Currently reading: The Gospel of Luke
So my memory verse for today is Ephesians 6:7 which reads, "Render service with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men." Now, I'm not sure why but I kept wanting to replace the "as to"'s with "as for"'s. Then I started thinking about what is meant by "as to." I first wanted to translate this verse to mean, 'the service I do needs to be for the Lord. I need to focus on Him and not worry so much over helping people when what they are doing does not pertain to doing some act of service to God.' Wow. I was wrong. I misinterpreted because I was replacing the "as to" with "as for."
"Render service with a good attitude, as TO the Lord and not to men." To me now I have a new understanding. God wants us to do kind things for other people because we're not paying the person back in any way or giving them what they deserve, but we are trying to pay tribute to God for the Love He shows us. The cost of our salvation was Jesus dying a gruesome death. We will never be able to pay that off. The point isn't the impossibility of us being worthy, the point is that every day of our lives we should be giving thanks and giving glory and giving back to God. No one can decide exactly what others deserve. Someone may have lied or stolen from you, but if you're given the opportunity to help them out, you should. It's not about what they deserve. It's about what God deserves. God deserves our love. We love Him through loving other people. John 13:35 says, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Not only should we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we should also show love to others that are not in our family. We have the promise of forgiveness any time we sin. Why should we judge and punish others? Do you not think God can better justify a wrongdoing? Matthew 5:39-42 says, "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you."
That's right - when someone hits you in the face, you're supposed to offer your other cheek. Think about these verses. Just stop and reflect.
God does not want us to judge others. Revenge is not loving. Revenge is not joyful. Revenge is not peaceful. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9). Unconditional love is patient (1 Corinthians 13:4).
How many people have you judged today? Not just judging appearances or actions, but how many people in the past week have you 'brought to justice'. God calls us to "love one another deeply" (1 Peter 1:22).
How many Christians have you judged this month? How many of your brothers and sisters have you looked at and compared yourself to? We are ALL in need of grace. Every single one of us every day. We cannot compare ourselves to our family members. 2 Corinthians 10:13 says, "Our goal is to measure up to God's plans for us." Are you measuring up? Are you more focused on how to grow closer to God and work toward becoming more like Jesus? Or are you more focused on every one around you that's not doing it?
I don't write these things to condemn you, but to warn you against the things I've caught myself doing. Trying to judge others is a waste of time. A waste. Of time. I speak from experience. Time is so precious. Eternity is forever and I only have a short while on earth to show others that I love them. To try and show them to unconditional love I receive every second of every day. A love I still cannot entirely fathom (and I'm betting I never will be able to). If we can recognize and study and start to try and wrap our minds around the love God has for us, it can change our perspectives, our priorities, and even our current beliefs. I challenge you to take time this week to look up verses on love and write them all down on one or two sheets of paper. Go through with a highlighter and mark the characteristics of love. If you're not sure where to start, I'd suggest 1 Corinthians 13. Once you've marked up all the characteristics make a list of them. Then make another list of every unloving thing you've done this week that doesn't match up with the characteristics of love. Put the lists side by side and go to God in prayer. Ask Him to forgive you for the unloving things you've done. Then go through each characteristic of love and praise Him, thank Him for showing those things to you every moment of your life. When you're done praying, burn or shred the list of now forgiven sins. Take the list of characteristics and tape them to your refrigerator or put them somewhere where you'll see them every day. As you go through the day focus on living out those characteristics of love. Also realize that God is all these things. God is Love.
"This service you perform not only meets the needs of God's people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God." 2 Corinthians 9:12
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