Loving Like Christ

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the sinners doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the pagans do that?"

Matthew 5:43-47

I love people.  People are so unique and amazing. I love hearing them tell their stories and discuss their passions. I love getting to know them and finding out what makes them tick.

I think this is a gift that God has given me, because it really helps me in my mission field when I can relate to people and earn their trust. Because of this, it's important to realize that God desires for us to show His love to the people around us who do not yet know Him.

Sometimes as Christians, we forget that we too came from a background of sin and darkness. We are reminded of this in Romans 5:8 where Paul says, "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Often, we try so hard to show people that we are good Christians that we end up putting them off as they see us as "judgmental hypocrites".

It's important that we stay open and vulnerable to sharing our testimonies with others. We should accept people despite their failings, because that's the example Christ has set for us to follow. We need to remember that our salvation has nothing to do with us. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that it is by grace we have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ. This denies us any ability to boast in ourselves, but rather in the power of God working through our lives.

There are a lot of popular sins these days, from things like homosexuality and abortion to sexual immorality and insobriety. I think often times as followers of Jesus Christ we forget that Jesus doesn't want people to change in order to come to Him - He wants us to come to Him so He can change us. He loves people enough to have them come as they are, but loves them too much to let them stay as they are. It's not our place to condone or condemn actions, it's only our place to love people like Jesus commanded us to; we don't have to change them and they don't need to change themselves. He will make the changes necessary in their lives in order for Him to be glorified in their lives.

We can understand where people are coming from in their sinful flesh without agreeing with their actions. We each have a history of sin in our lives that we have worked or are working through with the power of Jesus Christ and must understand that those that are not in Christ will still be living in this life of sin and without Jesus we are the same as them.

Our purpose in this world is to spread the love and good news of Jesus Christ. Be the light He has called you to be: love like Christ.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8