Genie of the Lamp
Most people have heard the story of Aladdin's genie of the the lamp and the three wishes. I have, more so than others, because I've watched Disney's version with my daughter umpteen times. One day, for no particular reason that I can recall, I wanted to find out what the Bible had to say about wishing. For those who are not aware, my father was at one time a minister, and I've probably followed biblical tenets as closely as anyone else I know for most of my life.
So, it came as a shock to me to find out that Jesus made a specific statement about wishing that for some reason no one had ever cared to bring up in my 30+ years. His words were, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it will be done." [John 15:7].
In hindsight, I actually have received everything that I've prayed for. Even things that I'd specifically prayed for "knowing" full well that it would be impossible to achieve. This has happened on many, many occasions. So often, in fact, that I no longer question the validity of what Jesus called the two greatest commandments, or how to "abide" in Him.
The first and greatest commandment is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul and mind." The second is "You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself." From these passages, it seems reasonable to assume that if you follow (abide in) just these two commandments, your wishes will come true.
A specific example of a wish coming true is the house I purchased one year ago. 2 years ago, in my little apartment, I took down a flyer for a home being sold around the corner for $450,000 that I had posted on my office corkboard for a year. An amount that under no circumstances I could see myself paying on my own. Last year I bought a house for exactly that much. Granted, I took a lot of action to help make that happen, but I have no doubt that living right, and obeying those two commandments contributed heavily.
The one common thread between these two commandments is love. Jesus was kind enough to provide a lengthy definition of Love in Corinthians chapter 13, which makes it easier to know if you're screwing up your chances of having your wishes fulfilled. Of the virtues faith, hope, love, and charity, Love is the greatest of these, Jesus says. Which makes sense considering it's necessity in the two greatest commandments.
I have a website called Moluv (it uses a phonetic spelling of the word love). The license plates on my Corvette and my Civic both have the phrase in them. This isn't so I can ensure that I get all my wishes, although that seems to have been a nice side effect, but so that I could fulfill the two greatest commandments. Acknowledge God, by acknowledging the importance of love, His greatest virtue, and having consideration for the people I encounter by sharing "mo luv" both literally and figuratively.
Of course there's more to my devotion than just sharing a phrase. To shamelessly borrow an overused saying, action speaks much louder than words. Oddly enough, regardless of religion, I've found that people I've encountered who act out the two greatest commandments, I have a great admiration for, and am always willing to help. These behaviours can be found in people who have other religions, or have no religion at all, or from people from every background and nationality. This led me to define the greatest commandments in simpler terms for myself. Believe in what is greater than you, and be considerate of those around you.
What this allows me to do is not pass judgement on people who have different religious philosophies, or no philosophy at ll. This goes for people within christianity in all its different flavors, and without. If you're humble enough to know that we are not the center of the universe, and you treat others with respect, you are a friend of mine, and you can count on me to contribute my two cents to making your wishes come true.
So, it came as a shock to me to find out that Jesus made a specific statement about wishing that for some reason no one had ever cared to bring up in my 30+ years. His words were, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it will be done." [John 15:7].
In hindsight, I actually have received everything that I've prayed for. Even things that I'd specifically prayed for "knowing" full well that it would be impossible to achieve. This has happened on many, many occasions. So often, in fact, that I no longer question the validity of what Jesus called the two greatest commandments, or how to "abide" in Him.
The first and greatest commandment is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul and mind." The second is "You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself." From these passages, it seems reasonable to assume that if you follow (abide in) just these two commandments, your wishes will come true.
A specific example of a wish coming true is the house I purchased one year ago. 2 years ago, in my little apartment, I took down a flyer for a home being sold around the corner for $450,000 that I had posted on my office corkboard for a year. An amount that under no circumstances I could see myself paying on my own. Last year I bought a house for exactly that much. Granted, I took a lot of action to help make that happen, but I have no doubt that living right, and obeying those two commandments contributed heavily.
The one common thread between these two commandments is love. Jesus was kind enough to provide a lengthy definition of Love in Corinthians chapter 13, which makes it easier to know if you're screwing up your chances of having your wishes fulfilled. Of the virtues faith, hope, love, and charity, Love is the greatest of these, Jesus says. Which makes sense considering it's necessity in the two greatest commandments.
I have a website called Moluv (it uses a phonetic spelling of the word love). The license plates on my Corvette and my Civic both have the phrase in them. This isn't so I can ensure that I get all my wishes, although that seems to have been a nice side effect, but so that I could fulfill the two greatest commandments. Acknowledge God, by acknowledging the importance of love, His greatest virtue, and having consideration for the people I encounter by sharing "mo luv" both literally and figuratively.
Of course there's more to my devotion than just sharing a phrase. To shamelessly borrow an overused saying, action speaks much louder than words. Oddly enough, regardless of religion, I've found that people I've encountered who act out the two greatest commandments, I have a great admiration for, and am always willing to help. These behaviours can be found in people who have other religions, or have no religion at all, or from people from every background and nationality. This led me to define the greatest commandments in simpler terms for myself. Believe in what is greater than you, and be considerate of those around you.
What this allows me to do is not pass judgement on people who have different religious philosophies, or no philosophy at ll. This goes for people within christianity in all its different flavors, and without. If you're humble enough to know that we are not the center of the universe, and you treat others with respect, you are a friend of mine, and you can count on me to contribute my two cents to making your wishes come true.
posted by moluv at 2:52 PM
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