QUEASINESS

I Was Just Thinking About – QUEASINESS.

I usually start off my day by reading the devotional, “Get More Strength For The Journey.” Today’s entry (August 18, 2017) asks: “Got Any Neighbors?” The first two paragraphs state: “Jesus’ life and ministry dramatically demonstrated that the word prejudice is not in His vocabulary. In fact, He hates prejudice in any form. He detests racism, classism, and religious snobbery. Why? Because it defies who He is and what He came to do. No one escaped the embrace of His love and concern. And He calls us to love as He did—without limits. But prejudice blocks our ability to love as he did and denies us the privilege of being like Him in our world. When the Pharisee hoped to embarrass Jesus by asking Him to name the greatest commandment, Jesus answered that we should love God with the totality of our being. And although it was more than the scheming lawyer had asked for, Jesus added the second most important command: Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Not ‘second’ meaning less important, but sequentially. In other words, the authenticity of our love for God is measured by our attitudes and acts of love for others.”

One of the possibilities for the definition of Queasiness is: “uneasy, uncomfortable, as feelings, the conscience.” That should have been the least reaction or response of the Pharisees in Matthew 22. In a similar moment, Luke 10:25-29, we read: “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What is written in the Law? Jesus replied. How do you read it? He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself. You have answered correctly, Jesus replied. Do this and you will live. But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus: And Who Is My Neighbor?"

In a world marked by its uncertainties – threats of war; terrorist activity; demonstrations and rioting in the streets; civil strife among citizens of the ‘E Pluribus Unum’ (out of many, one) culture – the whole concept of – “And Who Is My Neighbor?” - emerges time and time again. The whole idea of ‘queasiness’ (being uneasy, uncomfortable, as feelings, the conscience) is absent. It is a time when cultural and historical Landmarks are being destroyed in the Middle East by ISIS, and Monuments that reflect the Historical past of this nation are being toppled, defaced and removed. For some caught up in the emotional wave of the day, it is to demonstrate, but for others, the intention is to overthrow the government and its leadership. Jesus warned of hard and difficult times for His people (Matthew 24:9-14). Our focus is to remain upon Him (Hebrews 12:2) and to persevere in making His non-compromised Gospel known to all people. The Lord will grant you both His strength and presence to guide you through this arduous task and journey.

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.