4/17/2024 0 Comments Reading the dash poem![]() When we put our faith and heart to practice, it becomes easier for us to share God’s grace and mercy with others. Love that takes the initiative has the power to be transformative. To his point, when we think first about what we can offer in a relationship rather than what we will receive, we might be surprised at how quickly we can understand or (dare I say) actually like someone who is different than us. Paul goes so far as to encourage some friendly competition calling us to outdo each other in the ways we honor one another. We must be the first to set aside our differences, and lift each other up to touch that bar he has set for us by forgiving one another as He forgave us, and serving each other as He taught us to serve. If the sacrificial and self-giving love of Jesus has taught us anything it’s: love without action is not love.Īs followers of Christ, we must be willing to lead the way. Instead, hold tightly to humility, selflessness, generosity, and servanthood. But first we have to be willing to do the work, to love with a genuine heart for good.įor those who set Jesus as their example, you must not cling to pride, selfishness, favoritism or revenge. It needs to be put to work in order for it to work. Paul, like Christ, understood love is an action, not an emotion. What a great way to be remembered, don’t you think? Someone who changed the world. If we let our hearts be real and do what is right in the eyes of God, then we will do what Christ did…leave the world a better place than how we found it. ![]() The one we all must strive to grab hold of if we desire to be like him. So it is with Paul, who emphatically states, “Let love be genuine Hate what is evil. ![]() The dash that represents his life is a perfect testimony to this assertion. And surprise, surprise, it begins with Jesus’ favorite topic…love. Like the 10 Commandments, he provides a list of core values that help define us as a church, and teaches each one of us on how to live into the world as ambassadors and imitators of Christ. Now in this morning’s reading, Paul lays out a poetic yet profound “how-to” manual on living life in a way that represents God’s love for us. When my time comes, I hope I’ll be remembered as a great lover… and caretaker to all people, in spite of our differences of opinions or affiliations. What would you hear? Or better yet would you like them to say? That you worked hard, but could have worked harder? Or that you had a nice house filled with really cool stuff, but it could have been nicer had you bought cooler stuff?Īt the end of the day, what really matters most? As the poem states, it’s how we spend our time, living and loving between the years of our birth… all the way to our very last breath. Imagine sitting as a spectator at your own funeral, listening to people talk about your little dash. How does that make you feel? What does it make you want to do? It’s remarkable that a barely noticeable, simple unassuming mark represents everything you’ve done in your entire lifetime.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |