June 21

Jun 21 - Today from Proverbs 21 we look at verse 21
"He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor."

I will start today's meditation with a question. A question that each believer needs to ask of themselves often. The answer has profound implications.
What comes first, the blessing or obedience?
Do you have the answer yet? Of course you do -- obedience comes first. Then why is it that we often seek the blessing first? I guess because we don't ask ourselves the question enough.
What is the task of the believer? Is it to keep the whole of the law? The Jews of Jesus' day committed themselves to this concept, and they missed the blessing. They did not understand the heart of God, thus they did not understand the spirit of the law. Jesus both taught and modeled what true obedience to the Father was to look like. It is pure in its simplicity. We tend to clutter it with religion, precepts of men, and traditions of men. In Luke 10 the expert in the law was in pursuit of life. He asked Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" I think he was pursuing the wrong thing. Jesus told him the story of the Good Samaritan and made a slight but critical correction in his pursuit. If you want to find life, you must pursue love. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." Great answer, but the teacher of the law was still a bit fuzzy. The precepts of men blurred his vision. He needed to move the Great Commandment about 18 inches -- from his head to his heart. "Who is my neighbor?" Now Jesus will bring the pursuit of love down to its simplest terms. The story of the Good Samaritan made it unmistakable; your neighbor is anyone in close proximity who could use your help. When you obey, you are pursuing love (unconditional grace), and righteousness (equity and justice). How difficult is that to understand?
As if this weren't enough, Jesus added a new commandment. That's right, it wasn't enough to love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and your neighbor as yourself. In John 13:34 Jesus says to His disciples, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." There, the command of love is complete. The church gathers to worship God and express our love to Him. The church develops mission program to help and provide for their 'neighbors' in the community. Now Jesus says that there must be love for one another in the church itself. If the world cannot see expressions of God's love within the church, why should they believe our message of Christ's love? We do not need 10,000 or 1,000 or 100 or even 10 commandments if we will but honor God and keep the commandment of love. So supreme is this commandment that Jesus' brother James calls it "the royal law" in James 2:8. So clear was Jesus' teaching to his disciples that decades later His disciple John writes to the church, "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us (righteousness), we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask (the blessing), because we obey His command and do what pleases Him (obedience). And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us (the command). Those who obey His commands lives in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us (the power). – 1 John 3:21-24, parentheses mine
Is your church blessed today? Does your church need a blessing? Then ask yourself this:
"What comes first, blessing or obedience?" Then seek the Lord to see in what area there might be room for improvement in obedience.
Love God, love your neighbor, love each other. Enjoy God's blessing of life, prosperity and honor. Be filled with the Spirit.