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Thoughts To Ponder
Always take the lowest place,
and the highest will be given to you, for high structures require a
solid foundation. The greatest, in the judgment of God, are the least in
their own opinion; the more worthy they are, the more humility will be
seen in them.
Does Jesus Care?
by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.
The song, "Does Jesus Care?", written in 1901, has been a comfort to
Christians during the trials of the past century. It is one of my favorites.
The other night, while meditating on the words of the song, it occurred to
me that the title could have a much broader application than the wonderful
words of comfort in the song. We could profit greatly by applying the
question to many areas of our lives and seeking to find the answer from the
scriptures. For example, does Jesus care, one way or the other, whether one
is a Jew or Gentile, bond or free, rich or poor, when it comes to saving him
from sin and adding him to the church? The answer is, no he does not care
one way or the other. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been
all made to drink into one Spirit." (1 Cor. 12:13). Let us see if we
can apply this to some other matters.
Does Jesus care who wins the Super Bowl or the Alabama-Auburn game? One would think that He is deeply concerned from listening to some post-game interviews. Players and coaches often are heard giving the Lord credit for their victory. While it is commendable that they would think of the Lord at such a time, I can find nothing in the scriptures that convinces me that the Lord cares one way or the other who wins a football game or any other similar contest. However, there are other areas where many professed Christians seem to think that he does not care when the Bible indicates that he really does care.
Does Jesus care what church we belong to just as long as one is sincere in his choice? "There is one body..." (Eph. 4:4). The body is the church (Eph. 1:22, 23). "But now are they many members, yet but one body" (1 Cor. 12:20). "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (Eph. 5:23). If there is one body and it is the church and if He is the head of the church and savior of the body, then He must care one way or the other.
Does Jesus care what or how one worships as long as he is seeking to honor God? Jesus said, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24). "In spirit" suggests that he cares how one worships. 1 Cor. 14:40 teaches that worship services should "be done decently and in order." "In truth" suggests that he cares what we offer in worship. It must be according God’s word – the truth. Also, He said, "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matt. 15:9).
Does Jesus care what day we observe the Lord’s Supper in His memory? Luke wrote, concerning the early disciples’ practice, "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread ..." (Acts 20:7). The breaking of bread here obviously refers to the Lord’s Supper since early Christians were forbidden to come together as a church to eat a common meal (1 Cor. 11:18, 22, 34, NKJ, NIV).
Does Jesus care what length of hair one wears? From what I am seeing more and more among members of the church, one might conclude that Jesus does not care, one way or the other? It is not unusual any more to sit behind a couple at a worship service and not be able to tell which is the male or female by their hair styles. Yet, the scriptures say, "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering (1 Cor. 11:14-15). Does this not indicate to us that the Lord does care one way or the other about the length of one’s hair?
Does Jesus care about the clothes one wears? "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works" (1 Tim. 2:9-10). The Bible also clearly teaches that one is to be clothed so that "the shame of thy nakedness do not appear" (Rev. 3:18). Clothing can make one’s nakedness appear by either leaving certain parts of the body bare or by being so form fitting that nothing is left to the imagination.
The list of applications could go on and on. It would be a good exercise in Bible study for one to list all the things he could think of about which he could ask "Does Jesus care?" Then go to the scriptures to see if He really does care one way or the other.
Yes, Jesus does care, in the words of the song, "when my heart is pained ... when my way is dark ... when I’ve said ‘good-by’ to the dearest on earth to me." He also cares about other things in our lives as well. If we seek to please Him, we will care about those things for which he cares.
Other Articles by
Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.
The Kingdom
of God Still Stands
Judge Righteous
Judgment
Can We Withdraw From the Withdrawn?