Dear Rose Park,
Imagine a triangle. It has three sides and three angles. We typically see triangles when we think of a pizza slice, a yield sign, a tortilla chip, the pyramids, the sail of a boat, or even the outline of a ladder. However, I’d like to introduce a new kind of triangle. This kind of triangle can help shape our relationships and we see it most clearly through the person of Jesus.
UP with the Father, IN with the disciples, OUT with the world. These are the three sides of the triangle. This is the way Jesus lived His life and it’s the way He calls us to live ours as well. Jesus was always looking UP towards His relationship with God; always seeking the will of His heavenly Father. Jesus was also committed to those around Him (IN); Jesus didn’t live in isolation, instead He intentionally invested time and energy with those around Him. Finally, by continually seeking the will of His Father and investing time in those around Him, Jesus was able to extend Himself to those who didn’t know the love of God (OUT). This is what made Jesus truly revolutionary; remember, it was Jesus Himself who said, “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5: 31-32).
Jesus calls our lives to mimic His. Typically, Christians are healthy in the UP and IN portion, but lacking in the OUT portion. Maybe you feel healthy in the OUT portion but not the UP portion, or some other combination. However, if we are seeking to live as Jesus lived and follow in His footsteps then we must recognize the importance of all three sides of the triangle. Our love and commitment to each other and to the outside world is only as strong as our love and commitment to the Father. At the same time, if we truly love the Father then we will naturally love those around us and those outside of us. We know this because Christ tells Simon Peter and us to, “feed my sheep” (John 21:17).
This is all to say, do a quick inventory of your life. Do you find yourself naturally going upwards to the Father but struggle in extending that love outwards? Do you find yourself naturally loving those around you but can’t seem to create time and space to have intimacy with God? Jesus models this type of lifestyle for us and calls us to mimic Him. So, the next time you see a yield sign, bite into a slice of pizza, dip a tortilla chip, or even climb a ladder may you reminded of the UP, IN, & OUT lifestyle that Christ calls us to.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark