After All, It Is All About Us?... Right?

It’s pretty easy to be a Christ follower when life is good; when everyone is nice to you, when work is going well, when family is all getting along, and finances are in order.  Too bad those stars don’t align very often! Instead, we have to look at Jesus and ask the question “So how are you expecting me to act now? At a time like this?? How am I supposed to respond?” The reality is our response to those questions, and God’s response to those questions, are very different.  And usually we excuse our/others responses with a phrase like “Well, I can understand where he/she was coming from…” because we do understand, even if we don’t condone the response. 

Yet, God asks more of us.  Especially from those of us who profess to love and adore our Savior Jesus Christ, and have given our lives to live with him, through him, and for him.  We can’t leave it at “we understand” because it’s not about understanding.  It’s about being transformed into the image of Christ himself, God in flesh, here on earth.  What does that look like?  How did he respond? How did he act? And whatever the answers are to those questions, that is what we should look like.  That is how we should respond. That is how we should act. 

It’s also easy for the Church to act like Jesus when all is good and when all relationships are order.  But when we disagree on something, when a new change is being introduced into the life of the church, or tragedy hits when one of our members falls from grace, making choices that look anything but what Jesus would look like, then in all honesty, it gets a lot harder to act like Jesus… and mean it.  It’s easier to make judgments forgetting there is only one Judge and it ain’t YOU!  It’s easier to point fingers and begin deciding blame, sidestepping the very grace and mercy we were afforded each time we let God down and chose to sin.  It’s easier to begin choosing sides and start lining up our forces along the battle lines, forgetting the battle was fought and won and we don’t need to battle any longer.  Yet we do choose the easy way out, most of the time… because it’s easy!

Jesus was heard by others to say these words: “You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. In a word, what I'm saying is, grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." (Matthew 5.43-48) 

We do expect a bonus! We think loving our friends, family, and great people around us deserves at least a bonus blessing or empty parking space or something.  And we do expect medals! For serving (like we should to honor Christ), for giving (like we should, considering it is God’s anyway), and for being nice to someone who is usually nice to us (it is easy).  After all, it is all about us… right?  Our faith life… it is all about us… right?  When we get the answer to that question figured out, the rest may actually fall in line, as well. 

“In a word, what I'm saying is, grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."  Can I hear an amen?