Loving God and neighbors: Applying Matthew 22

~Tuesday Thoughts~

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36-40, NIV).

God’s Word repeats the command to love your God and your neighbors again and again. From the well-known passage in Matthew to John’s love-infused letters, there is no doubt that love should be one of the crucial parts of our lives.

However, sometimes we do not know how to make this feel “real.” How do we imply head knowledge to actions? How do we obey 1 John 3:18, which encourages us not to “love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (New International Version)?

Loving God is something that is both natural and extremely hard. As Caitlin says in Melody Carlson’s Becoming Me, “Now loving God may sound simple enough, but it’s not that easy to love him above all else.” From careers to hobbies to relationships, many things try to steal our attention and love away from where it should be. Church, friends, family, and maybe even a Christian school or college can help us dig deeper into knowing God, encouraging and providing accountability. Yet a lot of the job is for us to do one-on-one with God. It is never too late or too early to start reading the Bible or conversing with our Lord about our lives, this world and its troubles, or anything else.

One of the most important parts of loving God is obeying His commands (1 John 5:3), and one of these commands is loving others. If we love God, we must also love our neighbors (1 John 4:20), which sometimes proves to be a very difficult task. Numerous people annoy us so much or have hurt us time after time. However, we should not settle for tolerance of a person; we should love that person. No one said it would be easy.

We need to remember that loving with only words is almost nothing. Actions, however, do not need to be large to show this love. If we just look around, we will find millions of opportunities to do good to our neighbors. These include spending time with someone, encouraging him when life gets tiring, and reminding him of a love so amazing and great that will always be there for him if only he ask.

We need to remember that God loved us long before we even considered loving Him. “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19, New International Version). Let us go love others!

Emma Wimble Accidental Astronaut by Michael P. Waite

~Saturday Stories~

"Mr. Mishkin set the helmet down and it pushed against a lever. The Cosmo-Jet began to rumble and shake. It felt as if it were rising off the floor. “”What have I done?” Mr. Mishkin cried, turning to the control board in terror. “Don’t worry,” Emma said. “You just pushed this one is all.” Emma shoved the lever (at least she thought it was the same lever) in the other direction, and the Cosmo-Jet lurched upward instantly. “Oops,” said Emma."

Emma didn’t obey Mr. Mishkin and now both of them are lost somewhere in space. With a little robot and a smart alien, though, things seem to look up. Until Emma messes everything up again. But this time it’s even more dangerous. Will they get out alive?

Mr. Mishkin, Emma’s friend, is a Christian and tells her the story of Moses and the Israelites. “If the people had obeyed Moses,” he says,-“they wouldn’t be stuck in the dessert for forty years”. That is basically the Bible story of the book. Throughout the book Emma tries to obey and be more like Joshua, “the wise spy”. There are no talks about other aspects of the Christian life. Emma Wimble Accidental Astronaut will mostly entertain, rather than teach about God.

  "Hear instruction and be wise,
    and do not neglect it." Proverbs 8:33 (ESV)

For more on Michael P. Waite, visit his Amazon author page.

Unwritten Melody by Tessa Emily Hall

~Saturday Stories~

Typical Cassie: "My bed squeaks as I climb on top of it. Sitting against the wooden headboard, I place the typewriter in my lap and inhale its dusty scent - which is oddly comforting, like the pages within an old book. Words beg to burst forth through my fingertips as I adjust the paper. This is my therapy."

Typical James: "To put it simply, I have to pursue music. Not just for myself or for this passion, but for the people who may some day be touched through my songs. Those who might be affected by my music in a positive way."

All her life, Cassie has been sheltered. Her grandma sets a 7 p.m. curfew, doesn't let her go to birthday parties, doesn't let her drive, etc., etc., etc. And all her life Cassie has been obedient. But now she wants to do something out of the ordinary, to experience the life that she never got to have, to be a normal teenager. Will her new classmate James be the answer to any of that? Does she have the courage to step out of her small world of grandparents, a couple friends, and her song lyrics?

James was just on American Spotlight, living his dream. But now he can't seem to find the inspiration and words to even start a demo album. Coming to a town in the middle of nowhere with his mother, James wants to sort out his life and figure out what he wants to do after high school. But his past, the past he has tried so hard to forget, might haunt him even here. 

Unwritten Melody is a beautiful story, based somewhat on the sheltered life of the poet Emily Dickinson. The struggles of both Cassie and James are relatable and intricately woven into the story. Cassie learns how to be vulnerable and how to believe that her life holds meaning and purpose. James learns to learn from past mistakes, but not to let them hold him back. 

At some times during the story, I felt that it dragged. However, other times were extremely gripping. The story is not as faith-focused as it could be, but it does include a few mentions of God. More about the Bible is woven into the discussion questions after the story. 

For more on Tessa Emily Hall, visit her website, Facebook page, and blog. She has also written the book, Purple Moon. 

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Follow your heart?

~Monday Movies & Music~

"Follow Your Heart" is a song by Anthem Lights. Here are the lyrics. 

"After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’" Acts 13:22 (NIV)

How can you follow GOD'S heart today? 

Harriet Tubman - Is it okay to violate the law?

~Tuesday Thoughts~

Harriet Tubman rescued many slaves, thus violating the law of the land. Was it
appropriate for a Christian woman to do so?

On one hand, the Bible tells us to obey authority (Romans 13:1-7). All authority is established by God (Romans 13:1) and would not have any power if it was not given to them (John 19:11). We are to submit to authority “for the Lord’s sake” (1 Peter 2:13). Verse 15 gives us another reason to do this: “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.” Proverbs 24:21-22 says to “fear the Lord and the king”.

On the other hand, we don’t have to obey authority if it goes against God’s laws. Acts 5:29 clearly states that “We must obey God rather than human beings!” Acts 4:18-20 backs that up.  There are many examples of men and women in the Bible who violated the laws of the land.  Rahab hid the Jewish spies (Hebrews 11:31). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not bow down to the idol (Daniel 3:12). Daniel prayed when the law forbade it (Daniel 6:10). The apostles proclaimed the good news despite being told not to (Acts 4:18, 31). The church flourished in the first century A. D. despite persecutions (Acts 12:24).

But then the question comes up: does the Bible say anything explicitly against slavery? Is God against it? Is one justifiable if he violates the law to help the slaves?

On one hand, Paul in 1 Corinthians 7 wrote:  “Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.” (verses 21-24, NIV). Based on this, Tubman’s actions were not right.

On the other hand, God brought His nation out of Egyptian slavery (Exodus 20:2). He created everyone in His image (Genesis 1:27). Some believe that “the Bible condemns race-based slavery in that it teaches that all men are created by God and made in His image (Genesis 1:27). At the same time, the Old Testament did allow for economic-based slavery and regulated it.”. If this is so, Harriet Tubman’s actions were appropriate for America’s situation of race-based slavery.

Thus, one’s opinion on the appropriateness of Harriet Tubman’s actions depends on his or her interpretation of Scriptural passages.

What do you think?

"Worrying is arrogant" and more quotes

~Saturday Stories~

"Worrying is arrogant because God knows what He's doing." -Barbara Cameron

"Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"We may speak about a place where there are no tears, no death, no fear, no night; but those are just the benefits of heaven. The beauty of heaven is seeing God." -Max Lucado

"A sum can be put right: but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on." - C. S. Lewis

"Radical obedience to Christ is not easy... It's not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. And he is more than enough for us." -David Platt

How about you? Which quotes do you like best? Are there some quotes you can share?