Thought for Today
Genesis 24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Luke 16:13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God--
Do you ever have times when it seems that the same scriptures keep coming into your mind? Maybe a verse repeatedly seems to particularly apply to everything and every situation you encounter? For years it seemed to me that I could not watch any sporting event on television without seeing someone hold up a sign referencing John 3:16!
I am guilty of having a small repertoire of verses I find applicable to almost everything in my life. That collection is anchored by Micah 6:8 and includes a select few verses which seem to crop up in almost every Thought I share and every sermon I offer. Certainly on the list is "Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Also, “Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Lately, Ephesians 2:8 has joined that list.
I thought about this last night during our Bible Study. We were looking at Mark 10:23-31. I had preached recently on this same passage. Often when we study this passage or its inclusion in all the synoptic gospels, we focus on the camel going through the eye of a needle. Theologians, clergy and lay people have thought about and analyzed this phrase for 2000+ years trying to understand whether Jesus was using a metaphor or was speaking literally. Either way yields the same understanding of the difficulty of balancing devotion to material wealth and devotion to God. For what it’s worth, I come down on the side of the phrase being literal.
As I thought about our discussion last night, I thought about my repertoire of verses and realized that they all share certain characteristics. They are all short, simple, direct life lessons. They may represent deep theological concepts, but none of my verses are complex or difficult to understand.
In seminary, I studied a lot of theology and a lot of history. I learned enough Greek and Hebrew to stumble and fumble my way through looking at scripture in the original languages. All of that was helpful. All of that was important. All of that aids me in preparing sermons, etc.
But, I have come to realize that at heart, our religion, our faith is not terribly complex. Neither God nor Jesus gave us a long list of rules, regulations and instructions. Whether from the Old Testament or the New Testament, most of it can be simplified down to “Love God, love your neighbor, tell everybody the good news.” Short, simple, direct life lessons and instructions . . . just not always easy to implement.
We need to remember, when Jesus was told that his "Mark 3:32 Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." He replied, "33 Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
I’m confident that had anyone asked him, Jesus would have applied that same test to define who is our neighbor, the one we are to love. “Whoever does the will of God is my neighbor.” “Love God, love your neighbor, tell everybody the good news.” Short, simple, direct life lessons and instructions . . . just not always easy to implement.
Today, especially in the week to come and whatever comes after that, we need to remember, “Love God, love your neighbor, tell everybody the good news.” I agree with that song title, “What A Wonderful World That Would Be.”
Stay safe, love extravagantly, trust God,
Pastor Ray