It has been a very long time since I have written a blog, and the majority of that is do to finishing school. It has been a long road, but I am just about finished with the journey I set out for almost 6.5 years ago. I am now only days away from taken the test that is the key to it all, and for that I am incredibly thankful. I have so many ideas for posts, and many of them are but a fleeting memory, but the most pressing one at this moment is Love.
I think we have been set upon a course falling away from Love since we fell from the grace of Eden. It is now incredibly difficult to Love people, and yet God is pure love. We are called to 2 things: Love God, and Love people. I think quite often we fail epically at both. We find it easy to love some, but not everyone. The issue at hand is that we are all in the same boat, and we are all sinking. The only thing that saved us is the life raft Jesus provided by dying on the cross for us. I looked through my posts, and could not find any mention of my personal mission statement that I made even before I started this blog last year, but here it is: “I desire to Love God, and Love People by a complete surrender of my heart, mind, soul, and body so that I too may be a light in the darkness, and a ray of hope in times of despair.“ I can’t say that I am even close to what I want out of this, but I do try to point myself at it. I think an issue arrises when we choose who we want to Love, even if Christ Loves everybody. We must accept people as they are, and pour love into them. This is the only way their hearts will soften enough to allow Jesus to change whatever needs changing. This means not pushing people away if they are different then yourself, or have a life style you do not believe in. I am not saying that if you yourself struggle with something, that you should dive right into surrounding yourself with others that struggle as well because you will be tempted, but if that isn’t the issue then why can’t we be “A friend of sinners,” a title Jesus was called, and which is all of us. As a solitary person, and a church we are called to Love people, but we like to pick which people. A song that I sang as a child has become the anthem of my heart, and the greatest inspiration to this blog.
I continually try to ask myself if people know I am Christian by my Love, not by what I say. Actions speak louder then words, and unfortunately it is very difficult to completely practice what we preach. Jesus was a servant, and we are called to serve everybody.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ - Matthew 25:40
That is a powerful statement, and should be a challenge for how we treat others. Another song that is more recent, and has been on the radio as of late is called “The Proof of Your Love.” It stems from 1 Corinthians 13:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
It doesn’t matter how great you do anything for the Kingdom, it is Love that is the key. Do you not only put effort into it, but do you point your life at it? Do you Love and serve people no matter what? This is different for everybody, but it is imperative that you figure out what this means for you and your family. Love Jesus, by loving people. I find that my life feels most complete, and most fulfilled the closer I am to this, and the only explanation I see is that this is when I feel the closest to Jesus.
