Over the past few
days, I’ve been learning what it is to hunger and thirst after God. It’s
incredible… I’ve never experienced such a longing for Him and His Word. Over
the past week, He’s been revealing Himself to me. Specifically, who I am right
now and who I need to be in Him instead.
I’ve been praying
about it and I think what God wants me to write this post about is love. The
love He has for us is unfathomable! I’m slowly realizing this. The Bible says
God is love. He sent His only Son to be tortured and murdered in cold blood;
and Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to be the ultimate sacrifice!
Even if I had been the only one who needed saving, Jesus would have still died
for me. Just like if you had been the only one who needed saving, He would have
done it. He came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom
for many (Matthew 20:28). He loved UNCONDITIONALLY. If He gives that love to
me, shouldn’t I be willing to share it with others? It is not my place to judge
and condemn; God is the One Who has the final say. My mission is to share His
love, to draw these people to Him. He came to seek and to save the lost, not
the found! If I want to be like Him, then that is what I must do as well. That
means not judging, not justifying, but simply loving. Loving the lost – the
widows and orphans, thieves. satanists, murderers, next-door neighbor who
gossips about you, the former best friend who stabs you in the back, those the
world and church despise and consider scum, the ones who truly need God. Don’t
you get it? God loves them! And if God loves them, who are we to hate? Why do
we listen so much to the devil who taunts us and whispers to us to revile and
judge each other? If we are one body in Christ, we need to love each other. I
need to learn this most of all, beginning with those God has placed in my life
for the immediate future. Check out 1 John. Go read it right now. Don’t worry,
it’s not that long; I’ll wait. Your computer will still be here!
Crazy, right? It’s all about love! Loving
God, loving one another, having love, that God is love… I have a challenge for
each and every one of you, myself included. For the next 24 hours, do nothing
but love on others. When you feel the urge to say something harsh, give that
person a compliment. Stop that rude thought and think positively. Change your
outlook. Go out of your way to be kind, generous, and caring, especially to
those to whom kindness is usually not shown. And when it gets the hardest, pray
for courage and humility because I know how difficult it is to be gracious when
you feel like slapping the other person across the face and screaming at them.
You never know how your words and actions affect those you come into contact
with, and even those you don’t! Be Jesus in your world! Do you accept? If you
choose to, and complete the challenge, comment back and share a story from your
24 hours!
