Living in the Spirit
November 2, 2014
Scripture Reading: Matthew 23:1-12
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
— Matthew 23:8-12
Giving our entire being to God takes a whole lot of trust that is difficult to have in a world where we are daily taught to trust no one or nothing. The more our trusting others has failed in life, either from putting our faith in the wrong places or from the object of our faith proving not to be trustworthy, we become even more skeptical. In this scripture, Jesus is saying don’t judge God by human standards. He also cautions us to see the element of God that is in every human.
We live in an interdependent world and I believe God intended that to be the case. The key to making interdependent relationships work is keeping the focus of the relationship on its common purpose. The ultimate common interest of all relationships is anchored in loving God. What does it mean to love God? I like M. Scott Peck’s definition of the word “love” in its simplest form as wanting the very best for another. So what is the “very best” that God wants for God? It would seem, according to Jesus, that God experiences God’s greatest joy when we are living out wanting the best for each other in all aspects of our lives.
Actually we based the formation of the United States government on this very foundation: the purpose of our federal government is to assure the common good of all of our citizens. We have an opportunity to participate in that practice this week as citizens of this great nation by voting. So study the candidates and questions carefully, look beyond the sound bites of special interest groups, remember that what is the best for us individually or for one group may not meet the test of the what is best for all, consider the common good, and vote!
Prayer: Lord, guide us in all aspects of our loving you in our love for all others, even in fulfilling our civic responsibilities. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.