Our mission is simple: to love God and to love people. This isn ?t an artificial, greeting-card kind of love. It ?s the true love that comes from God. First John 4:10 tells us: ?This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ? True love starts with God. And that love causes a reaction. John continues in verse 11: ?Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ? That explains where we get our mission, and it explains how we are connected to God and to each other, through God ?s love.
But that connection isn ?t simply a matter of saying that God loves us and that we love God and that we love others. It defines how we live. The part we often miss is that God sent Jesus not just as an expression of his love but as the means for reconnecting with us. Jesus is the only way that we can ultimately reconnect with God and live with him forever in heaven.
That explains why we do the things that we do in our programs at Memorial. We are in the business of reconnecting people with God, and our reaction to God ?s message of reconciliation is to love him and to love others. So when we gather to worship and study God ?s Word, when we collect food and distribute it to those who need it, when we rehearse in choirs, when we bowl and play softball together, it ?s not simply a schedule of programs and activities; it ?s an on-going process of growing in our love for God and others. It ?s the heart of discipleship.
The end-product of our programs and activities isn ?t merely happy, active people who happen to love God and other people; it ?s growing, maturing disciples of Jesus Christ. John says in verses 16 and 17: ?Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ? As we connect to God and each other in love, we become more like Jesus in this world so we can reconnect with God in heaven.
For me, I found it a lot easier to reconnect with God when He revealed to me through H.S. (that’s the name I gave to my Holy Spirit, ol’ H.S.) that I don’t have the incredible burden of making any choices that would glorify God, or love people, any more. I don’t mean that I glide through life and not take notice of my surroundings, but what I mean is the question of free will. Once I was saved, I tried to make better decisions with my free will. The problem was…I was trying to make better decisions. What I failed to realize is I already made every choice I would ever need to make..by surrendering my free will to HIM. I’m not just simply talking about watching with Him instead of just for Him, rather I’m talking about realizing Jesus already made my choices on how I’m to live my life for me. I don’t have to recognize a decision on whether to help my brother, or abstain from destructive behavior, because Jesus already told me the answer…when He commanded me to love everyone as I would Him. He said to pick up my cross and follow him, I am to go where He would go, I am to do what He would have me do. What a relief! I don’t have to decide situation by situation or day by day on what to do or search for my purpose…I simply ask Him what it is, I ask my Lord, do you want me to donate food to the hungry? Do you want me to make myself available to help my brothers and sisters? Do you want me to connect with the lost today? Then He simply answers…feed my lambs.