A Kind Word

So I'm sitting here watching In America. A cool independent film about an Irish immigrant family in America (duh!).

I want to share a little story. I was thinking yesterday about when Jesus was talking about the greatest commandment. The second part of that being love your neighbor as yourself. And it brings me to my story.

I have a friend who's been on my heart for close to 3 years now. We don't talk often and we see each other less but for whatever reason every night when I pray her face pops in my head and I'm compelled to pray for her. I've read verses and felt like they were the words she needed to hear at that moment and I've felt the need just to be kind to her and tell her what she means to me. And I've always thought it strange.

But then I realized it's not so strange afterall. I recently thought about what it is that made me apperciate and keep this person in prayer. And I figured it out. Back years ago before my senior year in high school I took a trip to New York and this friend was on the trip. This friend wrote me a note telling me I was special. And it hit me today. That might be the only time in recent memory that someone has told me I was special. I know it's something preached in church and Sunday School when I was little but it's the first and possibly the only time since I entered high school that I remember anyone telling me I was special.

And so I think about times when friends call me up with problems or anything. Those moments when we're supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves. How many times do I just say well I'll pray for you or do I try and come up with a verse that will help them out. And as I thought about this I began to realize that it's not how I would want to be loved. Prayer and scripture are nice don't get me wrong but it's not the love I would want in those moments. Those are the moments when people need an encouraging word, a hug, just to be held.

And so as I thought about this friend who told me I was special and all the times I've prayed for her and given her a word of encouragement, I understand what Jesus meant when we said love your neighbor as yourself. I understand that I apperciate so much what she did for me, still to this day 6 years later, that I'm pouring out the same love.

So next time you have a friend in need of love give me them a hug. Tell them they're special and you love them. Make a difference by pouring love into people.

Matthew 22: 37-40

At Odds

So rarely do I feel so inspired as I do this morning. So inspired that it came while I was eating my cereal. So inspired that I'm actually going to preach. I don't do this often but I have something to say. And it's only a statement of fact and a question of sorts with no answer. Because this thing thats eating at me this morning is something I struggle with. It's a problem we all have. And here it is.

We are at odds with God!

Believe it or not but it's a fact. By our own human nature and ability to make our own choices are at odds with God. And it sucks. It's ashame because we God over there saying I love you, I love you, I love, and here we are in our little corner of the universe called earth saying I know you love me God and I love you too. But we go out and sin. We have this ability to hurt God and it's started with Adam and Eve. Ever since we as human beings have had the ability to hurt God.

God says, I love you but it hurts whenever you do that. We tell God we know and we won't do it again and we repent but come tomorrow we'll be doing to same thing over again or something different and it breaks God's heart.

It's the reason why wehave baptist and methodist and pentacostals, because at some point we said ya know what, that part of "your" theology doesn't work for me. Christians have the basics right. That God sent his only son to die for us because he loved us and if we would believe that he died and rose again three days later and will confess our sins we have salvation. But once you start breaking down theology we start to disagree. We get defensive. Because there are things God wants of us that by our own human nature with are at odds with.

The entire basis of the christian faith is hard to deal with from a human stand point. We have to believe in a God we've never seen and then believe that his son, who was both God and man, came to earth thousthands of years ago and died on a cross and rose from the dead 3 days later. And if we believe this and telling him we're sinners we are saved and can go to heaven.

It's a hard story to grasp. The logistics of it don't add up. It's hard to believe, I'lll admit it.

But it's more than that. And I feel the more then that has been left out. We're so focused on the salvation and egtting into heaven part we forget about the love part. That the reason he did it was because God is in Love with us. He knew that as humans we could never live up to standards and could never get to heaven to spend enternity with him by ourselves. David, who was a man after God's own heart, went out and commited adultery.

The same problems keep popping out throughout the bible. Human beings and God have different agendas. God wants us to love each other and live as one in a community with others ad help those around us. We wants a new car and a promotion at work and a big house and to be a star in hollywood. Jesus said the last shall be first and the first last, yet we spend much our or time on earth as adults trying to get to the top. That's the opposite of what God wants.

But that's why Jesus came. Because God Loves us. He made us and couldn't stand the thought of not spending anternity without us. We loves us.

God, we thank you this mronign for the love you have for us. That no matter in what way we screw up you're still stand there with open arms. I'm sorry that I can't be the person you want me to be. I'm sorry that we're at odds. But I thank you that you knew this would happen and sent your son. You are amazing.