..if you have love one for another. John 13:35.
Love.
We hear so much about it. and lately, I have been thinking about it a lot. Perhaps because I am falling in love, but I think more than that because God has been challenging me in the way I think about love. The message in church this morning was on love and unity within the body of Christ. I have been reading several books on love and forgiveness. I have been studying the teachings of Christ. It all leads me to this question..where is the love? (insert Black Eyed Peas song)
But seriously, where is the love within the body of Christ? No, not the self-serving, self-deserving, holier-than-thou love that only loves the people that are easy to love. But the love that causes people to stop and ask questions? The love that feeds the hungry and clothes the naked. The love that forgives our enemies and prays for them. The love that accepts everyone exactly where they are-gay, free, slave, black, white, liberal, republican-and then loves them into a relationship with our Savior. The love that looks like Christ. The love that looks into all of humanity eyes and sees Christ. The kind of love that takes courage because it is different. God is continually challenging me in this-how can I increase my love for those around me? and He is giving me some very good opportunities to decided whether I am going to take the hard road and love or take the easy road and simply hang out with my “group”. You see, that’s how the world is supposed to be able to pick out the followers of Christ-by their love. Not by their stands on the military, the government, abortion, or homosexuality. Not by their often legalistic, self-rightous, judgmental attitude. They should be able to pick us out of a crowd because of our love.
So that is my challenge. I am going to spend the next several months really digging into what love looks like and figuring out how to change my life so that I will be known by that. God is stirring up my heart and thoughts so I am just going to run with it. I mean, what have I got to lose?
