How hard it is to remember...
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How hard it is to remember that most important rule. We memorize all those commandments to make sure we don't murder (we don't have much trouble obeying that one unless we go to war). We have a little trouble with coveting. Even a former president said, "I have lusted." As for stealing, it depends on our definition. We hedge on our income tax or make a few mistakes on the hours we turn in on our job report or accept a mistake on our sales ticket if it is in our favor or "borrow" an item from our job. The list could go on and on, but somehow seems so mild compared to breaking into a house to steal.
How simple it would be if we think of love. We would not cheat our wife or children or our best friends but would we cheat those we don't know? Are they really our neighbor?
If our God is not a God of love, then we have no God! If someone can blow up a store or apartment and kill men, women, children, they have no god or their god is the devil. I don't want to run down someone else's faith. That is not politically correct. We are not supposed to do that in this country.
We aren't allowed to have drunken debaucheries -- not even now-and-then to overcome depression. The hardest one is to avoid jealousy. Aren't we sometimes envious of the rich for being able to buy a new BMW, take a trip to Hawaii when they want, send their kids to college without having to borrow the money? The list could go on indefinitely. Even a pastor can sometimes envy a fellow who got elected bishop when we felt we could do better or be given a more prestigious church in a more important city. I can often catch myself wondering what it would be like if I had the resources of some I know. It can't be avoided -- but we must try. We are all tempted to gratify our sinful natures. We admit this every Sunday before we receive the Lord's Supper.
When I think of our final reward, it is hard not to think of earthly types of things like heavenly mansions, but all we should be looking forward to is being with a God of love -- a God who loved us so much that he even sacrificed his own Son for us. If we look forward to that kind of love, then I give up speculating on heavenly real estate.
To enjoy that kind of love, all God asks of us is that we show (and feel) that kind of love for everyone else we know. At least we have to try. Now try and think of everyone who you can love (or should love) if you try.
How simple it would be if we think of love. We would not cheat our wife or children or our best friends but would we cheat those we don't know? Are they really our neighbor?
If our God is not a God of love, then we have no God! If someone can blow up a store or apartment and kill men, women, children, they have no god or their god is the devil. I don't want to run down someone else's faith. That is not politically correct. We are not supposed to do that in this country.
We aren't allowed to have drunken debaucheries -- not even now-and-then to overcome depression. The hardest one is to avoid jealousy. Aren't we sometimes envious of the rich for being able to buy a new BMW, take a trip to Hawaii when they want, send their kids to college without having to borrow the money? The list could go on indefinitely. Even a pastor can sometimes envy a fellow who got elected bishop when we felt we could do better or be given a more prestigious church in a more important city. I can often catch myself wondering what it would be like if I had the resources of some I know. It can't be avoided -- but we must try. We are all tempted to gratify our sinful natures. We admit this every Sunday before we receive the Lord's Supper.
When I think of our final reward, it is hard not to think of earthly types of things like heavenly mansions, but all we should be looking forward to is being with a God of love -- a God who loved us so much that he even sacrificed his own Son for us. If we look forward to that kind of love, then I give up speculating on heavenly real estate.
To enjoy that kind of love, all God asks of us is that we show (and feel) that kind of love for everyone else we know. At least we have to try. Now try and think of everyone who you can love (or should love) if you try.
