I am going to have to figure this thing out. I have been encouraged that my thoughts are there to blog…its just that with 3 kids and a crazy life, the luxury of typing at the computer rarely happens.
That said, onward to deeper thoughts! Ha Ha!
Part of the challenge put before us by Danny is to personalize our Core Values. So tonight I am chewing on Valuing People. The basis for this value comes from Luke 5:30-6:32 and Matthew 18:14. (For anyone that reads this and is not familiar with what I am talking about, these are passages found in the Bible in the part called the New Testament.)The passage in Luke tells some very cool stories about Jesus and the way he puts others first.
Jesus and his followers were hounded by the Pharisees (who were the “most righteous” religious leaders of the day).Jesus invited Levi, a tax collector, to come and follow him. Levi was so happy that he threw a banquet and invited… SINNERS! Well this created no small uproar with the Pharisees who thought that they had to be pure and could not be around “sinners”. They could not understand how Jesus- a teacher with a great following would allow himself to be defiled by those who did not live the way the Pharisees thought was appropriate. Jesus response to them is so beautiful!
Jesus answered them saying, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Tax collectors and sinners were welcomed by Jesus. They knew they needed Jesus’ help. Pharisees on the other hand had the terrible self-imposed burden of having to appear righteous. To me this sounds a lot like the way many Christians view others. Although we are supposed to be a refuge for the “tax collectors and sinners” too often our self-imposed burden of right appearances keeps us from truly being Jesus to those who need him most.
The passage out of Matthew quotes a story told by Jesus about sheep being lost and that the master is not willing for even one to be lost. See we are the sheep- they tend to be stubborn animals that require much tending to make sure they don’t hurt themselves or fall prey to predators. God is like the shepherd who carefully tends the sheep so that not one will be lost. Like us sheep are destined to choose their will over that of the shepherd’s. Sometimes our choices bring us closer to the shepherd and sometimes they take us farther from him-just like sheep.
OK, what does all this mean to me about the core value of valuing people? I love to see how Jesus treated others! It is so important to me to be like him! What I understand out of these passages is that God loves us all so much that He wants us all to be with Him. His son loves us so much that he showed us the way to love others… spend time with them, be in their lives, be a part of what they do and at the same time love them and encourage them to a better way. I definitely agree that this should be one of the core values of “The Way”. We can’t expect to have anything to offer others if we don’t know who to look to, to model our behavior after.
That said, onward to deeper thoughts! Ha Ha!
Part of the challenge put before us by Danny is to personalize our Core Values. So tonight I am chewing on Valuing People. The basis for this value comes from Luke 5:30-6:32 and Matthew 18:14. (For anyone that reads this and is not familiar with what I am talking about, these are passages found in the Bible in the part called the New Testament.)The passage in Luke tells some very cool stories about Jesus and the way he puts others first.
Jesus and his followers were hounded by the Pharisees (who were the “most righteous” religious leaders of the day).Jesus invited Levi, a tax collector, to come and follow him. Levi was so happy that he threw a banquet and invited… SINNERS! Well this created no small uproar with the Pharisees who thought that they had to be pure and could not be around “sinners”. They could not understand how Jesus- a teacher with a great following would allow himself to be defiled by those who did not live the way the Pharisees thought was appropriate. Jesus response to them is so beautiful!
Jesus answered them saying, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Tax collectors and sinners were welcomed by Jesus. They knew they needed Jesus’ help. Pharisees on the other hand had the terrible self-imposed burden of having to appear righteous. To me this sounds a lot like the way many Christians view others. Although we are supposed to be a refuge for the “tax collectors and sinners” too often our self-imposed burden of right appearances keeps us from truly being Jesus to those who need him most.
The passage out of Matthew quotes a story told by Jesus about sheep being lost and that the master is not willing for even one to be lost. See we are the sheep- they tend to be stubborn animals that require much tending to make sure they don’t hurt themselves or fall prey to predators. God is like the shepherd who carefully tends the sheep so that not one will be lost. Like us sheep are destined to choose their will over that of the shepherd’s. Sometimes our choices bring us closer to the shepherd and sometimes they take us farther from him-just like sheep.
OK, what does all this mean to me about the core value of valuing people? I love to see how Jesus treated others! It is so important to me to be like him! What I understand out of these passages is that God loves us all so much that He wants us all to be with Him. His son loves us so much that he showed us the way to love others… spend time with them, be in their lives, be a part of what they do and at the same time love them and encourage them to a better way. I definitely agree that this should be one of the core values of “The Way”. We can’t expect to have anything to offer others if we don’t know who to look to, to model our behavior after.
posted by Lizanne | 10:10 AM
3 Comments:
So these are the deep thoughts stirring around in your head! Awesome!!! I totally agree with you about having to understand the way God loves us in order to love others as we should!!!! keep the thoughts flowing !!! LOVE YOU GIRL!!!
I think the idea of valuing people sounds good in the abstract – but put flesh on it. Think of the people who tick you off the most or rub you the wrong way every time you are around them. Think of the people who disagree with your basic philosophy of life and tell you about it. Think of the person who crosses the street to avoid you or you them. Think about the person who acts, smells, thinks, and worships differently from you. Think about the person who disagrees with the way you do church.
And then think about valuing people. It’s easy to think that I could value a dirty bum off of the street who I have nothing against. It’s difficult to think about valuing the person who I would least like to eat dinner with.
Ouch! I don't know that I want to go there. However, I can't value anyone if those aren't the ones I'm willing to value first. Its always better to start with the harder task first. Then the rest is so much easier!
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