Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your
God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most
important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set
alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two
commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from
them.”
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.
Some of my friends have been
talking on Facebook about “cleaning up” their “Friend” lists by removing
those folks who insist on spewing venomous statements and sharing
pictures/posts that target certain groups or ideologies in a negative or
hateful manner. They have been especially swift in removing those who
claim to love Jesus in one post…and make ugly comments in the next. And
I don’t blame them one bit!
This scripture passage is a key
component of our Christian discipleship. Jesus sums up all of His
teachings in two simple rules. It reminds me of when I was a
kindergarten teacher. I had three “rules”…1) be kind to others; 2) work
and play quietly; 3) respect other people’s property. Nothing else was
needed. When a child would misbehave, I would ask, “Are you being kind
to others? Were you working/playing quietly? Did that respect XYZ’s
property?” If the answer was “No” to any of these questions, the child
knew that there would be consequences.
We are Jesus’
“kindergartners,” so to speak…and His rules are as simple and inclusive
as that of any teacher of 5-year-olds. “Are you loving God with all of
your passion, prayers and intelligence…with every thought, word and
action? Are you treating others with the same level of respect,
kindness, love and compassion that you desire?” I’m afraid that
for some of us, the answer would have to be “No!”…and we must accept
that there are consequences for this response…and that we grieve God in
the process.
I’m going to give some of us the benefit of the doubt and say that we don’t fully intend
to be hurtful with many of our comments and actions. We don’t mean to
be so judgmental. But we are…and sometimes, it’s a case of being a bit
of a bonehead! We don’t stop to think about what we are posting/saying –
or our body language – or even the “public displays” that we make. To
live as a true disciple of Christ, you have to live intentionally…which
means that we must pay close attention to every thought, word and
action.
Someone noted at morning Bible study this week that she
sometimes stops and reminds herself that her bumper sticker advertises
our local church – and that there is a “fish” symbol on her car…so she
really ought not to be an impolite driver or wag her finger at other
motorists who irritate her! And we all should stop and check ourselves -
and our words and actions - at every turn. We should ask those two
questions…”Does this demonstrate our love for God?” and “Are we loving
others as we love ourselves and wish for others to love us?” More
importantly, we should also ask a third question…”Are we loving others
as Jesus loves us?” Because I guarantee you…He is not demonstrating anything BUT love toward us!
I’ve
not done a “social media house cleaning” in a while…but I may have to
soon. I don’t want anyone to see posts associated with me that indicate
in any way that I condone unloving statements or actions – from anyone.
And I pray that when Jesus asks if I have been “following the rules”…I
can wholeheartedly answer, “Yes, LORD! With all I’ve got!” What about
you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label loving God more than anyone or anything else. Show all posts
Showing posts with label loving God more than anyone or anything else. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for September 27, 2013
Luke 14:25-27
One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.
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.
Our property is located near a national nature trail. Recently, builders have reconstructed a wooden overlook that anchors the end of the trail closest to our house. This was done in preparation for the 50th anniversary celebration of the dedication of Greers Ferry Dam, a concrete dam built on the Little Red River for flood control and hydroelectric power. Last night after dinner, Greg, Timothy and I took a walk to check out the overlook. We had to go down a dirt path through a heavily wooded area. The overlook is surrounded on three sides by thick woods, and the bluff underneath that leads to the river is thickly forested, also. Timothy’s latest “thing” is a fear of the forest. He told me all afternoon that there were monsters, alligators and crocodiles (and zombies and vampires!) in the forest, and that his dad would protect him from all of these… that “Daddy will defeat the monsters in the forest.”
As we walked, Timothy talked of being afraid, even though we assured him that he was safe with us… that we would protect him. He clung to our hands and even said a few times, “Let’s go back… we better go back!” Finally, Greg walked away from Timothy and up the trail a few yards. Timothy was upset at first, but then he realized that he was okay… that he could manage on his own and conquer his fears. He even climbed a big rock and stood atop it, pretending to be a ‘mean Indian”. As we walked home and got close to our cul-de-sac, he took off running ahead of us, exploring the street and our yard and running with wild abandon. He knew we were near… that we were still present and a part of his life… but he took ownership of his actions and ran happily ahead of us.
I’ll be the first to tell you that putting Jesus first can be scary. We depend on our relationships with others… they make us feel safe, loved, important. Our earthly relationships represent a “comfort zone” that can extend to material possessions, our job, our hobbies and interests, and more. Change is often hard… and letting go of what we know and love can be truly difficult and uncomfortable.
Just as we were not asking Timothy to stay in the woods by himself, God isn’t calling you to do this with Him, either. He’s not saying you have to fend for yourself. But you have to be willing to trust Him and step out on your own – with only Him – in order to fully experience Christian discipleship. While this sometimes means you have to disassociate completely from people and things that compete for your attention, it often means you just have to reorder your priorities. So you don’t have to “divorce” yourself completely from your spouse or partner, your parents, siblings, cousins, friends… or even your hobbies and possessions. You just have to understand that they all take a backseat to Jesus Christ and your relationship with Him!
I’m amazed at how a four-year-old like Timothy can grasp something we often cannot. In his night-time prayers, he said, “Father, thank You for keeping Uncle Greg and Debbie and me safe in the woods…and for letting me be the ‘mean Indian on the rock’.” (Yes, he referred to God as "Father" - probably mimicking me or another adult he has heard offer a prayer!) Timothy recognized Who was really in charge… Who truly kept him safe. It didn’t diminish his love for us…he merely put it into perspective. What about you… do you have your priorities straight? Do you have the right perspective on your relationship with Jesus Christ – and others? Are you ready to shoulder your own cross… step out on your own… and truly follow Him? Isn’t it time you were?
©2013 Debbie Robus
One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.
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.
Our property is located near a national nature trail. Recently, builders have reconstructed a wooden overlook that anchors the end of the trail closest to our house. This was done in preparation for the 50th anniversary celebration of the dedication of Greers Ferry Dam, a concrete dam built on the Little Red River for flood control and hydroelectric power. Last night after dinner, Greg, Timothy and I took a walk to check out the overlook. We had to go down a dirt path through a heavily wooded area. The overlook is surrounded on three sides by thick woods, and the bluff underneath that leads to the river is thickly forested, also. Timothy’s latest “thing” is a fear of the forest. He told me all afternoon that there were monsters, alligators and crocodiles (and zombies and vampires!) in the forest, and that his dad would protect him from all of these… that “Daddy will defeat the monsters in the forest.”
I’ll be the first to tell you that putting Jesus first can be scary. We depend on our relationships with others… they make us feel safe, loved, important. Our earthly relationships represent a “comfort zone” that can extend to material possessions, our job, our hobbies and interests, and more. Change is often hard… and letting go of what we know and love can be truly difficult and uncomfortable.
Just as we were not asking Timothy to stay in the woods by himself, God isn’t calling you to do this with Him, either. He’s not saying you have to fend for yourself. But you have to be willing to trust Him and step out on your own – with only Him – in order to fully experience Christian discipleship. While this sometimes means you have to disassociate completely from people and things that compete for your attention, it often means you just have to reorder your priorities. So you don’t have to “divorce” yourself completely from your spouse or partner, your parents, siblings, cousins, friends… or even your hobbies and possessions. You just have to understand that they all take a backseat to Jesus Christ and your relationship with Him!
I’m amazed at how a four-year-old like Timothy can grasp something we often cannot. In his night-time prayers, he said, “Father, thank You for keeping Uncle Greg and Debbie and me safe in the woods…and for letting me be the ‘mean Indian on the rock’.” (Yes, he referred to God as "Father" - probably mimicking me or another adult he has heard offer a prayer!) Timothy recognized Who was really in charge… Who truly kept him safe. It didn’t diminish his love for us…he merely put it into perspective. What about you… do you have your priorities straight? Do you have the right perspective on your relationship with Jesus Christ – and others? Are you ready to shoulder your own cross… step out on your own… and truly follow Him? Isn’t it time you were?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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