I've had a thought lately running over and over in my mind these last couple of weeks, and I think it might change my whole life. Seeing as I was saved in my youth, I'm embarrassed to say it took 31 years to really consider this thought seriously.
I think we ought to love one another. Read it again - LOVE one another. It's a Sunday School phrase, one that we preach to kids and to people in quarrels. And then in the same breath we say we love our vehicles and the meal we just ate. But what does it MEAN??? The Bible says that God is love, that He wants us to love as we would want to be loved, that if we love God we will obey Him, that we should lay down our lives for each other. It is the mark of a Christian! This sounds kind of inconvenient, doesn't it? Like we'll be going out of our way all the time if we actually do what He commands? Maybe that's the ticket right there...going out of our way to get into His way.
So later today when I think of someone who I know is in need, what SHOULD I do? If it is within my power, I should provide for that need! (Now it's sounding expensive and time consuming...) But think of what the body of Christ would look like if we did it! If we provided each others' needs as we were able!
I heard a story recently of someone who saw a homeless person that had no shoes, and the person took his own shoes off and gave them to the man. I usually do the ol' "smile and nod" at these kinds of stories, perhaps because sometimes people try to guilt others into something with them, but think of it...Think of taking something off of yourself to put it onto someone else. Yep, they'd own it and you wouldn't. You'd be out a $25 pair of sneaks and you might struggle to replace them depending on your situation. But chances are, if you're at your computer right now, you've got plenty of shoes to choose from. And if not, you can just cancel your Road Runner and buy yourself a new pair with the money you save. Very few of us can honestly say that we are in need, and so very few of us (myself included) are truly willing to give to the point of discomfort.
Maybe this is a steep slope, and maybe I should just hit "delete post" and forget all about it. But what if we DID IT, and every hour of every day we purposed to love like of Jesus loved!?!
It would change everything.
2 comments:
Very timely being this is February, the month of Valentines and cupid... If we only knew what love really really was, what would our life be like? It would change the world!
Great post M.!
great thoughts. challenging thoughts. thanks for putting it out there and opening yourself up with this. it would be amazing to see what the body of Christ could and would do if we were to really, truly, show His love…starting within the body and reaching always outward from there.
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