AS A CHRISTIAN, DO YOU ENJOY BEING A PART OF GOD’S FAMILY?
BIBLE PASSAGE:
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit
of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more
as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:25)
MEDITATION:
If we ask enough people, we can get many different opinions about
what it means to be a Christian. Chances are that even though they
may be different, each opinion could very well be a ‘part’ of being
a Christian.
However, they all fall under one umbrella that is defined as
“Loving the Lord enough to obey His commands”.
If we say we love Him, but have decided to obey only some of His
commands (the ones that are easy for us and the ones that appeal
to us), then we don’t love Him enough. Partial obedience is still
disobedience.
If you love me, keep my commands.
(John 14:15)
If we view His commands as a buffet where we can choose the ones
we like, then our love for Him is lacking. Some are good at trying
to obey God’s “don’t” commands, but sadly they overlook or ignore
His “do” commands.
Jesus has told us that the greatest of God’s commands are “do” commands.
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this:
‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
(Mark 12:29-31)
When God’s own Son says, “there is no commandment greater than these”,
we should pay special attention to them, shouldn’t we? But how often do
we focus on obeying those commands? Do we put forth any extra effort
to show love to others, or do we find reasons why they shouldn’t be loved?
When Jesus says we are to love our ‘neighbor’ we might think He is
referring to the people who live nearby. But in Luke, when the lawyer
asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”, Jesus gave him a parable to make
it clear that our ‘neighbor’ is anyone who is hurting and in need of love
(ref. Luke 10:25-37). In His parable, the neighbor was a stranger.
In our world today, we know others who are not strangers, but are hurting
either physically or emotionally, but how often do we reach out to encourage,
or help them in some way? We can reach out quickly and easily to let them
know they are loved and prayed for with a card, or text, but how many of
us take the time to obey God’s command to, ‘love our neighbor as ourself’?
When we read more of Mark 12, we can see that when the lawyer responded
to Jesus after being told about the two ‘greatest commands’, Jesus told him
he was, “not far from the kingdom of God”. That might sound like a good
thing, but it’s not! Why? Because the lawyer is still short of the kingdom of God.
We should ask ourselves,
“Am I still short of the kingdom of God because
I have failed to obey His greatest two commands?”
“Do I know of someone who needs to be shown love?
If I do, then what have I done to allow the love of
Jesus to flow through me?”
“Would Jesus tell me that I am not far from the kingdom of God?”
Another ‘do’ command from God is to “meet together”.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward
love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some
are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and
all the more as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:24-25)
Some people can find all kinds of reasons and ways to attend outside
events like football games, concerts, etc. Some will even go to an event
when they are ill, because it is that important to them. That’s the same
kind of dedication and enthusiasm we should have about going to the
Lord’s house in obedience to His command.
When the scriptures say,
“Let us not give up meeting together”,
it is not a suggestion, but a command to those who claim to be part
of God’s family. That is one thing families do – they meet together,
in their homes. With that thought in mind, it makes sense that God
would want His family to meet with Him and other Christian family
members in His home.
The scriptures tell us that some are “in the habit” of not meeting
together as believers. When God’s Word tells us that some are not
obeying His command, it is not a compliment but a condemnation
of those who are disobedient.
When we look at the verse in Hebrews, we are told that more will
‘drift away’ as the return of Jesus gets nearer. It is no surprise that
church attendance is steadily declining as more join the ranks of
those choosing other things to replace meeting with God’s family.
Of course, with things like pandemics, some must avoid crowds due
to their medical condition and weakened immune system, but many
church services can still be accessed through television or other ways
provided by many churches. We might have a condition that prevents
us from physically worshipping with other believers, but we can still
obey God’s command to ‘connect’ spiritually in other ways.
The scriptures give us a reason for meeting together as family, which
is, – to encourage each other. It can be discouraging to those who are
obeying His command of ‘meeting together’, when they know that other
brothers and sisters who are following Jesus have replaced worship with
other things they consider more important.
However, those who still love the Lord enough to obey His command
to “meet together”, are an encouragement and can lift the spirits of
each other. For those who cannot attend church for medical reasons
it is essential to stay in touch with other members of God’s family.
The obedience of meeting together is also encouraging to preachers
and teachers who have dedicated themselves to sharing with others
what God has revealed to them. When they work diligently to prepare
and present what God wants them to share, it can be very discouraging
when they see people start “falling away”.
But when God’s family gatherings do not decrease in size (or when
they increase), it encourages those who are using their spiritual gift
to serve the Lord by doing what He has called them to do. Serving
the Lord is another ‘do’ command. Look at these words from Jesus
when Satan tried to tempt Him.
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is
written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
(Matthew 4:10)
Remember, when we received God’s salvation, we also received the
Holy Spirit to help us overcome our weaknesses and to guide us in
serving the Lord. In addition, we were given at least one spiritual
gift to help us in ‘serving God only’. As Christians, we should ask
ourselves,
“How am I using the spiritual gift God has given me?”
“Do I even know what spiritual gift God has given me?”
The Bible tells us how important the church (God’s people) is to Jesus.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ
loved the church and gave himself up for her.
(Ephesians 5:25)
If Jesus loved the church enough to give Himself up for it, then it’s
reasonable to assume that those who want to be like Jesus, should
also want to give up something (fill in the blank) for the church
and for the Lord in obedience to the His commands.
ACTION:
Questions to consider:
– How am I doing with obeying God’s commands?
– Do I have my own list that only includes the ones I like?
– Do I focus on the “don’t” commands, but overlook the “do” commands?
If we are not striving to obey ALL of God’s commands, then we are
missing out on the real meaning and joy of living the Christian life.
True believers love the Lord enough that they have a desire to do
whatever God expects of them as part of His family. His commands
are not to be considered as ‘chores’, but as guidelines for us to follow
when we want to gladly show how much we love Him.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your book of instructions.
Forgive me if I am guilty of obeying only what I choose, and
ignoring Your other instructions. Jesus, You have shown me
how important the church is to You. Help me to place the same
level of importance on connecting with God’s family. Make me
aware of how encouraging I can be to other believers through
my desire to love God and love my neighbors. I want to love You
enough that I will enjoy following the guidelines You have given
to all those who are followers of Your Son, Jesus.”
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