Love Your Neighbor? Not That!
Love your neighbor? Even the weird one?
This election cycle is driving me crazy but not just because of the politics.
I’m tired of hateful speech – especially from Christians.
Why are we so angry with lost people for being lost? And why do we yell at them instead of quietly, lovingly showing them a better way? Can people only be saved if we have a certain kind of legislation and certain court decisions? Is the gospel so fragile that it can be thwarted by a political agenda we don’t agree with? Is God really so weak He needs us to bolster Him with our politics? Or is all of this a sideshow, meant to distract us from our real mission?
I don’t believe for one second that our primary job as Christians is to be missionaries to politics – to try to change our political landscape into a Christian theocracy by whatever means necessary. I believe our job is to win people to Christ by shining the LOVE of Jesus so brightly that people can’t help but see Him in us.
Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (– Jesus said that.)
I’m guessing you agree with that statement so I’ll up the ante.
Here’s the thing. We can’t shine the light of His love IF WE DON’T HAVE HIS LOVE.
I can hear you protesting now.
Time for a heart check, my brothers and sisters. Let’s see if we can figure out how to know what’s really in our hearts…
Matthew 15:17-20 – “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But THE THINGS THAT PROCEED OUT OF THE MOUTH COME FROM THE HEART, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.” (– Jesus said this, too.)
It doesn’t matter what you feed your body, but it matters what you feed your HEART. So what are you eating? Hatred? Anger? Resentment? Self-righteous indignation? …Something else?
Not sure? Check your speech. Then you’ll know.
Luke 6:45 – “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; FOR HIS MOUTH SPEAKS FROM THAT WHICH FILLS HIS HEART.” (– Jesus, again.)
How we talk ABOUT or TO people is important because it shows what’s in our hearts. So go ahead and disagree with people, but do it with respect and without losing sight of our real mission here – to witness for Christ.
Why? Because God loves them and we should too.
John 3:16 – “For God so loved THE WORLD [even the wrongest people ever] that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
So, Christians…
Matthew 22:39 – “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (– Jesus, AGAIN…of course.)
Feed your heart the love of Christ and watch it change your speech – then the world.
Love your neighbor? Yep, even the weird one.
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