Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
I know we all had a wide range of emotions this past weekend as we saw our nation go up in flames. Our hearts were broken over the death of George Floyd and the realization that something has to change.
The bottom line is we live in a fallen world and in desperate need of a Savior. Jesus said that He came into the world so that none would be lost.
Matthew 4:16 says, “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.”
So, what do we do with all this information pouring into our thoughts and emotions?
1. We pray for peace.
2. We become part of the solution and not part of the problem. Social media is one of the greatest and worst forms of communication. Posting negative or inflammatory opinions will make half of our friends happy and irritate the other half. No one will be swayed to “our side” by our posts.
3. We live Matthew 22:36-40 by loving God and loving people. These are the first 2 points of the Mission Statement for Eastern Hills Baptist Church.
4. We spread the Gospel of Peace by telling others about the God who loves them. It’s not enough to just love God and people. We need to spread that love and teach others to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. This is the third part of our mission statement.
In closing, while praying for Montgomery last night and thinking of all those who could have been in harm’s way, I came across this verse:
Psalm 46:1-2
God is our refuge and strength, a present help in times of trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and the mountains are carried into the midst of the sea…we will not fear.
Praying that the peace which passes all understanding will guide our hearts and thoughts each day.
Pastor Greg