{"id":27153,"date":"2021-01-13T08:49:19","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T13:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=27153"},"modified":"2021-01-13T09:10:15","modified_gmt":"2021-01-13T14:10:15","slug":"worship-wednesday-revolutionary-kindness-josh-wilson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=27153","title":{"rendered":"Worship Wednesday – Revolutionary Kindness – Josh Wilson"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo Credit: Heartlight<\/a><\/p>\n

Be angry, and do not sin; <\/span>ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Offer right sacrifices, <\/span>and put your trust in the Lord<\/span>. <\/span><\/span>In peace I will both lie down and sleep; <\/span>for you alone, O Lord<\/span>, make me dwell in safety.<\/span><\/span> – Psalm 4:4-5, 8<\/a><\/p>\n

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,<\/span> <\/em>and give no opportunity to the devil.<\/em> – Ephesians 4:26-27<\/a>
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\u201cYou have heard that it was said, <\/span><\/span>Love your neighbor<\/span><\/span> and hate your enemy.<\/span><\/span> But I tell you, love your enemies<\/strong><\/span> and pray for those who<\/span> <\/strong>persecute you<\/strong>,<\/span><\/span><\/em> so that you may be<\/span> <\/em>children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”<\/em> – Matthew 5:43-45<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Writer’s block. I have wanted to say so much…cry out against all the wrong in our world…in our country. Cry out against the hatred, the vitriol, the division. The Lord has shut my mouth and is in the process of stilling my heart. You see, I have struggled with all the same stuff that I want to cry out against in others. Sin has shaken my own heart…praise God for a Savior.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Why are we shocked in our country when the same kinds of trauma the rest of the world experiences we are experiencing now? Our outrage speaks to the content of our hearts. “We deserve better”. “We will not tolerate this”. “We will silence our enemies”. “We will put you in your place”.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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As\u00a0 followers of Christ, we cannot join the throngs. We may want to block or cancel the words or actions of others. Yet, we are confronted ourselves by the truth that we were all once the enemies of God<\/a>…yet He forgave us. Do we presume that our indignation is more righteous than His? Do we consider our being wronged as more needful of judgment than His own? God have mercy!<\/div>\n
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I haven’t been able to write for a couple of weeks. That time has been spent in thinking, in conversation, in the Word, and in prayer. Sometimes also just in the mundane of daily work. What is the response of the believer toward our perceived enemies …toward those from whom we feel persecution? Or toward whom we are tempted to feel hate?<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Jesus’ Most Radical Teaching<\/em> – Lois Tverberg<\/a><\/p>\n

Only love. Spoken and acted out in kindness and mercy.<\/p>\n

Do we stomp and kick the dust at that? Do we hold tighter to our stones<\/a>? Do we give lip service to “forgiving” but everything in our actions and attitudes tells a different story?<\/p>\n

How thankful we can be to a God who is all-wise and all-loving! He understands us completely. He walked among us, in the sandals of the incarnate Christ. He experienced hatred and persecution, even to His last breath on this earth. Yet…He forgave, He loved, He administered the greatest kindness possible – His life for ours.<\/p>\n

In His loving mercy, He has taught us how to live in this life. Whether things are going our way or not, it matters so little.<\/p>\n

We are to love. We are to forgive. We are to keep our own hearts from sinning against another. We are to remember that we and our neighbor (enemy or friend) are both made in the image of God. We are not to forget our own bent toward sin…the very sin that caused Jesus to take the cross upon Himself…for us. Not just for another.<\/p>\n

When we lie down at night and struggle to quiet our thoughts, the Lord gives counsel, if we will listen. We aren’t to put our trust in a government but in God. We aren’t to put our own preferences over persons. God calls us to remember whose we are. He is at work in our hearts, in that of our neighbors (and enemies), and in the nations.<\/p>\n

We can join Him…through a revolutionary sort of kindness.<\/p>\n

I’ve just recently discovered the writing of Lois Tverberg<\/a>. She teaches the Scripture in context, meaning within the culture of the world in which it was written. We might think Jesus’ command to us to love our enemies is hard. Yet, if we recall our own struggle with sin and how neighbors and enemies are not so different from us, we can access the grace of God to love…and show kindness.<\/p>\n

Loving Your Neighbor, Who Is Like You<\/em> – Lois Tverberg<\/a><\/p>\n

Instead of striving to be right…what if we strove to be kind – loving, serving, and praying for those our flesh cries out to hate? This is the way of Jesus.<\/p>\n

Josh Wilson<\/a> (with a team of other songwriters) gave us the song “Revolutionary”<\/em><\/a> in October 2019, having no idea what 2020 or 2021 would hold. It was a prophetic call to the church to love…all.<\/p>\n

“It seems natural, almost effortless, to focus on our differences with others rather than our similarities. Drawing attention to those differences keeps us glued to the news and social media because of the moral outrage we feel towards the \u201cother.\u201d I think there\u2019s a better way though, and that\u2019s the way of empathy and understanding, the way of kindness….No matter what side of the political spectrum we\u2019re on, deep down I know that we are not as different as we are led to believe. There is peace to be made, there are names to be learned, meals to be had, chasms to be crossed, and it all starts with kindness.”<\/em> – Josh Wilson<\/a><\/p>\n

Worship<\/a> with me.<\/p>\n

Maybe you’re not like me
\nMaybe we don’t agree
\nMaybe that doesn’t mean
\nWe gotta be enemies
\nMaybe we just get brave
\nTake a big leap of faith
\nCall a truce so me and you
\nCan find a better way<\/div>\n
Let’s take some time, open our eyes, look and listen, yeah
\nAnd we’re gonna find we’re more alike than we are different, yeah<\/div>\n
Why does kindness seem revolutionary<\/strong>
\nWhen did we let hate get so ordinary<\/strong>
\nLet’s turn it around, flip the script<\/strong>
\nJudge slow, love quick<\/strong>
\nGod help us get revolutionary<\/div>\n
Whoa oh
\nRevolutionary
\nWhoa oh
\nLet’s get, let’s get
\nWhoa oh
\nRevolutionary
\nWhoa oh<\/div>\n
I’m turning the TV down
\nDrowning their voices out
\n‘Cause I believe that you and me
\nCan find some common ground
\nSee maybe I’m not like you
\nBut I’ll walk a mile in your shoes
\nIf it means I might see
\nThe world the way you do<\/div>\n
Let’s take some time, open our eyes, look and listen
\nAnd we’re gonna find we’re more alike than we are different<\/div>\n
Why does kindness seem revolutionary
\nWhen did we let hate get so ordinary
\nLet’s turn it around, flip the script
\nJudge slow, love quick
\nGod help us get revolutionary<\/div>\n
Whoa oh
\nRevolutionary
\nWhoa oh
\nLet’s get, let’s get
\nWhoa oh
\nRevolutionary
\nWhoa oh<\/div>\n
What would Jesus do<\/strong>
\nHe would love first<\/strong>
\nHe would love first, hmm<\/strong>
\nWhat would Jesus do<\/strong>
\nHe would love first<\/strong>
\nYeah, He would love first
\nSo we should love first<\/div>\n
Why does kindness seem revolutionary
\nWhen did we let hate get so ordinary
\nLet’s turn it around, flip the script
\nJudge slow, love quick
\nGod help us get revolutionary<\/div>\n
Whoa oh
\nRevolutionary
\nWhoa oh
\nLet’s get, let’s get
\nWhoa oh
\nRevolutionary
\nGod help us get revolutionary*<\/div>\n
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\"\"<\/a>Photo Credit: Chris Gampat, Symphony of Love, Facebook page<\/a><\/div>\n
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\u201c\u2018Revolutionary\u2019 is all about kindness,\u201d shares Josh Wilson. \u201cI believe that kindness matters. It\u2019s so easy to get caught up in all of the negativity we see in the world and on the news, and this song is a reminder that we are called to more than that. We\u2019re called to love as Christ has loved us. I am so encouraged by the acts of kindness I\u2019ve seen recently, even amidst a worldwide pandemic, even in an election year. In many ways, our struggles are actually bringing us together. We\u2019re learning that we all have a lot more in common than we thought, and it\u2019s beautiful to see the ways people are serving each other. The lyrics are a prayer for God, through us, to start a revolution of kindness. Will you join us?\u201d<\/em> – J<\/a>osh Wilson<\/a><\/div>\n
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Postscript:<\/p>\n

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Josh Wilson also wrote “Dream Small”<\/em><\/a> which I covered here<\/a>. He capturing how God has wrapped all commands into two – for our good and to the glory of our magnificent God:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Love God<\/div>\n
Love others.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“Keep loving, keep serving<\/em><\/div>\n
Keep listening, keep learning<\/em><\/div>\n
Keep praying, keep hoping<\/em><\/div>\n
Keep seeking, keep searching<\/em><\/div>\n
Out of these small things and watch them grow bigger<\/em><\/div>\n
The God who does all things makes oceans<\/em><\/div>\n
From rivers.”<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
*Lyrics to “Revolutionary”<\/em> – Songwriters: Josh Wilson, Jason Mater, James Tealy, Steve Fee – MusicMatch<\/a><\/div>\n
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Josh Wilson: Striving to Be “Revolutionary” in Kindness<\/em> – American Songwriter<\/a><\/div>\n
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Worship Wednesday – Dream Small<\/em> – Josh Wilson – Deb Mills<\/a><\/p>\n