What Will It Take
What Will It Take?
What will it take for you to love me? What will it take for you to accept me? What will it take for you to acknowledge that I am in the room? What will it take for us to work together and love one another?
Jesus told his disciples “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
I find it interesting and powerful that Jesus says “I’m giving you a NEW COMMAND.” He was putting himself in the same position as Moses and God too those listing. It was God who gave commands to Moses and then Moses inurn gave them to the people. We should not so easily dismiss this statement from Jesus to his disciples, as if to think it’s merely a good suggestion to love one another! If Jesus gave this as a command then guess what, “We will be judged on whether we did this command or not.” But put the judgment aside for a second and think about what is more important. Jesus says, “People will know you are His” when we love one another. This is a huge witness to the world about who WE belong too!
If we as Christians do not sincerely love one another then we are defeated at the most basic premise of our faith, which is founded on Love! We should not be so easily deceived either to think that I can love you and yet still harbor bitterness in my heart towards brothers and sisters in Christ who may have offended, hurt, or disagree with us. Jesus fully knew that we are human and that we at times hurt those we are called to love, and He tells us how to handle those issues. It’s called forgiveness. And make NO mistake about forgiveness, it’s far easier said then done! I’m sure as Jesus was being tortured for mine and your sin it wasn’t easy either!! At least Jesus had a reason to be frustrated with us, we are ALL sinful and nasty in the eyes of God, and yet He (Jesus) chose to love us all. How much more should WE who are broken sinfully stained people love others when we are ALL equally nasty and wretched??
I guess it’s just easier this way and less painful for me to notice (your) faults then to recognize my own wretched, nasty, ugly heart that is in desperate need of AGAPE love! I want to use this thought to compel us as Christ followers to DO something that I believe would AWAKEN the greatest movement of our day! It’s called ‘UNITY.” I want to be the first to repent and say that I have not always ACTED on what I am now suggesting! It’s easier to just hang out with people who are just like (us); Christians do the same thing: Charismatic’s hang with Charismatic’s, Baptists with Baptists, Non-Denom’s with Non-Denom’s, Catholics with Catholics etc.. I think you get the point. I’m not suggesting that everyone has to walk away from personally practices and beliefs in order to walk in unity either! I actually think this is where the greatest display of Christ’s love can be seen all the more. Christians, who do NOT see eye to eye on every point striving to help support, grow, serve, and love one another!
I realize that there are those who have professed they are Christians and are not. I realize there are denominations that support alternative lifestyles and support clergy who live in those alternative lifestyles, and I’m not suggesting that type of unity. We are called to love all people, but we are not called to walk with those who live and support blatant sin and choose not to repent. However, at this point that is a small margin of people and not the majority. We have many different denominations and they all exist because at some point people could not agree on issues of theology, practice and mission and decided to separate. I strongly want to say that its time we set these differences aside and strive for what truly hangs in the balance and that is given people Jesus and teaching them to love one another! Without Jesus people will spend eternity in hell, and that is far more important then our disputes!! We DO not have to see eye to eye on every point of theology for us to walk in unity! Think about it this way, do you see eye to eye on every point your boss makes where you work and yet you choose to continue to work there. What about your spouse? Do you see eye to eye on EVERYTHING, I would venture to say not! However, you may agree on 99% of everything, but you still choose unity over division because of the bottom line, which is LOVE! In the corporate world the bottom line is profit and everyone is willing to get past their personal issues to support the bottom line. Well, the same is true in Christianity the bottom line is Love expressing itself through unity. We ALL need to get past issues that divide us in order to make sure everyone is going to profit!
Let me be the first to say that this will not be an easy task. Pride is always a mouthful to swallow down. (LOL!) However, if we all drink a tall glass of the Holy Spirit He will help us wash it down! I hope if nothing else this note will spur you to consider ways you can tear down the walls that separate and work together. When I stand on the street corner as a bound4lifer, I stand with Catholics, non-believers and who ever else will stand for life! I’m not there to debate issues of theology because what’s more important in that moment is helping people hopefully choose life over death.
Love and Blessings to all who read this note!
