Monday, August 20, 2012

Bringing A New Light To The World

There will be people in every area of our lives that are unlovable...in our eyes. God told us to love as He loves. We are to love people (not just nod our heads in acknowledgement.) No matter how difficult others seem to be or how much they rub us the wrong way...we are to shine Jesus to them.

If we cannot love others, then we cannot be loved by God. He says "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:7-8)

We can't just meet the lowest requirement for loving people. We have to love as God has loved US. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are not going to be easy to get along with all the time! But then, neither are we. We have days or even weeks when we are hard to love...but God still shows love to us. (But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8)

It's a choice, but it's also a command. LOVE ONE ANOTHER, as Christ has loved you ("A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." John 13:34)

We are to love until we cannot love anymore...stretching the very boundaries of love that's inside of us. Just as we stretch our muscles when we work out a lot, and some days we stretch them until they have nothing left. The difference here is that since God is the one that IS love, He loves people through us when we allow Him to. We will grow weary of doing so to a bunch of people who could care less, but with God, all things are possible. ("With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27) We will feel we have nothing left at times, but we truly can do "all things in Christ who strengthens us." (I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13)

He will give us the ability to love when we think love is too far to grasp or act upon.

"Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord." (1 Peter 2:1-3)

Malice: desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness

Malice makes us hold grudges against people. Making us desire revenge instead of forgiveness.

Certain things in my past have tested how much I would love before I gave up. The amazing thing is that God never gives up on us. It doesn't matter what we do or how long we do it, God will still love us. Now, I'm not going to allow people to degrade me or trample on me with their words, I will stand up for myself, but I will still love them as much as God will help me to do so.
I know several people who are very difficult, voice their opinions a little too often and stress me out big time (as I'm sure you do as well.)
But, if I can't love those people for something that insignificant, then I shouldn't expect God to love me with all my problems and sins. I am no better than someone who is careless with words and actions, because it is sin and I, too, have sinned my whole life.

We may say "well I shouldn't have to put up with that/them." Yes...in a perfect world nobody would have to deal with unpleasant people...actually, nobody would BE unpleasant. Everybody would get along just fine. The fact is, we don't live in a perfect world. This side of heaven we won't ever live in a perfect world. As a matter of fact, it will just get worse. People will get more prideful, attitudes will become more sinful and good character will be a thing of the past. We don't think it's fair that we have to love people who aren't very nice? Well it wasn't "fair" that Jesus had to be beaten, spit on, whipped and crucified. But He did it anyway in obedience to the Father. So we must also obey in loving EVERYONE. Our enemies, the unlovable, and the unpleasant. Whether they're strangers, acquaintances, friends, co workers, your boss, your husbands family, your wife's family...it doesn't matter what they have done or how annoying and frustrating they may seem. We are commanded to love them.

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)

We are to conform to God's image, and His image was humbling Himself enough to come to this earth and save a bunch of unlovable, prideful, unforgiving people. So, to withhold love from another person means we believe we have more worth than they do. We think we deserve to be loved by God, but these people couldn't ever deserve our love (which is really God's love.) The honest truth is, if it weren't for God, we would know nothing of love because we in ourselves cannot love.

Endless, agape love.

This is what people should see in our lives. To love means to shine Jesus, and that is the whole point in our lives. That is why we wake up each day. That is why we were made. To glorify God...in EVERYTHING we do. It is impossible to love this way without God. When we let Him take over He can cover our eyes to the problems and imperfections of those around us. Not to say we should be blind to sin, but, as a husband/wife loves the other in spite of their faults and problems, we should love others in spite of themselves.

"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)

Friday, August 17, 2012

The Change Inside

-How often do we make a decision based on what we will get out of the outcome?
-How often do we think of someone else's feelings over our own?
-How often do we think of those nobody else thinks about?

"Then Jesus said to his host, 'When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.'" (Luke 14:12-14)

Now when some read this, they will try to take it too literally. Every time they have a dinner or get together, they can ONLY invite those in need. That's not what it's talking about at all. There's a much deeper lesson to be learned.

We (especially Americans) are spoiled. We know that most of the time if we give something, we will get something back in return. There are some people still today who give without thinking of what they will get. But it rarely happens.

Don't get me wrong, a lot of people try to think of others over themselves, but our human nature always wants to think of US first. It's all about the power of ME.

Now here's the thing: to truly have a heart for others, we must first learn to allow God to lead our hearts. The minute we stop fighting His will we will understand what it means to love, give and be compassionate.

People see Christians today as busy bodies who start charities but don't put their whole heart into what they have started. I am so blessed to know many people who have put heart and compassion in their ministries; people who are so passionate about what they felt God calling them to do that others are in awe at their heart for someone other than themselves. A few of them are Mission Tyler/One Love Revolution, My Brother's Keeper, SCRUBS Medical Mission, Church Under A Bridge, All We Are, Men Of Issachar, Glory Development, and Hunger For Love. These people have changed lives because they decided to change THEIR life first and foremost.

We all have our daily routine. We go to work, clean the house, make dinner for the family, get the kids here and there, travel, etc. Whatever it may be. Let me as this, though: how often do we take time our of our busy schedule when a need arises? When someone stops us on the street to talk, when we drive by a homeless man or woman. Do we think "I don't have time for this" and go on with our life, or do we see through eyes on compassion, desiring to love on others the way we have been loved by Christ?

We were given a life and a choice. God never said we have to be at a certain place at a certain time, or help a certain number of people every week, or attend a certain amount of church events. He allows us to choose what we spend our life doing. But one who is devoted to Christ is also devoted to letting others know about Christ. We, as Christians, have one life on this earth; after that it is eternity in heaven. If we waste our whole life here doing nothing but what's easy and fun, what has our life amounted to? What have we really accomplished that we (or CHRIST) can be proud of?

To change the world, we must first change ourselves. The problem is not with EVERYONE, but with every ONE. If we take a stand in our ow lives, it will impact more people than we can even imagine.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Coming Together

Love, in it's truest sense, is not prideful. The very act of love means to put something/someone above ourselves.

Telling myself this never makes it any easier. My pride can get pretty enlarged at times. My "love" towards other people can start to look very shallow and unfeeling if I forget that it is not I who has the capability to love. Here's the thing, I am human. This means everything I think and feel is selfish. I want everything to be about me and for me. I cannot demand myself to love people. It doesn't work that way. Yes, God "commanded" us to love one another, but He also blessed us with the ability to choose whether we do so or not.

The hard part is not loving, because we all say "well I love everyone...because God told me to." The hardest part, to me at least, would be showing pure love. Love that really DOES care; love that desires to help; love that can have compassion.

On the other side of love, we also have something that is desperately needed to balance everything out. This part would be standing up for what is right. This is a very tricky thing, and where I often fall short.

See, most Christians these days are either overly judgmental with no love, or all about love with no deep convictions. We will either love people no matter what their poor/sinful lifestyle is and think love is all that's needed to win them to Christ, and we simply spend our time pointing our fingers at other peoples sins, flaws, mistakes and anything else that isn't just like our life. The difficulty we find here is that we are not Jesus. We do not have the authority to point our finger at other people. Sorry, you aren't the ultimate judge.

My parents put it in a way that made perfect sense.

As Christians, we are called to love people no matter their past, present of how sinful they have decided to live their life. But at some point in building a relationship with the lost, it can no longer be called loving when you allow them to continue living in sin. "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans 6:1-2 NASB)

Jesus was our perfect example. the bible says God is love. "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:7-8 NASB)
However, He is also righteous and just. He loves in SPITE of our sins and wrong doings, but BECAUSE of that love, He doesn't allow us to continue in sin. (Romans 6:1)

If all we do is judge, nobody in their right mind will ever desire to have what we have. But if all we do is show love without teaching God's word, we are simply loving those people right into hell; that is not loving at all.

If we tell others of His love without telling of His righteousness or tell of His righteousness without His love, we will accomplish nothing at all.

Jesus is who we are called to follow. Not some scholar, peace make, legendary preacher or "wise author." Jesus loved the women at the well, but pointed out her sin in kindness.

This is our example. We cannot pick a side and expect to make a difference. You cannot have one without the other, or there will be no progress and we will not make a difference in the lives of other people.