Love can build a bridge....
Galatians 6:7-10 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. [8] The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. [9] Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. [10] Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
It’s one of our oldest complaints: why do those who do bad seem to prosper? Why does the guy in the flash car who nips down the side of the traffic jam never get stuck in the hard shoulder? Why does some wimp always let him in? Why are there so many evil people running countries? Why do so many people seem to prosper from crime and treat the law with impunity and communities with contempt? Why does selfishness always seem to win out?
But Paul tells us not to let appearances fool us. Don’t be down cast by the seeming prosperity of the ‘bad guys’. Because in the end God is in charge and you can’t fool him, and in the end you’ll get what’s coming.
The Gospel story tells us that through Jesus God built a bridge between himself and humanity. The way to cross that bridge is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord, and to live in this world as he would live. If you don’t accept his Lordship of your life then no matter what else you achieve in this world you are stuck on the other side of the bridge. People who live for themselves in this life, who stick two fingers up at Jesus’ Lordship, who live to please their sinful nature, they’re on the wrong side. And they are destined to spend eternity away from God unless they change.
But for those of us who have chosen to cross the bridge and have accepted Jesus as Lord then here’s a warning: don’t be smug about it and don’t be passive. There is a world of hurt that we live in which could do with hearing about Jesus, redeemer and Lord. And the best way to tell people of his love is to show it. Actions speak louder than words, and a community of people who are consistently doing good will stand out like a light in the darkness.
Learn to love people in your faith community: it’s good practice for loving those outside, giving them a tangible reason for coming inside if they can observe a faith which makes itself real in the actions of it’s believers. And if we do this, over and over again, and if people see this, note the changes in us and the love we show to each other, then maybe, just maybe, our communities will grow as there is a harvest of people coming to know Jesus.
It’s one of our oldest complaints: why do those who do bad seem to prosper? Why does the guy in the flash car who nips down the side of the traffic jam never get stuck in the hard shoulder? Why does some wimp always let him in? Why are there so many evil people running countries? Why do so many people seem to prosper from crime and treat the law with impunity and communities with contempt? Why does selfishness always seem to win out?
But Paul tells us not to let appearances fool us. Don’t be down cast by the seeming prosperity of the ‘bad guys’. Because in the end God is in charge and you can’t fool him, and in the end you’ll get what’s coming.
The Gospel story tells us that through Jesus God built a bridge between himself and humanity. The way to cross that bridge is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord, and to live in this world as he would live. If you don’t accept his Lordship of your life then no matter what else you achieve in this world you are stuck on the other side of the bridge. People who live for themselves in this life, who stick two fingers up at Jesus’ Lordship, who live to please their sinful nature, they’re on the wrong side. And they are destined to spend eternity away from God unless they change.
But for those of us who have chosen to cross the bridge and have accepted Jesus as Lord then here’s a warning: don’t be smug about it and don’t be passive. There is a world of hurt that we live in which could do with hearing about Jesus, redeemer and Lord. And the best way to tell people of his love is to show it. Actions speak louder than words, and a community of people who are consistently doing good will stand out like a light in the darkness.
Learn to love people in your faith community: it’s good practice for loving those outside, giving them a tangible reason for coming inside if they can observe a faith which makes itself real in the actions of it’s believers. And if we do this, over and over again, and if people see this, note the changes in us and the love we show to each other, then maybe, just maybe, our communities will grow as there is a harvest of people coming to know Jesus.
Where shall Deployed roll out to next? We're thinking about diving straight into Ephesians - but are open to suggestions (though not a vote....)
posted by Gordon at
8:12 am
1 Comments:
I remember when I first became a Christian and read this passage, I couldn't imagine ever becoming weary of doing good (struggling to do it, not knowing how to, not knowing I wasn't, sure, but being weary of it - never!).
Then I got a bit older as a Christian... and sometimes I do feel weary of it and sometimes I just feed the wrong dog because I cant be bothered.
I'm not sure where i'm going with this. I guess it IS so easy to get smug or just like with any relationship once the first excitement has worn off, its easy to get complacent and take the person for granted! Except that this is the Creator of the universe, my Saviour, my Lord, the Almighty that I am talking about!
By
Louise, at 9:36 am
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