METHOD TO THINKING

 

 

How do we think and make Biblical decisions in view of all of the Bible’s many teachings? Where must our thinking start? Or what is our organizing principle? The answer is simple. It must start with our intention to honor our Lord in all things. Jesus had been asked to identify the greatest commandment:

·       And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37–39)

 

There is only one way to love God. We do this by keeping His Word. Elsewhere, Jesus taught:

·        “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (John 14:23–24)

 

Well, what do we do when loving God is in opposition to loving others? For example, loving God requires us to evangelize (Matthew 28:18-20). However, loving our neighbor might mean that we should not use words lest we antagonize our neighbor. How do we reconcile these two perspectives? There is nothing to reconcile. Why not? To love God first, by keeping His Word, means that we will also love our neighbor at the same time:

 

·       By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:2–3)

 

To keep His commandments is to love our neighbor. But this still leaves us with the freedom to decide how we evangelize. Yes, God must be present in our language, but there are many ways to do this:

·       I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. (Psalm 34:1–2)

 

There are many ways that his praise can be on our lips in inoffensive ways. For example, when someone asks, “How are you doing?” you can simple respond, “I had a terrible night, but I am at peace knowing that my Lord is working these unpleasant circumstances for my good, as He often has.”

 

In any event, our Lord must be honored in all areas of our lives.