“So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets. Matthew 7:12 AMP
The Context and Focus:
As always, it is important to consider the audience that was addressed in today's verse, so you can determine just how much the words here impact and affect you. This was the first recorded sermon of Jesus on the Mountain, with his disciples gathered around him and a large crowd at the foot of the mount also listening to Him. Being there and taking it all in is important, but making sure to obey and apply what you have heard is also quite critical. Why waste your time listening, if you do not intend to obey? Why bother coming to listen to the message, if you have made up your mind to pick and choose only that which makes you comfortable? God is not looking for blind followers, but for disciples: people who are aware of the cost of following Jesus, have considered the cost, and have made up their minds to follow daily and closely. These are the people who Jesus is addressing here. As always, the crowd would hear and listen, but there is no obligation placed on an unsurrendered heart. God cannot direct or dictate to a heart he does not own or control. Does He own your heart? Can He direct it as He pleases?
The Message:
If indeed I am His own, and He owns, holds and controls my heart, then I can consider the words of today's verse. The proof of my inner conviction is seen in my life's profession. It is in my relationships with other people that the proof of my relationship with God is made manifest. I can make all the right noises, and speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but if I don't have Him, I can't fake Him. Men have to see the proof of His life in me, so they can glorify my father in heaven. God will not always come down physically from heaven to deal with man on a daily basis, but he has left me down here as His representative. I am His eyes, ears, hands, feet, lips and heart, and all I do must reflect and show Him off. Like Peter and John, it was said of them that they had been with Jesus, because their words and actions reflected him. This is how it has to be for all who call on the name of the Lord: men must see the mark of His presence in me. It cannot just be about empty words, but a life that points men out to God. Even God's commandments given to Moses speak a lot about man's relationship with his fellow man, which shows that these relationships are dear to God's heart.
The Conclusion:
If I know I belong to God, I have to audit my actions in the light of what His Word says. The law is that my expectations must drive my own delivery. The law is also that whatever I sow is what I should expect to reap. These laws are so clearly laid out in the stories of the men and women of old, and their lives bear evidence to the truth that you cannot deceive God. It will be wrong to do something and then expect the opposite of what God has already laid down as the consequences of my own actions. Whatever it is I do not like, I must not offer it to another person. If I were to be asked to eat the food I have spent time preparing for others, would I look forward to eating it? God is not unjust; He will not place a demand on me and not supply the grace I need to comply. No matter how complex or demanding the relationship is, I must just trust and depend on God to help me navigate successfully. It is God's life in me that will attract men to God. I owe it to God to live the right way, so that His name can be known all over the earth. God's time of favour is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment