The Greatest Commandment

This week, we are considering Mark 12:28-34.  In this passage, Jesus answers a question regarding what is the most important commandment.  Christ summarizes all of the law and the prophets in one word - love.

We are to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength.  We are also to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. 

Love should be our witness to the world.  As the song goes, "They'll know we are Christians by our love."  In this time and place, however, the world often fails to see love as an earmark of those who follow Jesus.  We need to consider what we think, what we say, and what we do and determine if love is the motivating force in our lives.  We must show the world the love of Christ.

Paul describes this love in 1 Corinthians 13.  In verses 4-7 we read:

Love is patient and kind. 

Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. 

Love does not demand its own way. 

Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. 

It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

If we truly are following Jesus Christ, we should embody such love.  These verses should describe us.  I challenge you to put your own name in place of love in the verses above.  For me, those verses would read like this:

Linda is patient and kind.

Linda is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

Linda does not demand her own way.

Linda is not irritable, and keeps no record of when she has been wronged.

Linda is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Linda never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Doing this, I can quickly see how I fall short of the mark.  The only person who ever could perfectly fulfill this description of love is Jesus Christ.

Jesus is patient and kind.

Jesus is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

Jesus does not demand his own way.

Jesus is not irritable, and keeps no record of when he has been wronged.

Jesus is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Jesus never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Let us cherish the love of Christ and strive to embody such love. 

Pray that God will fill you with divine love so that you can live in that love and give it to the world that so greatly needs such love.

"They'll know we are Christians by our love..."  Make it so.

Pastor Linda

Ambition

This week, we are considering the topic of ambition.  In Mark 10:35-45, we read of a time when James and John came to Jesus to ask him if they could sit on his right hand and left hand in the Kingdom of God.  What ambition they had!  Sadly, though, it was wrongly directed.

One definition of ambition, according to Webster's Dictionary, is "a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous."  In our lesson, the two disciples seem to be longing for such success, power, and fame. 

Jesus asks James and John if they can drink the cup that he drinks and share in his baptism.  They assure him that they are able to do so.  Jesus then tells them that it is not his place to grant them positions in the coming Kingdom.

As I ponder this passage, I think of Calvary.  There, Jesus suffered on the cross, hanging between two thieves.  As Christ was coming into the Kingdom, he hung in shame before the world.  I wonder if James and John would have wanted the positions on the right and left of Jesus on Calvary.  I doubt that, at the time, they would have wanted to be crucified alongside Christ.  Then, that just was not their ambition. 

The other disciples are angered by the requests of James and John.  Jesus redirects all of the disciples to consider that true greatness is achieved by servant hood, telling them that he has come not to be served but to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.

Jesus is turning things upside down again.  He shows us that we are not to be self-serving.  Our desire is to be one of service for others.  That fits well with another dictionary definition of ambition, "a desire to do things and be active."  We are to desire to be actively serving others.

How are you doing in terms of service?  Are you helping those around you?  Are you actively seeking ways that you might benefit others?  Service is the call of the Christian life.

As you pray this week, ask God to help you to be a good servant in the Kingdom.  Ask God for a servant's heart as you journey through this life.  Ask God to show you ways that you can serve others.

In His service,

Pastor Linda