Certainty in the Uncertain – By Pastor Dave Nieuwsma
To say that the world we live in, is filled with uncertainty would be an understatement. Every day we are still confronted, with not being sure, if we have the correct information to make good decisions. It seems like the rules constantly change and with the myriad of stories thrown in our direction, we are not sure which story is the true story.
Uncertainty was a trademark of Jesus’ day because oppression was the daily story of Jews in Jesus’ day. And in the middle of it regardless of their circumstances, Jesus said the most important thing you could do was to ” love the Lord your God with all your heart….. and to love your neighbor as yourself.
Today loving our neighbor when they agree with us, is easy, but today, loving our neighbor who doesn’t agree with us, is the real challenge, so how do we do it?
Paul in Colossians 3 says” clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Today, foundationally, before everything else, we are called to love the Lord our God with all our hearts… and our neighbor as ourselves. When we try to do this, it will no longer be me against you, but it will be me trying to figure out how to be for you. And when we do this, I wonder, if the uncertainty we face, will no longer occupy a large place in our lives.