The Proof
We were all made to love and be loved. Our hearts crave the affection and commitment of a love that accepts us as we are while simultaneously, without criticism, encourages us to grow. Many of us have done some really crazy things in our desperate search for love. I know I have.
I have compromised on my beliefs in an effort to get someone to love me. I have allowed myself to be treated with disrespect and at the same time have disrespected others. I have been rigid and unbending in my thoughts and attitudes and all any of this has ever got me was misery, heartache, and loneliness.
I found true love the day I met Jesus (20 years ago this month) and I wish I could say my life instantly changed but it didn't. Even though I had met Jesus, I didn't really know Him and for several years I still treated people badly. Finally I reached the point where I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I started taking my relationship with Jesus seriously and asked Him to help me be more like Him.
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
John 13:34-35 NLT
As I learned and experienced all the ways God loves me, I realized that there was still something else I had to learn to do and that was to love and accept other people - especially those who had different likes and dislikes and beliefs than me.
We all have and are responsible for our own life and how we live it with Christ. God will not ask me about the choices you have made but He will ask about the ones I have made. Was I kind to people even when they hurt me? Did I allow people the freedom to be themselves without judgment while living the way I believed Jesus wanted me to live? Was I respectful of every persons ability to choose for themselves?
Or - Did I refuse to help someone because they treated me badly? Was I rude or inconsiderate to others especially when I disagreed with them? Did I demand to have my own way all the time and get angry when I didn't? Did I refuse friendships with people who believed differently than I do?
Jesus wants us to treat people like He does us, that is how we prove we are His followers. There is nothing else that says we know Jesus more than our actions of love and compassion for others.
Love allows people to be part of our lives without condemnation. It treats every person with dignity and as a unique creation of God. Love accepts the strengths and weakness of others because Christ has accepted them in us. Love never misses an opportunity to help a fellow human being.
The proof of our commitment to Christ is seen in how we treat other people.
Heidirn
I have compromised on my beliefs in an effort to get someone to love me. I have allowed myself to be treated with disrespect and at the same time have disrespected others. I have been rigid and unbending in my thoughts and attitudes and all any of this has ever got me was misery, heartache, and loneliness.
I found true love the day I met Jesus (20 years ago this month) and I wish I could say my life instantly changed but it didn't. Even though I had met Jesus, I didn't really know Him and for several years I still treated people badly. Finally I reached the point where I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I started taking my relationship with Jesus seriously and asked Him to help me be more like Him.
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
John 13:34-35 NLT
As I learned and experienced all the ways God loves me, I realized that there was still something else I had to learn to do and that was to love and accept other people - especially those who had different likes and dislikes and beliefs than me.
We all have and are responsible for our own life and how we live it with Christ. God will not ask me about the choices you have made but He will ask about the ones I have made. Was I kind to people even when they hurt me? Did I allow people the freedom to be themselves without judgment while living the way I believed Jesus wanted me to live? Was I respectful of every persons ability to choose for themselves?
Or - Did I refuse to help someone because they treated me badly? Was I rude or inconsiderate to others especially when I disagreed with them? Did I demand to have my own way all the time and get angry when I didn't? Did I refuse friendships with people who believed differently than I do?
Jesus wants us to treat people like He does us, that is how we prove we are His followers. There is nothing else that says we know Jesus more than our actions of love and compassion for others.
Love allows people to be part of our lives without condemnation. It treats every person with dignity and as a unique creation of God. Love accepts the strengths and weakness of others because Christ has accepted them in us. Love never misses an opportunity to help a fellow human being.
The proof of our commitment to Christ is seen in how we treat other people.
Heidirn
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