pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: neighbor


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To Judge or Not to Judge?

Paul cautions us not to judge others but to accept where they are in their faith journey.  When we do not judge we are more open to two important things.  First, we can more fully love then and, consequently, hold nothing back.  Second, we are open to both learning from them and to sharing what we know of faith to help them learn and grow as well.  Too often when we judge another we put up barriers in our heart and mind.

Yet in our human nature we seem to judge, to rank, to compare all too easily.  Although society is a place where tolerance increasingly reign, as a culture we still place a premium on our ‘position’ in life, on how much stuff or money we have, and so on.  This makes Paul’s caution all the harder to adhere to.  But with faith and trust in God we can work towards this ideal.

Judging is personally essential as long as it remains something we do for ourselves and not to ourselves.  We must judge the decisions and choices we face and make.  We must judge if we are growing in the faith and take steps to do so if we are not growing.  With others, love must reign, not judgement.  For love is the most excellent way!

Scripture reference: Romans 14: 1-12


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God’s Extravagant Love

Do you believe that God loves you?  Do you believe it right down to the bottom of your heart?  He does love you.  God is passionate about us all.  In the book, The Shack, the God character had a saying that she said often – “I am especially fond of that one”.  It was said about everybody!  It is true too.

It is essential that we root our love in God’s divine love for us.  God’s love is pure, honest, and unending.  This is how we are called to love others and ourselves.  Jesus tells us that all of the commandments can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself”.  Jesus lived a life that exemplified this new command and we are called to follow His example.

When we truly live out and follow this simple commandment, we do not steal, cheat, covet, murder, …  Yet it extends far beyond this list of things not to do.  Because of this divine love within us, we seek to ‘do no harm’ and to ‘do all the good we can, any time we can’ (Reuben Job and John Wesley).  As we live into God’s love for us, we begin to share His love with those we meet and live with every day.  Through His extravagant love we begin to make a difference in our worlds.

Scripture reference: Romans 13: 8-10


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The Law and Our Life

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus strives to teach us how to live out our faith. Moses had brought the Law to the Israelites as a means to show them how to live out their love for God. But as time rolled along, they became bound to the letter of the law and not the intent of the law. Sometimes we do the same. Sometimes we get stuck on the principal of the matter instead of understanding what is really going on.

Beginning in verse 21, Jesus explains some basics of how to live. He reminds us that we can’t come to God seeking forgiveness if we are withholding forgiveness or not seeking forgiveness from our brothers. He reminds us that even lustful thoughts constitute adultery and that if our eye or hand causes us to sin, that we should gouge it out or cut it off. Jesus cautions us not to swear by anything but simply to let our yes be yes and our no be no. He is getting not at the literal letter of the law but at the ‘living it out’ concepts.

In the living it out, we can struggle. We are called to be right with our brothers and sisters, to live in correct relationship with them. How could we expect to be in a right or righteous relationship with God if we struggle with our earthly relationships? We are called to love our spouse like Jesus loves the church. How could we truly love our spouse while pining after another? We are called to be without sin. As humans we all sin, but here Jesus is calling us to come wholly before God. If we have sin in one part of our life, how can we come before the perfect Father and expect to be in His presence? We cannot be honest and have integrity some of the time – it has to be all of the time and with all of our being!

Jesus came to fulfill the law – to return the people to the intent of the law. This same challenge exists for us today as Christians – to love God and neighbor with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And what a challenge it is!! But we must remember that in Christ we have the greatest role model ever. Be a copycat today!!


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Shining for the Lord

Paul was a man who was a religious leader. He was well-versed in the words of the Bible (the Old Testament at the time) and knew every letter of the Law. But whenever Paul shared the Gospel, it wasn’t usually with $100 religious terms or by spelling out a long list of what one must do to come to know Christ. Paul sought the power of the Holy Spirit as his means of delivery of the message. He knew that the people would best see and come to know Christ if they could see the power of God working in and through him.

In our lives we have many ways to share the message. We do not have to have some fantastic conversion story or experience. We don’t have to awe someone with our great knowledge of the Bible or with the great things we have done. We can share our faith through the little decisions we make about how to live out our life daily. We can share the message in the way we interact with and care for our neighbors, co-workers, and friends. Christ can shine in all we do.

We can also share our faith by our actions and commitments. This can be but does not have to be some grand thing either. It can be. It may be serving on a committee or team at church. It may be in donating time to an agency that helps the needy. It may be in visiting people at the jail or the hospital. In all we do, the love of Christ should shine through!!

The world is always watching. Be encouraged by this. Be honored by this. In all ways this day, may the love of Christ shine through you like the sun!!