Don't Analyze; Just Do It

 ³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”-Matthew 22:34-40


An article from the Living Lutheran web site asks:  

What questions distract you from the central components of faith in Jesus Christ: love of God and neighbor?

 Perhaps many of us could answer like this:

• Why should I give to someone in need when they will most likely buy beer and cigarettes with it?
• Shouldn't my charity be given locally rather than to foreigners?
• Isn't "loving my neighbor" what I pay taxes to the government to do for me?
• There are plenty of people serving in that ministry, do they really need me?
• I don't like the music they play at church, so why should I go?
• I don't agree with every policy of my church, so why should I attend?
• God already knows what I need, so why bother to pray?
• The Bible is too hard to read, so why should I study it?
• My neighborhood isn't friendly, so why should I try to get to know anyone?
• My elderly neighbor has grown children that should be helping her, so why should I?

The world can make us believe that these are valid questions when it comes to our life of faith.  Are they really?  Does God ask us to find reasons NOT to love?  or NOT to have a relationship with him?  No, like the brilliantly successful Nike ad, God asks us to "Just do it!"  

So what if you Operation Christmas Child shoe box goes to a child in Africa instead of poverty-stricken Apalachia... does that make it less of a gift to someone in need?  So what if you don't like the style of music they played in church last week... is that what you came to worship?  So what if you don't like the new "church policy"... does that mean you should stop doing ministry with them?

Don't be distracted by the questions that really don't matter!  So many people and so many church families make these issues central to their faith lives and they end up missing the whole point!

Love God and love your neighbor.  Don't analyze it.  Just do it.

Loving God,

Help us to see beyond the distractions that keep us from living the most basic principles of our faith.  Help us to love you more and to love our neighbors... whoever they might be.  Amen.

Joys:  another hike in the Fall mountains; receiving a "just because" gift; sleeping with the windows open