Do You Lead A Life That Affirms A Love Of Jesus?
Good Morning Friends,
Today’s lectionary passages remind us what we committed to when we signed up to follow Jesus. They prompt us to take seriously our Christian job description as loving ambassadors, servant leaders and righteous co-workers in a ministry of reconciliation. They tell us to be clear and not lukewarm about our faith…to be careful what we promise. So, Do You Lead A Life That Affirms A Love Of Jesus?
Scripture: For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NRSV)
Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
Matthew 5:33-37 (NRSV)
Message: The to do list for Christians is a tough one. We are to die with Christ and no longer live just for ourselves but for others as well. It takes all that we have, and then a lot of grace to tackle what must be done. Many have tried it and failed and walked away from the job. Jesus after all does not promise us an easy road. But Jesus does promise to be with us every step of the way. He does not promise us a life with no struggles, he only promises to help us get through every struggle. But can we cannot truly say something is worth it, something is of great value, if it does not cost something. If it is easy, if it does not cost, if it does not demand something of us, it loses its meaning. Our salvation cost Jesus everything, and it will cost us everything too. Being a Christian is only possible because of the great work that God has done in Christ, but it does require our exertion to maintain the growth. Thankfully we labor for Jesus in the shadow of the Cross and through the power of the Spirit. When our “Yes!” for Christ is the core of our lives, Christ joins us in the work and we can have an impact on our family and friends, neighbors and co-workers. That is why we are to affirm and encourage each other to share the faith and the relationship we have. Friends, people need Jesus. And people need someone that cares enough to step out of their comfort zone, to tell them what society often tells them not to share… the message of reconciliation to God. Friends, the power of God will work through us as we affirm that it is God’s treasure inside our jars of clay. This reconciliation is difficult to achieve for it involves our opening up and promotion of our need of God, the breaking of our vanity and the creation in us of a contrite heart that seeks forgiveness. Friends, God is sovereign. Saying yes to God’s will for us to love is the only way to salvation. Loving Jesus involves the difficult task of loving everyone but hating sin, especially our own.
Pray we not blame God for the way things are in our lives. Pray we not fear the death of our self for it is a doorway to heaven. Pray we caste our burdens to God. Pray God’s Spirit lives in us. Pray we realize that if we do not stand firmly in the faith we do not stand at all. Pray we realize that God is love and God is in us and so we too are to be love. Pray we no longer regard the human point of view as the standard to live by, but instead embrace something new made possible by Christ’s work on the Cross. Pray we realize that our need is to join in the work of reconciliation so that we too might be reconciled to God. Pray we not be indifferent. Pray we are not resentful. Pray we not be selfish. Pray that our will and God’s will not be in conflict. Pray we realize that guilt does not remain as a barrier to God’s love, but that our sense of guilt may remain if we continue to sin.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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