Tag Archives: Matthew 5:16

Love is all

 

Love God with all your heart, mind, body and soul and with all your strength.  Love your neighbor as yourself.              – Mark 12:30-31

Let us love one another for love comes from God. – 1 John 4:7

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

 

Jesus makes sure we make no mistake. Our love for God is to be marked by ALL our heart, ALL our mind, ALL our soul, and ALL our strength. Basically, we are to love with everything that is in us. He doesn’t allow room for ‘SOME’ of anything. Loving God and loving others is our job description. Everything else is what HR people call “nonessential duties”…leftovers.

 

But what if ‘all’ God gets is our leftovers? Leftover after we give service to our other ‘gods.’ Anything that separates us from the one true God becomes a ‘god’ to us. Probably you know those who gave up on God because they lost a loved one, their health took a turn for the worst, they were betrayed by someone close to them, they felt unprotected. Maybe you experienced this at one time too. When this happens God is ignored and set aside, like last night’s leftovers, and lesser ‘gods’ are pursued.

 

Think you are immune to such idolatry? If you could not do without something, that may have become your ‘god.’ Be it sports, the pursuit of beauty and ultimate fitness above all things, that perfect latte, a certain way of negative thinking, or any other compulsive or perfectionist venture. When we obey these things they define and control our life and become as ‘gods.’ We can’t give ALL to the one and only true God, because all that remains is leftovers.

 

The question is: What do I HAVE to have in order to be satisfied with God? Whatever that is, my health, my family, my abilities, more years of life, more money, a pain-free life…that is the name of our other ‘god.’ The point of Job’s story is that God is enough. Like ending Psalm 23 with the first sentence, the Lord is my shepherd; that is enough.

 

God created us with a soul designed to love Him and be loved by Him. Love comes from God because God IS love. God demonstrated His love in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us. It is His love that shines in us. That light shines into the despair of our dark griefs and empty pursuits. It reveals hope that brings transcending joy and peace. It illuminates our path and causes fear to flee. It frees us from the captivity of all our false gods.

 

When the love of Jesus shines in and through you, you find freedom to love without expectation. Jesus says, we shine our light so others may see the real Jesus and praise God. Loving God with ALL your heart, mind, soul, and strength extends His endless love to others. Let’s give Him our ALL, not just leftovers.

 

 

The light switch

 

 

I remember when I wired my first house. I may have turned the first light switch on and off ten times, just marveling at the ‘miracle’ of harnessed electricity. I wonder how many times each day we turn things on and off. (Unless you are a kid. In which case you simply turn everything on and leave it running! :-).

 

We turn on a smile and then off again. Turn on attention to those we value and off to those we find bothersome. We find it difficult to turn off things like our phone and FB or the TV even in the presence of those we love so sometimes the switch gets stuck half on and half off. And there’s little chance we’ll turn them off at all for a stranger who may need a light shined on their path!

 

I wonder how many times we turn on a switch to connect us to God for a few moments in the morning and then off again as we go on to our other tasks. Then on again for a few moments at night before we switch everything off at bedtime. (Even then sometimes our minds keep running in the ON position.)

 

Have you ever seen one of those light switch covers that can be locked into position so the light (or power to an outlet) is always on or always off? What if you simply turned on the switch when you connect to God first thing in the morning and then, like a child, just left it on all day, never turning it off. Just leave it in the locked ON position. You would have constant access to His joy, His power, His discernment and love; always aware of His light shining on and in you. Always seeing how His presence illuminates your daily tasks. Never disconnecting from your true source of power, you’d see the world and your problems as they really are, not as they appear when encumbered by shadows. Likely, you’ll need to figure out which switches you’d have to turn OFF to keep the right switches ON.

 

Remember Tom Bodett’s old Motel 6 commercial, “We’ll leave the light on for you?” Make it your goal to keep the connection to God’s presence locked in the ON position. You will find numerous times when you fail to attain this, but when you do, just flip the switch back to ON. Imagine the light that will shine in and through you. “Leave your light ON” and see how your connection to others likewise becomes attuned to His power.

 

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

 

 

Ice Bucket Challenge

 

 

You’ve no doubt seen numerous photos and videos of people taking the “ice bucket challenge,” a social media-spun phenomenon intended to support victims of ALS. The videos have been so common place, and with so much attention on “look at what I am doing” it would be easy to dismiss them. And we might see fewer of these videos if it actually shocked their pocketbook to give a sacrificial donation to a worthy nonprofit as much as it shocked their physical body.

 

Even though I twinge a bit at the “look at me” approach of social media, I really like the idea of people taking a stand for something good and challenging others to do the same. Maybe it is an example of Jesus saying, “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

 

If you take the ice bucket challenge and donate to ALS, I hope you will write a note to encourage them to stop harvesting embryonic stem cells from unborn fetuses as part of their research. Better yet, I hope you will send your generous donation to an organization that values ALL life and use your social media to increase the awareness of and sensitivity to the needs of those who endure great suffering of all kinds – like “the other bucket challenge” to provide clean water to those who have none.

 

As a media phenomenon the IBC will run its course. What will happen then? What about all the other people around you who also suffer. Will you take the challenge to support them?

 

Whether you have been excited by the ice bucket challenge or not, let’s take an even more important challenge every single day. Take the challenge to let your light shine, purposefully and intentionally, even in the social media. But more especially in your daily life and every day actions.

 

Preach the gospel to all the world  – and use words if you have to.

Faith AND action


What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?
 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” James 2:14-19

What good is faith without works? James sums it up; “Faith without action is DEAD!” While good deeds alone are not the mark of a follower of Christ, true faith is always moved to action.

Faith loves and comforts. It heals and encourages. Faith reaches out to bring light into darkness and hope where there is only despair.  Faith checks up on people to see how they are really doing. Faith doesn’t just say, “I’ll pray for you.” Faith prays with others. Faith is humble. Faith gives and gives. It gives generously and cheerfully and not under compulsion (2 Corinthians 9:7). It gives generously out of its own poverty condition when others think there is not enough to go around (Acts 2:4-3). Faith doesn’t wallow in self-pity; faith perseveres and rejoices (James 1:3) even in the middle of trials of many kinds.

Faith keeps its eyes on the goal.

Like love, faith doesn’t give up. Faith demonstrates what it believes by what it does.

Faith sends encouraging notes. It invites people for a walk, a cool drink of water, for dinner. Faith shares truth with grace. Faith brings unexpected flowers. It pays the bill for someone in need. Faith smiles when others rejoice; it holds the hand of those who mourn.

Faith rises above an intellectual ascent to a truth. It goes way beyond most people’s concept of ‘religion.’ It exceeds the drive to just do good works. Good works are the result of true faith.  Faith is intentional in its actions. It reaches out to others and speaks value to their life.  True faith is always moved to action and those good deeds are always done with the intent of bringing glory to God, not ourselves.

 

Marcia y Deysi-sm

Marcia and Deysi, Bolivia

Got faith? Let it shine in the lives of others so they too can see God’s glory.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Jesus, in Matthew 5:16