Tyrant versus a Servant

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

(Philippians 2:3)

The president of a South American country forced private oil businesses to cede control of their operations to the government. The head of a large company utilized “knockout men” to go and intimidate stores from selling his competitors products. A wife reported how her husband would secretly monitor her phone calls, including those to her parents. A pastor promised a poverty-stricken congregation God’s financial blessing if they gave to the church, so fearing the loss of heaven’s blessing, they gave while watching the pastor’s lavish lifestyle grow.  (Photo by The Rio Times)

What is one word that sums up all these? Tyranny. It is the exercise of power over others in a cruel and severe manner. When someone is in a position of power and uses that role to oppress or demean others; that is injustice.

Jesus once said to his followers, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45) 

Jesus is not communicating that power, influence, fame, position or wealth is wrong. Rather, He is saying that it is immoral and inexcusable when someone uses them in a cruel or deceitful way, to enrich or benefit themselves through taking advantage of others.   

Jesus is introducing a new form of leadership. He is teaching people to lead with the heart of a servant, that puts the needs of other above themselves. His teaching is a value statement, where God and people are more important than position or power. It reflects who is most important in our life; either God or ourselves. Do you feel justified in mistreating others to achieve your ends, or do you put the interests of God and others first, seeking to do what is morally right no matter the outcome? 

 

Who is an example of this kind of living? Jesus. During His short ministry career, He quickly became the most powerful figure in Israel, drawing crowds in the thousands and influencing the nation with His teachings. All this gave Him position and power, which the public was wanting Him to use to free Israel from the Roman Empire. But most importantly; Jesus was Almighty God in human form. He was Creator of heaven and earth, possessor of all wisdom and knowledge.  

Yet, what did He do with all this power? The Bible records the humble mindset of Jesus, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:3-11)

Jesus calls all people to live this way. However, we cannot do it because we have selfish tendencies. 

It requires Jesus to change us. We must confess our failure to live Gods way and call upon Him to transform us, and He will do it.

A prayer for you – Lord God, we admit we have taken advantage of others. We have used people for our own ends. Forgive us O Lord! Give us new hearts that will put your ways above our own. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

When a Nation Rejects God

“What we are seeing unfold across our country is the tragic effect of the choices we have made as a nation.”

After 95-year-old Theresa DeLucia passed away, the family met to review her will. It was revealed that she required her home to be put up for sale, and all her assets be distributed equally among her children. However, this meant that Joseph, one of her adult children who lived in the home, had to move out. The news so enraged him that he left the meeting in search of a gun then returned and shot each family member in cold blood, killing his two sisters, brother and a niece. Afterwards, realizing what he had done, he then turned the gun on himself. Absolutely horrific! (Photo by waggtime from Pixabay.)

Such a tragedy like this is not isolated. We are seeing brutal murders and unthinkable abuse on a growing scale. In many urban and suburban cities rising crime is causing increased fear among citizens. The Bible speaks of times like this saying “…because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)

Why is this happening? What we are seeing unfold across our country is the tragic effect of the choices we have made as a nation. Our culture is changing. And all this is communicating a spiritual message and warning. If we listen to this message, we will understand and begin to reverse this dangerous course.

What is the message? Return to God. Why? Because without Him we cannot have a civil and just society.

Have you heard of the Golden Rule? Jesus coined it, “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Matt. 7:12) This is a rule for all people to live by. It is also an umbrella statement that encompasses a whole set of behaviors in how we are to engage with one another. It includes teachings from the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and others from the Bible. They talk about things like children honoring their parents and parents disciplining and instructing their children. Not lying, stealing or harming one another. And additional commands dealing with divorce and adultery. All these and more have an ethical foundation to them. It is not treating one another based on our personal feelings or emotions, nor is it about just giving someone what they want; feeding their own passions. It is loving one another in a just, wise and good way.

Where does this idea of treating people like this come from? God.

I quoted the Golden Rule from Jesus, which is based on the Great Commandment. It has two parts that work together, "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" (Matt. 22:37-39)

The two commands work together. One cannot genuinely love God without loving others, and one cannot effectively love others without loving God.

The foundation for treating others in a way that is good and right comes from the character of God. That is who He is, so when someone loves Him with all their being, then they naturally display that in their treatment of others.

What does this mean? For a society to be civil and just, it requires the Lord God. Its laws, policies, leaders and overall values must reflect the character of God. Then when you have this permeating society, people will treat one another with honor and dignity. However, when we reject God and His ways, we will no longer love our neighbor. Instead, anarchy will persist as people will seek their own interests above others, and hearts will become hardened toward what is good and just.

How can this be reversed? We must return to God. Look around and see how we have wandered. Let us admit this, then humble ourselves and come back to our Creator.

To change a nation, it starts with one. Be the one.

A prayer for you – Lord God, search us as a country. Let us see how we left you. Humble us, open our eyes and bring us to see our need to return to you. Bring a great move of your Spirit upon our land, O Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Loving Others God’s Way

“Loving others God’s way is founded upon truth, holiness, divine justice, and all that is wise, right and good.”

“Love your neighbor” or “treat others as you want to be treated” are statements we often hear from churches, activist groups or politicians when trying to gain support on hot button issues like illegal immigration, racism or other social justice causes. One billboard put up by a church said, “Love trans people.”(Photo by Brian Merrill from Pixabay.)

Where does this phrase come from? A newspaper article I read said this golden rule is found in all major religions and is part of an ancient moral code. But is there an original source? The billboard had a Bible reference on it, Matthew 22:37-40 where Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself"

This moral code comes from God and His Word. If one has a genuine and fully committed love for God, it will be evidenced through loving others. Why? Because all people are created by God in His image, so if we say we are truly committed to Him, then we will love those whom He created.

But how does God want us to love others? There are two possible ways. God’s way or mankind’s way. Mankind’s way is an immoral love. It is based upon emotions or feelings, is situational, has no boundaries, no consistency and no foundation of right or wrong. It believes that whatever a person desires, they should not be refused. It only loves those who are acceptable to them, and those who will love them in return.

Then there is God’s way, which is a moral love. It is founded upon truth, goodness, God’s holiness, divine justice and all that is right and wise. It has standards. It sometimes denies a person what they want for their own good. It does not seek its own reward but the interests of others. The Bible says of this kind of love, “[It] is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

And this type of love is not only for our family, friends, co-workers, but it is especially demonstrated toward those who are different from us and are hard to love. Difficulty in loving can come from people rejecting us, hurting us in some way or due to our differences. And there can be differences in race, personality, ethnicity, political views and religion.

And how are we to love? As we love ourselves. This communicates a self-sacrificing love for others, rather than a self-seeking one. It is a love for others that is willing to risk it all; money, time, reputation, comfort, health and our very lives, for what will best honor God and truly help others.

Jesus both taught and modeled this kind of love. He once said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) And this He did. He died and rose again on the cross to show His perfect love for all humanity.

And when His entire nation, including His closest followers rejected Him, He did not respond with revenge, hate, anger, or reject them. No. Instead He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

A prayer for you. Lord God, I pray you will help people to truly love their neighbor as themselves. Help us to love one another in truth, holiness, with forgiveness and sacrifice. And teach us to love each other for the glory of you and in genuine service for our fellow man, especially among those who are different from us and are hard to love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Has Your Church Lost Its Passion for Christ?

“Jesus comes to the complacent congregation and patiently knocks on the door seeing if anyone will invite Him in.”

Would any coach want an entire team of mediocre football players? Would any business want a whole company of uninterested employees? Would any pastor want to eagerly lead a congregation of happily complacent believers? (Photo by Ken Haines from Pixabay.)

Jesus is the Founder and Chief Shepherd of the church. In straight forward terms He condemns any of His congregations that are filled with these types of mediocre, uninterested and complacent followers. There was once a church just like this, and Jesus wrote them a letter saying, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 2:15-16)

Jesus used temperature language to illustrate where this church stood in relationship with Him. They did not have a cold distant relationship, nor a passionate one. They were somewhere in the middle, which Jesus forcefully called, “lukewarm.”

The church had good biblical doctrine. The congregation was morally upright. They were not lazy, but a group of doers, always getting much done in the church. Consequently, their divine rebuke did not result from their beliefs, morals or activity. Instead, it came from their attitude toward their Chief Shepherd. They acknowledged Him, talked about Him, but there was no zeal for Christ nor dependency on Him.

This is the state of so many churches today. They have wonderful buildings, faithful congregations, dependable supporters, encouraging weekly services, uplifting fellowship but something is missing. Jesus says to them what He said to the Laodicean church, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” (Rev. 3:19) Like the believers in Laodicea, the church today is missing a zealousness for Christ. This is another temperature word referring to hot or boiling. There is no burning passion for Jesus. There is no boiling love for Him. Just a contented lukewarmness. And people can feel it. Amidst the teaching, friendliness and good programming, something is absent.

In love for His church, Jesus comes to its door and patiently knocks. All the while, the door remains closed to Him. Even so, He continues knocking, waiting for anyone in the church to come and welcome Him back in. And if the church refuses to reopen the door to Him, at a time He decides, He will “spit them out of His mouth.” But if they respond and turn from their lukewarmness to a renewed walk with Him, He offers a great promise of blessing upon them.

My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, take time to examine the spiritual condition of your church and your own walk with Christ. Where is the passion for Jesus? Where is the boiling love for Him? Where is the heavenly zeal? This is not about feelings, but about the bent of one’s whole life and the spiritual state of a congregation.

Listen to Jesus’ loving and persuasive words to His precious bride, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev. 3:20-22)

Hear the Spirit’s call to His church and respond. May we the church, repent of our lukewarmness and be awakened to a fresh zeal for Christ, the one who died in our place and rose again.

A prayer for you - Shepherd of the church. Search our hearts. Point out if we have strayed from you and lost our zeal. We repent of our love for the world and dependency on ourselves. We turn to you asking that you pour out upon us a renewed passion and love that burns with a raging fire, that nothing in this world can extinguish. In Jesus’ name. Amen.