Thought for Today
Psalms 133:1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
Leviticus 19:15 You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor.
John 12:47 I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
Galatians 6:10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
Most of us remember, "Matthew 7:1 Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.” That is always good advice. Especially when we read the next verse with the warning that “2 with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.” That warning alone is enough to widen and ease any judgments I might be tempted to make.
Wm. Barclay wrote, “. . . yet the strange fact is that there is hardly any commandment of Jesus which is more consistently broken and neglected.”(Daily Devotions with William Barclay, pg.279) In that devotional, he suggests that part of our problem is that we never fully know the other person whom we are tempted to judge. Each of us is only able to know our own temptations, our own motivations.
I found this statement of his strangely resonating with another devotional I read this morning from I Want to Live These Days with You by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Today he reflected on Luke 10:29, “. . . ‘And who is my neighbor?’" In his reflections, he wrote, “Being a neighbor is not a qualification of others; it is their claim on me; nothing else. At any moment, in any situation, I am the one required to act, to be obedient. There is literally no time left to ask about the qualifications of the other person.” (pg. 279)
For me, those diverse devotionals I read this morning tie into one of my own, personal themes in ministry. My congregation might (honestly and correctly) suggest that I somehow work the idea of our being a family of faith into every sermon I preach. Like many (most?) ministers, I do have a repertoire of topics which drive my ministry. In my own faith journey, I have been especially affected by certain verses in the Bible; e.g. Micah 6:8, John 3:16-17, etc.
Additionally, my ministry has been influenced by the timing of my call. I worked as an engineer for more than 30 years before sensing my call to ministry. Although I was raised in the Church and even taught a Bible Study for most of my adult life, I never felt that irresistible call until later in life.
All of these things brought me to where I am today. I enjoy the simplicity of our faith. All we are called to do is to believe and to accept the gift God freely offers us. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with our loving, Creator God. Regrettably, that is not always as easy as it sounds.
All we are called to do is to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Regrettably, that is not always as easy as it sounds. Some neighbors are easier to love than others. Sometimes it is not even easy to love myself. But, the Jesus whom I acknowledge as the Son of God reminds me, “I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” Words of comfort for those times when I struggle or stumble.
Thankfully through it all, I am surrounded by a family of faith. Some of my family of faith are my biological family. Some of my family of faith are friends of many years. Some members of my family have studied the Bible with me for years. Some of my family are those with whom I have worshipped in Texas and now in New England.
But, all Christians are members of a worldwide family of faith. Christendom is truly a worldwide family, united in a bond stronger than DNA, stronger than years of friendship, stronger even than the bonds of worshipping together regularly. Our family of faith is connected by our responding like Peter, "Matthew 16:16 You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." and like Martha, "John 11:27 Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
Sometimes we forget. Sometimes we lose sight of our being a family of faith. Jesus understands because Jesus came to save us all. All we have to do is believe . . . and then act like we do believe.
Stay safe, thank God today for family, trust God,
Pastor Ray