Loving Your Enemies

It is relatively easy to love people who love you or people who simply are loveable.  But to love people who hate you, mistreat you or are generally unloveable sorts - that is a different matter.

And yet, that is exactly what God calls us to do - love our enemies, those who dislike or mistreat us.  It is, in fact, the path to kingdom living.  Listen to Matthew, "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" (Matt 5:43-45).

This is the attribute that seperates us from the world.  In verses 46-47, Matthew tells us that even the tax collectors and the pagans love and treat kindly those who love and treat them kindly.  But we are called to "Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect" (v. 48), meaning to love even our enemies.

Jesus tells us in John 13:35, "By this they will know you are my disciples, by your love for one another."  This love for one another has to include those Christians who have not been loving to you or the one with whom you are upset.  Otherwise, it would not be a love that would distinguish us from everyone one else.

It is not always easy, but it is alway right to love others regardless of how loveable or how friendly they are or are not.  It is a God thing to which He calls us and which qualifies us as His children.

Jus' Sayn.

Bearing Burdens

We live in a time in America, when many believe that it is somebody's, everybody's, anybody's job except their own to carry their load.  They believe and seem to demand that someone else bear the burden of their well being.  Their mantra is "it takes a village."  And their application is self.  The village is responsible for my care and feeding.

Many would turn to the Bible for support, quoting, among other passages, Galatians 6:2, which reads, "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."  The village advocates would be quick to say, "See, there it is in black and white of the Scripture!"  Our burdens are to be taken care of by the community - not unlike socialism or communism.

However, there are two problems witth their interpretation of that verse.  First, it is not the village taking care of individuals, it is individuals helping to take care of each other.  It is not some taking others to raise, it is everyone taking the needs of each other in a personal and responsible way.

Second, verse two leads up to verse five, which reads, "for each one should carry their own load."  Did you catch that?  Each one should carry their own load.  Wow!  How do those two verses fit in the same letter?  They fit because God calls us to be productive and attend work for our daily needs.  But, there are times when our needs exceed our ability, when we are "over burdened."  It is then when others in the Christian Community are called to step in and lend a hand, not take over the responsibility but share in it.

When we do take the responsibility to help others who are over burdened, it can be burdensome.  Helping others overcome adversity can take a good deal of time, energy and money and wwe may feel like giving up.  But the Word says instead "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (v. 9).  Jus' Sayn.

Treasure Hunting

For a very few, scouring the seas looking for sunken ships is how they find their treasure.  For others, taking a shovel up to the diamond dig in Murphreesboro is the ticket.  Many go from flea market to flea markett in search of that treasure.  And, of course, let us not forget America's favorite treasure hunt: Garage Sales!  

The reason everyone's searching for treasure is because it's missing.  Right?  I mean, if one has their treasure, they wouldn't be hunting for it.  People wouldn't be using drugs to find it.  They wouldn't be jumping from one sex partner to another to find itt.  They would be enjoying their treasure if they only knew where to find it.

Listen closely.  I know where your treasure is.  That's right.  And, I am going to share that information with you right now so that you won't have to look anymore.  Ready?  Here it is: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Luke 12:43).  If your heart is where your treasure is, your treasure is where your heart is.

So, what is your heart drawn to?  Money?  Fame?  Power?  Youth? Looks?  If it is any of the above, you are destined to keep searching forever because none of these can fill the place in your heart that seeks the presence of the Spirit of God.

Here's the simple truth, the Gospel or Good News, if you will: When God is our treasure, he fills our hearts and we are satisfied.  We no longer have to keep on searching for it - will are filled up with the greatest treasure possible and the only treasure that can actually live in our hearts.

You can still enjoy garage sales and flea markets and a romp in the muddy diamond fields of Murphreesboro, but you will be enjoying a bit of recreation rather than seeking your treasure, which you already possess.  Jus' Sayn.

A New Low

In Proverbs 29:23, we read a rather interesting truth: "Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor."  Did you notice that while pride results in a negative (low), the negative (lowly) results in a positive (honor).  It would seem that there is a new low in play here.

Generally, we consider low as being in a losing position position, such as in "low on the totem pole" or "low on cash."  And the Bible uses it in that same way as in the first half of the verse above, which suggests a reduction in position.

However, when low is moved to the spiritual realm or application as in the second half of 29:23 (lowly in spirit), it takes on a new meaning where it causes an elevation in status or gain.

Jesus would echo the same "newness" of the word in Matthew 5:3 in saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  I can't think of how one becomes more elevated than that, can you?

So, how is the new low different from the low we've all come to know and not love so much?  It is different in propulsion - are you brought low by the hand of God or did you lower yourself in deference to God.  One is being humbled and the other is humility.  It is a matter of the heart and spirit within.  

Listen to the words of Jesus: "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (Matt 23:12).  So tell me, are you ready to reach a new low?

Jus' Askn.

Serving God for Nothing?

In a rather remarkable conversation between God and Satan, the Accuser posed a question regarding Job's faithfulness: "Does Job fear God for nothing?" (Job 1:9).  In other words, "Doesn't Job serve you because protect and bless him?"  Which begs the question, "Would he serve you for nothing?"

For reasons more than the test itself that would require much more time and space than I have today, God allowed Satan to put Job to the test.  Satan took everything from Job in such a way that everyone on the scene attributed the loss to God.  Surely, Satan thought, that Job would lose his respect for God and curse Him.

But Satan couldn't have been more wrong: "“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:21).  What Satan discovered was that Job wasn't in it for the money, so to speak.  Job would serve God for nothing.

Job had more testing to come and his "feet of clay" would be exposed for which he would humble himself before God acknowleding his shortfall and God's righteousness.  For while Jobe lived a blameless life, he was not perfect.  He always tried to do the right thing and tried to make it right when he failed, but he had failures in his life and "righteous pride" was one of them.

Nonetheless, Job's life sets a standard for us: Will we serve God for nothing?  When everything goes wrong, will we still do right?  When we get nothing in return, will we still give what we can?  When we cannot understand why God would bring us to a particular point in life, will we still follow Him? 

Max Lucado once posed a question that I think is very appropriate just here: "If all God did was save me, wouldn't that be enough?"  If nothing worked out in this life as we expected, wouldn't God who calls us to follow Him to Glory still be worth serving?  Jus' Askn.

For Heaven's Sake

I haven't heard it in a while but when I was a boy, I used to hear it with some frequency: "Well, for heaven's sake!"  It was an expression of surprise and a bit of incredulity.  Today one might say, "No way!"

For the apostle Paul, it was much more than an expression, it was lens in which he looked at everything to judge it worthwhile or not, acceptable or not, bearable or not.  Whatever was happening, whatever he went through or whatever he might have to face had but one qualifier as to whether it would be worthwhile or not: Was it for heaven's sake, did it advance the Kingdom of God.

An example of his thinking is found in Philippians 1:12-13, "Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ."

The fact that Paul was imprisoned, the possibility that he might die in chains did not concern Paul.  Rather than fearfully facing the awful possibilities of what might happen to him at the hands of the Romans, he was excitingly reporting the awesome news that, through his captivity, the whole palace guard was being impacted with the message of Christ.  Paul was in chains but the Gospel was freely circulating in the palace of his captors.

Imagine the difference it would make in our lives if we were to view everything through the lens of kingdom impact instead of personal.  How would our lives change if we were to rejoice whenever the kingdom was being advanced in or lives instead of complaining when we are put out or put upon.  How much easier would it be then to "rejoice always" (Phil 4:4)?

What if, instead of asking "Why is this happening to me?", we began to ask, "What will God do for the kingdom through me in this circumstance?"  What if we stopped being "navel gazers" and became "kingdom watchers?"  Jus' Askn.

Childlike not Childish

When interpreting the Bible and making application to our lives, it is important to qualify what is said in the context in which it is given.

For instance, when Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 18:3), what qualities did he have in mind?  Did he want us to whine and cry and throw tantrums when we don't get our way?  Did he want us to be irresponsible and demanding and terribly noisy?  I've known a good may "childish" adults and I can tell you, they are not Kingdom representative.

What Jesus had in mind, is a particular quality of small children that we would label being "childlike" as opposed to "childish."  We can know this by the qualifier found in the next verse : "Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (4).  

Small children, as demanding and selfish as they can be, have a very humble quality of reliance upon and trust in their parents.  They humbly come to their parents, trusting them to meet all their needs - looking to them for protection and provision.  They love and depend on their parents in an unadulterated way.  This childlike quality is what allows us to give up the kingdom of self and fully embrace the Kingdom of God.

Many adults are childish in their self-centered and demanding ways.  Fewer are childlike in their humble willingness to look to God in humble dependency.  All of us struggle with this at times, but only the attitude we feed regularly will win out.  Which one do you feed?  Which one do you cultivate the most in your daily walk?  Jus' Askn.