10-25-2016

Good Morning All,

            Ephesians 5:2; “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”.

      So what is better than gold?  Well, in the recording industry, if you sell 500,000 copies of a single record you receive a gold record.  If you sell 2,000,000 copies of a single record you receive a platinum record but if you sell 10,000,000 copies you receive a diamond record!!  So, apparently there is something greater than a gold record and it is a diamond record.  I have heard it said that most girls would agree. 

    Most of us know “the golden rule.”  We usually say treat others as you want to be treated.  Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”  This is the golden rule.  It is the standard for many people.  It is simple and has a reward built into it.  So is there something higher or better than the golden rule, is there a “diamond rule”?  The apostle Paul moves the standard a little higher; we are to walk in love as Christ loved us.  This would definitely be a step up for us.  Jesus showed a love that went beyond just fair treatment; he set a standard of sacrificial love.  This is where we give of ourselves beyond what most would consider fair. 

    Some have taken the golden rule as a way to limit the amount of help they give to their neighbor.  We now look and expect that our neighbor can and will help me back at some point.  We have twisted the meaning to only aiding those who can help us.  Yet Paul, through the Spirit, lifts it to a level that ultimately Jesus calls upon us to live.  We are to live as his disciples and they (others) will know we are Jesus’ disciples by how we love.  This love is measured, not by the actions of others but by the actions of Christ.

    So now this love is not just equitable or “fair”; this love is one of sacrificing our own needs and especially our wants to show love to a neighbor even when that neighbor is unwilling to amend or change.  An example of this might be the giving of coats or other clothing to children without them even though the parents are, by our estimation, capable of affording clothes for their children.  The children are in need and the love of Christ is shown by aiding those children regardless of our judgment of the parents.  The parent’s unwillingness does not override the need of the child.  This can be hard for us to grab hold of sometimes; we like to place barriers on our love by limiting it to those whom “we” deem needful by our standards and not by simply sharing the love of Christ with them.

    Truly, this is a struggle for us and we use many ways to justify our actions; yet Christ call to us is clear: love as I have loved you.  So we struggle, seeking God’s mercy when we fall short but continuing to strive to be his disciples as He has called us.

Gracious Lord, you call me to a love that is difficult to attain.  You call me to love as you love yet my sin gets in the way.  Forgive my failures and renew in me your Spirit that I may serve you in all faithfulness.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret