Serving God and others. . .I have to admit that this has been a difficult subject for me in that I was always struggling with how to serve others when I feel that I am just trying to keep my head above water. What do I have to offer? As God has revealed more of himself to me, he has also revealed key stumbling blocks within my heart, and all of us for that matter, that need to be called under the authority of God in order to selflessly serve others. Then he can mold us into the servants that he has called us to be.
First, as humans, we have this innate desire to be “better” than one another. We claw at and climb over one another just to be one rung higher on the ladder than others around us. It is as if we are justified by being able to look down from our rung at all of those who are looking up at us – struggling to be where we are. It is impossible to serve each other when we are in constant competition with one another. This may seem like such a harsh view of people, but a simple look at the nature of our culture proves this to be true. It is blaringly apparent in our careers, families, athletics, friendships, and romantic relationships. We all have this need to prove ourselves as “lovable” by setting standards that are "below" us. Matthew 18:1 “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” After all, if the disciples struggled with one-up-manship, then how could we not also?
Through this self-created system of justification, we wage war against those who we feel are less moral than those standards. Of course we see it as waging war on sin itself, but is it not the people that we are trying to change? Donald Miller explains that as we try so hard to wage our war against sin, we overshadow the love and forgiveness that Jesus came to preach - the very love that will save them. We seek out immorality when we ourselves are immoral beings and therefore incapable to judge what is right and wrong to begin with. Romans 8:33-34 “It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus who died – more than that – was raised to life, is at the right hand of God, and is interceding on our behalf.” Sin can no more determine morality than we can. Immoral beings cannot determine morality for other immoral beings.
Finally, God showed me that the only way to clear my heart of these things is to begin again with the greatest of his commandments. Matthew 22:37-40 “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” We tend to read this verse quickly missing the incredible calling we have here in so few words. We are commanded to take captive every thought, submit our very soul, and focus every longing of our hearts on Him. He is in every sense to be our purpose and our reason. As John Pieper writes, how high a calling is it to be told that we must love others in a way that is “like the first”. I can’t imagine loving others in a way that is how I love God. They have faults, they let me down, they don’t handle situations in the way that I would have them, they bring pain into my life and I am asked to love them in a way similar to the passion that I put into God? Yes. . .and once we are able to free our hearts of our condemnation and judgment we can truly serve others, but not until then.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)