The Two Commandments

Dear Blog Readers,

I have some friends that are bored with church. Some of them still go and others don't. Becky and I were talking about how, we're bored too! It not like I feel that my relationship with God has changed or is less than because it hasn't or isn't. I consider to have a strong relationship with God.

I don't think its because we need to go church shopping either! I just think that church has become a production that tries to keep people happy and I'm tired of it being so fake and predictable.

I was reading in the Bible the other night and I read about how Jesus said what the two most important commandments were in the Bible. "Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, mind and soul and Love your neighbor as yourself."

This basic scripture is something I have heard so many times that it seems boring to read once again. But if you look into the heart and root of what Jesus was talking about, it is powerful! I believe that today the church and its members are not making these two commandments the focus of their lives.

Church has become about how good the worship team is, the preachers message, the way the church looks, who's in the church, how fast is the church service, and when can I start watching football and get some lunch. We judge the church service right after we go based on these parameters set by us. Sometimes its good and sometimes its horrible.

But tell me something, what if you made the scripture love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul your only purpose in life.

What would you do today if you decided to put this in to practice? What would you think about if you made Him your focus and you loveed God with all your heart, mind and soul.

But more than that if you put that into practice, who would you become? What would you do? Would you do anything differently? When your with your buddies, would you make different choices if you made this apart of your life? When you're at work, would it be different than how you are today? What kind of father, husband, wife, friend, neighbor, girlfriend, boyfriend or stranger would you be? When you're looking for companionship or friendship who would you want to be with if this was your focus? When you're looking for a job or looking for a place to live, if this was your focus, what would you do or where would you go?

Last but not least how would you're church experience as a congregation be different if everyone in the santuary wanted to make this their focus everytime they go? Would you care about the preachers message, or worship service, or how long it took or..........?

Then once you got that commandment pretty much under your belt, what would happen if you put love your neighbor as yourself into practice.

This means the clothes you just bought for yourself at Macy's, you then buy for a stranger too. This means buy food for the bum on the street by asking him to come to dinner with you at the restaurant you go to all the time. This means when you buy a new set of golf clubs or buy fancy jewelry, you buy those same things for a kid just starting to play golf or jewelry for the prostitue in downtown. You not only mow your own lawn, but you mow the neighbors as well. You don't do this for people who can pay you back, like your family, or friends, or boss. But you do this for people who could never pay you back.

What kind of person would you become if you put this into practice everyday? What kind of friends would you have if they became this way too? What kind of kids would you have if they became this way too? What kind of church would you have if they became this way too? What kind of country or world or city or neighborhood if they became this way too?

The majority of those who call ourselves "Christians" are not putting this into practice and maybe we need to call ourselves on the carpet and start looking how we can change this in our own lives. Jesus did not say these were options, he said these are commandments!

Thats all I have to say tonight! -Justin