Welcome to the planet ME

Why is it always that we tend to criticize the faults and the shortcomings of other people, and yet we do not attend to the "bad spots in our own life's?

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Matthew documents one of the teachings Jesus taught as part of the Sermon on the Mount.(I think it is called the Sermon on the mount, because of the location where Jesus taught the people - either a hillside or on top of a mountain.)In this teaching, Jesus says that we must attend to the beam in our own eye, before taking out the small splint in another person's eye.

You might have realized by now, that the the above-mentioned analogy Jesus has used in his day is something we are guilty of, even until this very day and age.

We tend to judge and compare people by looking by their outward appearances an comparing it again to the "good characteristics" of our selfs. So "I" became the measure of success, love life, social standing, fashion, etc.The world started to revolve around the planet called "I", and everything is being monopolized by "I".

We live in culture that celebrates self-centeredness, with self-gratification as the only need, it seems, to be satisfied every minute of every day.

I must admit, I am also guilty of being self-centered and selfish, and I know that through my selfish, self-centered actions, I have caused hurt to people surrounding me, I acted in a manner that God would see as sin and in the process, I hurt God as well.

As you might have noticed, love played a pertinent role in my previous posted blog-entries, especially a love for your neighbour. I think that is what Paul meant in the letter he wrote to the church in Philippi, where he urged them to put the needs and issues of other people in front of your own needs and desires.

How would the world look if we were not worried about 'me', but thinking of the person, that might be stuck in rush-hour traffic in the car next to you, that might be in the need of neighborly love, without your judgmental attitude towards them?

I want to leave you with a challenge: To love other people, with the love love you give to another,will reflect the following words of Scripture:

Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4 - 7, NIV

Inspiration for the week

"Allow the children to come to Me – do not forbid them – for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” This was the rebuking words of Jesus to his disciples, when they try to prevent the children to come to Him.

This past Friday-evening, a couple of our church’s high school youth action, went to visit the newfound satellite home of the Durbanville Children’s Home, which is situated in Kraaifontein.

It turned out to be a wonderful evening for both the children and the high school children of our church. Chris, the proponent(a proponent is a minister of the Word who has not yet been legitimised by the Dutch Reformed Church’s council) at our church, put two snoeks on the coals for us, whilst the rest of us rediscovered out inner child, when we had some fun with the children of the children’s home. For those who are wondering, there are about 9 children staying at the satellite home, between the ages of 4 and 18.

The most profound thing that I’ve realised, while spending time with the children there, is that they have accepted each other as brothers and sisters, no matter what their ages are, or even the colour of their skin. There is a love between the children, which my words cannot describe.

Also, because of what I have experienced at the children’s home on Friday evening, I have a clearer understanding what Jesus meant by his command to us “To love one another as we would love ourselves.” There is more to this command than just loving and caring for your neighbour, for instance the person you sit with, in the church pews, week in and week out.

This command commands us to really go outside our comfort zone, taking the hands of the people out there, and loving and caring for them, just as Jesus would have done. Then ultimately we will be doing the great Commission, to go to all the corners of the earth and to do, everything, Jesus taught us to do.