If We Don't Love Each Other!
Love is the foundation of our faith. We are commanded to love the Lord and each other. Without love, everything we are or claim to be crumbles. So, here is the problem. There is a difference between blind love and unconditional love. Blind love says, "I will let you do whatever you want to do (even if it is wrong and will hurt you)." Unconditional love says, "I will love you no matter what you do, but I will not love everything that you do."
We are beginning to see the end of our right to do what is right. Hate mongers! Hate literature! Hate speech! Why are we hearing this being said of Christians who are standing for what is right? Because the love is gone. You see, we seem to think that you either love blindly, or you hate...there is no middle ground. I agree...there IS no middle ground (that's just compromise). What there is is a totally different ground. People who love others so much that they don't want them to destroy their lives (finite or eternal) by falling into sin. This is Christian living. We would never (or at least I wouldn't) let our children steal, cheat, lie, abuse others, hurt themselves - that is love. (Although sometimes we don't respond in love...the intention is still BECAUSE of love.) Yet we allow people to continue to hurt themselves and others and we say that we love them. Yeah...right!
But then it gets worse. Sometimes we DO stand up and say something...but the love doesn't show through or (and this is my favorite) maybe we actually DO let the love show but we are accused of "judging" them. Boy, that will warp you the NEXT time you think about standing up for what is right. And if THAT didn't just destroy your day...what if someone comes to YOU and confronts YOU about sin in YOUR life...are we willing to accept it? Do we respond in love?
Do you see where this is going? Look around and you might just see. We have lost the LOVE because (maybe) we don't even know what it is. Love has nothing to do with feelings or emotions (yet it can cause them). Love has nothing to do with opinions. Love has nothing to do with selfishness. [Ever hear of 1 Corinthians 13?] Jesus became a servant and died to show His love. What does that mean WE should be doing?
John tells us that we can't love God and hate a brother. Scary stuff! Jesus tells us that if we are at the alter and we remember that there is a problem between us and a brother, we need to reconcile that relationship first. The bottom line is, how can we possibly love God when we don't love His children?
We do need to stand for truth and righteousness, but we do need to respond and act in love. Our lives should be examples of Jesus...serving, loving, showing God to others...our words, actions, thoughts and lives should reflect this.