Join the University family in chapel at 10 a.m. each weekday via the livestream broadcast at (cedarville.edu/chapellive) or Facebook Live (cedarville.edu/facebook). Past messages are also archived at cedarville.edu/chapel. March 22–23 Philip Miller ’04 Senior Pastor The Moody Church Chicago, Illinois March 29 Matt Papa Singer/Songwriter Marco Island, Florida April 5 Nate Akin Executive Director The Pillar Network Wake Forest, North Carolina April 26 Senior Chapel STAND FOR LIFE: BUILDING A FOUNDATION TO CARE FOR MOTHERS The following is an excerpt from a November 1, 2022, chapel presentation by Trip Lee, as part of the Stand for Life event. Listen to his full message at cedarville.edu/LeeNov22. In Matthew 22, Jesus has been teaching and has entered Jerusalem with His disciples. Some religious leaders tried to trip Him up with questions about the resurrection, and they’ve gotten silenced. They’re saying, “Of all the commandments, what’s the most important one?” Jesus not only answers that question, but He goes beyond it. The main thing is that love is the only action you should ever commit, the only deed you should ever carry out. We live in complex times — a lot of issues, a lot of controversies to process. Jesus helps us simplify by reminding us that our marching orders are simple: to love God and love neighbor. Everything else is details. It’s difficult sometimes to figure out what it means to love God because our ideas of love have been so shaped by the world around us. Love is a holy affection for someone and a selfless commitment to them. Verse 37 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” There are a lot of laws in the Old Testament. Why is it that this one would be the great and first one? Because God is the center of the entire universe and all creation. Unless we have a commitment to loving God, the loving neighbor part is not going to flesh out quite right. He not only tells us to love Him, He tells us how: with all your heart, soul, mind. From the deepest portions of who you are, you are to love God. You are not who you were created to be apart from a love for God. That also means there’s no area of our life that should remain untouched by love for God. Your money, time, relationships, sexuality, identity, the way you interact with other people. So verse 39 says you shall love your neighbor as yourself; on these two commandments pin all the law and the prophets. God is saying, “I have made people in My image. These are reflections of who I am.” The way we treat other people is a reflection of how we feel about God Himself. If we do not understand what it means for someone to be made in the image of God, we will not understand the worth and value of the people that God has created. We do not get to decide who we love. The values we’re fighting for are not ours. This is not an us versus them. This is loving the God who made us and loving the people that God made with everything we have. Trip Lee is an author, teacher, and hip-hop artist. 24 | Cedarville Magazine CHAPEL NOTES
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=