The Ceremony

Romans 10 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent...So, faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of God.

On the day that I graduated from nursing school we had a pinning ceremony. A separate graduation for nursing where we received a pin to certify our completion of the nursing program. It was one of the greatest days of my life. A pin was placed on my uniform by my nursing instructor like a badge of honor. Like a gold medal. Like a coat of arms. I spoke before the crowd that day of the faithfulness of my God who had brought me so far and our chaplain (and we were the first class to ever elect one) sang, Love them like Jesus.

We were, for the most part, a spiritual group with almost every single student claiming the name of Christ. We prayed collectively before every test, every time, for two years. It was our goal to let the love of Christ be shown to others in our work. We would vow to present ourselves to our chosen fields and practice our skills in the love of Christ. It was a noble idea. A noble profession.

And this is where it gets a little tricky. Because I really liked that idea. Just go to work and love them in Jesus name. After all, does not the Bible say that if you offer a drink of cool water in His name that there is great reward in that? So bear with me for a moment.

Truly it is not enough, just in and of itself, to love like Jesus. It is just the beginning. For if we love others in His name but they never are lead to the knowledge of how to find Him what have we really accomplished?

How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?

Jesus' greatest commandments were to love the Lord with all you've got and to love one another. But what does it say? That the law is fulfilled in the loving. The rest of the law is pretty much action. Acting out that love. The love of Jesus was an active love. Always pointing the way to His Father. To Truth. To eternity.

If we just love, just to show kindness it is not enough. We must lead them to the source. The chorus of that song says, Love them like Jesus. Carry them to Him.

I learned something about myself in just having this attitude in my work. It is easier for me to say in my heart, Lord as I work today, I will work in Your power, You strength, Your wisdom and Your love. My work is for You. I will treat my patients with the warmth and gentleness and kindness that You have shown me. That was the easy part. It got a little tougher to open my mouth and begin a conversation about where their heart was with the Lord. But it is their heart that He is after. So I learned that loving them like Jesus was a reward for me but that it really didn't benefit them that much. What they really need, what we really need, what the world really needs is a Savior. Not just to be loved.

It is a start. It plants a seed. It shows a changed life. It is the greatest of all commandments. But without the knowledge that leads to Christ, it is just not enough.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.

Father, this is just another area of my life where I would withhold myself from You. I want to do the least I can to get by. It is uncomfortable for me to speak sometimes. It is just easier to love and hope that they see You in my work. In my attitude. But that does not lead to salvation. It might lead to curiosity, it might start a conversation but at some point for it to really matter, it must lead to the truth of who You ARE. And how will they know, if they never hear. Love without knowledge or truth is really just good works. I don't want people to think that I am just nice, or a friendly person or a conscientious worker. I want them to know that these attitudes flow out from a relationship with YOU. Teach me Lord to open my mouth and share with others the life changing truth that leads to salvation through faith. Through hearing. Through the Word of YOU.