January 5, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“And no one considers in his heart, no one has the knowledge or insight to say, ‘I burned half of it in the fire, and I baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make something detestable with the rest of it? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?‘” (Isaiah 44.19)

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Matthew 12.30)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Had we considered the ramifications and consequences of our actions from beginning to end? I would remind us all of the speed at which our brains are able to make decisions. To say, I couldn’t possibly think that far in advance into such complicated matters, would not be entirely true. In fact, if we have a conscience (and we do), it would not take us long before we would begin to imagine both negative and positive consequences to the decisions we make and the subsequent actions. The problem may well be that we “don’t think.” Thus, we simply react spontaneously. In that, we act and think only for ourselves and only then with the hope of benefits without consequences. This may well be one descriptor of what evil looks like and sin is thus the action of that thought and determination to act. Does this mean that we should not think of ourselves? We most definitely must think for ourselves and not be determined by what others may think nor surrender to placating their desires for themselves at the expense of our own welfare.

We dare not, however as believers in Christ, think only of ourselves. This would be a defiance of the Great Commands as Jesus mentioned them in His own teaching. (refer to Matthew 12.30, for example.) Jesus answers His accuser’s question about “Which are the greatest commandments?” His answer should have been expected since His teaching framework surrounds the foundation of righteousness. His answer gives us the proper perspective by which to view the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, which were given to the Hebrews in the Wilderness as they journeyed to become a new nation. Consider that the two tablets on which the commandments from God were written were like lenses. Through these lenses, the people of God would be able to see God, self and one another clearly and distinctly. They were not merely rules to live by as “check boxes” to say “We are righteous, we are holy, we are the only ones.” They were not works to do, or refrain from doing, in order to be saved or to be the people of God. If that were the case, they never were nor would be “saved.” We know, however, that they were saved from the enemies even when their actions did not warrant it. So, what are these commandments? Are they not the guidelines which say, “We are a people set aside for God and these are the actions that will not be known by us!” This was the conflict at work in the Rich Young Ruler, among others. His question is our question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus offered six of the ten (those defining right relationship between humans). The man replied, “All these I have done since I was a youth.” (Know that the term “youth” indicates his time of life from his bar-mitzvah to living on his own. “Fulfillment” of the covenant relationship in most cases was by default as he had not married nor had children nor the call to covet, lie or steal.) Jesus was not commending his “fulfillment” when He told Him there was one more thing left to do. If the young man had never had the opportunity to transgress, then another way of determining his upholding the Law as it pertained to human relationships was “sell all that you have, give it to the poor and follow Me as one of My disciples.” Woops! Jesus went from preaching to meddling. The man walked away. He was not able to define his life as righteous because his “god” was mammon not God. Later we would hear Jesus speak to this when He taught: A person cannot live serving two masters because he will always love the one and hate the other. Before I continue with that verse, let me clarify that Jesus never said love one at the expense of the other nor that the one loved remained consistent as then would hating the other would be only one thing. They could well be transposed depending on the circumstances presented. Jesus went on to say: A person cannot love God and mammon (worldly possessions.)

Further, Jesus would give His disciples (and all who would be disciples of Christ in succeeding generations to this very day) and additional commandment. We would do well to know that Jesus’ “new” commandment was not intended to supersede the Great Commandments which fulfilled the Law and the Prophets and thus point to the coming Messiah and the Messianic community. This “new” commandment was to further illustrate and define the intentionality of the first two. What is that “new” commandment? Jesus gave it to them as the definition of the covenant relationship as disciples of Christ. He said “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13.34) Again, the reference is to right relationship and in that it is referring to the condition of righteousness. Jesus was calling His disciples into accountability for one another. In the future, it would be an accountability to the community of faith formed by those who believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, proclaimed to be one’s personal Lord and Savior. It would be the benchmark by which they should make all their decisions and implement those decisions with their actions. The bottomline would be “how does this impact others.” Our own constitution in the United States of America is built on this same premise. Our freedom and the liberty to pursue it must not violate the freedom and the liberty to pursuit which is held by others. We each are held to a higher accountability for our own thoughts and actions; that is God and His command premises. The downfall in this nation, and in others, is that righteousness is not brought into the “legal and political” descriptor of any of those nations. Sadly, I fear we are making a mockery of “In God We Trust,” because we are not actually trusting in God to lead, guide, direct and discern. “God” is just something we can do. And in this country that is true, God is just something we can do. But, there are consequences for doing it and for not doing it.

This is where the word of God given to Isaiah for the nation of Israel (Jacob and Israel united) comes into play. God declares, “You people haven’t even thought about the danger of living dual lives. You think because “you can do a thing means you should do a thing.” So, with some of your resources you do for yourselves and some for others and then with the rest you do whatever you want because you have met the measure required of “duty.” I am reminded of a story about a man confronted with the issue of tithing. It was said to him that all the money belongs to God. Tithe first and then use the rest. The man responded “I will go one better. I will throw the money up in the air and what God wants He can take and what lands on the ground is mine.” Are we willing to consider it is “us” which hits the ground, or six feet under and everything remains in the purview of God? Mighty ones of God, we are consumed by our leisure. We meet the minimum standards of compassion and obligation and then maximize our intentions to do for ourselves as we please believing it makes no difference to God. Are we so willing to make that our “honest” intent? Are we convinced that there will be no consequences for such thinking? As was the call to Jacob and Israel: think again!

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit brought us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit in order that others be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind so we would know we are Your people and You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.