26 February 2013 - let love be sincere

26 February 2013 - let love be sincere

How do we concretely place Jesus first in our lives?  How do we ensure that our love for God is more than just thoughts we think to make ourselves feel good.  We know, hopefully, that we should love God.  We want to love him, at least because we know we ought to want to love him.  And this is wonderful.  The LORD inspires in us our desire to love him.  But we tend to make feelings the measure of success in loving him.  It is wonderful for the LORD to inspire feelings of devotion in our hearts.  But he wants our love to be more than feelings, more than words. 
He wants to genuinely come first in our hearts, before all else.  He wants this to concretely affect how we make our plans.  He wants us to subject all our plans and ideas to his will.

Instead you should say,
“If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”

He reminds us that when we try to make our plans without him that we actually have "no idea what ... life will be like tomorrow" and that any plans which we make firm without God and therefore ultimately "boasting in ... arrogance."

Jesus reminds us that we should not worry so much about what we will eat and what we will wear (cf. Mat 6:25).  Our lives should be about God more than food and clothing.  The result of trying to run our own show is anxiety because we have no idea what life will be like tomorrow.  But if we put Jesus first then we remember that our "heavenly Father knows" that we "need them all".  We don't have to worry about specifics because we trust in God to provide.

It isn't that we don't make plans.  We do.  But we make our plans together with the LORD.  We ultimately place them in his hands by saying, "If the Lord wills it".  This is how we can do what Peter tells us, "Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you."  We still have our desires, but we place them in God's hands.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (cf. Phi. 4:6-7).

This is why the psalmist tells us not to trust in our own wealth or to boast in the abundance of our riches.  These things are secondary and they are impermanent.  Ultimately we will leave them to others.  We must be in the world but not of it.  We must head Paul's advice.  If we are using the world we should still live as "as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away" (cf. 1 Cor. 7:21).

This will mitigate the risk that we find our plans in opposition to the plans of Jesus.  We won't try to stop those who are casting out demons in the name of Jesus that are genuinely doing it in his name.  When we are running our own show we run the risk of doing what the disciples do.  They try "to prevent him because he does not follow" them.  It isn't because he doesn't follow Jesus.  It isn't because he doesn't hold to the catholic unity of teaching.  It is because he does not follow the disciples in what turns out to be their prideful and altogether human projects.  They must lay these projects aside.  As must we all.  We must let Jesus be our criterion.  We must put his name above all else.

Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.”

When we truly realize that Jesus is the name above every name (cf. Phi. 2:9) we are finally free from the fear the inevitably comes from trying to be in charge ourselves.  God is much better at being God than we are.

Why should I fear in evil days
when my wicked ensnarers ring me round?