Without a doubt I have experienced some amazing things with all of you! Last year at Know Sweat (our summer mission trip to Milligan, TN) was probably one of the highlights of my life! Why? Because we were a team on a mission together. We simply loved God by loving His creation – taking care of people in need.
If we say that God’s character is good, then everything that God creates is good (read Genesis 1 & 2 and you will see that everything God creates is always described as “good”). Therefore, we’ll be obedient to Him by loving His creation – and that includes people…His greatest creation (read Mark 12:28-34).
I have never seen you guys more obedient than when I saw you serve people during Know Sweat last summer. Think about some of the things you did that expressed your obedience to God – painting garbage dumpsters (really, who does that?), blacktopping a parking lot, painting playground equipment, cleaning out abandoned, government housing units, building soccer goals for kids and even scrubbing some nasty toilets! Your obedience to God was demonstrated through those acts of love, sacrifice and service. Your obedience proved that you were completely Christ-like and loved God and His creation. Why? Because that is the way Jesus obeyed the Father. Jesus – the best expression of God’s character – washed feet, loved the unlovable, touched the untouchable and even loved God and His creation enough to die for us. Why? Because that’s the heart of God. That’s the command of God – to love Him and love His creation…all people…even those who never feel love from others. That’s obedience in action.
So, when I think of obedience, I think of Rebekah S. scrubbing a disgusting toilet in the projects last July in Milligan, TN. Why? Because that what Jesus would do…and that what He expects of us (read Matthew 25:31-46).
