Who Do You Love?

We are people who like things our way.  When Burger King coined the phrase, “Have it your way”, they were really speaking of the way too many of us want to live.  We complain if everything isn’t exactly how we want it to be, when we want it and where we want it.  Convenience is an expectation and accommodation a requirement.  Everything in life is supposed to be easier, focused on what I want and need.  It’s all about me.

And that has seeped into the faith community for as long as there has been a faith community.  Church folks aren’t exempt.  And so churches are often formed around what that group of people want, how they want it and when they want it.  And if we don’t like it, we can leave.  Or we can make others leave.  It is all about us, anyway, right?

Except these aren’t the teachings of the Bible.  If I read correctly, it is actually all about God.  My Dad always had the phrase he repeated continuously, “It’s All About Him!”  And he tried to live like this.  But it’s difficult.  We don’t always agree and with the chaos of our world, it pushes us to make sure our own areas are in our control.  People around us should be “like us”.  It feels more comfortable.  It makes for better worship?  It enables us to feel justified?  And yet, this isn’t Biblical either.  

You know what is Biblical?  Jesus said there were 2 defining principles which should guide everything.  And we can’t talk about these enough.  He said we were to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (with our EVERYTHING) AND to love our neighbor as ourself.  In other words, the guiding principle is love.  

Here’s the deal for me – I can’t give love I haven’t received.  God gives us the love we then pour into others.  The issue comes when we try to give what we have not yet allowed God to pour into us.  We end up looking like those who love things, not people.  We love wealth not God.  We love control, not surrender.  We end up trying to get what we want, when we want, and how we want.  

But church is no Burger King.  It SHOULD be focused on what God wants – and most of the time, that doesn’t look the same as what we want.  Just read the scriptures.  What Jesus taught was never what the religious folks wanted to hear.  And I dare say, it still isn’t.

So maybe we start with the basics one more time…and again and again.  Who do we love?