Author: Don

Dear Friends,

Recently I heard a radio minister make the statement, “You can tell how much you love God by how much you love your neighbor.” Ouch! Who is my neighbor?

Let’s examine the question, “who is my neighbor,” starting in the Book of Luke. A man stood up who knew the Law and tried to trap Jesus. He said, “Teacher, what must I do to have life that lasts forever?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Law? What does the Law say?” The man said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart. You must love Him with all your soul. You must love Him with all your strength. You must love Him with all your mind. You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Jesus said to him, “You have said the right thing. Do this and you will have life.” The man tried to make himself look good. He asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29 NLV)

As part of The Sermon on the Mount Jesus explained, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45 NIV)

This is one part of the Scriptures that can be difficult for us to understand. Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? Should we love the man who killed nine people on a campus in Oregon, or pray for those who ridicule us for being Christians? Isn’t that asking a lot, Lord?

When we reread Matthew 5: 43-45, we noticed something that we missed before: Jesus doesn’t say to love our enemies because they are loveable; he recognizes evil and unrighteousness. Could it be he doesn’t want us to become what we hate? “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.” Romans 20:18-19a (NLT)

When you stop to think about it, it may be easier to love and pray for those “evil” and “unrighteous” people (somewhere out there) than it is to be “Samaritans” to those in our immediate neighborhoods. The Apostle James discusses the issue:  “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”  (James 2:14-17 NIV)

We show God how much we love him by sharing our love with everyone … regardless of their lovability. Pray for your enemies and look for ways to love your neighbors. Opportunities abound: the South County Outreach needs food; the Salvation Army and Laura’s House accept donations of clothing and household goods, and of course, there is that grumpy neighbor who might just need your prayers or a kind word.

Verses for the Week: Micah 6:8 (NIV) He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy  and to walk humbly with your God.

Blessings, Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends, In the 1981 classic film History of the World Part 1, there is a scene in which Mel Brooks – playing the role of Moses – comes down from the mountain carrying three stone tablets of the Law. Addressing the Israelites, he says, “The Lord has given unto you these fifteen” – at which point he drops one of the tablets – “these Ten Commandments.”

We can only guess what those additional commandments might have been: (1) Thou shalt not ask, “Does this toga make me look fat?” (2) Thou shalt not answer if it does. (3) Thou shalt not leave the seat up. (4) Thou shalt not take the last M&M, and my personal favorite (5) Thou shalt not whine.

While it may be fun to think of the rules we might have proposed had we been in charge, Moses cautioned the Israelites, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.”

The fact that the Ten Commandments are spelled out in Exodus 20:1-17 and in Deuteronomy 5: 6-21 is an indication of the importance God placed on these instructions to the Israelites. The Ten Commandments were part of the Mosaic covenant in which God declared, “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, ⁶ you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6 NIV)

Did the Israelites live up to the terms of the covenant? Of course not, and neither can we. As the Apostle Paul explained, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (Romans 3:20 NIV)

The story is told of the defendant who appeared before a stone-faced judge for sentencing. “What do you have to say for yourself?” The judge asked.

“I have always lived by the Ten Commandments,” the young man declared.

Two words from the judge sealed his fate, “Name them.”

While we may or may not be able to recite the commandments, Jesus made clear how incapable we are of satisfying the requirements of the law on our own when he spoke of anger, “²¹ “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ ²² But I say, if you are even angry with someone [even yourself], you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot^] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. (Romans 5:21-22)

So we are the defendant who will one day face judgement. Our only plea is guilty as charged,” but “God sent Christ Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to end all God’s anger against us. He used Christ’s blood and our faith as the means of saving us from his wrath. In this way he was being entirely fair, even though he did not punish those who sinned in former times. For he was looking forward to the time when Christ would come and take away those sins.” (Romans 3:25 TLB)

Now, rather than being a judgmental standard that we cannot possibly meet, the Ten Commandments – through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us -become aspirational guidelines for living.

The Ten Commandments

I am the Lord thy God … Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet.

Verses for the week:  John 14:15-17a (NLT) ¹⁵ “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

Blessings, Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

Each week, we attempt to help our brothers and sisters in Christ, and ourselves: “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect …” 1 Peter 3:15. (NIV)

With this in mind, we offer a light-hearted way that you might introduce non-believers to the Jesus. You might call it “the Gospel according to Yogi.”

Baseball legend Yogi Berra passed away last month at the age of 90. He was one of baseball’s most-endearing characters, noted for his quirky sayings. His scrambled syntax, mixed metaphors, and illogical conclusions have provided laughs to millions.

What follows is our representation of how Yogi Berra might have presented the Gospel … if had he been so inclined.

Since we depend so heavily on the Bible as our authority, Yogi Berra would have cautioned, “Never answer an anonymous letter.” The Bible is not anonymous, it is authored by God as His love letter to us.

Franklin Graham commented on one of Yogi’s other words of wisdom – “’If you don’t know where you’re going you might wind up someplace else.’  This is so true—and it’s true spiritually as well.  We’d better know where we’re going to spend eternity…” To which Yogi Berra might have added, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

And Yogi would be correct. That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts … Joel 2:12a (NLT)

²⁰… everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21 (NLT)

“But isn’t it too late for us?” Will God forgive us after all we’ve done?

Yogi might say, “We made too many wrong mistakes?” The Bible covers that concern in several places: Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Joel 2:3a (NLT)

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:23-24 (NIV)

We all must make a decision whether to follow Jesus or not. Yogi might suggest, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” If you choose Jesus … you will find, as Yogi might have put it, “The future ain’t what it used to be.”

To some, the Gospel message may seem like what Yogi Berra called “Déjà Vu all over again.” They may have heard the Gospel over and over again. To others it may be the Good News they have been desperately seeking. Whether we speak with the eloquence of a Franklin Graham, or use quirky language like Yogi Berra, we just need to spread the word, and the Word is – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

 In closing, we offer one last Yogi-ism: “I didn’t really say everything I said.” – Yogi Berra

Verses for the week: Romans 10:13-15 (NLT) “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

Blessings,
Your friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

1 John 3 New Living Translation (NLT) Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

Blessings are contagious. Recently, a lady we know was standing in line at a Family Christian Book Store behind a seven year old girl who was proudly holding a bright green bible with big pink flowers. “I’ll bet you are getting that engraved with pink letters,” the lady said. The girl smiled brightly and moved toward the checkout where a young man was assisting customers.

The lady was purchasing a large number of items, so she started searching in her purse for a coupon. Not finding one, she decided to just pay full price, since most of the proceeds go to charity anyway.

“I noticed that you were looking for a coupon; I have an extra,” the girls’ mother said.

“Thanks! That will be great. May I treat your daughter to her new Bible?

“That OK. A hug and a thank you is plenty.”

As they hugged, the young man behind the counter exclaimed with laughter, “I wish we could get a video of this – two people trying to “out-bless” each other. The world needs to see more of this.”

In the book Charging the Human Battery by Marc Anderson, we read:

“And then some … These three little words are the secret to success. They are the difference between average people and top people in most companies. The top people always do what is expected … and then some. They are thoughtful of others; they are considerate and kind … and then some. They meet their responsibilities fairly and squarely … and then some. They are good friends and helpful neighbors … and then some. They can be counted on in an emergency … and then some. I am thankful for people like this, for they make the world a better place. Their spirit of service is summed up in these three little words … And then some.”

Prayer for the week: Dear Heavenly Father, blessings are contagious. Help me to be a carrier of your love – doing what you expect … and then some.

Blessings … and then some,

Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

“In 1952, young Florence Chadwick stepped into the waters of the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island, determined to swim to the shore of mainland California. She’d already been the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. The weather was foggy and chilly; she could hardly see the boats accompanying her. Still, she swam for fifteen hours. When she begged to be taken out of the water along the way, her mother, in a boat alongside, told her she was close and that she could make it. Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, she stopped swimming and was pulled out. It wasn’t until she was on the boat that she discovered the shore was less than half a mile away.

At a news conference the next day she said, “all I could see was the fog – I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.’” Can you relate to those words? We live our lives in a fog of trouble, worry, doubt, depression, health problems, unemployment, financial uncertainty, strained relationships…and loss of loved ones.”¹ Fortunately for Christians, there is a light that can guide us through that fog – Jesus, the Son of God. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12b (NIV)

“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 

Blessings, Your Friends in Christ ¹(The story of Florence Chadwick was shared in a taped message by C. J. Mahaney, “Loving the Church,” Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, MD, retold by Randy Alcorn)