When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:34
Every Thursday morning the sound hits my ears and REMINDS me that I have forgotten… again! The garbage truck makes a distinct noise and reverberates through my house, as I frantically rush to get mine out BEFORE it passes by! I discovered it is then that a series of rather important decisions need to be made.
Garbage collection is sophisticated. There are separate containers for garbage, yard waste, paper or plastic/metal waste. There are 3 separate trucks! Each week, as I scramble to put on street clothes to try to beat them to the curb I think, “Which truck am I hearing and which container should go out first?” There is no exact correct answer, since it varies each week. Having to make so many decisions about weekly trash just seems wrong!
Of the 613 rules, regs and laws laid down in the Old Testament, it was easy to get confused over which one was THE most important. The story in Mark describes HOW difficult it was when one of the TEACHERS asked Jesus that question. His 2 part answer actually provided at least 4 containers for sorting it all out! When the teacher summarized them for verification, Jesus gave him a B+ and an “almost there,” validation. “Clear as mud,” is all I can say!
No matter WHAT else you may be thinking, “It’s NOT ABOUT YOU!” ONLY the submitted ones can even see that. Which makes dragging our own personal trash to the curb a very intense project indeed. Simply put… God first, others second, me… last!
Churches are not unlike synagogue’s of Jesus day. They are full of people TRYING to do God’s thing, but often in their own way! It is tempting to look for shortcuts. The longer I serve Him, the more I have to remind myself that there ARE none! God first, others second, me… last! EVERYTHING about ME has to go into one container or another. I do not get to keep ANY of my own trash! PERIOD!
Back in the old days when ‘I’ was a kid, we didn’t take out trash. We burned it ALL! Everyone had a burning barrel or fire pit and EVERYTHING went into it. From boxes to egg shells! And what didn’t burn got buried! Simple and easy, there was NO sorting ANYTHING out , since EVERYTHING was trash! Before Christ, God had pretty much the same policy! His hand on MY life now forces questions and decisions with a closer look at my intentions and dissensions.
In this life, ONE rule stands out above all the others… it is NOT about ME!
