There are times when following the Lord gets confusing. There are so many voices telling us how we should act if we want to be "Good Christians." There are other voices telling what we should believe to be "in." We get busy with church activities, Christian friends, and at times we wonder if we are truly living an authentic Christian life. The great news is that in reality, the Christian life is quite simple to understand.
Mark informs us in 12:28 that a teacher of the law came to Jesus and asked him a fantastic question. It's a question that should help each of us today. The question was quite simple, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Thank you Mr. Teacher of Law for being so direct because we get to listen in as Jesus responds. We get to peak into the heart of God and see what is important to him.
Jesus responded with, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these." Mark 12:29-31
There it is! No parable, no riddle, and no hidden meaning, Jesus puts it plainly so we can all get it. Jesus summed up for us the ultimate goal of the Christian life. Love is what God is after. Without going into all the theology of it, we must be reminded that just like Israel, we as Christians are in a covenant relationship with the Lord. Jesus spoke of the "New Covenant" that was being offered as a result of his death on the cross. A covenant is like a contract except that it involves people and not property. A covenant is a living bond that goes both ways, meaning both parties are part of the covenant.
Jesus is clearly bringing this covenant to the forefront of their minds when he says that we should love God with our whole being. Why should we do this? Because God has loved us with his whole being and in this covenant we are to return that love. If you want to know how much God loves you take a closer look at that verse. Everything that Jesus says we should do with regards to love, the Father has already loved us in the same manner. In other words, God has already loved us with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength. Praise the Lord. As the Scripture says, we love him because he first loved us!
So with all of the demands that are put on you to perform in your Christian life-teach a class, read a book, be involved in leadership, join a small group, give money and all the rest-what is God looking for? God has been and always will be looking for your desire to be with him and to love him. Everything we do should stem from that desire.
We are often told what activities distinguish whether or not we are "Good Christians." The funny thing is, you and I can do some of those things and not be in love with God at all. I remember quite well early in ministry having a girl in my youth group whose father had been molesting her for years. Yes, he taught a Sunday School class every Sunday. He was always at church and was most certainly considered a "Good Christian." His heart however, was so evil that he was continually raping his own daughter and when his hideous actions were finally exposed he committed suicide. I learned quickly that what you see in people's actions might not tell you at all how they really feel towards God.
The Bible tells us that we look at the outward appearance of man, but God looks intently at the heart. God is not so interested in what we do, but why we do it. God is interested in the motivation behind our actions. The Bible also teaches us that when we do religious duties in the flesh or for the wrong motivation that those activities are pretty much worthless. Because God loves us so much, he wants us in turn to love him, and out of that love should spring our Christian behavior.
I have said it so many times that in my early Christian experience, I was taught to obey not to love. What a horrible tragedy. Can you imagine having a toddler and having your relationship based completely on their obedience to you and not on love? That child would grow up emotionally crippled. For years many preachers communicated that kind of message. The message was come to Christ so you won't go to hell and then be obedient or he will get you and make your life miserable. That just does not lead to a healthy relationship with God at all. God wants first and foremost a loving covenant relationship with us!
I was with a pastor recently and as we shared about our journey with the Lord he reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver ring. It was almost like a key ring; nothing fancy, just a ring. He said, "Do you see this ring? I keep in my pocket all the time and I take it with me wherever I go. It's a physical reminder that God loves me, that he is with me and he wants me to love him." I could understand his actions quite well.
There are many of us who are "visual learners." We have to see things not just hear things in order to get the point. I think Jesus knew many in his audiences were like that as well, thus he would give physical illustrations. I guess that is why I have always liked stained glass windows in cathedrals, they help me see God through the stories they reveal high above the pews.
Maybe you need to carry a ring in your pocket, or a cross or something else that will remind you that God is with you in love, and it is love in return that he most desires. You are in a covenant relationship with God based on love, and that should truly brighten your day!
God Bless You,
Dan
Copyright 2007 Eternity Minded Ministries - All rights reserved
www.eternityminded.org
Showing posts with label Devotion: Gospel of Mark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Devotion: Gospel of Mark. Show all posts
Monday, October 8, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
Your Most Valuable Tool
The following is an excerpt from Dan Owens book, Sharing Christ When You Feel You Can't
The Institute of American Church Growth polled more than 14,000 Christians and asked them, "What or who was responsible for you coming to Christ?" Ninety percent of the responders stated that a friend or relative who cared for them and invested time in them was the primary factor in their decision to accept Christ as their Savior.
Ironically, most of us lose our non-Christian friends within two years of coming to Christ. How are we going to lead someone to Christ if we don't have even one non-Christian friend with whom we are spending time and developing a relationship?
Jesus spent more time with people in their homes and in the marketplace than in the religious settings of the temple or the synagogues. A classic example of this is Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. His conversation with her, eventually leading to her trust in Him as the Messiah, began at a common place (a well) around a common interest (a drink of water).
A while back I began to realize that many times the right tool for building bridges to people is an activity you enjoy - a hobby or a sport, for example. We always think about taking someone to church so they can hear the Gospel, but sometimes God wants to use the things we do in life to reach others, especially if they share our interest.
When Deb and I got married, I quickly discovered something about her. She was into this things called "crafts." You glue things. You sew things. You create things. Within the first year of our marriage, our second bedroom was taken over by crafts. Honestly, I couldn't have forced my way into that room if I had wanted to.
Deb used her hobby to build bridges into the lives of women who were just as interested in crafts as she was. She does this very, very well, and she also has fun doing it.
Deb and I were at our sons' gymnastics class one time when all of a sudden I couldn't find her anywhere. Then I noticed she was talking to another woman nearby. Later in the car I asked her, "Did you know that woman you were talking to?"
"Oh no," she said, "but we discovered that we will be taking this doll painting class together." When it comes to crafts, Deb knows no strangers.
. . .
When we were still just visiting what became our home church, the director of women's ministries came up to us after a service and told us about the craft classes they were creating so women could bring their friends and build relationships. My wife literally began to cry. I thought. Praise the Lord. Somebody finally figured out that you can use a variety of ways to get people to church and still have fun.
. . .
A few years ago Deb had to be hospitalized while she underwent an operation. I took time off to be Mr. Mom and take care of our boys for five days. Things began arriving at our doorstep during the day. Food. Presents. Cards. Flowers. I'd go to the hospital and say to Deb, "We had a nice meal tonight. It was provided by So-and-So. I don't know who that is. Do you?"
"Oh yea, that's the person I'm making a quilt with," she responded.
"I don't know this person either. Who is that?"
"Oh, we're in a craft class together."
As I listed all the names, I realized it wasn't the people from church who were taking care of our family. It was all the people with whom Deb had developed relationships - people who didn't know the Lord.
. . .
Every Tuesday night was men's doubles night at the tennis club, and I was paired with several different men in the first few weeks. Nothing seemed to click between me and any of my partners until I met Ken. After we played on the same team one Tuesday evening, he said, "I think we are pretty much evenly matched. Why don't we get together sometime and knock the ball around between us?"
Ken and I began to meet regularly after that, sometimes three and four times a week, and since then we have developed a wonderful friendship. We pound each other on the court, and in that process we've gotten to know each other off the court too. Ken is a doctor, works about three days a week, then takes off the rest of the week do do what he wants. I've shared with him that I am involved in Christian communications and broadcasting, and he's been intrigued with that.
One day Ken asked me how I got involved with my work as a minister, and I shared my testimony with him. He is also intrigued with all the traveling I do, and often I will bring back a present for him from the country where I have been ministering. Ken hasn't come to Christ yet, but the bridge definitely is in place.
Do you drink coffee? Did you realize you can use a common interest in coffee to get to know other people? Deb uses a coffee house in our area as a meeting place with her non-Christian friends.
. . .
God could use impressive displays of His power to get the attention of your non-Christian friends. He is completely capable of writing out John 3:16 in the clouds of the sky, for instance. But more often He seems to choose quieter, gentler methods, using people like you and me, tucked away in this community and that neighborhood. Regular people. People who haven't bowed their knee to the gods of their culture.
Sometimes He reminds us about that in a gentle whisper and in the same way points to people who need Him. But we have to listen to Him to hear what He's saying. We can pray for people, design a plan for bridging the chasm between us and them, and understand all the right and wrong tools to using in reaching them, but we also have to hear God.
And when He speaks, it's time to listen and obey.
Blessing to you,
Dan
For more information about Eternity Minded Ministries with Dan Owens, Dan's books, podcasts and devotionals visit http://www.eternityminded.org/.
Copyright 2007 Eternity Minded Ministries - All rights reserved
www.eternityminded.org
The Institute of American Church Growth polled more than 14,000 Christians and asked them, "What or who was responsible for you coming to Christ?" Ninety percent of the responders stated that a friend or relative who cared for them and invested time in them was the primary factor in their decision to accept Christ as their Savior.
Ironically, most of us lose our non-Christian friends within two years of coming to Christ. How are we going to lead someone to Christ if we don't have even one non-Christian friend with whom we are spending time and developing a relationship?
Jesus spent more time with people in their homes and in the marketplace than in the religious settings of the temple or the synagogues. A classic example of this is Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. His conversation with her, eventually leading to her trust in Him as the Messiah, began at a common place (a well) around a common interest (a drink of water).
A while back I began to realize that many times the right tool for building bridges to people is an activity you enjoy - a hobby or a sport, for example. We always think about taking someone to church so they can hear the Gospel, but sometimes God wants to use the things we do in life to reach others, especially if they share our interest.
When Deb and I got married, I quickly discovered something about her. She was into this things called "crafts." You glue things. You sew things. You create things. Within the first year of our marriage, our second bedroom was taken over by crafts. Honestly, I couldn't have forced my way into that room if I had wanted to.
Deb used her hobby to build bridges into the lives of women who were just as interested in crafts as she was. She does this very, very well, and she also has fun doing it.
Deb and I were at our sons' gymnastics class one time when all of a sudden I couldn't find her anywhere. Then I noticed she was talking to another woman nearby. Later in the car I asked her, "Did you know that woman you were talking to?"
"Oh no," she said, "but we discovered that we will be taking this doll painting class together." When it comes to crafts, Deb knows no strangers.
. . .
When we were still just visiting what became our home church, the director of women's ministries came up to us after a service and told us about the craft classes they were creating so women could bring their friends and build relationships. My wife literally began to cry. I thought. Praise the Lord. Somebody finally figured out that you can use a variety of ways to get people to church and still have fun.
. . .
A few years ago Deb had to be hospitalized while she underwent an operation. I took time off to be Mr. Mom and take care of our boys for five days. Things began arriving at our doorstep during the day. Food. Presents. Cards. Flowers. I'd go to the hospital and say to Deb, "We had a nice meal tonight. It was provided by So-and-So. I don't know who that is. Do you?"
"Oh yea, that's the person I'm making a quilt with," she responded.
"I don't know this person either. Who is that?"
"Oh, we're in a craft class together."
As I listed all the names, I realized it wasn't the people from church who were taking care of our family. It was all the people with whom Deb had developed relationships - people who didn't know the Lord.
. . .
Every Tuesday night was men's doubles night at the tennis club, and I was paired with several different men in the first few weeks. Nothing seemed to click between me and any of my partners until I met Ken. After we played on the same team one Tuesday evening, he said, "I think we are pretty much evenly matched. Why don't we get together sometime and knock the ball around between us?"
Ken and I began to meet regularly after that, sometimes three and four times a week, and since then we have developed a wonderful friendship. We pound each other on the court, and in that process we've gotten to know each other off the court too. Ken is a doctor, works about three days a week, then takes off the rest of the week do do what he wants. I've shared with him that I am involved in Christian communications and broadcasting, and he's been intrigued with that.
One day Ken asked me how I got involved with my work as a minister, and I shared my testimony with him. He is also intrigued with all the traveling I do, and often I will bring back a present for him from the country where I have been ministering. Ken hasn't come to Christ yet, but the bridge definitely is in place.
Do you drink coffee? Did you realize you can use a common interest in coffee to get to know other people? Deb uses a coffee house in our area as a meeting place with her non-Christian friends.
. . .
God could use impressive displays of His power to get the attention of your non-Christian friends. He is completely capable of writing out John 3:16 in the clouds of the sky, for instance. But more often He seems to choose quieter, gentler methods, using people like you and me, tucked away in this community and that neighborhood. Regular people. People who haven't bowed their knee to the gods of their culture.
Sometimes He reminds us about that in a gentle whisper and in the same way points to people who need Him. But we have to listen to Him to hear what He's saying. We can pray for people, design a plan for bridging the chasm between us and them, and understand all the right and wrong tools to using in reaching them, but we also have to hear God.
And when He speaks, it's time to listen and obey.
Blessing to you,
Dan
For more information about Eternity Minded Ministries with Dan Owens, Dan's books, podcasts and devotionals visit http://www.eternityminded.org/.
Copyright 2007 Eternity Minded Ministries - All rights reserved
www.eternityminded.org
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