This Is How We Love

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:16-18 NIV

I think this world struggles to know what love really is. I think sometimes we as Christians overthink it at times. I read a post the other day where someone was writing that in a relationship you needed to look for someone who sought to fulfill your needs, not just their own. It reminded me of one of my professors from college, way back in the day. He said that the problem with many relationships was it was just two people trying to get their needs met, which is like two ticks without a dog.

Christianity is not about getting our needs met. In Christ, we realize some needs are met now in Christ and others won't be fully realized until we see him face to face. Now, we get a glimpse, when we see Christ in glory we'll see it all. Christianity, as one person put it - the upside down kingdom - calls us to die to ourselves and put others first. Love is seeing an actual need and meeting it. 

One of my friends was struggling financially a few years ago and I happened to have a few dollars I felt I should use for God somehow. I got him the money anonymously. He told me that someone gave him some money and it wasn't a lot but it was a real answer to prayer because he was able to buy some food for he and his daughters. Now, I'm not trying to glorify myself because I know my own sinfulness, but, what I am trying to point out is that whatever we do in Jesus' Name will bear eternal  fruit. The point is that sometimes we see a need and we do what we can. I knew the money I gave my friend wasn't going to take away his financial problems, but, God will do what he wants with what we give. That is love. 

Because Love Covers

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:7-8 NIV

When I first started teaching the rule was to just keep your mouth shut until you became permanent because until then you could get a non-satisfactory notice from your principal and that it was it, game over. I remember waiting to get that notice, even though all my evaluations had been good, because I just didn't want my future riding on the mood of some administrator. Even after I got my "PERM" classification, I tried to pay attention and watch what I said. 

I became a Christian near the end of the Jesus movement in the late 70's and the end times was a central topic. Hal Lindsey, Chuck Smith, and others were proclaiming the soon return of Christ. It brought a certain seriousness and hope to following Christ. Now, I still think Christ is coming soon and I frankly believe he could come at any time and sort of wonder what we are missing in our eschatology (besides 'no man knows the day or hour'). 

So, when Peter tells us that the end of all things is near I think that our attitudes and actions should reflect the idea that Christ could come back at any moment. That's the idea of being clear minded and self-controlled. The bottom line is that we should love each other deeply. Some translations use the word fervent or severe. Remember we're not talking about some warm fuzzy- flower peddles floating down - music playing- emotion, we are talking about sacrificial, die to yourself, Christ-like love. There will be sin and love will be needed to cover it. What better thing could you or I be doing when Christ returns than trying to love someone with the love of Christ?

How do you make faith real?

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James 2:14-17 NIV

Talk is cheap. What I say doesn't mean much if my actions don't match up. James really hits it on the head with his example. Someone you know is without clothes and daily food and they are right in front of you. If the best you do is wish for them to keep warm and well fed but you don't DO anything, like give them some clothes and buy them some food, then your faith isn't real. 

If my faith doesn't lead me to action, then my faith is dead. So, my question, to myself and you is: How can we make our faith real? 

Two Sides of The Life of Faith

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 

Hebrews 12:14-15 NIV

Being holy and not allowing roots of bitterness are two sides of the life of faith.  Being holy is about what I do, while not allowing bitterness is about what you do to me. 

"See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God" is like a bridge between the two. The grace of God applies to both you and me. You need grace and I need grace.  I am going to try to be holy but, I will fail sometimes (that's not an excuse, that's just reality) I will fall short of holiness. Now, the author of Hebrews doesn't say, "See to it that no one falls short of holiness" he says, "the grace of God".  Our faith is in his grace, not our holiness. 

Bitterness comes when I have unreal expectations of myself and/or others. I forget that I sin and that others will sin, too. I forget that Jesus is interceding for me, because I sin. I need grace. Just as God in Christ forgives me, I need to be forgiving others. Grace allows us both to rest in Christ's holiness. 

Grace: We Serve, He Blesses

There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 

1 Corinthians 12:5-7 NIV

As far as our egos go, God doesn't need us to build his church. He always has his seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal (I Kings 19:18). But, his grace gives us a place and a purpose in the body of Christ. The divine beauty of it all is that we serve and up getting blessed. God created us to enjoy a measure of fulfillment from serving others. 

The bottom line is: just serve God, he will take care of you.

Choose to Build

"Everything is permissible"- but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"- but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good but the good of others. 

I Corinthians 10:23-24

As a teacher, I know what actually helps students learn. You can do a lot of things to temporarily get their attention, but, that does not mean the students are actually learning the content. Everything I do in the classroom is to help the students learn, to build them up. The funny thing is, kids don't realize that. Now, as Christians, everything the Word of God tells us is to build us up in Christ. Yet, often we don't realize that truth. 

My purpose and your purpose in the body of Christ is to build each other up, to seek their good. It does not matter what your gifts are, your purpose is to seek the good of others. I have been built up by someone telling me, "Good job, keep it up!" and "Get it together man, your wife needs you to stand strong and encourage her." One was kind of a pat on the back and the other was sort of a slap in the face. Both really built me up. 

So, there are a lot of things you can say and do in the Body of Christ, choose what will build other up in Christ.

Love Real People

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever who loves God must also love his brother.

1 John 4:19-21 (NIV)

Love begins with Christ. He loved us first, when there was no compelling reason to do so. We were his enemies, yet, he chose to love us by dying on the cross in our place, taking away our sin and placing us in his family. 

Let's get real here. It's easy to say you are a Christian and that you love everyone. What's difficult is when someone acts in a very unloving way toward you and you must respond in some way. I think, sometimes, that the closer the person is to you the harder it may be to respond in love. If a random person says something hurtful to me I can blow it off, but if my wife does, then I can be a little defensive. (And of course this goes the other way too.) 

The lesson is that loving each other in Christ is not necessarily easy.  Most of the time we need to sit down before the throne of grace and ask for grace. We need to remember that he first loved us and he forgives us, multiple times, on a daily basis! If you think you are easy to deal with, you probably aren't. 

I am a sinner saved by grace. I may accidentally step on someones toes or I may purposely step on someones toes, but I will step on toes. We all will. Humility, knowing who I am in Christ, should lead me to remember that because Christ first love me, I should love whoever God puts in my path.

Father, help us to love others just like Christ loved and loves us. Praise be to you in us today!

Fear and Legalism vs Love and Freedom

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:16-18 (NIV)

I have worked with two different kind of bosses/leaders. One is the person who leads by fear, the other by calm competency. I am sure you can relate. 

I have worked mostly in construction, restaurants and education. When I think of a "by fear" boss I think of one in particular who may have been, for me, the prototypical tyrant boss. He told me that if I didn't walk around with a pit in my stomach worried that something could go wrong then I didn't care and would not be ready for something that could go wrong. Consequently he would run around yelling at people, making up stuff to be upset about, accusing people of not working hard and generally just trying to make everyone work in a constant state of fear to "keep us on our toes". The real effect was that he was very distracting making people pay attention to a possible problem rather than dealing with the situations at hand. Thus creating more mistakes and problems which he would just yell about. 

The calm, competent people who I have worked with in a moment of crisis calmly identified the issue and resources and dealt with the problem at hand. I have seen this type of leadership deal with a house built one foot too tall, cooks and food servers not showing up at a restaurant (plus various disasters dealing with food), and anything from angry parents who want to deal out justice by themselves to fights and on campus turf wars. Calm and steady leadership always keeps things in perspective and seeks to resolve the issue with the minimum amount of damage. 

As Christians if we live under fear we are not free to love. Often we are afraid of being hurt, or of hurting others. Most of the time people make up rules to not get hurt. That usually ends up being legalism. For example, we fear the damage of alcoholism so we add to the word of God and say, "No alcohol." So, if someone has one drink, they are in sin or disqualified from leadership and condemnation keeps them free from being able to love. To be frank, I have seen a lot of people who didn't drink, dance, smoke or run with those who do (some of you older folks may remember that), cheat on their wives, lie, and do some pretty sinful things. Being afraid doesn't always stop you from being hurt or sinning.   

Loving God and my wife keeps me from being unfaithful more than being afraid of being caught. Love causes me to view everyone with humility and grace. People don't need my attention, they need Christ's love. So if I interact with another women (and as an educator I often do) I deal with her with respect and distance. Because I love my God and my wife I am not going to put myself in a place,  physically or emotionally, that will produce intimacy. I also realize I am an emotional moron. A woman's emotional language is on a graduate school level and I am in elementary school (probably kindergarten). Someone once told me that if a women talks to you about "a problem" and you can't identify  it and start to work on a solution in three minutes, she doesn't have a problem, she just wants to talk to you. 

Love is not afraid to do the right thing, to give of yourself or to allow others to freely enjoy what God has provided for them. Our faith in the love of God in Christ trusts that he is sovereign over our attempts to be like him and love in his Name. Try to love like Christ. 

Father, help us to be like Christ and love with the perfect love that casts out fear. Praise be to you in us today!

The Simplicity and Depth of Love

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness;  he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

I John 2:9-11

The simplicity and the depth of what the Apostle John said is amazing. On the surface he points out the simple difference between hating and loving. Below the surface he reminds us that hating our brother blinds us. 

One of the things that impresses me about my pastor is that he gets along with other pastors and has a deep partnership with so many in the community. Let's be honest, loving some people is not easy. But, the issue is that Jesus loved us, when we didn't love him and we are supposed to love some people even when they don't love us. The simplicity is that the question to ask about how we deal with others is: Is it in love? When you think the other person is in the wrong do you respond in love? When you are in a hurry do you wait in love? Think about how often God waits for you, is patient with you, tells you the same thing again and forgives you. 

The love of God is simple in its' truth and deep in its' application. Hate others and be blinded by the darkness. Love others and walk in the light. 

Father, help us to live in the light as you are in the light. Praise be to you in us today!