God invented smiling. He invented the whole universe. He is the smartest person there is. He knows everything and everyone inside out. He knows how many feathers are on each peacock and how many teeth every alligator has. He knows how to make lightning, bumble bees and planets. There is nothing that is too hard for Him to figure out.
From “How to Enjoy God All the Time”
If you struggle to love someone who you know is living in sin…
If you are afraid that if you really love them, they’ll think you agree with their choices…
If you hesitate to show them kindness and mercy because that could send the wrong message…
Then ask yourself, does God struggle to love me when I sin?
Does God withhold love from me because He doesn’t agree with my choices?
Does God hesitate to show me kindness and mercy because that could send me the wrong message?
Jesus gave us one commandment: love one another as He loves us. I’m not sure I’m very good at this yet. But I want to love like He loves.
I want to be Father’s arms to the prodigals, and Jesus’ hands to the lepers. I want to have a heart like an open door that Holy Spirit can just flow out of me.
I don’t have to identify people by their sins. (Jesus doesn’t)
I don’t have to abandon my beliefs in order to love. (Jesus doesn’t)
I just have to love.
The new commandment Jesus gave us to love one another doesn’t have an asterisk next to it that reads, *except people who…..
And it wasn’t a suggestion. It’s not an option.
If you read all this and you honestly want to love like Jesus loves, then ask God to go to work on your heart first. Ask Him to change your heart, before you ask Him to change others.
I wonder what would happen if there was a love movement? If those who follow Jesus would be known as the greatest lovers of all time? What if we loved as He loves us?
