Who do you love?

            It is so easy to love some people. The precious giggles and kisses from my two little girls make it so easy to love them. The diligent, consistent nature of my wife makes her easy to love. The sweet, gracious woman that is going through cancer treatments, but still makes time to encourage me and bring my family meals is easy to love. The ones that make us strive to be more than we think we can be, are easy to love. The ones that show love to those I love, are easy to love. The ones that I agree with, are easy to love.

            However, there are some people that I find very difficult to love. Those that would do harm, physically, emotionally, or spiritually to those I love, I find very difficult to love. Those that are untrustworthy, manipulative, domineering, or lying, I find very difficult to love. Those that make it clear, through their words and/or actions, that they seek to discourage me, I find it very difficult to love. Those that use their both their spoken words and written words to tear down and bring division, are very difficult to love. Those that I totally disagree with, I find difficult to love.

            Nevertheless, the words of Jesus keep coming back to me. The law is summarized in two commands, love God with all your being and love your neighbor as you love yourself (Luke 10:27). He goes on to explain who our neighbor is by telling perhaps his best known parable, the parable of the good Samaritan. This story has become so well known that it is easy to miss the profound nature of what Jesus means here. It means more than simply helping the person you see in trouble, though that is a very good thing to do. It goes deeper than that simple meaning.

            For hundreds of years the Jews and Samaritans were hated enemies. This hatred is still seen, to some extent, with the conflicts between Israel and Palestine today. Both groups claimed they were the rightful heirs of the promises to Abraham and Moses, both claimed they were the rightful owners of the land. It was dangerous to travel between the lands in Jesus’ day. It can be dangerous today as well. If one takes a direct route from Galilee to Jerusalem, it will take them through the West Bank. Most Israelites today will avoid that route if possible. Most at the time of Jesus would take a less direct route and go to Jericho first, then go up the mountain to Jerusalem.

            Danger could still be found on this route as well. Robbers often preyed on travelers as they walked this lonely road. Often those who had been mugged were left for dead. In our story, a Jewish man had been beaten, robbed, and left for dead. A good Jewish person on their way to the Temple would be very hesitate to touch someone that might be dead, because it would make them ceremonially unclean. Thus, preserving their purity was more important, in their misguided view, than showing love to their neighbor.

            When the lawyer asked Jesus who counts as a neighbor, he fully expected the answer to be other Israelites. Yet, Jesus surprised him, and all who heard it no doubt, by teaching that God is much more gracious than he. God is the God of the whole world and a neighbor is anyone in need. Jesus turned the man’s question around and asked him, who is real neighbor in this story?

            Jesus was asking him, can you see that your hated enemy is also your neighbor? The lawyer had deceived himself, and most of his time agreed, into believing that God had shown Israel love and grace so that they could remain isolated, secure, and pure. However, the grace and love that God shows each of us should stand as a challenge to extend love and grace to the whole world. We as Christians must not be content to watch while someone we do not see as a friend lies half dead in the road.

            Yes, it is easy to love those that agree with us, look like us, think like us, and make us feel good about ourselves. It is much harder to live up to the words of Jesus, “the world will know you are my disciples by the way you love one another” (John 13:35).

            In 1 John 4:7-11 we are commanded to love another, if we are unable to love, then we do not know God. God showed us what real love is by sending Jesus to die for us. Therefore, “if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

            Let us be known as a community of faith that shows love, grace, and compassion because we have been shown the same by God. If God only loved those who are worthy, showed grace to those who had earned it (as if that were possible), and expressed compassion to those who deserve it, none of us would know the love, grace, and compassion of the Lord. Therefore, let us go forth and do the same.

7 Ways I Am Praying For Our President

     Like many of you, I am frustrated with the current political climate. This election cycle has been, and continues to be, full of negative campaigns, name calling, scandals, and a lack of respect on both sides. That being said, one thing I know for sure, God is in control. Regardless of the results of the upcoming election, God is sovereign and in the end, He will set all things to right. Also, let me remind you of the words of 1 Peter 2:17, “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”

     I reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul, in 1 Timothy 2:1-3, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” When Paul wrote these instructions, Nero was the Emperor. Nero was a persecutor of Christians and nevertheless, Christians were told to pray for him. Regardless of who is president now, or in the future, it is important for us to pray for them. So how do we do that? Let me make a few suggestions of how we can pray for our president regardless of our political affiliation.

1.     I am praying for our President to have wisdom. As Solomon prayed for wisdom in 1 Kings 3, I am praying for our President to have wisdom from God. The President needs wisdom to govern, to lead, and to inspire. True wisdom comes from God and I praying our President seeks the will of God in all things.

2.     I am praying for wise advisors. Proverbs 24:6 says there is victory in the multitude of wise counselors.

a.     I am praying for those that would advise toward evil or foolishness to be removed. Proverbs 25:5 says, “take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

b.     I am praying for God to raise up men and women like Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and Nehemiah. Men and women who love the Lord more than their political agenda. Men and women who fear God more than man.

3.     I am praying for the President’s family. All of us know that what happens in our homes greatly effects what happens in our jobs. I am praying the President has a strong marriage, a spouse that loves the Lord, loving children, and unity based on trust and faith. I am praying for their health and their safety.

4.     I am praying for the President to have humility. Thomas Jefferson once said, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.” A wise President knows that they are only human and not divine. They understand that there is a day of judgment for all.

5.     I am praying for the President to seek what is righteous and just. Romans 13 says that the primary function of government is to reward those that do good and punish those that do evil. I pray the President understands what is right in the eyes of God, and what it means to bring about justice. Furthermore, I am praying that our President seeks to keep our nation, and the whole world, safe.

6.     I am praying for the President to have the courage to do what is right. We live in an age that is directed by opinion polls and negative feedback. I am praying that our President will listen less to what people seem to want, and rather will seek to do the right thing regardless of public opinion.

7.     I am praying for the President to be quick to listen, slow speak, and slow to become angry (James 1:19). I pray the President is quick to listen to the Lord, to wise counselors, and to those that disagree with their policies. I pray the President is slow to say words that cannot be taken back. That his/her words would not be malicious, untrue, or spoken without forethought. I am praying for the President to control his/her temper. There are things that should make us angry, but we are not to allow anger to control us.

      I love our country, I served our country, and would again. Because of that, I am praying. These are just a few things I am praying about in regards to our current and future President. Will you join me in these prayers?

Stars Wars was really cool, let's do it again, sure why not?

There are no midichlorians, no Jar Jar, no senate speeches, no weird bad chemistry forced relationships, no over the top CGI, and they didn’t kill the cool villain in the first movie (like in Episode 1) and that is all good. Yes there are desert worlds, quests, droids, Skywalkers, the Millennium Falcon, lightsabers, and other such elements we want to see. I love that it is a return to original feel. I also love a few of the new characters, there is a strong female lead and this new/old universe now has people of color, that's cool. It is fast paced with great concepts and potential.

On the negative it relied too much on the original story. I can imagine J. J. Abrams and his writing group sitting around brainstorming what to do with this movie. Hey I have an idea, I loved the originals, I mean who didn’t? So let’s take our favorite parts and just redo it with different characters. Like what? Well, Vader is the coolest villain ever, so lets get a fanboy wannabe, sure why not? Let have him have a black mask too, sure why not? Hey everybody loves R2D2, so let’s bring him back, but let's get a new one too that is real cute and smart, sure why not? Hey why we are at it let’s have him carrying vital information and put him a desert planet, sure why not? Hey let’s have the Vader wannabe arrive on the scene shortly after that information is handed off looking for the droid, sure why not? Hey let's have that guy and some storm troopers kill a village why we are at it, sure why not? Hey it was a cool scene when Darth Vader tortured the hero, let’s do that again, sure why not? Hey let’s let one of our heros be from that same planet and be strong in the force, but not know about it yet, sure why not? Hey we had Obi Wan teach them, we need an old wise guy to teach right, how about using Han Solo, everyone loves Han right, sure why not? Hey it was fun how Han was always in trouble with a criminal element right, so let’s do that again, sure why not? Oh and remember in the originals Obi Wan died at the hand of Vader, well how about our new wise one dies at the hand of the new Vader, sure why not? Oh and remember how Luke had to watch it from a distance and could do nothing to stop it, well let’s do that again too what do you say, sure why not? Hey do you remember there was a military leader in the originals (Tarkin) that was equal to Vader in authority, but could not use the force? We need someone like that again this time, let’s call him General Hux, sure why not? Hey we need an cantina scene with some cool looking aliens, sure why not? I loved that they introduced the Emperor as a big, mysterious hologram and that was cool, let's do that again with the new really bad guy, sure why not? Hey remember that time that Obi Wan used the force to get a stormtrooper to do what he wanted, well we have to do that again right, sure why not? The death star was cool enough for two movies, why not a third; hey let's make it really big this time like a planet and why not blow it up too, using X Wings and monitored in a control room by Leia, sure why not?

Well you get the idea, but you know what? It was cool, so sure why not. I’d like to see it again and hope the next one is not just Luke training his apprentice in a weird planet like Yoda. Well, that was pretty cool and I miss Yoda, so why not?