Lately I've been learning more and more about the inexhaustible worth that God has bestowed us with. It's come to me in various ways but this Thursday I was probably hit the hardest. I had randomly (haha) flipped open my Bible to Luke 6 and was reading about Jesus as the Lord of the Sabbath:
On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching: and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" And he got up and came forward. And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?' After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.
Now, I can handle what I think the difference is between doing good or harm on the Sabbath. But what I cannot get a grip on is the truth that we either save (preserve) OR destroy life. To bring you along with my thinking about this passage I've also come to understand ‘love your neighbor’ practically as 'help those you see in need' from the Good Samaritan's example. We can't help every person alive, but we can help those who we come across. And that's what Jesus is doing here, meetings needs. By Jesus healing the man, He is saving (preserving, cherishing, honoring) the man's life. And then it struck me. If I recognize (or selfishly don’t recognize) a need and don't do anything about it, then I am destroying life. Let me say it again: I am DESTROYING life. I communicate by my lack of action and care that people are insignificance and of no worth. Their needs are not important to me (as a Christian), and therefore to God. Life is destroyed, dishonored, and violated.
Oh, that I might see the depth of the love of God and respond with imitation! Let my selfishness be cast away for the joy of giving my life as Christ gave me His.
Luke 6:6-10
Seeking to save,
Lane
For some reason, the story of Abraham has always intrigued me. There has always been the mystery of God calling him to sacrifice his one and only son, but right now I guess I'm seeing an earlier parallel of Abraham's life in my own. He was also asked to believe God beyond reason that even in his old age he would have a son through his wife, Sarah. Yet, Abraham tried to do things his own way. After a little convincing from his wife, he tried to make God's promise come to fruition on his own and brought into the world a "wild donkey of a man" who would bring hostility to the many descendants to come. This past week has allowed me to see the numerous ways I have tried to do things on my own and the destruction it has brought to my life and others. So the saying goes, “I am my own worst enemy.” Thank God that He is my greatest ally.
