By Jenna Walmer
Living Intentionally Focus Scriptures:
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12
“Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” – Matthew 10: 39
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” – Mark 8:36-37
I hope the lessons in the Sermon on the Mount started to sink in through this break from study, and I hope you have started to apply them to your everyday life! Throughout our study of the Sermon on the Mount, one lesson stuck out to me that was repeated in many of the different sections or was hidden in each of the messages; do not build your treasures on earth, store up your treasures in heaven. This message is reiterated in more of Jesus’ teachings and even in the Old Testament. Wherever the passage is found, the orator or writer wants to remind us that our earthly days are numbered, so we should live them wisely. We should NOT cling to the rewards we are given on Earth, because they are only temporary. Instead, we should loosen this grasp to follow Jesus more fully. We will make strides to fulfilling God’s purpose, we will inherit eternal life. When you follow Jesus, you will know what it means to live abundantly, without all the extras.
This next series of posts will be centered on living intentionally, following Jesus’ teachings, and its connection to being a Dunker Punk.
Loving Everyone Focus Scripture:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. … If you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?” – Matthew 5: 43-45, 47
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” -Matthew 7:12
Goal Number 1: Intentionally love everyone
Goal Number 2: Consciously think about how you are treating others and reflect on if this is how you want to be treated
Goal Number 3: Once you can accept and change yourself, help others love everyone as well
Jarrod McKenna defined dunkerpunk as “a young person who is a member of a rebellious countercultural tradition that radically commits their life to living God’s Calvary-shaped love in the power of the Spirit, to the glory of the Father.” He suggested that we are to commit our life to radical love. So,what is radical love?
It’s going against the grain in our everyday lives. It’s pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones. It’s realizing that we have not loved fully in the past, and we must change our habits to love fully now. It’s loving everyone, no matter their gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or any other types of identifiers. Because, love does not judge. If God is love and God does not judge, and we want to live our lives like God’s son, then we shall love without judging.
That’s what radical loving is. Loving fully, loving without judgement, and loving everyone.
We must first start to change our hearts. Realize that we should love everyone, instead of judging others on certain characteristics. The first step should always be to change ourselves, instead of to change others.
Second, we need to notice when we are disregarding someone because of a certain aspect of their life. Instead, bring in and invite the outcasts, instead of gossiping about or disregarding them. Also, decide how you would want to be treated and have that reflect in your everyday life.
Finally, once you have changed your heart fully and intentionally love everyone, start help others noticing how to be kind to the outcasts and invite them to love everyone as well.
We are called to love boldly: To step out in faith and show those who don’t believe, believe in and hope for peace and unconditional love. Start a revolution in your area of intentionally loving everyone and treating others the way you would like to be treated.
Jenna Walmer is from Lancaster County and is currently in 12th grade. In school, she loves to research historical events. If she were to live in a specific time period, she would want to be a hippie and live in the 60s or 70s. Her favorite past times are swimming and playing her trombone. If you want to know more about her random life, follow her on twitter: @jaymarie2100
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