The 1960’s were very much like today in many ways. But when looking at history on a whole, it seems that there is a common trait, and that is loving one another. There was a song written in the mid 1960’s by Chet Powers called “Let’s Get Together.” The words are this: “Come on people now smile on your brother everybody get together, try to love one another right now.” It’s a great start if we begin looking at people as just that, people. We are all made of flesh and blood, and we all live on this planet. The song continues on to say, “If you hear the song I sing, you will understand. You hold the key to love and fear, all in your trembling hand, just one key unlocks them both. It’s there at your command.”
Yes, we hold the key to love and fear. We hold the key. We can choose to live in peace and harmony, or we can live with the chaos and fear that is brought on when we do not live in love for one another. Now the question is who is right and who is wrong? Some people say this is the way to peace and harmony and others say this is the way to love one another. Is it about equity or equality? There is a difference. Equality says that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents. No one is more important than the other. Equity means fairness and justice. Equity and equality are not the same. Equality means that I have the same right as you to become, let’s say, president. Equity means I will give you all you need so that you can be president. Let’s start with Genesis 1:27 which says, “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”
Deuteronomy 10:17, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. God shows no partiality, because to God we are all His children, and because we have all fallen short of His glory, we have all sinned”, (Romans 3:23). No one is perfect, we all have faults and weaknesses, we all grow weary, and we all have the same chance at God’s salvation. But we do not look at life this way, we see it through much different eyes than God. Humans have a love and a thirst for money, and power and to rule over people with that power. It is very controlling, and with money and power people have wanted to rule the world. This is true slavery, but not for the weak, but for the strong, not for the poor, but for the rich.
1 Timothy 6: 7-10 says, “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it, either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
We speak of social justice, which has been politically motivated, but God spoke of justice way before social justice came along. James 2:1-8 says this, “My dear brothers and sisters, you are believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. So don’t treat some people better than others. Suppose someone comes into your meeting wearing very nice clothes and a gold ring. At the same time a poor person comes in wearing old, dirty clothes. You show special attention to the person wearing nice clothes. You say, “Sit here in this good seat.” But you say to the poor person, “Stand there!” or “Sit on the floor by our feet!” Doesn’t this show that you think some people are more important than others? You set yourselves up as judges—judges who make bad decisions. Listen, my dear brothers and sisters. God chose the poor people in the world to be rich in faith. He chose them to receive the kingdom God promised to those who love Him. But you show no respect to those who are poor. And you know that the rich are the ones who always try to control your lives. And they are the ones who take you to court. And the rich are the ones who insult the wonderful name of Christ, the name by which you are known. One law rules over all other laws. This royal law is found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” If you obey this law, you are doing right. But if you are treating one person as more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God’s law.” God sees injustice as a sin, a breaking of His commandments. Man is a slave to his own lusts and fears, because money does not make for happiness.
Romans 6:20-23 tells us this. “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. You see God sees all of us as equals. If one has more than he should give to the one who has less, but not because he is forced to, but because he loves God.”
Matthew 25:31-40 tells us this story, “When God finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all His angels with Him, the Son of Man will take His place on His glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before Him and He will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to His left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by My Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed Me, I was thirsty and you gave Me a drink, I was homeless and you gave Me a room, I was shivering and you gave Me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see You sick or in prison and come to You?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was Me—you did it to Me.’”
Let’s come together and help one another. Maybe we do not all have the same earthly goods, but we all have the capacity to help one another, not by force, but by love. We do not need to create fear, for perfect love casts out fear,1 John 4:18.
Like the song says, “You hold the key to love and fear.” “Come on people, now smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now.” Right now, let’s begin to work together, to live in peace and harmony, but to do that we must willingly all come together as a people who were all created equal in God’s eyes to love each other as God loves us.