Hey girls,
Hope that you're all getting settled in to your houses if you're out of town, and all ready for the new school year. :)
So I've decided that I'm going to try to commit to posting something at the end of each week on what I learned from reflecting on the week's passage.
Why?
1) I hope that you'll find it helpful, even if to get you thinking about the passage more deeply - and even if it's to disagree with me! I really invite you to do so, because I know that I don't have all the answers in any way. :)
2) It'll hopefully be a good way to keep myself accountable to reflecting on these verses each week, and allow God to use His Word to change, challenge, and mould me as well.
So I'm glad that we could be along on this journey together! May we continue in anticipation of how God will shape us along the way with His Word.
= = = =
As I mentioned in my comment at the beginning of the week, reflecting on these verses this week caused me to consider what sowing bountifully/generously and giving cheerfully looks in the context of relationships and serving. I was mulling on this thought, and kind of had it on the shelf of my mind, all the while asking what this should/could look like in my life..
One morning I was having my Quiet Time, continuing with reading Mark. I had been reading Mark chapters 11 and 12, observing all the different interactions that the priest, scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees had with Jesus.. It's actually quite alarming how far they missed the point, and how unwilling they were to realize how far they were from God! What's worse, I could almost see the human tendency in me to be one of those "religious people" who seem to know all the answers, and seem to have it all together. But that's the thing - they only seem to know it all, and have it all together. All that seems to be on their minds is to trap Jesus into messing up in front of people, or for Him to do something "bad" enough to warrant an arrest. They were so wrapped up about getting their way, and having things lined up according to their plans. It's heartbreaking - because as much as I may want to shake my head at them and say tsk tsk, I know that I am just as prone to that downfall of completely missing the point of God.
Anyways.. I digress. It's getting to a point, I promise!
Well, that led me to wonder.. Well... What is "the point" then?? And it seems like there was a scribe who was actually open to the Truth! After all the debates that Jesus has with everyone, He clearly shows that they have it all wrong. So he goes to ask Jesus then.. "Which commandment is most important of all?" (28)
Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (29-31)
This really was an eye-opening moment for me. This is definitely not a new passage for me - and probably not new for any of you, either. But that's what really got to me: Even after all these years, my heart wanders, and my mind forgets what is most important, and that is to Love God first, and love people second.
It made me realize that this summer, my focus has been skewed. I was so caught up in the doing, the serving, that I forgot that what's most important in God's eyes, and therefore what should be the most important in my eyes, is love. Loving Him. And loving others.
And so, this realization led me to a greater understanding of just what we're to sow bountifully, and give cheerfully!
It's love! We're called and commanded to love before anything else. I'm reminded that more than anything else, we are to sow love in our lives. We're to cheerfully love others, instead of begrudgingly. And what's even more amazing is that we're confident that we'll always be able to sow love generously because He has soo graciously lavished us with His love first, so that we can go and love others. It's a deposit in our lives that will never run out, but given to us for the very purpose of giving to others!
So. That has my journey with this passage this week, God challenging me to shift my perspective back what is most important, and that's to love - to love generously and cheerfully in all that I do. In serving, in even in relationships sadly, I often to want to measure success in effectiveness and strategy, like, "How am I able to help this peson?" "Are we doing the right things?" etc..
But what I really should be asking in serving, and definitely in all relationships, is, "Am I loving God and others right now in what I'm saying, or doing?"
Well. That's it for now. Please feel free to share your thoughts! I really would like to hear them.
Other blog posts that God used to challenge and encourage me this week:
Weariness in the Christian Life - as I was wrestling with questions of how to sow generously if I'm feeling weary?
Loving Christ.. Practically - J. C. Ryle's a classic Christian writer. This is a compilation of his thoughts on what it'd look like to tangibly love Christ in our daily living, just like how we'd express our love for a person.
Have a restful Sunday!
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