Do You Really Love God?

As I was studying for my Sundown lesson this week I came across a story told by C. W. Bradley. If you come to Sundown you’ll probably hear it again, but I thought I’d share it this week in my Thursday Thoughts.

As he tells it there was once a young lady who purchased a book and began reading it. In a short time in disgust she threw the book aside saying, “This is the most uninteresting book I’ve ever seen.” A few months later she fell in love with a young man, they dated and were finally engaged. He was a writer and one night as they were talking, he casually mentioned the name of the first book he wrote. It happened to be the very one she had tossed aside. That evening, when she returned home, she rushed to the attic and fumbled through several boxes until she found the book. In the early morning hours as she finished the final page, she made the comment to herself, “This is the most interesting book I have ever read!” So what happened to change her viewpoint? The answer is simple, she was in love with the author.

When asked about the greatest commandment, in response Jesus gave two to the inquisitor. The first was to love God with all your heart, soul and mind. Jesus then quickly adds that a second commandment is coupled with this one, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He then points out that everything hinges on the single concept of love for God and man.

So now to the question, “Do you really love God?” “Do you think that those we as leaders lead love God? Before you answer give it some thought. I did as I was studying for this lesson. How much we love God hinges heavily on how we love one another. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know you are one of my disciples, if you love one another.”

As leaders are we doing a good job in teaching us to love one another? We will answer “yes” of course. We teach people to take meals to the sick. We teach them to visit the hospitals. We teach people to visit shut-ins. The list can go on, but these are just acts of kindness. Paul wrote that if we speak in tongues of men or angels, if we have great faith or give all we possess to the poor, they are just empty acts if we don’t have love.

When people are talked about behind their backs, is that love? When people criticize what others are doing or not doing, is that love? When we are envious of other’s successes, is that love? When we allow ministers to be criticized without stepping in, is that love? When we allow elders to be complained about over decisions, is that love? Do we hold grudges or ill will? Do we look for faults? Do we allow things like this? Do we do it ourselves? If so that’s not love. In the case where we do this we are actually telling God we don’t love Him. As John wrote, “whoever does not love, does not know God, for God is love.” He adds “whoever does not love their brother or sister who they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”

When people truly love the Author, we will change the way people look at each other. Realizing that God showed his love by giving his son, nothing stood in the way of God’s love for people, even when they were in the midst of sin. In the same way if we teach people to love God, we first must teach them to love each other.  When you love someone the faults and blemishes may not vanish, but will be unnoticeable or diminished, because love covers them up.

A church that becomes known as a bickering congregation or one that if full of turmoil is telling the world they are only “clanging gongs and banging cymbals”.  If someone walks into an elder’s meeting they should feel the love in the room. If someone walks into a church office they should feel the love in the room. If someone walks into a minister’s meeting they should feel the love. When someone walks through the foyer or into a class they should feel the love in the air. When someone hears the conversations of members in the foyer, over a meal, at school or at their office they should feel the love.

In short the place to start loving God is teaching everyone to love each other in word and deed. As we fulfill the second commandment we will at the same time be fulfilling the first. Fulfilling the greatest commandment can only be done in reverse order.

Now, again the question, “Do you really love God?” The question cannot be answered by anyone with words. It can only be answered by loving one another, the Jesus way.

_______________

”Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. “

1 John 4:11-12

 

Why?

In the Christmas story “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” there is a scene where the Grinch has packed up everything in the house, except where the Whos were sleeping I guess, and stuffed it all up the chimney. He takes the Christmas tree and starts to shove it up the chimney when in walks Cindy Lou Who, who had gotten out of bed for a cup of cold water. “She stared at the Grinch (who was dressed like Santa Claus) and said Santy Claus, ‘Why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree? Why?’ The Grinch gave her a completely illogical reason, “There’s a light on this tree that won’t light on one side.” Of course the real reason was “the Grinch hated Christmas, the whole Christmas season. But please don’t ask why, no one quite knows the reason.”

She didn’t scream and yell that there was a burglar in the house. She didn’t run to wake mom and dad Who. She didn’t just stand there and watch, wondering what in the world Santa Claus was up to.  She stood there watching this act which she really didn’t understand and asked the simple question, “Why?”

It is the failure to ask that one question, “Why?”, and listen to the answer that keeps many areas of disagreement from ever being truly brought out in the open and solved. Maybe we don’t want to know, “Why?”, because it is contrary to what we think. Maybe the person doesn’t really know, “Why?”, but that come out unless we ask. Sure the answer may be completely illogical. It may make no sense to us at all. But at least by asking it gives a starting point to work out issues that cause tension.

We all have reasons why we like or dislike someone or something. It may or may not have a basis. The reason may not exist for everyone else or may even be totally illogical, but until we ask the question and try and see the other side of how people think then it is impossible for any group to come together. We don’t have to agree or like the same thing to work together, but it is essential that we understand what those standing beside us are feeling in order to best utilize talent and minimize controversy.

I’m a big Dallas Cowboy fan. I have been since I was able to get 50 cent tickets as a Junior High football player to go watch them in the Cotton Bowl. I like Romo. Why? Because he is a good quarterback and is blamed for things for which he has no control many times. I don’t care much for Jerry Jones’ way of managing the team. I don’t know him so I can’t say if I like him or not. I don’t like the Philadelphia Eagles! Why? Should you even have to ask?

A few years ago there was a lady in my Bible class that hated the Cowboys and loved the Eagles. We would kid each other the weeks that they played each other. We strongly disagreed. The main reason we got along though and were able to be open about it was because we knew why each other felt the way we did. Why? She grew up in the Philadelphia area as an Eagle fan. She had a good reason, as much as I disagreed with her, but just knowing why made all the difference in the relationship.

It’s important for unity and a good working environment to be less confrontational and more relational. The way to accomplish that is to move away from arguing about differences and moving toward trying to understand the “Why?” Maybe the reason is valid to them, but not to you. Maybe the reason is skewed by false information. Maybe the reason brings something to light that has been ignored, but the only way to know the reason a person feels the way they do is to ask them, “Why?”, then sit back and listen attentively.

_______________

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

1 Corinthians 10:23-24

Image is copyrighted and my no be used for commercial purposes. Image from Wikia.com.

 

The Match

You’re in a dark room. You take a match and strike it. You can hold the match on the end and watch as it slowly burns down to almost the tips of your fingers and then, as it nears the end, blow it out. At that point the match is blackened and useless never to be used again to bring light. It is tossed away ground under foot and the room again is in the dark.

You’re in a dark room. You take a match and strike it. You place the flame of the match and light a candle. The match burns down, becomes useless and no longer brings light, and is thrown away, but the light remains because the match has shared its flame with the candle.

You’re in a room lit by the candle in your hand.  The person next to you has a candle, but it is dark. You tilt your candle toward theirs and the wick of their candle takes life, but yours remains bright even having shared a part of its flame with your neighbor’s candle.

With the light of the two candles you notice that the room is full of people with unlit candles. You and your neighbor light other candles and in turn others share their light. However, each time the light is shared it never takes from the candle who shared, but only adds to the light in the room.

You’re in a candle lit room. The light is so bright the room in well lit. You look on the floor and there lies one burned out match. Then you realize that, that one match, although it lit only one candle spread its light to all the others who had been in the dark.

We live in a world with many people who are holding an unlit candle. Maybe they are mourning the death of a loved one. Maybe their marriage is struggling. Maybe their job is on the line. Maybe they’re lonely. Maybe they’re just depressed. But mostly their day is just like being in a dark room.

We stand with a candle lit by the match on the floor. We have light and feel good. So we reach over and give a word of encouragement to the person next to us and that one little word, that simple phrase or that one act of kindness ignites their candle. From there the encouragement spreads to someone else when he says “I know what you’re going though”. And it continues from person to person.

Encouragement is a simple thing to give. I helped a lady recently with a doctor appointment. “I just love my church” she said. I had lit her candle. She told her parents and they expressed how much this church meant to them. She had lit their candle. I held the hand of the son of a member who was dying from AIDS. She was in tears and thanked me many times over. Her candle had been lit with someone caring.

We each hold in our hands a match. It is the match of encouragement. We can let it burn down or light a candle that brings light enough to be shared throughout the room. The choice is up to us.

_______________

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

Matthew 5:15

I Dreamed a Dream

In 2009 Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent Show. At the time she was a 47 year old housewife from a small group of villages in the United Kingdom. She stepped on stage, in a plain dress and looking much more like someone who might be cooking a pan of cookies than someone getting ready to sing.

Susan was asked about her dreams. She said it was to be a professional singer much like another popular singer in Britain. When asked why she had never pursued the opportunity she told them this was the first time she really had the opportunity.  As the camera scanned the crowd, you could see eyes roll and comments mouthed to neighbors. No one took the 47 year old middle aged woman seriously. The song she had chosen to sing was “I Dreamed a Dream” form Les Miserables.  The music began and before the first line of the song were finished rolling from her voice the audience was in loud applause and the judges sat, mouths wide opened, dumbfounded at Susan’s beautiful singing ability.

Here’s the link if you would like to see the performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OcQ9A-5noM

As I watched the video it crossed my mind how leaders are always talking among themselves about their dreams for the kingdom. We meet about it, discuss it, write about it and share it with each other over and over. We at times even ask members to dream. However, how often do we really ask those who sit in the pews, “What is your dream for this church?”  How often do we sit and discuss with the lay people what they want to see the church becoming? When they do tell the leaders their dreams, do leaders take the time to listen seriously?

It’s unfortunate, but many times impressions of other’s ability or what they have to say is overshadowed by some outward characteristic. If Susan Boyle had been a pretty mid 20 year old woman the judges and crowd would not have had any reservations about her dream. There would not have been eyes rolling, mouths opened or whisperings to their neighbors. Likewise “in church” it is many times the case that the more popular, more outgoing and sometimes even physical appearance that gets the most attention and is listened to more intently.

I remember in the book of Samuel how people were surprised when David was chosen king. He didn’t look like a king! He was nothing like Saul in stature. In fact he probably smelled from being around the sheep and was “in the band instead of being on the playing field”.  Yet he is the one God chose and told the people 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'

I think it’s important to listen to the dreams of the members as well as leaders. To listen intently at their passions. People will rise to serve their passions for the Lord. Sure, their dream or passion may not be mine, but that doesn’t make it less important or less meaningful.

Good leaders encourage people to dream. They encourage people to find ways to fulfill their dream if at all possible. Our goal is to build up in the hearts of God’s children the desire to serve whether it be as an individual or a group. Leaders should be careful not to “throw water” on the desires and dreams of others, lest they put out the flames within their hearts for good, but rather be ready to fan the embers that glow and help them become raging fire in their hearts for the Lord.

"I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

Jeremiah 20:9