…….without love
“ I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter”
– Bob Goff
My last Sunday in Ghana before my squad and I headed to Europe, I had the opportunity to share at Glorious Gates of all Nations under the leadership of Pastor Amos Albert, a Kingdom minded man who is very intentional about loving people. Pastor Amos preached from Ruth about Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi. It was pretty cool because as he preached God gave me a simple revelation from Ruth that I had never seen beforehand. Ruth loved Naomi. She was not just faithful to her, she was faithful through love. One of my teammates always says to run everything through a filter of love, and so I did. I ran Ruth through the filter of love and God showed me that the whole book is about love. Ruth loved Naomi and demonstrated her love through her vow and actions. Ruth said she would go everywhere Naomi goes and she would take Naomi’s people and God as her own. She even goes as far as to say I will die and be buried where you die and are buried (Ruth 1:16-17).
Just take a minute and think about that…. Wow. Right?
So after Pastor Amos shared his message, my team leader and sweet friend Denea shared with the church. She shared about our mission of spreading God’s love, how we ended up in West Africa at this church, and how the Lord has continually provided for us. I got up after her and shared with the church what God had just revealed to me through Ruth. I also told them that we are called to love people the way Ruth loved Naomi and that Jesus himself loved people. God demonstrated his love for us by sending his son, Jesus, to die for us ( 1 John 4:9-10). If we run all the scriptures in the bible through the filter of love, we will always see how God loves us. I shared with them that the whole bible is a love story. The gospel also known as the good news is a love story about a God. God who shows us He loves us because He is love and not because we were deserving of love. (1 John 4:8). God loves us and asked us to love Him with all our mind, soul and heart and to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). That was and will always be the greatest commandment given by our God and Father.
Paul tells us that if we do anything and do not love we are literally bankrupt (1 Corinthians 13:1-2). Paul understands that God calls us to do everything with and in love or life is pointless. 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 tells us what love does and does not do.
“ Love is patient , love is kind. It does not envy, does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Love does and does not because love is an action and not simply words. Love doesn’t just say “I love you”, love demonstrates it. We are called by God to love people and to demonstrate love through our actions. We are faithful to God and obey him because we love God. God asked the Israelites to obey the 10 commandments as a way to demonstrate their love for him for saving them from Egypt. Jesus says to us his disciples plainly “ If you love Me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). He commands us to love to love others like he has loved us (John 15:12). Jesus also says the very next line that the greatest love is that one would lay down his life for his friends ( John 15:13). Love is a sacrificial action. Love is not just saying “I love you”, it requires something be given up (or sacrificed) for someone else.
The last three months in West Africa, God has been showing me how to love people better. I came on the World Race because I love God and I want to obey his command to go and share His love. I believe before the race that in my heart, I wanted to love people, but I did not see it as important. I thought loving God was enough. God has shown me that the same way I demonstrated my love for him by being faithful and sacrificing my life for him, is what he has also called me to do for others. According to Jesus I have to do this for everyone. I can’t pick and choose who I love because God does not do that (Matthew 5: 44-48). God is perfect and demonstrates his love for every single person in this whole world. He calls me to do the same.
Before coming on the race I was one of those people who throw around the word love. I would say I loved people all the time, but it was never a love like 1 Corinthians 13 talks about. I sometimes was envious, jealous, rude, self-seeking. Yet I told people I loved them and reminded them that God loves them. I also loved people who were easy to love and avoided those who were difficult. I never demonstrated, through my actions, the love God has for me. Jesus says they, (referring to the world) will know us by the way we love (John 13:35). But what was I showing people love was? An empty word? Something to be earned or not easily given away?
Some of us are the same way with our relationship with God. We say we love him, but we are not willing to give our lives up for him. Jesus says he who gives up his life for his sake will gain it and he who gains life will lose it ( Matthew 16:25). As disciples we are called to give up our lives to follow Jesus and share the gospel. Don’t read this and think I’m telling you to quit your job and go travel the world to share the gospel. What I’m saying is that God is calling each and everyone of us, wherever we are, to share the gospel. We do that through demonstrating his love to people, no matter where we are or what we are doing. He calls us to love him and love others. Yes, it is just that simple.
Like Bob Goff says and understands, “Love does.”
It is not only words, it is action.
This is what God has shown me and it has propelled me to practice loving people the way love is described in 1 Corinthians 13. I’m not perfect, I fail more times than I would like to share but that is okay. Just like my relationship with Jesus, every day I have to choose to practice love just as I choose every day to follow him.
“ I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter”
Love Matters.
Do you love people through your actions? Do you sacrifice your time, money, things you hold dear to you for others?
Remember, Jesus commands us to love but he does not guarantee that people will love us back.
Will you still do it?
Thanks family and friends for all your support and love. It means a lot to me. I apologize for not posting and keeping you all updated while I was in Africa, but I’m glad you now get to see the work God started to do in me there. I will hopefully post more about the ministry we did in Africa and the lives that were impacted and impacted me. Please keep me in your prayers as I am still fundraising. I have a fundraising deadline of $2,477 by July 31st. If you would like to donate you can do so above. Thank you all so much.
