A Place for Everything ----
Sometime as a child I heard the expression " a place for everything and everything in its place." I am sure it must have had something to do with my mom's frustration over what a messy room I kept. I am prone to blush whenever I remember how I responded to her pleas for greater order. "Clean laundry should be folded and placed in the right drawer.Shoes should be placed with its mate under the bed." Rules like this were only occasionally obeyed.
As the years go by it has become clear that this simple statement about a place for everything has a greater application than just to domestic order. Matthew 22:37-39 states " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." When loving God is the top priority it is much more likely that other things will find their proper place. After stating "the great and first command" Matthew goes on to state "the second", "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Loving God and then people, the most important creation only happens because of the work of the Holy Spirit. The more the Holy Spirit works in the lives of God's children the more every thing occupies the right space.
Our lives are filled with idols and would be idols. Activities and material possessions often occupy a greater place of importance than God Himself. Golfing, fishing, music, video games are just a few of the activities that consume minutes and hours that perhaps could be better used obeying the first or second command, Many material possessions may become idols. Things like the right house, the sentimental treasure, the computer, the right wardrobe can consume more of our time and attention than we take to focus on God. Dealing with idols can be like the boardwalk game where you whack down one head or idol and more than one pops up. It may take a series of whacks before by God's grace the idol either disappears or finds its true place.
Even though loving people is the heart of the second command how often do those relationships become idols? Too often we may "love" people more for what we can get out of them than what we give. It is only with God's help that we are able to even come close to loving Him or others the way we should.
When we look at this world you can see much order that the creator has built into so many things. When you look at what we have done it's easy to see that there are things we should be holding tenderly and close but instead we are pushing those things away. Often what we should be keeping at a distance we are holding close and valuing them in a way God never intended.
The day is coming when those who believe in Him will arrive in Heaven where there are no idols. In Heaven every corner is filled with God's glory. People that you hardly noticed will be by your side as your voices praise the Lord. While we are on earth the Holy Spirit will continue to teach us how to love the Father as well as our neighbors as we look towards the day when everything has its proper place.
As the years go by it has become clear that this simple statement about a place for everything has a greater application than just to domestic order. Matthew 22:37-39 states " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." When loving God is the top priority it is much more likely that other things will find their proper place. After stating "the great and first command" Matthew goes on to state "the second", "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Loving God and then people, the most important creation only happens because of the work of the Holy Spirit. The more the Holy Spirit works in the lives of God's children the more every thing occupies the right space.
Our lives are filled with idols and would be idols. Activities and material possessions often occupy a greater place of importance than God Himself. Golfing, fishing, music, video games are just a few of the activities that consume minutes and hours that perhaps could be better used obeying the first or second command, Many material possessions may become idols. Things like the right house, the sentimental treasure, the computer, the right wardrobe can consume more of our time and attention than we take to focus on God. Dealing with idols can be like the boardwalk game where you whack down one head or idol and more than one pops up. It may take a series of whacks before by God's grace the idol either disappears or finds its true place.
Even though loving people is the heart of the second command how often do those relationships become idols? Too often we may "love" people more for what we can get out of them than what we give. It is only with God's help that we are able to even come close to loving Him or others the way we should.
When we look at this world you can see much order that the creator has built into so many things. When you look at what we have done it's easy to see that there are things we should be holding tenderly and close but instead we are pushing those things away. Often what we should be keeping at a distance we are holding close and valuing them in a way God never intended.
The day is coming when those who believe in Him will arrive in Heaven where there are no idols. In Heaven every corner is filled with God's glory. People that you hardly noticed will be by your side as your voices praise the Lord. While we are on earth the Holy Spirit will continue to teach us how to love the Father as well as our neighbors as we look towards the day when everything has its proper place.
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