As we end this series on “LIVING”, I’m going to make this last message “GOLDEN!”

 

Maybe you thought that the “GOLDEN RULE” was something your mother made up to get you to act appropriately. Or maybe you thought it was something your mother’s mother said to her, and so it eventually became a way of living. Neither is true!

The “Golden Rule,” is more than a kind gesture toward another, or an appropriate action or display of behavior. It’s actually a way of living that was modeled for us and taught to us by Jesus Himself.

After calling His disciples to follow Him, Jesus spent time teaching them how to live.

He taught them how to be salt and light. He taught them about the law. He taught them about anger. He taught them about adultery. He taught them about divorce, vows, and revenge. He taught them about the importance of loving their enemies. He taught them about giving to the needy. He taught them about the important practice of prayer and fasting. He taught them about money and possessions, and how not to judge one another. And He took all this teaching, with all of its details and particulars, and summed it up with the GOLDEN RULE…

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.” Matthew 7:12

That the New Living Translation. I also like it in the Message…

“Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.” Matthew 7:12

But my very favorite translation of this Golden Rule is in the New American Standard Version…

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you!” Matthew 7:12

If you and I are followers of Jesus today, then we are His ‘modern day disciples.’ Do you think He wants us to live any differently then His first disciples? The answer is NO!  We are to imitate Christ so that others are attracted to Him by the way we live!

Jesus’ words here aren’t hard to understand, but boy are they challenging to live out each day!

Truth Bomb

When we treat others the way Jesus treats us our relationships are golden.

Someone at church this past week challenged us to look at this ‘Golden Rule Verse’ through the eyes of Jesus.

Instead of saying, “Do onto others as you would have others do unto you.” Say, “Treat other people the way Jesus treats you.”
Now friends, that’s raising the bar quite high! But can you even begin to imagine how our lives would look if we stopped grumbling and complaining about every little thing someone did or didn’t do to us, and started treating them like Jesus would treat them regardless of how they were treating us?

I think it would be GOLDEN!

I think we may develop a piece of heaven on earth if we were to live our lives by this very GOLDEN RULE!

Speak Truth Love

Today is a very special day on the calendar for me! April 17th is my grandfather’s birthday! Grandpa has been in heaven with Jesus for almost 30 years.
In fact, our grandparents were so influential in our lives, that my sister Lynne got married on my grandpa’s birthday, and my sister Krissy got married on my grandparents anniversary!
My Grandpa stands tall there among men twice his height is stature. He was not a large physical man here on earth, but he was a giant spiritually.
Oh, he didn’t write any best selling books or speak on large stages to hundreds of listeners. He didn’t start any overseas missions or run any successful para-church organizations. He was a quiet man who loved his Lord well and put his family first! His example in my life of how to live out the Christian life was priceless and unmatchable. As far as I am concerned, He walked among the giants of The Faith.

Gilbert Peter Switter was raised Catholic by a German immigrant family. He grew up with little financial stability and less than a High School degree. However, intelligent he was, and he quickly made enough money to buy a model T Ford and impress Lela May Welty. His desire to marry her caused conflict when their faiths collided. Through pain, sorrow and many arguments Gilbert chose to marry my grandmother and reject his catholic faith.

They were married for over 10 years when their one and only daughter, Linda Kay Switter was born. They were both 30 years old at the time, and overjoyed with this precious baby girl. They adored her! The adoration only grew stronger as they were unable to have any more children.

For 12 plus years Gilbert continued to live a lifestyle driven by goals to attain wealth and enjoyment. The marriage suffered because of it and Lela clung tighter to her Christian Faith. Finally, Lela told him something must change. Angry, Gilbert walked out!

Time passed and Lela was heartbroken, but clinging to The Truth that she knew would sustain her. She and her daughter went to church as usual, but this day at church would be like non other. The pastor finished the sermon and gave the alter call. Lela and Linda saw Gilbert walk past them, where he had risen from a seat in the back of the church, and go forward and accept Jesus Christ into his life.

From that point on, Gilbert embodied the life of a Christian man. He began by putting God first. He led the deacons, and was the church treasurer. He served faithfully on many committees at church and tithed faithfully. How do I know that? I saw him fill out his church offering envelope every ‪Saturday night‬ I stayed with them. He took it to church every ‪Sunday morning‬ in his suit coat pocket!
He followed that first command with the second, as He loved his family and neighbors well.
He played with his grandchildren and took us to church. He took us on vacations every summer and sent us to church camp. He visited every Christmas with loads of presents and went to church every single week.
Gilbert Peter Switter led by example. A quiet, committed man of God who loved God first and loved his family well.

I never questioned my grandfather’s faith in Christ because he lived his life by the greatest commandment…

“Love the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than this.” Mark 12:30-31

Friends, let’s be honest here, loving God is not the hard part, loving others is! You may be the sweetest, kindest, loving person on this planet, but you are still human, and so am I!
People are not always easy to love, but our God commands us to love them anyway!
He does not say love them when they are nice. Or, love them when they love you back. He just says “LOVE THEM!”

How in the world do we do this! How is this “LIVING?”

We can only “Love our neighbor as ourself,” when we are fueled with a power greater than our own strength.

C.S. Lewis put it this way:
“God made us, invented us asa man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol,(you can tell he was British!:)), and it would not run properly anything else.Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn.”

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN GOD HIMSELF IS THE FUEL WE BURN, WE CAN LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS AS OURSELVES!

I am blessed and thankful to have had a human example of loving others the way God intends them to be loved. But, with or without that example, I am unable to love others properly without the filling of God’s Holy Spirit!

My prayer for all of us through this series is that we would realize our INABILITY, and God’s great ABILITY!

“Greater is He who is in you, than He who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4b

When God lives in us we have all the ability we need to love God and love others!

Let’s Do it!

Speak Truth Love

 

 

 

BEST DAY EVER!
Six years ago today marks my BEST DAY EVER! My precious granddaughter Camdyn Kaylyn was born! She has brought pure joy into my life each and every day since! God has used her in a powerful way to demonstrate the importance of relationship to me.

The day this beautiful girl came into the world, I was with her for a short time before they asked her other grandparents and I to leave the room so that the new family could bond. Mommy, daddy and baby needed priceless time together to help foster the purpose God created us for…RELATIONSHIP!

“We long to Belong!”

Medical specialists who have done extensive research on infants, and tell us that from birth, we are hardwired for emotional connection. That is why even at a hospital, not a church meeting, the doctors and nurses know that the newborn infant will best thrive when bonding between mother, father and infant occur.

How much more does our heavenly Father know our need for emotional connection and relationship? He created it. That is why He tells us, that the greatest commandment of all is for relationship with the Father and with others.

TRUTH BOMB

The first step in having good relationships is in having a right relationship with God!

“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 this.” Mark 12:30-31

Our first, and most important relationship is with God. We must work hard to foster this relationship. We must put Him first above the other details, commitments and stresses that quickly absorb the minutes of our day! Without the strength we receive from this vital relationship, we are not able to fulfill the last part of the commandment…

“Love our neighbor as ourselves.”

This is tough. There are many who do not, on their own merit, deserve our love, but friends, through the precious eyes and sacrifice of Jesus, they have as much right to it as we do.

So, let’s LOVE as hard as we can, because in the end, it is truly all that matters!

Speak Truth Love

 

 

Jesus died for us and took our place, and  because of that, we now live!

Have you ever faced Easter with such a personal perspective?

Have you ever picked out and bought your new Easter outfit with the thought process… “I want to look my best going to church this Easter weekend because I want to look my best knowing what Jesus did for me.”
Or, have you ever prepared your Easter dinner feast thinking…”I want to make sure the table is full of good food in honor of the One who gave His life for me.”
Or, have you ever gone shopping to purchase all of the yummy items to fill your Easter baskets thinking… “These gifts must be the best in order to reflect my heart of gratitude toward my Lord and Savior.”

If your answer is YES to any of these questions, you are way ahead of my mental position.

I LOVE Easter Sunday! I love worshipping my Lord and Savior side by side with other fellow believers! I love singing “Up From The Grave He Arose…,” and I especially love hearing the story of the empty tomb!
It is our victory! It is our Hope! It is our sure salvation! But does it change the way we live?

It should! If it doesn’t, I’m afraid nothing will!

The greatest event in History caused Jesus to take our cross upon Himself, and give us life!

What are we going to do with it?

We do not know how much time we have to live, but we know that we live for a Risen Savior!
We should live every day like it is our last!

“He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”
II Corinthians 5:15

TRUTH BOMB

JESUS DIED FOR US TO REWRITE OUR LIFE STORY!

If Jesus died for us so that we could live for Him, then that means that our lives should be governed by an eternal perspective. Major decisions should be made based upon the influence that decision would produce for God and His kingdom.

Influence is a powerful word. It is a word that we take for granted much of the time. We sell our selves short when it comes to the power and ability we have to influence others by our actions, words and lifestyles.

Influence is the capacity or power a person has to be a compelling force on another that produce actions, behaviors and opinions.

And you thought your life didn’t matter!  IT DOES!

God desires that each and every one of us uses our lives to influence the world to love like He loves, to give like He gives and to sacrifice for others, as He sacrifices for others.

What are you doing with your life Friend? Are you influencing others to love, act, behave and form opinions that make Jesus known? That is exactly what Jesus asks us to do in the verse above when He tells us to stop living selfish lives for ourselves, and start living a life of influence for Him.

Are your life decisions reflecting that kind of life? If not it is never too early or too late to start.

I love this quote by C.S. Lewis; “You are never too old, (or young,) to set another goal or dream a new dream.”

Let’s take these next few weeks and set some new goals together. Goals that reflect the kind of INFLUENCE we want to have in this world for Jesus. The kind of INFLUENCE that produces such Christ-like actions, behaviors and opinions that others are compelled to join in!

Powerful lives that influence others for Christ. I cannot think of a better way to live!

HOW WILL OUR LIFE STORY READ?

Xoxo, Love you!

Speak Truth Love