Resuming our look at God’s
will, today we meditate on the third point of last Monday’s outline on several
meanings of “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I wrote:
God’s
will is love. Heaven is the perfect existence of love. God is love; those in
His presence are filled with love of God, those who die filled with love of God
and His will die filled with God. Hence they have done God’s will on earth and
will now be doing it in heaven. The old expression is true: You die the way you
lived. If you die filled with the little demons of loving secular life too
much, and loving your own will too much, you cannot enter into pure love. You have
too much pride in your own beliefs, and as a result, you have chosen to do your
will instead of God’s. As C. S. Lewis so brilliantly states: “There are only
two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and
those to whom God says, ‘Thy will
be done.’ All that are in hell choose it. Without that self-choice, there could
be no hell.” Doing God’s will is simply choosing God in every thought, word and
deed of your life.
Psalm 91:14-16: Because he cleaves to me in love,
I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When
he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I
will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him
my salvation.
Scripture: Mark 3:31-35: And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother."
1 John 4:8: He who does not love
does not know God; for God is love.
Meditation: Who do you love and cherish the most? God did
not intend for us to be alone, but to be with others. He gives us many
opportunities for developing relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and
co-workers. Why did Jesus, on this occasion, seem to ignore his own relatives
when they pressed to see him? His love and respect for his mother and his
relatives was unquestionable. Jesus never lost an opportunity to teach his
disciples a spiritual lesson and truth about the kingdom of God. On this
occasion when many gathered to hear Jesus he pointed to another higher reality
of relationships, namely our relationship with God and with those who belong to
God.
What is the
essence of being a Christian? It is certainly more than doctrine, precepts, and
commandments. It is first and foremost a relationship – a relationship of trust,
affection, commitment, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, thoughtfulness,
compassion, mercy, helpfulness, encouragement, support, strength, protection,
and so many other qualities that bind people together in mutual love and unity.
God offers us the greatest of relationships – union of heart, mind, and spirit
with himself, the very author and source of love (1 John 4:8,16). God's love
never fails, never forgets, never compromises, never lies, never lets us down
nor disappoints us. His love is consistent, unwavering, unconditional, and
unstoppable. We may choose to separate ourselves from him, but nothing will
make him ignore us, leave us, or treat us unkindly. He will pursue us, love us,
and call us to return to him no matter what might stand in the way. It is his
nature to love. That is why he created us – to be united with him and to share
in his love and unity of persons (1 John 3:1). God is a trinity of persons –
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and a community of love. That is why Jesus
challenged his followers and even his own earthly relatives to recognize that
God is the true source of all relationships. God wants all of our relationships
to be rooted in his love. http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/mark3v31.htm
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