13 September 2013 - teaching by example

13 September 2013 - teaching by example

God loves us while we are yet sinners (cf. Rom 5:8).  That is how he can tell us, "love your enemies".

He himself blesses us even when we stand in the crowd before Pilate cursing him.  He is famous for praying for our forgiveness even as we crucify him.  He does not turn his cheeks away from our blows.  He literally does not withhold his tunic from us as we take it and role dice for it.

Jesus gives to everyone who asks, "for power went out from Him and healed them all" (cf Luk. 6:19).  Jesus gives us grace that we can never repay.  The debt he forgives is something we can never afford (cf. Mat 18:21-25).

Now we can see why Jesus says that we "will be children of the Most High" when we act this way.  It is because to act this way is humanly impossible.  The only way to do so is for Jesus to do it within us. We literally can't be so completely selfless without being so united to Jesus that we share in his own Sonship.

And so we need to enter more and more into this Sonship.  Paul tells us how:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Oh man.  We have to admonish one another?  That doesn't sound very PC.  And yet we are called to be responsible for one another.  We are not called to walk this road alone.  The LORD uses our brothers and sisters to guide us so that we can do "everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  Unity with our fellow man is the school wherein the selflessness of the LORD is perfected in us.  The reward for pursuing this unity is great:

And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one Body.

The LORD is good indeed so, "Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!"