We are continuing on our journey about the New Commandment. Rather than a Bible study, in the sense that we exhaust all resources, I would rather look at this journey as a source of encouragement. My hope is that whether you are a Christian or not, if you are away from God or don’t know God at all, that through the Scriptures and testimonies we have already shared and the ones we will be sharing, the information you receive will help you to feel that you can comfortably move closer to God. And if you are a Christian, I hope it will be an encouragement to you as it is to me. Hopefully, you will see that the smallest kind deed you do, whether it is a hand on the shoulder, a hug, or a smile, it will not go unnoticed by God.
The next thing I want to share is something that I felt God gave to me and it has been a help to me. I hope that it will be an inspiration to you. Remember: “You are closer than you think.”
I received this several years ago. It is the example of a father and his children. One thing we all know whether we are parents now or remember how it was as children growing up. It was pleasing to our parents when we were obedient to do as they asked. Remember being told, “If only you would do what I asked you.” Wow! How many times have I said that?
We will use an example of a dad and his son. The son, who had just turned 16 and had just received his driver’s license, was very eager to drive his dad’s car, so one evening he asked his father if he could borrow the car. His dad said, “Well son, you can borrow the car if you are not gone too long. Then he gave him the fatherly talk about how to take care of the car. I will let you borrow the car, but there is one thing – all I ask you to do for me son, is to pick up a loaf of bread while you are out because I really had a taste for a sandwich, but had no bread.”
The son happily took the car, and of course, since it was his first time out, he came back a little early and he said, “Oh dad, you are going to be so proud of me!” Dad asked, “Why is that son? The son replied, “Dad, I took really good care of the car. I filled it up with gas and ran it through the car wash. It looks great!” Dad said, “Son, that is wonderful! By the way, do you have my loaf of bread? Oh boy, I’ve been looking forward to making that sandwich.” Then the son said, “Oh dad, I did all these things I thought that you would like for me to do, but I didn’t do the one thing you asked me to do. I am so sorry that I never picked up the loaf of bread.”
How can we equate this to our Father in heaven, to loving you neighbor as yourself, and to believing that it is not only what we say, but what we do, that shows our love for God? Here is an example of a boy and his father. The boy has the opportunity to show his love for his dad by doing what his father asked him to do. Of course, the father was generous with him, in allowing him to use his car for his first time out on his own. One way the son could show his love and appreciation for the father was to pick up the loaf of bread, because the father was eagerly waiting for that sandwich, and the son knew it.
What is our heavenly Father asking of us? Let’s look at some Scriptural demonstrations of what God is going to ask when He returns. We will share what the Bible shares with us. Is God going to ask us a lot of complicated religious questions? Are we going to need to be a Scriptural guru to be pleasing to God when He returns? Let’s go to Scripture to see what God has to share with us about what He will ask upon His return. You might be surprised! You might be closer than you think! Here we go.
In Matthew 25:31-45, "Jesus said, “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You" (paraphrase) [in all these situations?] and the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed one, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves will answer saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not to it to Me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (NIV)
What did the Bible say that Jesus is going to ask when He comes back? No religious questions. Even though going to church and reading your Bible are excellent uses of you time. They help you learn about God and they are essential to your growth in your relationship with God. By seeking God and reading His words, the Holy Spirit can teach you all you need to know and bring you closer to God.
Jesus will not ask how often you went to church or ask you to quote Scripture. What He will ask will support the new commandment. I believe we can be safe in saying that many of you have done many of the things listed in Scripture that show that you have shown the love of God to others. You gave someone a ride, visited a sick person, tried to help someone. You have expressed your love for God by loving your neighbor. You can think of ways that you have shown that love to others.
So even if you don’t know God or feel far away from Him, how many of these kindnesses have you done to others, which in turn, really expresses your love for Him. God never overlooks what is done in kindness and love for another. You are closer than you think.
In our next post, we will continue to examine the New Commandment. We hope that you will stay on this journey with us and we look forward to reading your comments.
Update: Here is a real life example of God's love at work through the sacrifices of His people.
In the midst of the suffering wrought by the destruction from hurricane Ian, there is revival (the act or an instance of bringing something back to life, public attention, or vigorous activity) in the land.
When the world seems so divided, it is not divided in parts of Florida. People of all beliefs, colors, and creeds are coming together to help those in need. People are reaching out to help their fellow human beings. The helpers are sacrificing their time, talents, possessions, knowledge; whatever is needed is shared. People are not hesitating to travel long distances in heavy traffic to spend their days working hard to ease the burden of another.
Whether they realize it or not, the helpers are touching others with the love of God by way of their personal sacrifices given with a pure heart. There are several Scriptures which show that this is pleasing to God. I have included some of them below.
Proverbs 21:3 "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice."
Philippians 2:4 "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Ephesians 5:2 "And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Hosea 6:6 “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Hebrews 13:16 "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."
In summary, I want to thank all the helpers who have reached out so generously to bring the peace and unmerited love of God to all those in need. May God bless each of you above and beyond measure, I pray in Jesus’ name.
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