Prioritize Love

 

As Christians, we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. This commandment is central to what it means to demonstrate God character in this world and it requires us to show compassion and kindness to everyone, even those difficult people in our lives. 

We know that loving our neighbor is not always easy. It can be challenging to find time in our busy schedules to reach out and care for others. But for us to truly bear God’s image in this world, we must be prioritize loving our neighbor over our own agendas.

The fact that God commands His people to love means that love is more than a feeling. Love, the type of love God wants His people to have, is an intentional choice. In other words, love is an action that we choose to do. 

In 1 John 3:18, we are taught that Christian love is "not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." If our love is not expressed by the things we do, then we are not obeying the command to love our neighbor.

While it might be convenient to add times service to our to do lists, loving our neighbors can't simply be blocked off on our schedules. The reality is that opportunities to love people often appear in our lives during inconvenient times. This forces us to choose between our agendas and God's command. 

For example, we may be rushing to get to work when a friend calls asking for help. Or we may have plans to spend time with friends when a neighbor knocks on our door asking for assistance. In these moments, we must choose to prioritize loving people over the plans we made. The only way we will consistently choose to help and serve is  when we have chosen to make love a primary value of our lives.

Jesus demonstrated this kind of sacrificial love throughout his ministry. 

In the Gospels we see how Jesus stopped and helped people in need, even when it meant interrupting his own plans. One of these occasions is found in Mark 6:30-44. In this passage, Jesus wanted to take his disciples to a remote area for some rest, but the crowds followed them. In verse 34 Mark wrote that Jesus “had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

In Luke 10:25-37, when Jesus was asked “who is my neighbor,” he told the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the parable the Samaritan stopped to help a man who had been beaten and left for dead. The Samaritan was inconvenienced by this act of love, but he chose to prioritize caring for the injured man over his own schedule.

For us who follow Jesus, we are called to prioritize loving our neighbor over our own agendas, just like Jesus did. This requires us to be flexible and willing to put aside our own plans when someone is in need. It also requires us to be intentional about looking for opportunities to love by helping and serving those around us. Prioritizing love will also require that we step out of our comfort zones and be open to the different ways God is calling us to love people.

Loving our neighbor is one half of the central commandment of the Christianity. To obey God’s command for us to love requires us to have compassion and kindness for those around us, even when it is inconvenient. As we follow Jesus' example, we must prioritize loving our neighbor over other things in our lives.

Prayer and What We Believe about God

 

Prayer is an integral part of the Christian life. Through prayer we communicate with God, seek His guidance, offer thanks and praise, and ask for His intervention in the world.

I believe the way we approach prayer reveals what we truly believe about God.

If we believe that God is distant and uninterested in our lives, we will not see the point in praying. If, on the other hand, we believe that God cares deeply for us and is actively working on our behalf, then we will be motivated to pray at every opportunity about the things that weigh on our hearts.

Remember, the Bible tells us that God is a loving and caring Father who is deeply concerned for His children. Jesus taught us to pray to "Our Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:9). Addressing God as our Father is a powerful reminder of the love and care God has for us. This truth can motivate us to approach God with confidence, knowing that He loves us and desires the best for our lives.

Yet, it can be hard to remember the love and care God has for us. The circumstances of life can cause us to doubt God. When we face trials and difficulties, we can wonder if God really does care about us. We may question why He has allowed us to experience pain and suffering. 

Yet, it is during times like these that prayer becomes even more important.

How do we pray when we don’t feel like praying? When we doubt the goodness of God?

I don’t know if I have a good answer for that, except, that we fall back on the discipline of prayer. This is why it is crucial to develop a habit of prayer, so we will follow through the with the actions of faith, even when the feeling of faith is not there.

I am confident that as we come to God in prayer, we are reminded of His faithfulness and love for us. We are reminded that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).

Prayer is also the way we align our hearts and minds with God's will. When we pray, we seek God's guidance and direction for our lives. We acknowledge that we need His wisdom and understanding to navigate the challenges that we face. As we pray, we remember of God's sovereignty and power. We remind ourselves that He is in control, even when things seem to be spiraling out of our control.

Prayer is a spiritual discipline that reveals what we truly believe about God. If we believe that God is distant and uninterested in our lives, we may not see the point in praying. But if we believe that God cares deeply for us and is actively working on our behalf, then we will be motivated to fall on our knees and cry out to Him.

As we pray, we are reminded of God's love and care for us. We are also reminded of His sovereignty and power. May we be encouraged to pray with faith and confidence, knowing that God hears our prayers and is actively working on our behalf.

Look to Jesus

 

Jesus is completely unique in human history as the Divine Son of God. 

As the Son of God, Jesus reveals two important truths:

1. Jesus demonstrates what it means to be created in the image of God. To live as an image-bearer of God, we need to look to Jesus.
2. Jesus reveals God's character to us in a way that humans can understand. To know who God is, we must look to Jesus.

Elias Dantes' essay, The Incarnation of Christ and its Implications, in the book Christ the One and Only, emphasizes both these truths: "If you want to know what it means to be a human being and to stand for the humanity of man, look to Jesus Christ. If you want to know God, look to Jesus Christ."

The author of Hebrews also highlights these truths:

Hebrews 1:3 (CSB) "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Hebrews 2:14-15 (CSB) "Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death."

John wrote about these realities as well:

1 John 2:6 (NLT) "Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did."

John 14:9 (NLT) "Jesus replied, 'Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?'"

Jesus is not only our example for living but also reveals the truth about who God is. By looking at Jesus, we can understand God's character in terms our finite minds can grasp.

Since we are created in God's image to reflect His glory, it should come as no surprise that these two realities are connected in Jesus. We are meant to imitate Jesus in our lives, becoming more like him each day. As we grow in our understanding of who Jesus is, we grow in our understanding of who God is.

In a world that often confuses and confounds us, the simplicity of looking to Jesus to know who we are and to know who God is can be a great help. As we face the challenges of daily life, we can find wisdom, confidence, and hope in the example of Jesus. 

Through Jesus, we can be assured that the temptations and trials we face are not meant to bring us down but to strengthen us as warriors and athletes of God.

Let us then look to Jesus, who is not only our example but more importantly our King and Savior. We need to commit to living as he did, and in that way, grow in our knowledge of who God is.

Let’s Talk About Sex

 

Many years ago I listened to a class taught by Mark Moore. During the final class session he gave the students some things to think about and one of the things he said was this: "Sex is sacred, but not essential, and our lives say the opposite.”

In our discussions about the role sex should play in our lives, I think this short quote provides us with three crucial insights that should guide our thinking.

The first insight is: “Sex is sacred…” 

Sex is to have a place of honor in our lives. The author of Hebrews wrote; “Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.” (Hebrews 13:4; CSB). 

God designed sex to bring a man and a woman into an intimate relationship that cannot be expressed in any other way. It is not dirty or shameful nor is it common and ordinary. Sexual intimacy has a very special place in binding a husband and wife together. 

When we are unwilling to hold sex as something that is sacred then it loses its significance. It becomes a “fun” activity for consenting adults to participate in, but its ultimate purpose of God’s gift to married couples is diminished. As followers of Jesus we are to be good stewards of all of God’s gifts, and that means we must hold sex as sacred and leave it within the bounds of marriage where it belongs.

This includes the way we talk about sex. C. S. Lewis wrote; 

“The reason why I must is that you and I…have been fed all day long on solid lies about sex. We have been told, till one is sick of hearing it, that sexual desire is in the same state as any of our other natural desires and that if only we abandon the silly old Victorian idea of hushing it up, everything in the garden will be lovely. It is not true. The moment you look at the facts, and away from the propaganda, you see that it is not” (Mere Christianity; pg. 91-92)

Too often, the way we have talked about sex, both in the world and in the church, has led us to make sex common, and thus not sacred. I am not advocating ignoring sex, because, like every other area of our lives, we need discipleship and healing when it comes to sex. Rather I am advocating, that in order to hold sex in high regard it cannot be the foundation of our stories, jokes, and our lives.

That brings us to the second part: “but not essential…” 

Here comes a shocking statement: Sex is not necessary for a good life! 

This truth is contrary to what we have been taught and to what we believe. Sex is not essential to our happiness! You can have a joyful life, a fulfilled life, and still be a virgin. Jesus was at least 33 years old when He was crucified and He never had sex. 

For Jesus to command you to keep sex within the bounds of marriage means that He is not asking you to do anything that He has not already done. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:1 writes; Now in response to the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” (CSB). Sexual intimacy is not essential part of our discipleship or the calling that God has placed on our lives.

There is no sexual act that will give us the type of life that we long to have. The abundant life that Jesus gives is not found in a life of sexual freedom, but living a life that seeks to love God and love people. The truly fulfilled life is a life that has enjoyed all the good gifts of life: time spent with friends, the love of a family, the knowledge of a job well done, and enjoying the great outdoors. Sex is not required for living a good and fulfilling life.

The final part: “and our lives say the opposite.” 

I don’t need to remind us how sex has gone wrong in the world. That reality is seen all around us, and we are faced with it each and everyday. It should be no surprise that we find the world living contrary to God’s standard when it comes to sex. 

The way of the world has always been to twist God’s good gifts in order to lead people away from God. When Mark Moore says “our lives,” he is not making a judgment on people already living apart from God’s will. Rather, he is pointing out how Christians are not any different than the world when it comes to sex. 

The reality is sexual purity isn't very fashionable idea. I am continually amazed by the number of Christian people I know who are living with someone or are comfortable with talking about their  sexual encounters. 

When it comes to sex, Christians have been discipled by the world and not by the Bible.

The movies and television shows many Christians watch carry a message that is different to God's will about sex, and we don't give these messages a second thought. Keeping sex as sacred is more than just keeping sex between married people, it is about honoring the place sex is to have in our lives. Sex will not remain sacred when it becomes a common element in our entertainment.

The apostle Paul wrote: 

But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. (Ephesians 5:3-4; CSB). 

Whether or not we hold sex to be sacred is not only seen in our actions, but also in our speech. Too often we are trying to tell the world to honor sex while we are treating it with disrespect when it comes to our entertainment and our jokes.

In Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis wrote: 

“Chastity is the most unpopular of the Christian virtues. There is no getting away from it: the old Christian rule is, ‘Either marriage, with complete faithfulness to your partner, or else total abstinence.’ Now this is so difficult and so contrary to our instincts, that obviously either Christianity is wrong or our sexual instinct, as it now is, has gone wrong. One or the other. Of course, being a Christian, I think it is the instinct which has gone wrong” (Mere Christianity; p. 90).

One of the reasons the early Church grew the way it did was because of the way Christians lived. They lived differently than everyone else. Chastity was one of those Christian virtues that set the early followers of Jesus apart from the rest of Roman society.

In a world gone wrong when it comes to sex, our way forward as disciples of Jesus is to adopt this same practice. Chastity must once again become a primary virtue for God’s people. The foundation of this crucial virtue is remembering that sex is sacred, but it is not necessary for us to live the abundant life God has for His people.