Philippians 3:4b-14
Exodus 20:1-20
When Paul is writing to the Philippians, he can be trusted and believed because he is "bonified!" He knew what he was talking about. He was raised in the church, had passed all the tests to become a Pharisee, was held in high regards in the temple, had even persecuted disciples and followers of Christ until ......
he was convicted with the truth. If you want to learn from anyone more knowledgeable about religion, more believable and more to be trusted than even Paul, you have to turn to that convictor- Jesus Christ.
We all know that Jesus is the doorway to a relationship with God. After finding the doorway, you must move through it and begin your walk with God to learn more about this relationship. Once in this relationship, people have often described it as a feeling of being "Home". No matter what is happening and changing in your life, some things like Home can be counted on to be the same. A church home is often like this--it stays basically the same. No matter what the turmoil, if you come back to a church that you have been a part of, you will see many of the same people and you can find comfort in doing, praying, and singing in much the same way. Communion is one of the things that especially stays the same. Today, being World Communion Sunday, gives us a chance to acknowledge how large our family of believers is as we consider all the churches around the world that are sharing in communion today. A stability, a sameness, that provides a foundation when the world seems a little shaky.
That sameness gives a perspective to the world similar to what happens if you go gem mining. Memories of Tate City, Georgia come to mind. When you lift up your sand, it just looks like a bunch of dirt--until the sun light hits it. Then, the tiny ruby pieces in it begin to sparkle and shine and you get to experience the excitement of finding treasure! Just like when the world we live in and the people around us may look like a bunch of dirt, until the "son-light" hits it and makes it sparkle.
And what keeps the sparkle in the "sand of our world"-Sometimes it is simply those things that we can count on--the laws that help us to treat each other with respect--the laws that teach us how to act. Yes, those basic laws that have been under such scrutiny and in the center of many debates--The Ten Commandments.
Did you know that these commandments are recognized, believed and followed all over the world? Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike begin their faith with these precepts. John Quincy Adams stated that the commandments were 'laws essential to the existence of men in society, and most of which have been enacted by every nation, which ever professed any code of laws'". In other words, the commandments are not just about morality and value systems, but precedents needed to make a society work.
Just as the 10 Commandments are the cornerstone of law, Jesus is the cornerstone of faith. When we are taking these thoughts to a higher level, we see the law is important, but the knowledge of and relationship with He who gave us the law is most important. You can see in Paul's letter to the Philippians the passion of this thought. The knowledge that no matter how much we know the law, it is best to know the giver of the law--in essence, the giver of life.
May your life sparkle with this knowledge and may you always be able to see past the dirt as God is revealed to you in your journey.
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