Monday, September 26, 2011

"The Goal and Love"

We are called and encourged, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." (Heb. 12:1) These faithful men and women that have passed before us are urging us on, calling us to run the race before us. In their lives while walking this earth, they failed, struggled but kept their eyes on the goal and trusted the promises of God. They now call us upward to the same.
We fail and sometimes we fail miserably. The failings are not what life is about. It is the over-comings. The victories over weaknesses and struggles. It is running the race by not allowing the weights that some shackle on us or we shackle on ourselves and the struggles against sin that we need help to overcome. I can remember when my grand kids were learning to walk. We didn't sit around counting the number of times they fell before they took their first step. We were wanting to see them take their first step unaided and rejoiced in that. That's what love would do and does!
In all these witnesses surrounding us, we learn another important lesson. A lesson on love. Loving the Lord with all our heart knowing He too is not counting our trespasses against us as long as we are being honest with Him. To run this race love is a must! Then we turn to God speaking in I Cor. 13:5 where we are called: "[Love] does not take into account a wrong suffered." This is an accountants term. One version says: "Love keeps no records of wrongs." We need to lay aside every encumbrance, things that weight us down so we can run the race before us. One thing that weighs on many is they are CPA's while keeping an account of every misstep or what they believe are missteps of others. Too many operate their lives on numbers. We see it in righteousness: so many good deeds done, so many evil deeds not done! Many determine their spiritual walk by the number of points they think they have accumulated, either for themselves or against another! We talk of grace but operate our lives almost graceless!!
When Peter asked Jesus if forgiving seven times was a good number, Jesus told him no. Jesus wasn't urging numbers from Peter, to keep records! Jesus was urging him to forget the numbers and embrace grace, mercy and love.
We are called upward, to run a race set before us. Those who love our souls will rebuke us when it is necessary but they will NEVER keep an account of wrongs. That's just not love. That's not Jesus. What are we to do with those who fall or fail? You know, those sinners? Are we talking about sinners like ourselves? What are we to do with ourselves? Do we threaten to disown one because they fail? Would we do that with ourselves? Do we keep a record of wrongs of others so we don't notice our own? Remember, there is One who sees us for who we really are rather than what we think we are. And you might not recognize this, but this One won't keep a recorded past of wrongs! Why? Because He loves and those tied to Him urge us on, forget the wrongs and try to help one another make it!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

People just seem to keep a record of everything and they don't see it is a problem spiritually. Scriptures say it is unloving and those who don't love don't know God! Keep 'em coming Brent.

Anonymous said...

When you are keeping track of others faults, you are not keeping your mind on things above. Thanks for the reminder, Brent!