Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Jesus said, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets”. (Matthew 22:40, NKJV)

There is an old saying, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
I am not sure how the “godliness” part applies to gasoline engines, but I can tell you - from experience - that cleanliness does make a big difference - to go, or not go!
Assuming that the hardware is all in place, and the proper fuel is supplied, there are still two things that have to occur at the right time: The proper fuel to air mixture must be pulled into the cylinder (carburization) and the plug needs to spark at the right time (ignition).
The spark part is easy to check: Grab ahold of the spark plug wire and spin the engine!
Not really!!
Take the plug out and check it - part of the cleanliness routine. Then spin the flywheel and check for a spark at the plug. Got spark? Good; the ignition part is ready to go.
Now, to the fuel part - carburization - a part that can drive you nuts! Not just fuel, but the proper ratio of fuel to air. A speck of dirt, a cloggage in any part of the system, messes up the entire process.
If I have the parts that make up the ignition system, along with the fuel tank and the carburetor, I have an engine, ready to go.
No?
You’re correct! There are valves, cams, pistons, a crank shaft and many other critical parts. So what is the “greatest” part of a working engine?
The Pharisees asked Jesus to tell them what kind of law, of all the laws, is the most important. It is a trap, as verse 35 attests. It is like asking, “What is the most important part of an engine?”
At the very least they're asking him (they think) to choose between moral law and ceremonial law, to declare an ultimate allegiance either to the Pharisees (who would have generally focused on the moral law) or the Saducees (ultimate guardians of the ceremonial law as operators of the temple).
Both parties get caught up in observing a minutia of details and trivia. When to pray; how to pray, what to wear; what to eat; what is considered to be work - etc, etc . . .
Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all you are AND your neighbor as yourself. From this all the law and prophets hang."
This is what Jesus was saying in Matthew 22:37.
The first and greatest commandment concerns our relationship toward and with God, and is like the spark of an engine: Sure, we might “fire” only part of the time - not consistent in our relationship to God. Our “timing” might be erratic; we are not in synch with God’s plans for us.
Maybe our devotion becomes “short circuited” by things that draw our attention away from God - things that become our idols, focusing on our wants & desires, not our needs. On worldly things, trinkets & treasures, habits & pleasures. But the bottom line is: either you have a total commitment to God, or you don’t.
So - Love the Lord, your God with all of your being.”
People! Your “Neighbors.” And who is my neighbor? That’s like the carburetor of an engine: lots of small things can mess up the mixture. A common belief limited such neighborly relationships to their friends and companions, and one of their own religion. It was said, "Do not I hate them that hate me?"
Jesus acknowledged that was a common saying, beginning in Matthew 5:43 (part of the Beatitudes, chapts. 5-6-7 of Matthew’s gospel). He said, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
Loving the Lord God with all our being, and extending that love to all of God’s creation, still lacks one import part: Most of us know by heart John 3:16 :
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:17 adds that the people of the world will be saved through Him.

Seeds for Thinking (©) 1996 - 2011 by Leland Hubbell

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Job said, “My harp is tuned to mourning, and my flute to the sound of wailing. Job 30:31, NIV
“Into each life, some rain must fall.”
No, I’m not talking about the weather we have been having lately, but the old maxim (proverb) about things happening that we would just as soon not have happen. Misfortune, trouble, grief. A horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day. Days of sadness, and Job was having a few!
Job describes the many things he has done for people during his life. “I was like one who comforts mourners,” he states in a discourse to his friends. (Job 29:25b) Now, his friends do little to comfort Job. Visit him, yes. Their conversation centers on the goodness of God, and how God blesses those who keep His commandments. There is no question that Job has been blessed, both in family, possessions, and respect of the people. Until now. Surely (they claim) Job has committed some great transgression to deserve such a calamity as has befallen him.
In essence, Job is accused of “sowing trouble and reap(ing) it” (4:8) and now he is destroyed by the breath of God. Job protests his innocence, saying, “I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.” (Job 27:6)
Never-the-less, Job has little to cheer him up these days. His soul is filled with sadness, his spirit with wailing.
We have probably all been there at one time or another. Having a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day. There are two sides to this issue of “comforting mourners.” On one side is the one who is distressed; on the other, those who would bring comfort. From time to time we may be either. Does it help to say, as many have, “Into each life, some rain must fall.”? While true, it helps no more than the many words of advice from Job’s friends. Words that God found objectionable.
Studies of the Book of Job seem to skip over a very important part of the Epilogue - Chapter 42:7-16. Job never does find out why the Lord has brought such calamity to him. Yes! He “repents in dust and ashes.” (42:6) And is blessed “the latter part of (his) life more than the first.
Ahh! But take time to read those few verses having to do with the “comforting of the mourner” by the three friends, vss. 7-9.
Does that not mean that we are to be held accountable for our advice? Do we blithely chirp, “It’s God’s will. . . “ rain will fall” . . . etc. ? We should be God’s servant to comfort, not condemn, the mourner. Take time to read Job again, and imagine that you are one of the friends comforting Job.
June 9, 2002