew and Gentile. Or any other groups of any kind. In fact, His chosen people were the very ones who rejected Jesus and nailed Him to a cross. So He grafted everbody--EVERYBODY--else in. Look at John 12:32 in the NLT, "And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." Everyone. All of humanity. And then remember we saw in part one that all of creation is groaning and waiting for the manifestation of the Son(s) of God. Enough of this "us vs them" mentality. Enough of this "members only" religion. I have never in life asked someone what they believe with the intention of including or excluding them. Because quite frankly, I don't care what you believe. You can believe whatever you want. That's one of the foundations the United States was originally built on; Freedom of religion. I saw a meme today, and posted it online, that basically said, "The secret of life is minding your own business. Letting other people do what makes them happy, and doing what makes you happy." I LOVE THAT. As long as you're not hurting anybody... do you. Be you. And I'm going to love you either way. Whenever I finish preaching a message, I end with the tag line, "I love you... and there's nothing you can do about it." Because my love for you isn't based on YOU. It's not something that needs to be earned. It's simply me filling myself to overflowing with what I've already been filled with. Which is love. It's simply me obeying the New Commandment and loving others as Jesus loves me. It's simply me receiving and releasing--knowing and believing--the love of Christ. And what I believe--that I was created to be loved and to love others with that same love--doesn't worry about what you believe. Because you're a human being. And even though deserve has nothing to do with it, being a human being makes you worthy of love. Two important things, right? God and people. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. And, honestly, I think that's the least we can do for each other. But it turns out... the least you can do is the most you can do. Giving someone what you've got is probably exactly what they need. Whether it's a sympathetic ear, or just spending time with someone. The little things ARE the big things. And while trust may need to be earned... respect needs to be given. To one and all. Without judgment. Freely you have received... freely give. Because we're all in this together. We're all the same. We're all people. And we're all worthy of respect.

"I'm a human being!" When someone says that to you with pain in their eyes, it's hard to imagine how easy it is to forget that sometimes. We get up with "stuff" and we lose sight of what's really important. I'll say it again: God... and people... love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. When we throw someone over for something, or when we make someone feel like they aren't worthy of respect, that's when we REALLY need to take a look at our priorities. Because when we treat people like stuff--or, worse, less than stuff--or when we forget that each and every one of us is an actual human being... well, it's easy to break stuff. But it's harder--much harder--to build stuff. That's why Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Train up a child in the way he SHOULD go. Don't always be so hard on people. Chances are we already know what's WRONG with us--or what the world TELLS us is wrong with us. So maybe we should start telling people what's RIGHT with them. Build them up. Romans 14:19 says it like this, "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another." And in the NLT it goes, "So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up." Blessed are the peacemakers, right? For they shall be the Son(s) of God? And if we strive for peace and harmony, we won't let our differences separate us. We'll be able to celebrate those differences. Variety is the spice of life. If everybody thought the same and acted the same it'd be super boring. There's a song on a cartoon my son and I used to watch. "In some ways we are different... but in so many ways, we are the same!" Differences don't have to seperate us. If we respect each other enough to let us HAVE those differences. I have never once in my life (that I'm aware of) tried to convince someone to believe the same way I believe. In fact, for the most part, I just keep it to myself. (Except for my books, and blogs, and sermons and stuff. But I don't try to force that stuff on anybody either. I simply present it. Take it or leave it.) I've never had any desire to get into a theological arguement with anybody. When people tell me I'm wrong--and believe it, that happens--I just shrug my shoulders and say, "Ok." You believing something I don't believe doesn't bother me. I'm ok with the differences people have. I like what I like. I know what I know. If you feel the same way... great. I'm not going to disrespect you because we're different. I'm going to RESPECT you because in so many ways we are the same. We're all just people. Doing the best we can to jss. To just survive somehow. And as someone who knows and believes the love of Christ... I'm going to do my best to edify you. To build you up instead of breaking you down. It's easier to build when damage hasn't been done yet, but that's not usually the case. Usually it takes some work. But that's ok. Because there are two important things in this universe: You're one of them, and the other One lives inside you!

I say this all the time: There are only two important things in the universe... God and people. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. And then I usually add that I'm not saying things like taking care of the earth AREN'T important. Romans 8:19-22 says it like this, "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." The entire world was given to man to have dominion over. And when man "fell" the EARTH was cursed. So it IS our responsibility. As far as I know it's the only home we've got. But my point is... if we don't love each other, what's the point of HAVING a home. We have to have our priorities straight. And at the top of the list HAS to be each other. We have to start treating each other with respect. Even when we disagree on things. ESPECIALLY when we disagree on things. Because we're still people. And we're still in this together. And we're still important. I think one of the things that got the people of Israel into so much trouble is this idea of "us vs them." They had this idea that they were chosen and everybody else was inferior. And I'm not saying that idea came out of nowhere. I'm simply saying that Old Covenant stuff doesn't really apply in the New Covenant. I know I'm throwing a lot of Scripture in here today, but I'm trying to build a foundation for this Rant series. Romans 11:17-18 in the Message Bible talks about how Israel WAS chosen first, but then a way was made for all of us. "Some of the tree's branches were pruned and you wild olive shoots were grafted in. Yet the fact that you are now fed by that rich and holy root gives you no cause to crow over the pruned branches. Remember, you aren't feeding the root; the root is feeding you." Or, let me say it as simply as I can, "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons" (Act 10:34). If God grafted us in... if God is no respecter of persons... if we are all different branches of the SAME tree... then can't we all just get along? Only if we see ourselves, and each other, that same way. Only if we are no respecter of persons. Or, to say it another way, only if we RESPECT all persons. Only if PEOPLE become our main priority. Only if we treat others in the way we would like to be treated. And, as always, that doesn't mean "I like Mt. Dew and I wish you would buy me some so I'm going to buy you some." Life doesn't work like that. Because you might not like Mt. Dew and then, in a sense, I've inadvertantly treated you badly. It simply means, if you think people should respect you... respect them. If you think someone should be kind to you... be kind to them. Instead of worrying about getting something--that's a selfish motive that has nothing to do with love whatsoever--simply give what you've got. Let what's inside come out. Wherever you are. To whomever you come into contact with. They say trust is earned, not given. But I think respect HAS to be given, no matter what. And when we start at that level... then we're building on a solid foundation.