Day 16: What Matters Most

I've been a little off today. I don't know exactly why, but hopefully it doesn't get in the way of this entry.

Last night I got to be a part of something I thought was pretty neat. The Sunday evening service was an ordination service for our two new deacons (ordination simply means "setting apart"). The message was about the responsibilities of the church to deacons and the deacon's responsibility to God. The cool part about the service, though, was the laying on of hands done by the church. This isn't the first time I've seen this done at SBC, but this was the first time I've seen it done individually rather than as a mass group (what I mean is, the two deacons were sitting at the front, and individuals went to each of them and prayed over them, rather than the entire community of believers gathering around and praying as a unit). This whole "laying on of hands" thing is a new concept to me, as we never did anything like that at MGBC, but I'm also not opposed to it per se. I just don't quite understand it yet.

There's more to the story, but since it kind of relates to today's chapter, I'll save it until then.

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The Jewish Shema contains what Jesus said is the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind." The command second-in-line is "Love your neighbor as yourself." I bring this up because God calls us to love Him (worship, i.e. the last week's focus) and to love others (which is what this chapter and really this week's topic is about). This is great (from the book): "It is in loving that we are most like him."

This all relates to being part of God's family because we are told to love others in His family. The book uses a verse from 1 Peter, but I prefer the passage from Romans. My LASB (Life Application Study Bible; I'm going to start using that abbreviation) has some great ideas about how to do this. I won't type everything, but here are some ideas:
-Most of us have learned how to pretend to love others. . . but God calls us to real and sincere love that goes far beyond pretense and politeness. Sincere love requires concentration and effort. It means helping others become better people. It demands our time, money, and personal involvement.
-As Christians, we honor people because they have been created in God's image, because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, asnd because they have a unique contribution to make to Christ's church. Does God's way of honoring other sound too difficult for your competitive nature? Why not try to outdo one another in showing honor? Put others first!
-Christian hospitality differs from social entertaining. Entertaining focuses on the host. . . Hospitality, by contrast, focuses on the guests. Their needs. . . are the primary concern. Hospitality can happen [anywhere]. . . don't hesitate to offer hospitality just because you are too tired, too busy, or not wealthy enough to entertain.
-Paul says we need to live in harmony with others and not be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. Are you able to do humble tasks with others? Do you welcome conversation with unattractive, non-prestigious people? Are you willing to befriend newcomers and entry-level people?
-These verses (17-21) summarize the core of Christian living. If we love someone the way Christ loves us, we will be willing to forgive. If we have experienced God's grace, we will want to pass it on to others. And remember, grace is undeserved favor.

Most of the emphasis I added myself. There are some great challenges in there.

But why is it so important that Christians develop love among themselves? Because it is that brotherly love that is the best witness to the world. Think about it: doesn't EVERYONE in the world work at finding love? Whether they are trying to earn favor in the eyes of family, earning money to buy love, or lashing out against a world in which they feel alone and unloved, everyone has the drive in them to find love. God wants us to spend time with other believers so that we can develop that love. And guess what? There are three (not four this time) things we discover, according to the book.

First, we learn that life without love is really worthless. So often we get consumed with doing everything in our lives that we leave our friends and family for "special times," fitting them in whenever we have a spare second. Now that I'm starting to give God priority time slots in my life schedule, I think my next step is to make sure I am giving people the second spot, not anything else. I really like the point they make about the 10 Commandments: 4 of them are about our relationship with God, 6 of them are about our relationships with others, and ALL of them are about relationships!

Second, we learn that love will last forever. We may be remembered for things that we accomplished, but only if we treated people and left a legacy of love. Another great illustration from the book: people on their deathbeds do not ask to see symbols of their life accomplishments and awards; they want to be surrounded by the people they love. "Relationships are what life is all about."

Finally, God will measure our lives on the standard of love. The worn-out phrase "you can't take anything with you when you go!" is true, when it comes to material things. What we do bring is our character.

The book makes a very poignant point about what it means to have good relationships: relationships (expressions of love) require TIME. "Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can't make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time." It is our focused attention that is true love: not what we do or what we've given, but how much of ourselves we give. You cannot love without giving.
This is where the story I related at the beginning comes in. As I was sitting there, watching people get in line and spend just a few moments with each of the two new deacons, I was feeling that I should not just sit there, watching. Now, I do well in my own personal realm and in small groups (no more than maybe 8 total people, and the smaller the better), but I do not always function well in personal, one-on-one type situations nor in large groups. So the human part of me was very nervous and unwilling to get out of the comfort of my seat. I was asking God if He wanted me to go up there or not, and the topic of yesterday's PDL chapter (being part of God's family) came to mind. But I still didn't feel comfortable, so I started bargaining with God. "Just let me not be last in line." Well, it didn't look like anyone else was going up there. But finally I realized, you know what? This is not about me, and if God wants us to support our brothers and sisters in Christ, here is a great opportunity. Although I wouldn't say that was the step of a "willing sacrifice," at least I eventually got there. And guess what? A couple minutes after I went up there, a few people got in line behind me. And even though my prayers for them were a bit ramble-y and confused, I really believe I followed God in a step of obedience and love. Sure, I only gave them maybe 20 seconds each of my time and thoughts, but that is all He requires. Time, love, prayer, whatever it is at the moment.

I love the last set of statements in this chapter, so I will put them here before the PtP, VtR, and QtC. "The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now."

Point to Ponder: Life is all about love.
The Bible even says that we should have love as the most important thing in our lives (first to God, then to others). Our challenge is to spend every day loving God and loving other people. Every day. Even if it's the only thing we accomplish for the day.

Verse to Remember: Galatians 5:14- "The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" New International Version
Once again, it sounds so simple, and it really is! I am an avid seeker of simplicity and efficiency (I'm sure I've said that before), and sometimes I feel like we try to overcomplicate things to make ourselves feel better (wait. . . what? Keep reading. . .). Once things become too impossible to do, it is no longer our fault that we can't accomplish our goal or do what we are required to do. I think that if we can get this right (meaning, love God, love people), everything that we are supposed to do will fall into place.

Question to Consider: Honestly, are relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?
My relationship with God? I belive it is. Again, I'm trying to figure things out, but I am spending time doing that, and loving every minute of it. However, my relationships with others? No, they aren't. They are up there on my list, but they are not #2. Whether it's family or the people at SBC or the people I see at school, I think of them often, but I've also got my job and its future progress, my mental/emotional health, my physical health, and my personal musicianship (musical health, I suppose) up there that I know get in the way of loving others. How do I change that? Well, the answer is easy, but the process of getting there might prove more difficult: I need to spend more time with them. Does that mean I might have to sacrifice some of my personal desires, free-time, and activities? Probably. I'm a task-master and a planner, but I still only get the same 24 hours. And really, I have been making time to spend with people, but not on a consistent basis, and generally for my own personal gain. So a shift in schedule is only part of it; I also need to have a shift in intent as I explore this new realm of loving others.

I leave you with this. Even if you didn't follow any other links, go read this. It's 1 Corinthians 13 (and it's NKJ because that's the version I memorized it in when I was in high school).