You matter to me!

"Pastor Jerry, look! Pastor Jerry, Pastor Jerry..." The little voice drifted into my consciousness, though the child speaking was just a few feet away, I was so focused on the task at hand that I had shut out everything and everyone else for the moment. It happened yesterday while I was at our Christian school trying to figure out why one of the PC's wasn't connecting to the network. (Turned out to be the simplest problem - a disconnected cable!) I wanted to solve the problem and though I was in a room full of 1st graders, they were 'invisible' to me because I was not paying any attention to them. A child simply wanted a moment's notice and when I 'tuned in' to her, her face beamed with delight as she displayed her work for my approval. My attention, in a matter of such small consequence, communicated "you matter to me!" My failure to pay attention sent an unintended negative message, "You are not a person of worth."

If we love people like God wants us to, we will set aside pre-occupation with our agenda and involve ourselves with them. We will pay attention, listen, and help out as we are able. Too often we think that showing God's love requires the great sacrifice, the grand gesture. We demonstrate the love that God desires us to show to others in ordinary situations.

Here's how Jesus reminds us of our worth to the Omnipotent God of the Universe -
“What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head!" (Matthew 10:29-30, The Message) Isn't that mind-boggling?

God loves us, not generally, but specifically! He would have us to love in the same way - not just with sweeping rhetoric - but with focused love for the individuals that surround us. Our natural inclination is to go through life fitting people into our agenda; having good intentions, but focused on our own immediate needs. We mean to love, but 'not right now' because we're busy! And, we're always busy. We plan to share with those in need, 'when we get enough' resources accumulated, which never happens.

Dad, you want your child to know that he is a person of worth? Pay attention to him NOW.
Husband, you want your wife to know that you love her? Listen to her - noting her needs, desires, hopes! Really take part in her life! (It works the other way 'round, too.)

I was reading some select passages from the OT prophets yesterday. One of the things that stood out to me was how often God expressed His disapproval of His people, not just for the 'biggie' sins like worshipping false gods or gross sexual immorality; but for their disregard of the poor, their oppression of the weak, depriving the 'little guys' of justice in the courts. Take a look at this passage from Amos. "...You trample the poor and steal what little they have through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, you will never live in the beautiful stone houses you are building. You will never drink wine from the lush vineyards you are planting. For I know the vast number of your sins and rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts." (Amos 5:10-12, NLT)

Christian, we do not please God just by scrupulous morality or doing good things like going to church or paying our tithes. Those are good choices when they are an expression of our love for God. But Jesus reminds that there is a second great commandment, too. It is "love your neighbor as yourself!"

Here's a word from the Word to keep in your mind today:

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence" (1 John 3:16-19, NIV)