The Measure of Your Loyalty
"You are only as loyal to Jesus as you are to your least favorite person."
By His substitutionary death for all of mankind, Jesus proved Himself to be loyal to absolutely everyone. Consistent with this doctrine is the call of Scripture that those who have received this act of love should, likewise, be loyal to all. Even to their enemies! To be disloyal to those for whom Christ died is to be disloyal to Him.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:43-45).
The Blaster
Fact of Fiction? It is legal to have your car retro-fitted with a flame thrower to ward of carjackers in South Africa. Fact!
With carjacking rampant in 1990s South Africa (in excess of 13,000 incidents per year), inventor Charles Fourie patented “The Blaster,” a flame-throwing device that could be retro-fitted to cars to ward off would-be attackers. “Casting a man-high fireball, reportedly with no damage to the paint, the Blaster … squirts liquefied gas from a bottle in the automobile's trunk through two nozzles, located under the front doors. The gas is then ignited by an electric spark, with fiery consequences.”
CNN reports that South African courts “allow killing if convinced that it's in self-defense.” Never mind the fact that flames shoot from both sides of the car simultaneously, posing great risk to pedestrians and passersby. In a society wherein cars are, for many, a luxury, some were willing to go to great lengths to stay in "the driver’s seat."
Can you imagine lighting someone on fire to stop them from stealing your car? Wouldn't it be better to just give them the car? ". . . Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" (1 Corinthians 6:7).
Post Script: Wondering how the invention fared in its battle against crime? Motortorque.com (http://motortorque.askaprice.com/blog/tag/flamethrower-car/) reported in 2009 that fewer than 1000 were ever sold, suggesting that criminals simply resorted to shooting their victims from a distance, effectively nullifying the Blaster’s usefulness.
The Crew Behind the Counter
Jess Wislon, of Diary of Mom blog, observes:
I LOVE this picture of Julia Child filming French Chef back in 1963. There are 5 people - FIVE! - sitting on the floor of the set, crammed behind her kitchen island, hidden from the camera's view. One of the five is holding at the ready a pie tin, which will undoubtedly be magically transported into her hand momentarily.
*Photo from WGBH TV, "The French Chef," which first aired February 11, 1963.
She continues:
Heck, even Julia Child couldn’t cook like Julia Child. At least not alone.
Our Christian experience is much like the 1960s set of Julia Child's TV kitchen. So much is going on behind the scenes to prop us up, support us, assist us. We were not meant to serve up the dish we call the Christian life alone!
In fact, the Lord calls us — nay, commands us! — to function in community ... "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2, ESV).
Why? Because we are, in fact, one body. "For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another" (Romans 12:4-5, ESV).
Julia Childs didn't become the world's most reknown French chef in a vaccuum.
It might have been Julia's hands the camera focused on, stirring the pot, whisking the batter, kneeding the dough, but behind her, all around her, beneath her, was a whole army of community helping her to be all she could be.
We are no less called to be that supporting cast for one another. Sometimes, we'll walk beside each other. But just as often, we might find ourselves behind, or even beneath each other. In those moments, remember: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:4-6, ESV).
In the Christian life, as the cameras are all focusing on you, don't forget to look around, behind, and beneath for all those who are supporting you, and give thanks that you are not called to live your life in a vaccum!
And likewise, when you see all the focus on another, don't hesitate, even for a moment, to crawl behind the counter, to stoop down beneath another brother or sister in the Lord, to help them shine and be the very best they can be!
"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, ESV).
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV).