The First and Second Commands

God’s first commandment is to love God. God’s second command is to love people. I have speculated before that those are God’s priorities.

What if someone says “Some people are terrible. So, I won’t show love to them. But I will still love God.” This could be the rich, the poor, other ethnicities, other religions, other branches of Christianity, criminals, or other segments of society, or cultures.

For a true follower of Jesus, there are a few problems with that. One, Jesus said to love your enemies. Which would seem to imply that everyone is under the same umbrella. Jesus’ followers should love everyone.

But, a bigger problem is that Jesus said that if you love God, you will obey his commandments. So, you can’t keep the first commandment, if you don’t keep the second commandment. And Scripture further says if a person keeps these two commandments, that person is keeping the whole Law.

A follower of Jesus cannot obey the first command, if they are not patient, or kind to other people. If he/she looks down on other people, expects only bad from them, or for them, they are not obeying the first commandment.

The first and second commandments walk together hand in hand. They cannot be separated. To practice one, one must practice both.

God's Wisdom

 In one of Paul's letters, he encourages us to live wisely. Knowledge is having a list of facts. Understanding is grasping the what's, why's and how's. Wisdom is taking knowledge, and understanding, and applying them to situations, that meets the needs, satisfies the situations, or solves the problem. Wisdom could be a ridiculously simple step. Or it could be a long, complex, and obtuse process.

We know God designed, and created, the world. We understand that, in the design, there are laws, principles, and forces in effect that should be agreed to, and followed, to make living pleasant, worthwhile, profitable, and beneficial. Wisdom sees, and walks down a path, that agrees with God's design.

Paul says that, if we are wise, we will know, and understand, God's will. Then we will agree, and follow, it. And he gives four ways to agree and follow.

He begins with "don't get drunk." I do not see Scripture absolutely forbidding alcohol. Jesus created wine. Both the Passover, and the Lord's Supper, have wine included. There are Christian groups, who after witnessing the damage alcohol can produce -- car accidents, addiction, disease, and broken families -- choose a policy of avoidance. One way to solve, what can be a big problem.

But Paul did not say, in this passage, to avoid alcohol. He said do not move to a place where it controls you. Instead, he says we should agree with God, so we are controlled by something else.

A person is controlled by whatever fills them. If they are filled by alcohol, it controls them, and affects how they live. If the Spirit fills them, he controls them, and affects how they live. If alcohol fills them, they bear the fruit of the alcohol. If the Spirit fills them, they bear the fruit of the Spirit.

The second way is to speak Scripture to  one another. If we share Scripture, we have our hearts filled with Scripture. If we fill our hearts with what God says, it must flow from our hearts.

Filling our hearts with Scripture, fills our hearts with God's truth, and leads to godly change from the inside out. Sharing Scripture with others helps fill their hearts God's truth, and leads to godly change from the inside out.

Growth does not come from merely, and only, hearing God's Word. Obeying God's Word is required too.

The third way is to sing in our hearts. If we consider all that God has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us  (he has chosen us, he has given us life, and new life, he has brought into his family, he loves and blesses us, he made us his heirs, he has forgiven, justified, redeemed, and reconciled us, and this is a short list!), joy and gratitude will be, and should be our response. And celebration of God, his character, and his acts, ought to naturally arise in our hearts.

The fourth way, also, ought to be a natural reaction: giving thanks in everything. I do not think that means we thank God for everything. We should not thank God for what is not his will. (Abortion is not his will. Racial injustice is not his will. Death is not his will. Disunity in his family is not his will.) 

We should be thankful for everything that is his will. And for those situations not in his will, Scripture says he can, and does, use them to promote, advance, complete, and perfect his plans. So, we can be thankful his will is advancing.

Maybe something happens, and we can see something good resulting from something bad. We can be thankful for that something good.

Maybe something happens, and we can only see something bad resulting from something bad. We can be thankful that God will act in it, and his mission will advance from it. And we should return to the third way, and remember all that he has done, is doing, and will do ... and celebrate!

Agreement With Father

Jesus said his food was to do the Father’s will, and to complete the Father’s mission. (personal paraphrase)

He meant that he gained life by living in agreement with the Father. He lived in agreement with the purpose, and design, of the world.

But he also lived in agreement with the Father’s mission. He lived in agreement with what the Father was trying to accomplish in the world. His heart agreed with the Father’s heart.

What was on the Father’s heart? What is on the Father’s heart?

There are a lot of ways to understand the Father’s mission, and the Father’s heart. One way is to say he intends to build, and complete, his family.

There are people, who he has declared to be his children. And he wants them to live as his children. And there are a few different results of this.

One, they act as his children. They choose to live in agreement with God’s design. They choose love as the primary value. And, as they choose, they are changed, and live closer, and closer to how Jesus lived.

Two, they have a self-image as his children. Children are loved, and accepted, for who they are, and what they are. Faults and deficiencies are not ignored. A father’s heart envisions, encourages, and trains the best decisions and lifestyles. But acceptance, and love, are not given on the basis of how completely one accepts the design plan(*) nor how faithfully, thoroughly, and completely one keeps, and practices the design plan.(*)

God declares: I love you. You are my child. I want you with me forever, so that I can demonstrate my love, and favor, top you. But you would live the best life, if you followed my plan as closely as possible.

Three, they have the same heart as the Father. They want what the Father wants. They are motivated by what motivates the Father.

Father wants a family. He wants close relationship with his children. He want his children to have close relationships with one another. And the original plan, it was intended for all mankind, every single person ever born, to be part of that family.

Mankind chose, and continues to choose, to reject relationship with Father. So, mankind is cut off from God.

So, Father planned to bring people back into his family.

And Jesus was born into the world, and chose to go to the Cross, to bring anyone, who gives allegiance to the Father, Son and Spirit, into God’s family.

So, if we have Father’s heart, we will want what he wants. We will want God’s children to walk in agreement with God’s design. We will want God’s children to See themselves as God sees them. (Accepted, loved, and chosen.) And we will want an ever increasing growth in the number of people in God’s family. 

(*) I almost on accident coined a new term: design plan. I am trying to express the life lived in agreement with the Father. “Design” refers to the principles and structures built into the fabric of the world. “Plan” refers to the individual expression of the design. All buildings must deal with gravity, weather, and be suitable for people. But buildings are different: stores, houses,  

God's Plan: Family

God gives grace, because his primary characteristic is love.

God is holy. He cannot live in the presence of sin. He will punish sin, and rebellion.

But God did not create mankind to have law-abiding citizens, faithful followers, or obedient servants. God created mankind to have a family.

There is eternal love, giving, and honor, between Father, Son, and Spirit. Such love, that it could not remain within that circle. So, God expanded the circle.

God created people, so he could include them in the circle of love. And when the first people sinned, rejecting God’s love, his invitation to eternal relationship, to the eternal family, he punished their sin with curses that broke the God-man fellowship, broke man-man fellowship, and allowed evil to be birthed in the world.

But he also began the process of restoration. He offered grace, so mankind could choose to reunite with God’s family, and God’s circle of love.

So, those who accept God’s invitation of restoration, give him allegiance, now stand as his family in the world. We are not just kingdom citizens, followers, soldiers, and servants. We are family. Part of God’s circle of love. And part of that God-impulse to share, and spread, his love over the world.

One writer says that God’s intention for his family is to: live like Jesus, love like Jesus, and leave what Jesus left behind.

What did Jesus leave behind? People who became part of his family, living as he did, loving as he did, and bringing more people into the family. This live-love-leave is part of the new spiritual DNA, the Holy Spirit injects into our being.

We will probably have different places, and different roles, in the family. But we all have responsibility in the live-love-leave continuum to maintain, and increase, God’s family. We all have responsibility in God’s restoration process.

Teach to Obey

Jesus commanded his disciples to:

• Make disciples.
• Baptize them.
• And teach their disciples to obey all of his commands.

Including the command to make disciples, baptize, and teach to obey.

So, if his disciples taught their disciples to obey all he commanded, their disciples would obey by:

• Making disciples.
• Baptizing them.
• And teaching their disciples to obey all of Jesus’ commands.

Including the command to make disciples, baptize, and teach to obey.

So, if the disciples of the disciples taught their disciples to obey all he commanded, their disciples would obey by:

• Making disciples.
• Baptizing them.
• And teaching their disciples to obey all of Jesus’ commands.

And where would this process end?

A New Commandment

After Jesus tells his disciples to remain/abide in him, he tells them to remain/abide in his love. He loves them, just like the Father loves him. But to remain in his love, they need to obey his commands, just as he always obeyed the Father.

And what is his command? To love one another, like he loved them. The command “love your neighbor as yourself” has been around a long time. Jesus called this a new command: “love one another as I have loved you.”

And how did Jesus love? John says, in one of his letters, that Jesus died for the whole world. Not just for the Jews. Not just the religious people.

Jesus died for:

• his betrayer
• his executioner
• the scribes, priest, and Pharisees
• the barbarians
• Muslim extremists
• drug cartels
• the abortion industry
• Biden, Trump, Harris, and Pence
• and, even, Dr. Fauci
• and for his friends

(And, as I sit here, I am remembering names from the news, that represent selfishness, partisanship, unfairness, hypocrisy, and cruelty. And I realize Jesus died for each person, regardless of who they were, what they stood for, and what they did.)

And how did he love? He was:

• patient              - slow to judge/condemn
• kind                  - acted to benefit
• not arrogant      - did not look down on
• protects             - covers from the storms
• believes            - is committed to
• hopes                - expects the best of, and the best for
• perseveres        - stays the course
• and he provided a bridge to a restored relationship with the Father

It is my opinion, the reason Jesus said that the two greatest commandments were to love God, and love people, was because they were the priorities he wanted us to follow.

It can get a little tricky. To love God, we need to obey him. Part of which is, agreeing that some of what people around hold as good and true, is in reality wrong. God declares that these things are evil, and sinful.

Then, with our next breath, the next tick of the clock, we need to show patience, kindness, forbearance, and respect, to these same people. Especially, since, they are now angry with us for pronouncing God's judgment on what they believe, how they live, and what they value.

And isn't that what the cross shows, and demonstrates?

Connected to the Vine

Jesus introduces a metaphor to describe how life in relationship with him should be like. He says he is the “true vine.” And he says his Father is the “gardener.”

A gardener is the designer, and creator, of the garden. Or vineyard, in this case. He plans it. He executes the plan. He maintains the plan by promoting what works best for the garden – which is measured by what gives the most produce, or most fruit.

A grapevine gives a unique picture of this process. The grapes grow on the branches. The branches grow on the vine. And the vine grows from the root. The system is connected. For it to work, all the parts need to remain connected to each other. To gain fruit, each part of the “chain” is dependent on one another. Jesus, as the vine, is faithfully connected to the root. God’s family, as the branches, need to remain connected to Jesus.

It is God’s design, and intention, that his family bear fruit. But they are unable to bear fruit, unless the maintain connection to the vine.

How is the connection maintained? How do we remain/abide in Christ?

We can talk about disciplines. Reading the scriptures. Prayer. Attending church. I don’t want to give the impression that a disciplined practice of these thing is, in some way, not valuable. But, people can, and do, treat this things as boxes on a list. But relationship is more than check-boxes. The exercise of disciplines does not guarantee continued connection. “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.” Connection to the vine needs to be moment by moment.

If we consider moment-by-moment prayer to be identical to disciplined prayer, then it is impossible to do. Human beings cannot to practiced disciplined prayer every single moment of the day. The disciplines – reading, praying, and fellowship – are important and valuable. But they lose moment by moment value. Yet, God wants us to practice moment-by-moment prayer. God wants both. Both keep us connected to the vine.

As I said, moment-by-moment prayer cannot be viewed like disciplined prayer, or prayer meeting prayer. One way of viewing moment-by-moment prayer is frequent one-line prayers. One thank you. One petition for action, blessing, or revival.

A focused long time of prayer – one hour, two hours, etc. – is valuable. But 5000 one-second prayers are also valuable. What is necessary to start this type of prayer is some means to interrupt yourself.

Some time ago, I was give a small wooden cross. It was intended to be carried around in a pants pocket. It has spent most of the time sitting in a drawer. But for the last month, I have been carrying it with me. Each time, I put my hand in a pocket, I feel the cross, and I am reminded to offer short, one sentence prayers.

I know I am praying more. I wouldn’t be surprised if the duration has doubled. And I am being reminded of God’s presence with me.

I am sure this is not the only method to interrupt yourself, to regain focus on God’s presence. But it is one example I have used recently.

Anxious?

In one of Paul's letters to the church, he urges the church to not be anxious about anything.

Like many words, the is a picture behind the word "anxious." The picture is one of being pulled in two directions. When we become anxious, we are often caught up in what-if's and maybe's. "What if this happens? What if that happens? Maybe I should do this? Maybe I should do that?" And , of course, the all encompassing: "What do I do now?"

We are currently living through a time of great anxiety. "What if I get sick? What if I lose my job? How will I pay my bills?"

God doesn't say to ignore your problems. He says to focus on your problems with him. 

Focus your hearts and minds on the Father. Bring your needs, concerns, wants, and problems to him. Communicate them to him thoroughly. But, bring them with thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving because:

• He loves you.
• He is for you.
• He is active on your behalf.
• He knows your needs and concerns.
• He is concerned, and active, to meet them.

He is not saying be thankful for the problem. The reality is -- life is not just your problem. There is always something to give thanks for. Sometimes, we need to forget the problem for a couple of seconds, and look for the good that's still out there.

Grace

Jesus died on the Cross to satisfy God's justice. So, by faith, we receive the verdict of the Eternal Judge: guilty, but pardoned, because the crime has already been paid for.

And by faith, we stand in grace.

If we are pulled over for speeding, mercy is the policeman does not give us a ticket. Grace is not only does he not give us a ticket, but he pulls his wallet, and gives us $40 to have dinner on him.

If we are pulled over for speeding, and taken before a judge. Justification is the judge saying" "Yeah, you were speeding, but the fine is already paid for." Grace is the judge pulling out his wallet, and giving us $40 to have dinner on him.

God does not just forgive our sins. He brings us into his family. He makes us his heirs. He prepares a place for us in his eternal kingdom. He gives us his presence. He plants new spiritual DNA in our being, so we will be forever changed. God insures that whenever something bad happens in our lives, good will result from it.

Having given our allegiance to Jesus, we are given lives of grace.

Thanksgiving in the Storm

Scripture provides an historical narrative of the Twelve, and the Apostle Paul, after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. It relates the expansion of the church amid persecution and opposition.

After a long journey, sharing the gospel, Paul returns to Jerusalem. The leaders in Jerusalem convince him to complete a Jewish ceremony, to demonstrate to his Jewish countrymen, that he honors the Law, and the ways of his Jewish ancestors. While doing this, some Jews see him, and start a riot, because of his involvement with the gentiles.

The Romans arrest him. This starts a series of trials before Roman authorities. Paul remains in prison for several years. And finally, they put him on a boat for a trial before Caesar.

While sailing to Rome, they get caught in an especially violent storm. The crew throw cargo and gear overboard in an attempt to keep them afloat. No one is eating or sleeping.

In the middle of all this, Paul tells everyone, that his God revealed to him that he would make it to Rome, the boat would be destroyed, but that everyone with him -- crew, captain, Roman soldiers, and other prisoners -- would survive. He encourages them to eat to maintain their strength. Then, in front of everyone, he gives thanks.

A lot of bad stuff had happened to Paul, but he take time to recognize, and appreciate, all the good that God did, and planned to do.

Over the last year, I have been reminded a number of times of the power of giving thanks. I do not negate reality. I do not overlook bad things. I do not romanticize life. But I do recognize that God is still active in the world. God still pursues people in love. God still has power, and authority, to extract good out of calamity. As a matter of fact, he promises that he would do just that.

God commands us to give thanks in every situation. That doesn't mean for every situation. Does God want us to thank him for a pandemic that has disrupted every facet of life, put thousand in the hospital, and killed thousands more? I don't think so.

I do think God wants us to develop a mind set, an attitude, and a perspective of thankfulness. To be alert to see, and recognize, the good happening all around us.

God's word is going out. People are being saved, and baptized, in downtown Minneapolis, and on the beaches of California. God's word is being proclaimed in Africa, Asia, and everywhere else, with positive effect. As a grandfather, I am witnessing the growth, and development of my grandchildren. There are still sunny days, and rainbows. There are still board games with friends. (Maybe people sit a little further apart, but they are still playing.)

I do not want to minimize any tragedy people experience. I grieve for lost jobs, and businesses, accidents, and injustices. But locking onto those things breeds discouragement, and saps the strength to pursue God's invitation to life.

I am encouraging us to begin peeking through the cracks, to see and embrace the good that God still gives birth to, in this world. Thanksgiving is a response of faith, receiving what God gives, agreeing with his work, and walking into his life, with joy and peace in our hearts.