Are You Bold Enough To Dare To Care?
Good Morning Friends,
It is our purpose to love and God gives us a carrot and a stick to do so. And in loving we discover the difference between dead works and Godly service. Here we meet the least, last and lost, and choose if we will include God in the transaction. Here we discover that the most important thing starts out as a conversation with God nudging us to risk loving each other. Are You Bold Enough To Dare To Care?
Scripture: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? “And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’
Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord. You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning. You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord. You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 (NRSV)
Message: The law of love is a law that requires some courage. Today’s devotional and scripture from Mathew 25 is about the overlooked, the ignored, and our neighbors but more importantly it is about how we are called out, as Christians, to look into the eyes of another human and engage with them in recognition that the dignity of walking on this planet is a gift from God. And because God has blessed us and because God favors the poor, the lonely, and those suffering from separation, He asks us to feed them and give them drink as if it were Jesus Himself we were touching. We are to give our very best here… not a reluctant gesture but a total commitment to the interaction. We are to share the most precious gift in the world, and not hoard it. The problem is that we resist love and change because it is an imposition on our territory and sense of power. We resist love and change because of a misunderstanding or a lack of trust. We resist change and love because of a lack of understanding. We resist love and change because we have opinions and see and assess the costs and benefits differently. Friends, understand this… people struggle with love the same way they struggle with change. Transformative love is hard work. Thankfully Jesus was able to figure out what makes people uncomfortable about love and change and nudged them into an acceptance of what really matters. You see, when that same character of love is in us our spiritual batteries are recharged and we do not grow weary…we become more courageous. Share the most precious gift in the world to those in need and this love will be returned magnified through the love of Jesus. Here our faith is fueled with a flame of passion and boldness. Here we dare to care.
Pray that in all our desire for and fascination in success, we realize that greatness in the Kingdom of heaven is recognized by simple acts of kindness. Pray our caring unlock insights and emotions that help us to experience God. Pray that humble and simple acts of loving service brings us a blessing but more importantly show forth the living and active and tangible love of God. Pray we are ready to help. Pray we take individual responsibility. Pray we speak the truth in love. Pray we love our neighbors as ourselves. Pray we live in peace as we experience God’s love and share it. Pray we have the courage to change. Pray that the character of God’s love in manifest in us.
Pray we find purpose and power in daring to care. Pray we realize that God has loved us and that we had better do something about it.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 