It’s All About Love

When Jesus replied that this Commandment was the greatest, he did sure challenge those around him and everyone else to come after. What does it mean to Love God with ALL our heart? Have you ever really thought  about it? If we love God above all else, there really is no need for the rest of the Commandments, because if I love God I will always be honest, I will always treat my neighbor with the upmost respect, I will respect my parents and all elderly, even if they haven’t always respected me, I will not live in a world that is an eye for an eye. I will do what is right, not because of some rule, but because I am totally in love with Abba – the God in which I have this unbelievable close relationship with.

When we love someone, really love them, their interest is always first and foremost on our mind. And so it is with our relationship with God. To live in justice means that I will offer to others what I know God would want for them, therefore putting God’s and his people’s interests first. With experience of living this way I will know that I live in real joy and happiness, and that doesn’t mean that life will be easy and abundant of the things of the world (remember last week’s reading?)

But Jesus doesn’t just say that this is a nice thing to do, it is the #1 Commandment, and so there is more of an emphasis that choosing to put God’s best interest first is all wrapped up in our salvation. I wonder what that means for the world in the year 2011. So many times people believe that as long as you are a “nice” person you will get to Heaven.  If I walked into a closet today, and stayed there until my death, I could say that I lived a life without hurting anyone, without saying anything that offended anyone, I was not involved in political arguments, and I did not lie, cheat, murder, covet, nor take the Lord’s name in vain – will I then go to Heaven? Or will I be asked why I didn’t feel responsible to make the world better, to bring God’s word to the hopeless or comfort the sick? While God is a loving God, I believe that he is a just God – and that while I was not a problem on earth, I did nothing to help in the creation of the Kingdom of God here on earth, now. Would I go to heaven? Or perhaps, I spent my life, continually putting myself out there, wanting to serve God, but sometimes failed and had to pick myself back up. Maybe sometimes within my zeal to speak God’s word I offended someone, or didn’t say something just right, but could make up for it with an apology – would I go to Heaven?

Do we really believe in the prospect of living with God for all eternity? Many times in this age, people don’t live with the hope of salvation primarily in their mind.  I think many people, myself included, go throughout our day, not really aware of how our actions will get us to -- or keep us from Heaven.  I believe there is life after this one with God, in which we will be reunited with those we love, and not only will we be reunited but we will see them for who they truly are and we will be seen by others for all that we truly all – we will shine with the brightness that God intended for us.

This week, let’s pay attention of our love for God, let it surround us and let us pray that we may experience God in every thought, word and deed. Let us truly - Go, and serve the Lord.

"Death is the Destination We All Share"

Yesterday, the world lost Steve Jobs, as he quietly drifted into the next dimension in life, and yet, life goes on today, -- we continue to use our I-Phones, and our I-Pads to share information and to gain knowledge. Perhaps today we reflect on how no matter our accomplishments in life - we all still end up at the same place. It is a moment we can we can use to re-evaluate our lives and reflect on how we are using our short, and borrowed, time on this earth.

In his commencement speech in 2005, Steve Jobs may have been a bit prophetic, he talked about how, death was the destination that we all had in common. (I recommend you read the entire address at http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html ) Are we spending our time, living our own lives, spending it immersed in what we love? It is an age old question, asked by most people, especially when the news of a terminal illness is at hand. But it is also the question that Jesus prompted us to ask, and something that Jesus was very concerned with for all - Are we living the life, that not only would we be proud of, but would God be smiling on our return to Him?  In the last few weeks we have been hearing about the vineyard parables of Jesus, discussions about our responsibility of taking care of the vineyard, of knowing that we are merely tenants, and that all the blessings of good crops, are to be used for the greater good of all people and returned to the Master. Jesus was very concerned for our souls, as we should be, even in 2011, amidst a world that is very concerned with the "me".  I think we have gotten out of the habit of asking ourselves how we are doing following the 10 Commandments, that somehow they are "old fashioned" and our "new" idea of God is that he will know what is in my heart -- after all I am a good person. We forget, or perhaps, specifically leave out, the fact that God is a just God, and even the fairest judge in a court, would feel sorry for the murderer, who was the nice guy, but was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and would still have to give out a prison sentence that fit with the crime. We water down everything that speaks badly of our own judgment, but look at others differently; we hope that God will give us lots of exceptions and perhaps secretly hope that we will be able to use the excuse of "I didn't know".  Perhaps it is too darn scary to look at ourselves naked in the truth of who we have become, for a plethora of reasons, and on the other hand it is as scary to figure out how to change what we do and what has come a habit of living for us. Even when we know the results would be a transformation in Light.

It is interesting that Steve Jobs teaches us of the amazing thing a human is capable of in this world when he or she has focus and a vision. He made much money and fame on being focused in producing a product that is probably the most distracting for all its users. We are plugged into the world 24/7 with the help of the computer age and yet we have somehow unplugged ourselves from the real source of life that has been present all along. As I am writing this blog today, I also have to admit that this thing in which I type on can also be used to bring about the message of God to all those who actively seek it. It is the "actively seek it" part that we all seem to struggle with, since distractions just somehow "pop" up.

It would be great if Mr. Jobs could have devised an "after life web cam" before he left us, so that the important part of the message, the part that was still hidden to him on the day of that commencement speech, could be revealed to us. What is the consequence of a life well lived, how far can we push things, what effect does our life's work have on our final destination?  How much is enough to give to others and still get to heaven? It is something that we have in common, that we will all one day pass through the doors of death, and it is also our common ground that while on earth we run from this fact.