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“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40 NIV

We are called to love.

First and foremost, we are commanded to love God with everything that we are. In doing so, we are merely returning the love he has shown to us. God loved the world so much that he gave us Jesus, to die so that we can be saved. That’s a big gift of love to us… So we are asked to return in.

Second, we are called to show love those around us. Not just a nice friendly love — not “philia”, the Greek term for neighborly love. The term used here is “agapao” which is an active form of “agape” or God’s love. It’s the same word used when commanding us to love God. We can’t match God’s love (agape), but we can try to embody it through our actions toward others.

We are called to love through our actions. As we described yesterday, that love will require us to be patient, kind, not self-promoting… And more. But all of the Law rests on our ability to show love to others.

Be God’s — every day.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Matthew 21:31b-32

Jesus is talking to the religious elite. He is pointing out how their religious adherence has blinded them to the fact that they, too, were broken sinners in need of a savior. The “lesser” folks in society got it. The religious didn’t.

If you haven’t seen it already, there is a thought-provoking video floating around of a poem about living Jesus but hating religion. If you haven’t seen it, click over to my other blog (www.paulreiman.com) to check it out. It presents, in modern terms, how religion can blind us to what Jesus was about.

Let’s not get caught up in “being religious.” We all need to be saved from our brokenness.

Be God’s — every day.

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:6

Tim Tebow, quarterback for the Denver Broncos and perhaps the youngest global face of Christianity today, has his signature move. “Tebowing” has become a cultural phenomenon, as people emulate/mock/thank Mr. Tebow for making his faith known to the world.

Is this a good thing? Or is it a violation of Christ’s instruction about prayer?

I am pretty certain Jesus isn’t so worried about our physical location when we pray. It’s more about the second part of the verse — we’re not judged by what’s visible to all. It’s more about where our heart is: we are in conversation with God.

Is Tim Tebow’s heart in the right place? God knows. And Tim will be judged and rewarded based on that. It’s not for me to decide. Regardless, I do think Tebow represents a man of character who has created dialogue about faith that could stir a generation. That’s surely a good thing.

Is my heart in the right place when communing with God? Admittedly, not always. Surely that’s something I can be better at.

How about you?

Be God’s — every day.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt.
Matthew 2:13-14

I won’t go off on my normal tangent about Joseph… And how much I wish the Bible told us more about him, and what incredible faith he had to listen to an angel in a dream to marry a pregnant girl and then listens to another angel when he is told to pack up and move to another country — oh wait… I guess I am going off on my tangent…

Joseph listened and responded to God’s call — twice. No matter how strange it might have sounded, or how difficult it made his life. He listened, and followed. What an example for all of us!

Sure, he had angels speaking to him. But he didn’t dismiss them as figments of his imagination or crazy dreams. He felt the nudge, and responded.

What are you feeling called to do? How can you respond?

Be God’s — every day.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:1-2

If you haven’t seen it, or haven’t seen it lately, watch “The Nativity Story”. In this movie, the wise men are portrayed a little differently than I always thought of them. Since somehow the “three magi” became “We Three Kings” I always thought of them as stately rulers, who for some reason saw the inevitable Lordship of Jesus. In the movie, they are shown as what they were more likely to be: somewhat kooky astrologers who bought into ancient prophecy.

The coming of the magi creates an interesting twist to the nativity story. Both poor, normal shepherds in the fields and intelligent (though likely a bit odd) scientists knew of and visited Jesus as a baby. It I made clear from the beginning that this new king is accessible to all.

As you reflect on the coming of the magi, remember that Jesus was born for us all — not just the religious elite, not just the kooky, not just the servants. Everyone.

Be God’s — every day.

P.S. It’s good to be back from vacation, rested and recharged. Expect some commentary and photos on my other blog (www.paulreiman.com) some time soon.

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-20

It’s a common concern: “I’m not ready to follow Jesus.” Maybe we are concerned about our lack of Bible knowledge, or our discomfort with sharing our faith, or the reputation that will create for us. We might also think the timing is bad, as we are caught up in other things, or just too busy doing this or that.

Jesus didn’t approach Peter and Andrew and say “after the peak fishing season, give me a call” or “take a few correspondence courses in theology, then you can join the team.” Quite the opposite. They weren’t chosen because of their skill, and Jesus didn’t care they were busy with work. He just chose them, right there.

What’s holding you back from following Jesus in the way he wants you to follow him? What’s stopping you from dropping your net and following?

Be God’s — every day.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
Matthew 11:25-26

I love that God doesn’t choose an elite few to be his messengers. He reveals himself to everyone. He chose a bunch of fishermen to be the first disciples. He clearly stated children were a vital part of his creation. He forgave the most sinful, healed the least of society, and even came down harshly on the elite of the day.

This comes with responsibility, though. God reveals himself to us all… So we need to play our part. I am still a spiritual child, having access to God’s truth but still learning how it works and what it means. I must learn and mature in the faith, just as a child grows up into adulthood.

God gives all his children a role in the kingdom. Not just the elite few — all of us. Praise God for his choice to engage us ALL!

Be God’s — every day.

“You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbort and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.”
Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus’s words require little extra explanation, really. He directly states that we must love everyone, even our enemies. Loving those like us is what anyone can do. As Christians, he has a higher standard for us.

Certainly, this is a challenge for us all. Even showing consistent love to our friends and family can challenge us, let alone loving our enemies. Sometimes it is hard to even think about the implications of this. People who are mean to us and cause us harm? We have to love them?

In a word: yes.

Challenge yourself to show an act of love (or two… or three…) to someone who has wronged or continues to wrong you. Let me/us know how it went and how you felt.

Be God’s — every day.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had left the Sadducees speechless, they met together. One of them, a legal expert, tested him. Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law? He replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.
Matthew 22:34-40

It’s pretty simple, really.

Love God. Love others. Everything else relies on this.

There are parts of the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, that have lists of rules and regulations. We can spend a ton of time trying to understand those rules, dissecting their intent and applicability to today. It can be overwhelming to a Christian to figure out, paralyzing our ability to minister and grow in faith. It can be a barrier to a non-believer, preventing them from opening their heart to an all-loving God.

Or… We can choose to not worry so much about the small stuff and focus on the big message here. Following Christ is less about rules and more about love. Love and respect God, provider of all and giver of eternal life. Love others around us, helping them when in need and ensuring they are treated the way God wants us all to be treated.

Love God. Love others. The rest is just the small stuff.

Be God’s — every day.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16

Our faith is a personal thing. Only we know what we feel and why we feel it. Our relationship with God is between us and God.

Yet, we are called to be very public in acting upon our faith. We are asked to shine in the world, letting all see what we have been given.

I am seeing this firsthand this week. These youth are developing their faith person by person, yet also showing an entire community that the love of God can make a difference. I pray that this can last beyond just a week at work camp. And I pray that you can experience something similar, and feel called to shine in the world.

Be God’s — every day.

P.S. Yes, I know I’ve been remiss in getting these out every day. My morning routine is fully disrupted here at camp. My apologies!