Monday, May 3, 2010

Keeping the Royal Law

1. The Royal Law

“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.” ~James 2:8 (NIV)

2. The Summary of the Law

The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." ~Galatians 5:14 (NIV)

3. The Pillars of the Law

36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." ~Matt 22:36-40 (NIV)

4. The Application of the Law

“Love God and do as you please” ~St. Augustine of Hippo

We chose to live out our faith based on the limits and boundaries determined by our love of and for God.

5. The Judgment of the Law

35“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

~Matt 25:35-40 (NIV)

6. The Living of the Royal Law this week

Your action plan?

Thoughts on Leadership

“Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.” ~Proverbs 16:32 (NIV)

by John Maxwell

(source: http://johnmaxwellonleadership.com/)

I must admit, impatience has always been a weakness for me, and I have continually had to work on it. Early in my career, I wanted to do things as quickly as possible and move on to the next thing. If someone didn’t want to move at my speed, I breezed right past him or her. But that leadership style hindered my ability to connect with others, and my relationships suffered. The good news was that I moved fast. The bad news was that I often moved alone.

Moving at the speed of another person can be exhausting. It obviously takes energy to keep up with someone who is moving faster than we are. But isn’t it also tiring to move at a slower pace than we want to? Henry David Thoreau wrote, “The man who goes alone can start the day. But he who travels with another must wait until the other is ready.” I find waiting very frustrating. It tries my patience. However, if I want to connect with people, I have to be willing to slow down and go at someone else’s pace. Good connectors don’t always run the fastest, but they are able to take others with them. They exhibit patience. They set aside their own agendas to include others. These things require energy. But I’ve discovered over the years that anything really worthwhile in life takes time to build.

From Everyone Communicates, Few Connect


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