Loving God is not complicated

Greetings,
We studied Mark 12:28-34 this past Sunday morning. The "Great Commandment" is difficult to discuss only in that it is so familiar. Practically every church I walk into has somewhere in it's literature that they are a "Great Commandment Church." On a plaque or cross-stitched on a pillow or in their bulletin we can find something like, Love God...Love People.

When Jesus was asked by one of the teachers in Jerusalem, "of all the commandments, which is the most important," Jesus answered that the most important is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus considered all 613 Jewish precepts and boiled them down to this simple command...one command to love God with all we are; all our personality and all our being, and to love our neighbor just as we love ourselves.

I struggle a lot with how to love God with all my very being. It seems like Mark is telling his congregation that my love for God, this complete and absolute and exclusive love, will be defined and demonstrated by my love for people...my neighbors. The Apostle Paul states that the entire Jewish law is summed up in a single command....what is that? He says the sum of the entire 613 precepts of the law is "love your neighbor as yourself." James calls loving your neighbor as the "royal law." Paul and James leave out the loving God part...or do they?

Paul and James tell me, "Rob, if you want to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and spirit, begin and end with showing love to your neighbor." That I can understand. I may still have some difficulty in applying it or obeying it, but I can understand exclusive love for God through loving my neighbor for God's sake!

Loving my God with all I am is not that complicated. Loving my God with all I am is not that theologically deep. Loving God is living life as a servant to others beginning with my wife and my children and then serving all God puts in front of me. I am to love others not to gain acceptance by God, but rather because He loves me so much....

LOVE

I am growing to love the book of Mark found in the New Testament of the Bible. I love the stories Jesus told to his disciples and I love the situations the disciples found themselves in as they followed this radical rabbi around the countryside.

I love the story of blind Bartimaeus found in Mark 10. How did Bartimaeus hear about Jesus? Where did his faith in Jesus come from as he threw off his cloak (the cloak he used to gather the coins thrown his way) and jumped up and hurried to Jesus? Why such persistence and boldness when the followers of Jesus told hime to "shut up?"

I can't read this story without considering how I might have responded If I had been one of the ones following Jesus out of Jerico. Would I have told Bartimeaus to "shut up" or "cheer up?" How often in my life do I pass by people who desperately need to see the Savior. People who have been hurt by "the church." People who have fallen into the trap of despising Jesus because of what they see in the church today? People who have never heard or seen the love of Jesus, but recognize the need for healing and wholeness and a right relationship with God?

Yet, like this story, the love of Jesus breaks through to those who call out to Him. Even when his followers are caloused and hard, Jesus heals and comforts. Even when the followers of Jesus tell people that the Savior has no time for them, Jesus calls them and tells them and asks, "what do you want me to do for you?"

My desire is to be a follower of Jesus who lives like the Master. Jesus modeled for me the life of the Messiah found in Isaiah 61:1-3. I have to ask:
Am I preaching the good news to the poor?
Am I binding up the borkenhearted?
Am I proclaiming freedom for the captives?
Am I proclaiming release for the prisoners?
Am I proclaiming the year of the LORD's favor?
Am I comforting those who mourn?
Am I providing for those who grieve?
Am I quick to bestow a crown of beauty instead of ashes?
Am I one to bestow the oil of gladness instead of mourning?
Am I bestowing a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair?

The disciples "failed" with the blind man of Jerico, but Jesus did not.

I've failed miserably at keeping up with this blog, so.... I'm going to try to share some of my thoughts on what God has been up to through the study of the gospel of Mark. I share weekly with the people of River of Life, but I also have some issues I wrestle with whenever I read the Word of God...things that might challenge or encourage or both.

I've wrestled over Mark 10:43..."Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all." Jesus has a way of turning my world upside down...this is one of those times. I know the challenge of Jesus to serve others. He has always been portrayed as a Servant and in verse 44 He tells his followers that "even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve."

I think that on a scale of 1-10, I might be a seven or so on the servant scale. Not too bad. But, don't be too impressed....my issue with serving is that I do a pretty good job (7) serving people who I am trying to impress or win over. So, although to most people who know me I'm probably seen as a serving person, to those closest to me (my bride and children) I am more likeley seen as rather self centered and a hypocrit.

I'm not much different than the disciples as they argued over who was the greatest and who was going to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus when he comes into His glory....they did not have servant heart's toward those closest to them. Jesus reprimands them and exhorts them to serve one another even to the point of acting like a "slave" in their service.

Another problem is that I serve those who I think I can gain something from. Now, that makes me seem rather shallow....I can be. I can sometimes behave like the disciples who, immediately after being charged with serving and being a slave to all, rebuked the blind man in verse 46 because he was calling out to Jesus. Jesus' admonition of serving flew out the door when this outcast blind beggar wanted to see Jesus. The disciples, instead of helping him to his feet and escorting him to the Messiah, rebuked him for calling out...servant hearts?

God doesn't limit who or when or how we are to serve, we are charged to simply serve and be a slave to all, then we will be great in the kingdom. I do believe that this begins in our homes and in our workplaces and in our schools with those people in our sphere of influence.

If we are to be a reflection of our Master, it seems like it begins with serving the world as Jesus served. Study Jesus.

The Church....again

Greetings,

I love Jesus. I can say that without any reservations. Now, how do I live out that love...this is where I have reservations. We've been talking about discipleship in our Sunday services as we study the book of Mark. We find the fisherman-turned-disciple Peter spending two years with Jesus untilbefore he makes his "amazing confession" that Jesus is the Messiah. Why did the disciples not recognize the true identity of Jesus until just weeks before Jesus is nailed to the cross?

I believe that Peter and the other eleven knew the facts about Jesus. They knew he was a prophet. They knew he was a miracle-worker with the authority that could only come from God. They knew he had great compassion and love for all people. How then could they have missed the Messiah?

I relate to Peter in many ways. Peter was a man of action. Peter enjoyed being with Jesus. Peter seemed to like the crowds and the activity that always followed Jesus. BUT, Peter seemed to spend little time reflecting on his Master''s presence and his Master's teaching. Time to read the gospels and reflect on Jesus' life and on His teaching....often missing in my life. I wonder how many of us Christ-followers have accepted Jesus as Savior, but spend so little time reflecting on His teachings that we would be hard pressed to call Him our LORD.

Everywhere I go I see people texting and talking on their cell phones. (here we go again....) This addiction affects believers and, I believe, aids in the busyness of our lives to the degredation of our time spent reflecting on Jesus. Facebook and My Space consume our time. I am always amazed at how many people spend hours a day on their computers staying in touch with all their "friends" and so little time reflecting on the One who has already called us His friends.

The other night at a leadership meeting, my friend Terry Carter mentioned that he thought a fast from TV would be helpful in helping us re-orient our time and encourage us to spend more time in God's Word. I agree and would add to that cell phones and computer screens. So, here I am blogging.....

My challenge to all of us it to limit our time facebooking friends and take the time to reflect on our greatest Friend and LORD, Jesus. How much am I missing (like Peter) because I don't slow down and simply spend time with Jesus and His Word?

Your friends can wait....listen and visit with your heavenly Friend.

Blessings and joy,
Rob

Leftovers

When my oder boys were teenagers and swimming for their HS swim team, they had two-a-day practices. Their caloric intake could be calculated by our monthly food costs!! They ate constantly. One sad result was that we never had leftovers. If all the dinner Lyn fixed for our family was not gone within 10 minutes of serving, it certainly disappeared before our vultures settled into their beds. We had no need for tupperware!

Now, with only two children left at home and my beautiful bride still not too sure how much food to fix for a "normal" family of four, we finally have leftovers in our fridge in the morning...it is awesome.

Jesus taught his disciples one of his most important lessons using leftovers. Twice, in Mark 6 and in Mark 8, Jesus feeds the multitudes. Mark states that Jesus had compassion for the people and had them sit down and then took five loaves and fed 5000 and then took seven loaves and fed 4000. Even though the 12 disciples distributed the food, they were still pretty clueless as to who Jesus was....they saw Him as some miracle worker.

Later in chapter 8, Jesus warns them to trust Him and have faith in Him....the disciples get it all wrong and begin to argue about the fact that they had brought only one loaf of bread with them as they journeyed with the Master...not enough food for 13 men.

I am amazed at their dullness and hard heartedness and their blind eyes and stopped ears, yet I must admit that I am no less dull as I live out my discipleship.

Jesus rebukes the 12 for their lack of understanding. He asks them how many basketfulls of leftovers they picked up after the feeding of the 5000....they quickly respond with "twelve." He asks them how many baskets of leftovers they picked up after the feeding of the 4000...they quickly respond with "seven." Did it dawn on them that if, from five loaves they picked up 12 baskets of leftovers and if from seven loaves they picked up 7 baskeds of leftovers (and these were huge baskets...not your puny cute picnic baskets) that Jesus could provide for them from the one loaf of bread?

God has a way of providing beyond our needs. He is our provider as we recognize His compassion and love for those who call Him LORD.

As I look out over our congregation and preached this message, I honestly doubted God's ability to provide as I looked at family after family who are in need. Do I really believe and apply what I know to be true? I can read it and study it and preach it....do I believe it. Lyn recieved a phone call on Monday about this passage. One of our families in our church related to Lyn five consecutive things that occured beginning Sunday after church through the day on Monday of God's miracles of providing...abundantly and excessively. It was their children who reminded mom and dad of God's love and desire to provide.

For me, Jesus rebuke of "don't you remember" rings in my ears when I doubt God's ability and desire to provide. I remember time after time when He provided answers to prayers and needs in my life and in the life of my family. YES, he does provide our needs and He often provides in excess.

God is a compassionate God who loves His children.

Blessings and joy,

Rob

Forcing my hand

Greetings,

Now that our website has been updated, I see that Dave has a link to this blogspot next to my profile. I'm not sure I'm up to that kind of pressure. I think my blog used to be hidden and easily ignored. Now....

So I'm going to ignore it for another day or two. We're working our way through the book of Mark, so I'll blog some thoughts before week's end.

Blessings and joy,

Rob

Justice

Greetings,

Yesterday the church "talked" with some missionaries we support who are working in northern Thailand. Our friends were standing on a bridge in the jungle at midnight talking to us as we comfortably sat in our padded church chairs in our air conditioned sanctuary here in Grand Junction. Technology is amazing and yesterday it proved very convicting to me and hopefully to our church body. Our friends are saving Burmese refugee children from starvation, death, disease..... Many of the children are orphans and need a safe place to live and to be loved. In Isaiah, God tells his people through the prophet that He is tired of our meaningless offerings. In 1:14, God tells us that "They (offerings) have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them." It is interesting that often the very things we "bring" to God to offer Him are things that he bears as a heavy load instead of things that bless and please Him.

Later in that same chapter the prophet tells me what does please God. "Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." I am not sure I know of any passage that has such a severe impact on me. I have to ask if I am learning to do right, especially when it comes to seeking justice and defending the orphan and pleading the case of the widow. As I wrestle with this, I know I can do one thing right this week--support my friends in Thailand with a financial gift. They are an extension of the American church as they serve the fatherless and the widows fleeing the Burmese govermnment troops.

I can easily become paralized by all the needs. The phone call yesterday shocked me out of my paralysis and moved me to some action... Look at our world through the eyes of Jesus and do something for the cause of justice in the world.

Blessings and joy,

Rob