God Running is a place for anyone who wants to (or even anyone who wants to want to) love Jesus more deeply, follow Jesus more closely, and love people the way Jesus wants us to.
Romans 5:12-21
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Generational Sin vs. Generational Love
The contrast between the sin of Abraham, the original sin and disobedience from the original sinner, and the love and obedience of Jesus reminds me of something I’ve been seeing recently which has to do with generational cycles. In a certain sense, we inherit sin from Abraham. And in a certain sense, if we choose to, we can inherit love and life from Jesus, because God tells us all who receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (see John 1:12)
What I’ve been noticing recently is how generational poverty is handed down from generation to generation. And how generational sin is handed down from generation to generation. We also see this dynamic in generational abuse, and generational addiction.
But there’s good news, there’s the opposite too. There’s also (whether you believe it’s good or bad) generational wealth, and generational health and stability in relationships, and generational freedom from addiction. And, there’s generational faith, and love, and life in Christ.
And there’s more good news. The other day I was reading about Ahab, the king of Israel, who’s father was an evil king in Israel. And Ahab followed in his father’s footsteps to an extreme. In 2 Kings 16:29-33 we learn that Ahab did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. And we learn that Ahab even did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. So, yeah, he was a bad dude. He was the worst.
And then one day, Ahab decided he had to have his neighbor Naboth’s vineyard which was located right next to Ahab’s palace. Ahab offered to buy it, but Naboth wanted to keep it in the family, so he declined Ahab’s offer. Ahab was distraught over this land that he coveted but couldn’t possess. His wife Jezebel found out about it, so she arranged for some “worthless men” to falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king. Upon hearing this testimony, the people took Naboth outside of the city and they stoned him.
So Ahab got what he wanted. But . . .
The prophet Elijah confronted Ahab about his and Jezebel’s treachery.
Then, remarkably, this evil king, the worst king, the one who did more to provoke God than all the kings before him: he humbled himself and he repented.
And, even more amazing, the Lord responded to Ahab’s repentant heart with incredible mercy.
That story blows my mind. (1 Kings 21)
It’s proof that a generational cycle can be broken, even when someone is the worst of the worst.
I’ve recently had the privilege of seeing several people in the process of breaking destructive generational cycles and it’s inspiring.
The Skinniest Bible in All of History
Something I always think of when I read or hear anything about the original sin of Adam and Eve, is the commandments Adam and Eve were given from God.
They had the skinniest Bible ever. There actually were not commandments, plural. But instead, God asked just one thing:
Don’t eat from that one tree.
And, that’s it.
That was the one requirement.
But they couldn’t abide by God’s one requirement. And as God said it would, eating from the forbidden tree resulted in death.
But the free gift of salvation from Jesus resulted in life.
Many died as a result of Adam’s disobedience in the garden of Eden.
But thank God, many live because of Jesus’ obedience to God in the Garden of Gethsemane.
“Yet not what I will, but what you will,” Jesus said to the Father.
At some time in our lives, all of us will face a Gethsemane moment. When that moment comes, I hope and pray we can respond the way Jesus did.
“Lord help us to be Your children. In the hard times, help us to respond to Your will for us the way Jesus did. Not our will, but Your will be done, Lord.
“Amen.”
Notes:
Ecce Homo – A I 302 by Otto Mengelberg –Finish National Gallery via Wikimedia Commons–Public Domain
Available on Amazon, Google Play Books, and Audible!
Love Like Jesus: How Jesus Loved People (and how you can love like Jesus)
Love Like Jesus begins with the story of how after a life of regular church attendance and Bible study, Bennett was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. That led to an obsessive seven year deep dive. After pouring over Jesus’ every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job of studying Jesus’ words than he was following Jesus’ words and example. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennett’s own moral failures affirm he wrote this book for himself as much as for others. Love Like Jesus examines a variety of stories, examples, and research, including:
- Specific examples of how Jesus communicated God’s love to others.
- How Jesus demonstrated all five of Gary Chapman’s love languages (and how you can too).
- The story of how Billy Graham extended Christ’s extraordinary love and grace toward a man who misrepresented Jesus to millions.
- How to respond to critics the way Jesus did.
- How to love unlovable people the way Jesus did.
- How to survive a life of loving like Jesus (or how not to become a Christian doormat).
- How Jesus didn’t love everyone the same (and why you shouldn’t either).
- How Jesus guarded his heart by taking care of himself–he even napped–and why you should do the same.
- How Jesus loved his betrayer Judas, even to the very end.
With genuine unfiltered honesty, Love Like Jesus, shows you how to live a life according to God’s definition of success: A life of loving God well, and loving the people around you well too.
A life of loving like Jesus. (Kindle, hardcover, and paperback now available on Amazon, the ebook is now available on Google Play Books, and the audiobook is available on Audible.)
This is so powerful — it really reflects what life feels like here in Nepal. Just like breaking generational cycles, trekking in the mountains shows us that even the hardest, steepest paths can lead to something breathtaking. When you walk through the Himalayas, especially on treks like Everest Base Camp, you carry your past with you at first… but step by step, you find strength, clarity, and peace. It’s a reminder that healing is possible, and that God’s grace meets us even on the most difficult climbs.