GETTING REAL: What has happen to the good morals and love?

GETTING REAL: What has happen to the good morals and love?

I was talking with a co-worker James from my job that is apart of the older generation.  It is always good to listen to those who have lived longer than you.  You get good insight into the world they once lived in.  You can learn about how things changed in life or went into transition for them.  James shared with me some startling things to me.  As a child living in his day, morals and love were highly stressed.  There was no “mind your own business” stuff; everybody’s business was your business.  Christians loved God and loved everyone around them.  He recalled to me how the pastor regularly visited them to make sure they were okay.  This is not so with our generation, not at all seems like.  I am being real here.  I am telling the truth, our generation has become the most selfish, self centered generation around.  We don’t care anymore about our neighbors, or our family members, we are out to do our own thing.  Yes, I know it is because of sin and disobedience to God, but the question is, “what I should be doing in order to live those lost morals?”; the lost love.

 

Yes, we Christians have a responsibility not to allow our love to wax cold (Matthew 24:14).  You can complain all you want about how the world is falling apart, but do you trust Christ to endure in you by sharing love, and showing forth Christ-like morals.  A lot of us can point out how bad things are getting, but not applying the biblical mandates of love and good communication (living).  I myself am so guilty of this.  I was telling my friend Carey last night how I have said “I trust God….but that’s to a certain point, and at the point I say don’t mess with me here Lord….”  So hypocritical, why can I not hold to good morals and show the love of Christ?

James mentioned how in his time, when a couple was marrying, the family would place the newlywed couple in good shelter (their home), and begin building from bottom to the top a home for the couple to live in.  No power tools etc used, they just would come after a hard days work to complete a task for their loved one.  Where is this now?  No where to be found.  In this instantaneous, Got-to-have-it-now society, everybody seems to be thinking about themselves only!

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (2 Timothy 3:2-4)

What are some ways that Christians bring back the love, and wonderful morals citizens in this country once held?  We must look to the scriptures, which tell us how to live like the Lord Jesus Christ.  1. We must love the Lord God with full devotion and 2.We must love our neighbor! (I will not add as thyself, because this text I am referring to from is not suggesting we love ourselves at all, loving ourselves comes naturally)

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31)

From the context we see the mandate revolves around love.  Loving God and our neighbor will keep us from abandoning Christ and following what the rest of the world is doing; loving and caring for only myself.

LOVE GOD WITH TOTAL DEVOTION

In verse Mark 12:30, the transliterated Greek verb agapao is in the future active indicative.  This shows that the Christian will be fully devoted to God with all of his being.  In Joshua 22:5 it says: But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. 

As Christians, who say we love the Lord Jesus Christ, we must completely be one with our Lord, having only solid devotion to Him.  Hence this is why Jesus Christ quoted the scripture from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 in Mark 12:29.  God is one, so we are one with the Lord totally devoted to Him.  This is what is missing from our society today.  Men are becoming totally devoted to themselves, and the empires they want to build.  They want to have nothing to do with God, and only want to hold onto the form of religion (2 Timothy 3:5).  The latest fad today is to say you’re a Christian, but being a totally devoted one is far fetched for some.  Just name, claim it, blab it and grab it, and be accountable only to yourself.  Where is the heartfelt devotion to Christ?  Christ spoke well of how the children of disobedience are devote to their evil schemes:

And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord's debtors [unto him], and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.  Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.  And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. (Luke 16:1-8)

What a hard text to swallow, but so true.  Be devoted to Christ, not Calvinism; be devoted to God not your pastor; be devoted to Jesus, not your internet blabbers.  What?  I spoke with a brother in Christ named Tony on the phone last night about following the Lord Jesus Christ.  He told me, the scriptures are what we all must go.  Ministry, caring, loving, sharing, we must rely on the Word of God. Too much bible is what you need, be devoted to Jesus Christ my friends.

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

Now with the same totally devotion to God, apply His love to men.  Be concerned for others needs.  Make sure your neighbors are well taking care of.  If you see their children running across the street without looking both ways, approach them; warn them of the danger of oncoming cars.  Don’t sit and complain about how bad men are, love them! Listen to these texts:

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the LORD. (Leviticus 19:18)

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. [And] be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all [men].  See that none render evil for evil unto any [man]; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all [men]. (1 Thessalonians 5:11-15)

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. (Romans 12:17-18)

 

Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] courteous:  Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord [are] over the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord [is] against them that do evil.  (1 Peter 3:8-12)


If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: (James 2:8)

And there are more.  We should love all, and doing well to all.  Our neighbors should see in a time like this, we are not living like the world, devoted only to the world.  We are living like Jesus Christ our Lord, devoted only to God.  This is how things will be restored.  Let the fake Christians be fake, you be a real one!  Stop playing the games, trying to run and hide.  Look like a Christian, be a Christian, and the Lord Jesus Christ will be with you giving you power to do so.  Maybe one day, you’ll be able to build a home for a married couple in your family; never say never, in Christ you can do this! God bless my beloved.