Do We See Through 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 WWJD abbreviation of “What would Jesus do?” movement became popular in the 1990’s symbolized with bracelets with the initials of the question. It is however a much older question.
Charles Spurgeon preached on the very subject in the late 1800’s. But the problem is that we are not Jesus. It gets us back to a discussion of the organic and organizational aspects of church. For in our community life and even in our personal life His ways are not our ways. However, when we submit to what God has created in us, God can and does recreate us from within, restoring us and letting us see at least some of what God has planned for us from the beginning. God uses our gifts combined with the gift of faith to expand the faith. Our destiny then is determined by whose management under which we serve. Are we using our gifts for good to expand the faith? Yes, it is a matter of perspective for each act of faith requires more love. And friends, unless we see with the eyes of God we cannot truly love. God sees us in our affliction and we submit to His mercy… We see the affliction of others and offer mercy. That is imitating Christ. So, let us spend a little more time in prayer this morning considering a few habits that might collectively help us to imitate Christ beyond what is skin deep without getting legalistic.
And So, 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 understand scripture as a guide for our daily lives. Pray we seek God in prayer daily. Pray we follow Christ with devotion no matter what. Pray we are guided by the Holy Spirit. Pray we seek and serve out of thanks to God using the gifts God has given us. Pray we are accountable to the body of believers. Pray we are sanctified in the world but not of it. Pray that our example will lead others to Jesus. Pray that we stand strong in our commitment to Christ. Pray we fight for the truth to be in us. Pray we might put on Christ. Pray we are changed from the inside out. Pray we have a personal relationship with Jesus that changes the way we see. Pray we see through the eyes of love. Pray God is revealed in and through our actions in the lives of others. Pray we imitate Christ.
Pray we encourage loving role models. Pray we live as examples for others. Pray we see that which God wants us to see. Pray that God sees the possibilities in us when others are confused by appearances. Pray that we believe that God has a plan for our lives. Pray that we fulfill a dream to become significant because of what God is doing in and through us. Pray we not try to survive by pretense. 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 our yes be YES! And our no be NO! Pray we see through the eyes of love with a strong conviction.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 