Scripture
“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””
Matthew 22:34-40 ESV
Observation
- Everything begins w/ God. Especially relationship.
- We are created in the image of God. The Imago Dei.
- God, who is 3-in-1, exists in perfect harmony.
- The Bible says He is LOVE.
Application
Let ❤️ Lead
“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
1 John 4:7-8 NLT
Whose Standard?
“People think that whatever they do is right, but the Lord judges the reasons for everything they do. Do what is right and fair. The Lord loves that more than sacrifices.”
Proverbs 21:2-3 ERV
“We justify our actions by appearances; GOD examines our motives. Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to GOD than religious performance.”
Proverbs 21:2-3 MSG
Whose Values?
As long as we exalt “American Values” over Kingdom Values we will continuously break God’s heart.
- We must remember that while we are “In the world, we are not of it, we’re visiting”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr./Letter From A Birmingham Jail responds Southern Clergy That denounce his actions & tactics
You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative.
Matthew 23:23-24 ESV
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”
“Justice makes no sense to the evilminded; those who seek GOD know it inside and out.”
Proverbs 28:5 MSG
What Do We Do?
We can’t all be activists but we can all be active!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr./Letter From A Birmingham Jail responds Southern Clergy That denounce his actions & tactics
Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.
Micah 6:8 MSG
“But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what GOD is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.”
The Father’s Heart
Isaiah 1:13-17 MSG
“Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings— meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.”
Prayer
Father, break our hearts with the things that break Your heart. Open the eyes of hearts, so we can see what You. Strengthen us, so move toward action, as You would move. In Jesus’ name.
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