Good Morning Friends,
Tomorrow will be the 19th anniversary of the September 11th attack. And for those who watched it unfold on television or saw it firsthand, it has become part of our identity and shared anger and horror. It is part of our identity that has been given a place of honor and I wonder what people will think of this in a hundred years and the legacy it will leave. I wonder about how history will view all the protests and sometimes violence we have seen on television in the news during 2020 too. Now I have a pile of identity badges at home from conferences and clubs I have attended around the world. They served as proof of my identity so others could know about me. I have name badges for church as well to let others know I belong and as a welcome to others. All these things prompt me to ask who I think I really am…. whose I think I really am. Friends, wearing the tag is ok but the challenge in our day to day lives is to live out our Christian identity not a political one. Belonging must be balanced with being engaged so that others can recognize us by our attitudes and actions. But be discerning regarding whose agenda you are serving. So today we stare in the mirror and think how much we are like our enemies realizing that they do not always identify themselves as such. Today we look at the logic of what seems illogical. Today we look at the merits of walking the extra mile in someone else’s shoes to learn the answer to today’s question but also to explore new areas of people to evangelize. The Biblical question we ask concerns Paul’s strategy with the church in Corinth and the momentum of our shared faith, but perhaps it also gives us insight into answering today’s question and how to win and why it is counterintuitive even if it means for a time pleasing no one, not even ourselves. So, Can We Serve Everyone Including All Those People Who Anger Us?
Scripture: “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
Luke 6:27-38 (NRSV)
Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.
Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. “Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13 (NRSV)
Message: In today’s text we get a glimpse of the intrusion of the Roman government and how this was affecting society. Paul recognized the problem so when he was preaching, evangelizing or simply offering a testimony he led with love, relentlessly pressing on to the goal. Paul is saying that we really must try and express our faith in a way that is least foreign to others but also inspirational. Every play is critical. Friends for the church to grow and not decay it must be relevant, approachable and loving. We cannot serve everyone through order and control. We can only serve all through building the momentum of love relentlessly pressing on to the goal with a purpose that is beyond ourselves. The reality is that some people are just difficult to get along with and the only way to change that is to love them. And that can be a very hard thing to figure out how to do successfully if we do not know them. But as Christians, discovering how to love our enemies is the foundation of the Christian faith and that means love in unexpected places and unexpected ways. For love, and I am not just referring to tough love, but something more important and enduring than even knowledge. But if you want some knowledge…know this, Jesus did not save us because we were nice people. Jesus saved us because we were sinners. That is one reason I think he tells us to love our enemies. You see we are to consider other people’s opinions and situations even though at our core we would rather reject them to hell. We are asked to consider if the use of our legitimate liberty is leading somebody else into sinning against their own conscience. We need to consider if our anger is perpetuating something evil. Walking the extra mile gives us an opportunity to get to know people. Friends, we have been given a freedom and so we need to consider how we use it. For what we give we receive. Before the golden rule that instructs us what to do was the silver rule that told us what not to do. It evolved for a purpose. For in doing unto others with love, especially difficult people, we show the world what our God is like. God loved His enemies. And that is a good thing because you and I were once His enemies. We were once alienated from God and were enemies in our minds but can now be reconciled though the gift of Christ. By our nature we are creatures of hell bent on self-destruction but God with great love and mercy made us alive by grace. The endgame is to bring others to God, so they might be dead to sin and not to entertain the thoughts of them just being dead to satisfy our anger.
And So, I do not know if I am up to the task of serving everyone or whether you are or not. And I certainly do not want to get between God and an experience that has been divinely ordained to occur in another’s life but given the times in which we live I do think it wise to do something Christ like unto others before they do something devious unto you and me. As Garrison Keillor once said, “Shame them with goodness. Kill them with kindness. Cut their throats with courtesy.” Friends, some people love conflict, and many are unhappy and bitter about injustice. But hard though it is we are to take the high road and do not give them what they want and sometimes what we want. We are not to be drawn into their misery. So be calm and love on them in a way that honors God. Love them in a way so that they might share a freedom better than the reality they currently have. That is how we are to deal with difficult people, even those that are prone to violence. Love people in a way so that they might not sin. We are to be part of a nourishing culture of grace and love that recognizes the rule of law but also the rule of love. The reality is that human pride does tend to make us legalistic. As a counterbalance, today’s message is about putting a face on grace that is more than supporting the called-out assembly of God. And that requires discipline and sacrifice. To do that we need to remember our heritage of how God’s grace worked its way into us so we might be freed to express it to others. So today we celebrate God’s grace and reflect on its identifying characteristics of compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience. But beyond that, I think, we are to put on the badge of love as a perfect bond of unity. We are to live out this new identity. When we each look in the mirror, we are to see a person driven to demonstrate whose we are. We are to see a person who has been chosen to let Christ’s peace rule in their hearts.
Pray we have grace driven authenticity. Pray that those who believe in God’s grace extend it to others as their identity and witness of Christ’s heart for the called-out assembly. Pray we wear the badge of real righteousness. Pray our actions of love come from the Holy Spirit. Pray that God’s kindness draws us to repentance. Pray we are willing to waive our rights and preferences for the cause of Christ. Pray that the Word and truth of Christ lives in us. Pray our identity is authenticated when we become a person of grace in our interactions and relationships with others. Pray our identity is not limited to being part of a body but also The One Body bound together in love. Pray we find creative ways to bless those who curse us in ways that still honor the rule of law. Pray we have a contrite heart. Pray we pray for those who mistreat us. Pray we let God take care of our enemies even if it means that we love on them. Pray we realize that people in glass houses should not throw stones. Pray we realize our own weaknesses, faults and failures. Pray we do not compare our sins to the sins of others. Pray we compare our life to the life of Christ. Pray we realize that we have been chosen for a purpose of honoring God and that some but not all of us have been chosen to deal with our enemies with tough love. Pray
we have an appreciation of Christ’s love and action in the world. Pray we share the blessings we have received. Pray we meet people where they are with compassion. Pray we realize that we have been freed to love everyone in the way the God loves. Pray we realize that we too are to imitate Paul imitate Christ. Pray we realize that with love we can be a servant to all and win more than we imagine.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 