Luke 6:26, 31-34
"There's trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.”
Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Have you ever felt someone was being kind to you because they wanted your help… or your money, attention, or the benefit of your reputation? I hope you have not experienced this, because it’s not any fun to think that someone only calls or comes around when he/she needs or wants something from you. And certainly I hope you are not “one of those people” yourself!
We hear about this with all age groups, but sadly, this happens often to older adults. Someone enters an elderly person’s life on the pretense of caring, only to be the first in line with his/her hand out when that person passes away or becomes incapacitated. We sometimes refer to this type of person as a “gold-digger.” And as bad and wrong as this behavior is… as much as it amounts to out-and-out theft… the worst repercussion is that the person being scammed (or his/her loved ones) can be hurt deeply (and not just financially or materially). Nobody wants to think someone pretended to care about them just for their own potential gain.
And you know something else? God doesn’t want us to love Him just so we can get into heaven, either! He doesn’t want us to serve Him because we think He will bless us or protect us… or because He will see that our family is cared for and all of our needs are met. Yes, God will do these things and more… because He loves us unconditionally. But God doesn’t love us for what we can do for Him… and we should not love Him in this way, either.
Probably the purest love comes from our small children and our pets. None of them seem to have the filters of teenagers and adults. Little children and pets love you “just because.” One of the most tell-tale signs is when an older person says to a small child, “Give me a hug.” Quite often, a reluctant cuddle or the child’s rigid stance while a grown-up does the hugging is the end result. But when a kid really wants to hug you… well… those are the hugs you cherish! And that’s what God wants from us… the “hugs” and loving behavior that comes from the heart… the genuine truth and kindness that He can cherish - not mere flattery and lip service.
How are you sharing your faith with others? How do you love God? What do you give… flattery or the real deal? Are you who you should be in the name of Jesus? Isn’t it time to step up and be authentic? Wouldn’t today be a great day to begin?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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