Scripture: Luke 6:31-32
Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them…”
Thought for the Day: Okay, I promise this will be the last Shane Claiborne quote…at least for a while. In his book, Irresistible Revolution, Claiborne wrote, “Only Jesus would be crazy enough to suggest that if you want to become the greatest, you should become the least. Only Jesus would declare God’s blessing on the poor rather than on the rich and would insist that it’s not enough to just love your friends. I just began to wonder if anybody still believed Jesus meant those things he said.” I don’t want to point fingers or make uninformed judgements, so I’ll speak from the vantage point I know best…my own. In recent weeks, I have found myself singing a song in worship only to come across a line that flowed from my lips but didn’t comfortably sit in my heart. Oh it sounded beautiful and admirable, but just because I was singing it didn’t necessarily mean I was going to do it. Jesus suggested a lot of really crazy stuff, and I wonder just how seriously I believe it…or maybe I believe it, but don’t have any desire to make the needed changes in my own life to see it occur. Christianity would be a lot easier if I were living alone on a deserted island (in that mythical world of deserted islands). Think about it – practicing the Christian faith is extraordinarily difficult when I have to do it with people whose opinions and ideals and ethics are different than mine. It’s tough to be a Christian, and anyone who tells you otherwise hasn’t yet tried to be a Jesus follower in any significant way. With that said, know that God’s grace is there to both encourage us when its tough, forgive us when we fail, and celebrate with us when we have a little success.
Prayer: Merciful God, help me be kind, gentle and loving…and I’ll start with the goal of the next 10 minutes…and if that works, I’ll seek your help on the next 10. Amen.
IMPORTANT
THIS SUNDAY
June 30
One Worship Service
at 10:30am
(Special Music Begins at 10:15am)
All Church Picnic
Follows Worship
