Sitting at a stop light this morning I looked across to the other side of the highway. There was a bus facing me and its flashing sign read “Masks Required”. My imagination took off as I pondered the options for such a sign. How about “God required”? Or “Love required”? What about “Humility”? These are the three “values” I came up with as a follower of Christ. This is what my own personal sign would reflect. In order to follow Christ, you must have God in your life. No news there. But God won’t barge in uninvited. Surprised? Did you think he would come into your life just to rule it? Or because he thought you were messing up? Nope. If you tell God, “I’ve got this. I don’t need you,” he will walk away, respecting your wishes. He only comes into your life when he is invited; sincerely, from the heart, absolutely invited. He wants you to be the one to decide that you need him and want him to come into your heart and take charge of your life. This was a strange concept for me initially. I always had God in my life but it wasn’t until 2015 that I asked him to take over. He was waiting for that. Ever since Adam and Eve betrayed him in the Garden of Eden and the early Jews repeatedly turned their backs on him he has been watching us, waiting and hoping we would come back. It would have to be our choice, our free will, that took the first step.
In Matthew 22:37 a Pharisee in the crowd asks Jesus this question in order to trap him, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” In the Bible we learn that “love” is a verb. It is action taken or not taken. Loving your neighbor does not mean you must embrace them as a great friend. You may not even like them. It means that you are kind, that you help those less fortunate, that you offer forgiveness where needed and that you demonstrate respect. In today’s tough political climate, love for your fellow man has become a rarity and certainly loving someone you disagree with is much more so. Hate is the popular emotion today and it is destroying our society faster than Covid19.
Humility. What exactly does that mean? As Christians, we are called to be humble, putting others’ needs before our own. Allowing God to come in and control our lives, making us the best versions of ourselves, bringing glory to him. Luke 14:11 – For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Being humble means not boasting, not being prideful, holding others up instead of yourself.
Three axioms “God required” “Love required” and “Humility required.” Apply these to your life and watch how it changes you for the better. God bless.