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YOU'RE AN EXAMPLE OF CHRIST: REPRESENT (4)
'Be an example ... in love' 1 Timothy 4:12
In all honesty, it's hard to find all people lovable, all the time. Disillusioned with people? We all can be, and that's simply because people are difficult. A pastor of a big church tells a story of a time when he was stuck in a lift with a very drunk, vomiting man. Eager to get out of the situation as fast as possible, the pastor made his escape and walked back to his room, all the while mentally criticising the guy. But that night, God spoke to him about it. He said, 'You laughed at him, but I loved him enough to die for him.' Ouch.
Relying on our willpower to love others isn't enough, because it will fail us, and those around us. We're left with no other choice here - we must connect to God's source of love. The same love that died for 'the least' and 'the worst', and treated them as human beings just as in need of help and hope as anyone else. 'Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.' (2 John 1:6 NLT)
What now? Matthew 5:43-44 shows us the radical way that Jesus loved people. Ask God to speak to you about specific people in your life that relate to these verses and pray for the ability to live this out towards them.
written by Bob Gass
'Be an example ... in love' 1 Timothy 4:12
In all honesty, it's hard to find all people lovable, all the time. Disillusioned with people? We all can be, and that's simply because people are difficult. A pastor of a big church tells a story of a time when he was stuck in a lift with a very drunk, vomiting man. Eager to get out of the situation as fast as possible, the pastor made his escape and walked back to his room, all the while mentally criticising the guy. But that night, God spoke to him about it. He said, 'You laughed at him, but I loved him enough to die for him.' Ouch.
Relying on our willpower to love others isn't enough, because it will fail us, and those around us. We're left with no other choice here - we must connect to God's source of love. The same love that died for 'the least' and 'the worst', and treated them as human beings just as in need of help and hope as anyone else. 'Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.' (2 John 1:6 NLT)
What now? Matthew 5:43-44 shows us the radical way that Jesus loved people. Ask God to speak to you about specific people in your life that relate to these verses and pray for the ability to live this out towards them.
written by Bob Gass
