Good Morning Friends,
Yesterday’s lectionary was on love and the sermon and songs we sang in church as well. And today’s scripture is about love too, including table etiquette in the Kingdom and conforming to the unity of God in community…but also about wisdom. These things though are connected, for where love is, so too is unity and the work of extending the circle of those who are wise neighbors. So, Won’t You Be My Good And Wise Neighbor?
Scripture: If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:1-4 (NRSV)
He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:12-14 (NRSV)
for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:29-36 (NRSV)
Message: Love in its broadest sense is God personified. He came down to our level when we couldn’t reach up to His and Jesus wants us to love those and invite them on a journey to Him for salvation. Love has nothing to do with if you are a good person or not, it is an attitude that says my heart to the unlovable has changed because I met Jesus, and the Holy Spirit has given me a love to share with those society calls unloved and unlovable. The sermon on Sunday was about love and generosity. But I think it points to the topic of who we consider our neighbors and how good we are at embracing God’s wisdom of generosity. And it reminded me of the fact that Mister Rogers, the Presbyterian minister, and former children’s program host on the PBS channel, was from the same community outside of Pittsburgh where a massacre of a worshipping Jewish community occurred a few years back. In fact, the violence took place in the late Fred Rogers neighborhood who once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'” Friends, if we focus on the needs of others, and the fellowship of believers, we will have little time for our selfish, self-serving desires. Yes, we are to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. Our Lord set the table for this work and the example of repeatedly humbly serving others. He had us in mind as He bore our sin and endured in our place on the cross for Jews and Gentiles as well. He was not there for His benefit, but for all of us. And if we love God, it only seems logical that we would want to honor Jesus by emulating His Way. Sure, our emotions can take joy out of the moment. But I still believe divine love transcends time…all time…even this time as we look to a future without tears. So, on this day I seek to aspire to a growing holiness and winning attitude that can face evil with wisdom and love.
And So, despite the myriad of worldly resources seeking to debunk the plan of salvation created by Jesus Christ, it’s the world’s wisdom, not God’s, that doesn’t stand a chance. If we let Christ’s love motivate our attitude, our mind, our will, and belief…if we trust and obey in the love of Christ, the depth of God’s wisdom and awesome nature has no limit, even in the face of evil. We are to know the truth about the trials of life. And even in the face of difficulties get up and take the next step with Jesus. We do not need to be anxious. We can succeed through faith in Christ during the trials of our lives and in the grace of a loving heart that witnesses the comfort and encouragement of the Spirit in us. And yes, we are to aspire to this holiness even in the face of evil. .
Pray we live and love as our Lord. Pray we love our neighbors as ourselves. Pray we realize the importance of unity in any community. Pray we embrace the practical and relevant truth and lasting value of unity and its connection with love. Pray we share a common vision and work together toward fulfilling the work we have been given. Pray we bring our needs to Jesus. Pray we realize that Christ alone can provide the wisdom and inculcate in us the desire to walk together in unity. Pray we realize that a house divided cannot stand. Pray that we are moved to love sincerely, honor graciously and serve zealously…always abiding in Christ Jesus. Pray we are never lukewarm when it comes to our love of a life in Jesus. Pray we realize that the Wisdom and Love of God is constantly available to us.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 