Gulping Down the Camel

¨Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel!¨  Matthew 23:24 (ASV)

Jesus takes His teaching and touches upon a subject where we all come up short.  He directs His disdain at the actions of certain church people but the correlation is clear.

¨Hypocrites!¨ He cries, ¨who give tithes and follow the customs and ways of the church, but forget the most important things God wants. You should have done what you do without forgetting justice, mercy and faithfulness.¨

There may be many things we feel we should be doing if we want to call ourselves Christians, but however good and lofty they may be we can never separate them from the love of God.

God is love, period!

If we have any of Him inside of us, then we will reflect that same love.

This is not just a convenient expression to blurt out. Rather it is a kind of dividing line between those who are truly concerned about who God is and what He wants, and the lost and disbeliever.

Most of us could probably remember or have had the experience of meeting a very religious person, but that person was not a nice person at all.  In fact, we may know many people who attend church but are so wrapped up in doing the right thing, that the forget to demonstrate a loving manner.  Perhaps it may seem that the very opposite is actually occurring with them and that they do not even see that others can see no love in their hearts.  Are there moments you think, that others may find it difficult to see us too acting out of love?

You and I are not called merely to a refined lifestyle or purer mentality.  Christianity may provide these things as they may have done for the scribes and Pharisees.  We may gain a holier appearance and others may say about us that we seem to be Godly minded people.  But without the love of God flowing in and through us, sweeping us away in waves of overwhelming compassion for Him and His creation, we cannot possibly claim to have anything to do with the true God.

It is so true that the living God forgives a mountain of sin and failure within each one of us born under the slavery of sin.  But we should be sufficiently aware that the attractive characteristic of our God is His love.  If we would appreciate that, then it should be our highest goal to work along with the moving of the Spirit and be filled with this same love.

Dear Jesus, there are many fantastic examples of love brought to us through the revelation of our race brought to us in the Bible.  Your sacrifice alone should move us in a way so as to change the way we are in our own dealings.  Please bring us a deep yearning to be filled with this same kind of love towards You, our God, and to all Your people everywhere.  As we find our lives refined and purified, let the most remarkable quality shine through that we are brought closer and closer to resemble You in the way that we love.  Help us to return to You the love You have showered upon us and let the love we receive reflect in all that we do and say.  Then anything we do here on earth will lift You higher as we offer ourselves as distributors of Your love unto all Your creation.

In You, to You and for You be all things, we pray.

Amen