Our Master said, "Love one another, as you are loved." (Part 3)
Part 3: I am your stepping stone
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering of sacrifice to God." [Ephesians 5:1-2]
For the past few weeks we’ve been unfolding the phrase “Our Master said, ‘Love one another, as you are loved.’” First we thought about what it means to have a Master, or to be Mastered. Then we considered what it meant that Jesus told us not only that we must love, but that we must love in a certain way, namely, ‘as we are loved.’ That’s where we were last time. Before we move on, I’d like to paint a picture of what this looks like.
Remember the old Monkees song, “I’m not your stepping stone?” Well, it’s a catchy tune but don’t let it affect your worldview. Jesus Christ, our Master, is called the “stumbling block of Israel,” and “a rock of offense” to those who are condemned [1 Peter 2]. For those who believe, however, he is a rock to make our steps secure [Psalm 40], a sure foundation [Isaiah 28:16], and solid ground [Matthew 7:24-27]. We are built up on him as the chief cornerstone of the building of God [1 Corinthians 3:11, Ephesians 2:20]. What I see here—if we are to love as we are loved—is that we are to be stepping stones for each other!
Jesus said “Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.” [John 15:13]. Laying down one's life means, in part, being willing to get stepped on. But is this so bad? Think with me for a moment about what a stepping stone actually does and the image is really quite extraordinary:
A stepping stone serves, supports, lifts, strengthens, and directs a person’s path upward to a higher destination. To do this, it must know the destination and point to it, it must be humble, it must have adequate strength, and it must be willing to get a bit dirty in the process. And for someone to really get to higher ground, it takes more than just one step. Which means that we must be willing to repeat the process of getting stepped on for another’s benefit. And it also means that we should assemble with others who are like-minded. And when you have a bunch of stepping stones all working together, pointing toward one goal, you get a rock stairway—and that’s kind of like what a church body should be like. Can you picture it?
By God’s grace the person exerts the energy to climb the rock stairway, but the stairs support him, direct him, draw his vision upward to the destination, beckon toward the upward goal, and they repeat the process until he gets there. Think about all the other character traits this image brings out! Attitude, humility, teamwork, etc. A rock stairway is a great picture of what we should be doing for each other: being each other’s support, direction, encouragement, and vision-realigner. (A good brother just did this for me recently!)
It’s just simple imagery, but it fits in so well. When we get into those conversations with people who are having a tough time, it’s time to take on the role of a step—get humble, get supportive, get positive and encouraging, set the vision toward the higher ground of truth and joy, and gather others to help you. Sometimes we all need a way out of the dark cellar of solitude into the light-warmed family room. So let’s aim at becoming willing stepping stones for each other—for the higher ground awaits! Look for opportunities today, for our Master has said “…give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” [Luke 6:38]
[Next week we’ll continue our discussion, and focus on handling conflicts. Thanks for reading!]
Recommendations
[movie] Luther (2003), starring Joseph Fiennes, just came out on VHS/DVD—highly recommended! Majority of the manuscript was taken from actual statements or manuscripts or court records. Low budget, but a great movie! Should be available in your local video rental store.
[article] Francis Schaeffer’s The Mark of the Christian. A classic work on our theme of loving one another.
[site] John Piper’s Fresh Words, a weekly devotional similar to this one.
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering of sacrifice to God." [Ephesians 5:1-2]
For the past few weeks we’ve been unfolding the phrase “Our Master said, ‘Love one another, as you are loved.’” First we thought about what it means to have a Master, or to be Mastered. Then we considered what it meant that Jesus told us not only that we must love, but that we must love in a certain way, namely, ‘as we are loved.’ That’s where we were last time. Before we move on, I’d like to paint a picture of what this looks like.
Remember the old Monkees song, “I’m not your stepping stone?” Well, it’s a catchy tune but don’t let it affect your worldview. Jesus Christ, our Master, is called the “stumbling block of Israel,” and “a rock of offense” to those who are condemned [1 Peter 2]. For those who believe, however, he is a rock to make our steps secure [Psalm 40], a sure foundation [Isaiah 28:16], and solid ground [Matthew 7:24-27]. We are built up on him as the chief cornerstone of the building of God [1 Corinthians 3:11, Ephesians 2:20]. What I see here—if we are to love as we are loved—is that we are to be stepping stones for each other!
Jesus said “Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.” [John 15:13]. Laying down one's life means, in part, being willing to get stepped on. But is this so bad? Think with me for a moment about what a stepping stone actually does and the image is really quite extraordinary:
A stepping stone serves, supports, lifts, strengthens, and directs a person’s path upward to a higher destination. To do this, it must know the destination and point to it, it must be humble, it must have adequate strength, and it must be willing to get a bit dirty in the process. And for someone to really get to higher ground, it takes more than just one step. Which means that we must be willing to repeat the process of getting stepped on for another’s benefit. And it also means that we should assemble with others who are like-minded. And when you have a bunch of stepping stones all working together, pointing toward one goal, you get a rock stairway—and that’s kind of like what a church body should be like. Can you picture it?
By God’s grace the person exerts the energy to climb the rock stairway, but the stairs support him, direct him, draw his vision upward to the destination, beckon toward the upward goal, and they repeat the process until he gets there. Think about all the other character traits this image brings out! Attitude, humility, teamwork, etc. A rock stairway is a great picture of what we should be doing for each other: being each other’s support, direction, encouragement, and vision-realigner. (A good brother just did this for me recently!)
It’s just simple imagery, but it fits in so well. When we get into those conversations with people who are having a tough time, it’s time to take on the role of a step—get humble, get supportive, get positive and encouraging, set the vision toward the higher ground of truth and joy, and gather others to help you. Sometimes we all need a way out of the dark cellar of solitude into the light-warmed family room. So let’s aim at becoming willing stepping stones for each other—for the higher ground awaits! Look for opportunities today, for our Master has said “…give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” [Luke 6:38]
[Next week we’ll continue our discussion, and focus on handling conflicts. Thanks for reading!]
Recommendations
[movie] Luther (2003), starring Joseph Fiennes, just came out on VHS/DVD—highly recommended! Majority of the manuscript was taken from actual statements or manuscripts or court records. Low budget, but a great movie! Should be available in your local video rental store.
[article] Francis Schaeffer’s The Mark of the Christian. A classic work on our theme of loving one another.
[site] John Piper’s Fresh Words, a weekly devotional similar to this one.
posted by Unknown at 12/09/2004 06:25:00 AM
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