Restraint vs. Action

Over the last few Millenia, many philosophers have wisely instructed 'don't do something to a person if you do not want it done to yourself'. Even the famous Chinese Philosopher, Confucius, said this very thing some 500 years before the Life of Christ. This truly is good advice.

In Matthew 7:12 Jesus teaches 'Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you'. At first glance, it might appear that Jesus was just giving the same advice as other wise men.  But, as is always the case with scripture, there is a powerful application when you dig into God's Word.

Confucius, and others, taught right living by restraint.  Think about what you would want and then 'don't do this and don't do that'.  Sure, you can find plenty of 'don'ts' in scripture, but Jesus teaches action through this Golden Rule.  Pro-actively do to others the way you would hope/like/expect them to do to you.  Jesus teaches action, not restraint.  Too often we wait and see what others will do and then perform based upon what we see.  Jesus teaches us to take the lead and act upon our faith which then puts others in the position of response towards that faith.  Now that is a challenge!

Today, look around and see what action you CAN take to improve your relationships.  All the Gospel of Jesus Christ to show itself in how you live, act, think and respond!

Lest we put the cart before the horse...

In a few short days we will celebrate the Glorious and Powerful Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is the exclamation point on the truth that Jesus is the Son of God that has complete victory over sin, death and hell.  It is, and should be, one of the greatest weekends of Worship in any christian's calendar.

However, the beauty of the Resurrection would be insignificant without the agony of the Cross.  It would be the equivalent of my Arkansas Razorbacks celebrating a National Championship in football (yes, I may be dreaming here) during a year that they were disqualified for violating the rules of the NCAA.

You see, the power of sin was ruling in the world and in the hearts of man.  All humanity stood condemned, in full violation of God's perfect law.  We were ineligible for relationship, for service, for life...scripture would call us 'dead in our trespasses and sin'.

If Jesus hadn't walked the Calvary Road then the debt wouldn't have been paid.  If Almighty God hadn't placed our sin upon His battered back then my sin (and yours) wouldn't have been nailed to that Old Rugged Cross.  If the God-Man (Jesus) hadn't poured out His love for you and I in this way then this coming Sunday would be as good of a day as any to go fishing or sleep in.  But, all those ifs fade away in light of what Jesus actually did - He completed/fulfilled all the requirements of the law by dying for you and I that day.

This week, let's stop and appreciate our Holy God and His Holy Sacrifice.  He is Worthy of that and much more!