When the Path Is Dim

 There are seasons when the path is dim, 

When shadows obscure from seeing Him, 

Confusion sets in disorienting the way, 

Stumbling in the night and in the day, 

We find light when we open the word, 

Fresh strength as onward we're spurred,

His word is always a lamp unto our feet,

A light unto our path - a comforting seat, 

The path is winding - the journey is long, 

Even if it leads to pain God is not wrong, 

He is to be trusted in nights when we weep, 

We must believe when our faith starts to seep, 

None knows the troubles on the path we find, 

We walk on by faith when our sight is blind,

We'll gather in joyous worship at His throne, 

Where we will enjoy Him in our eternal home. 

Back to the Basics

 If you let it, Christianity can become very complex. One group emphasizes one doctrine and another group will focus on something entirely different. Over time, things can get disorienting. One group will promote prayer. Another group will highlight evangelism. A third group may make holiness the main priority. 

What does it mean to get back to the basics? Jesus was asked by a lawyer what the greatest commandment was. Jesus responded that question in Matt 22:37-39. He boiled down the basics to two things. This is my paraphrase. Love God the most. Love people. Let me elaborate. 

The lawyer asked what was the great commandment. The word great means the most important, highly esteemed, most excellent, and the highest ranking. How did Jesus answer? He said to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind. We should not have any love that supersedes our love for God. All other loves must come second. That includes family.  That includes pets.  It can include shopping, hunting, fishing, golf, and money. Let me ask you what is your most important love in your life? Who or what do you most highly esteem? What or who is the highest ranking love in your life? 

There was a time when Brenda was the answer to all those questions. God had to take her out of my life for a year so that I would fall in love with Him first. When I got that  straight, one of God's greatest gifts was to bring her back into my life. We have now been married for 35 years. As much as I love her, she is my second love. 

Loving people sounds easy, but it can be challenging. Some people are much harder to love than others. Some are grouchy. Some have great  tempers. Others struggle with lust. Many are liars. Some enjoy stirring up strife among brothers and sisters. Choosing to love people requires the work of the Spirit of God. According to Gal 5:22-23, part of that fruit is love. It is a supernatural love born of the Holy Spirit. 

 We are called to love people who may never love us back. We follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. He loved and still loves people who reject Him. He loved people all the way to the cross. We may not be called to go to the cross, but we can love people sacrificially. We can love people who seem unlovable. That is the way people know we are followers of Jesus by love we have for one another. Jn 13:34-35. 

Maybe it is time to get back to the basics. To work on loving God more and loving people around us. That may mean less religious routines and more devotions. It may mean opening your heart and arms to people you may find hard to love. When you boil it all down, these are two of the most important commandments. Let us master these commandments in obedience to our Lord's commands.