Friends in Christ Message for July 13, 2001

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Friends in Christ Weekly Message
July 13, 2001

Jesus said, "Go and do the same!"
Luke 10:37 (CEV*)

This comes at the end of the Good Samaritan story, but what struck me on this reading was the broader application of this saying of Jesus.

Jesus usually taught by telling stories (parables). The stories provoke people to consider what to do in the kinds of situations we face in real life. Jesus didn't provide us a long set of prescriptive rules to tell us how to act. Instead he provided stories that make us consider the spirit in which we live our lives. He was reaching much deeper than just outward conformance to rules.

God was moved to give us the Incarnation - the divine lesson to us as a human living and walking among us; a living story. Rather than being a distant, aloof God, God chose to come in human form to show us the divine character. In considering how we live, we can look to the example of Jesus.

People learn by seeing how people behave. If we are known as Christians, people develop their impressions of Christianity by seeing how we act towards them and towards others.

This raises some queries which I - and you - can helpfully use in examining our own lives. These are just examples; you can probably come up with others that may be particularly meaningful to you. Do I exemplify Christ's love in the way I relate to others? In my business and personal dealings, do I display the kind of integrity which should be intrinsic to Christian living? When considering what to do in a situation, do I look to God to understand the divine perspective or do I follow the world's ways?

Bill Samuel