Editor’s Note: I’m grateful for my friend Darryl Jones who recently posted the slightly-edited post below. As a fellow Missouri pastor and friend since college days, I am grateful for his heart for people and, of course, more importantly Christ. I’m giving him credit for this post although he said he copied it from an anonymous source. Bottom line: I love the sentiments here. My response: Yes and amen.
As the world fights to figure everything out, I’ll be holding doors for strangers, letting people cut in front of me in traffic, saying “good morning,” keeping babies entertained in grocery lines, stopping to talk to someone who is lonely, reciprocating hugs, handshakes, and fist bumps with people who desire human contact, tipping generously, waving at police, sharing food, giving children a thumbs-up, being patient with sales clerks, smiling at passersby, and buying a stranger a cup of coffee.
WHY? Because I will not stand to live in a world where the love of God is invisible.
Give a cup of water in Jesus name, be kind to a stranger, give grace to friends, be forgiving.
If you can’t find kindness, BE kindness.
We are called to love in the name of Jesus!!
The Greatest commandment: Love God!
The Second Greatest, like unto it: Love Your Neighbor as Yourself!
You can’t invert these (get the second before the first) and you can’t do one without the other.
Love is from God.
On This Sunday… this all begins in and with the children of God who are part of our various church families. There is no greater or better or deeper joy outside of loving and serving our biological families than living and loving like Christ those in the body of Christ. God left us here for each other. He challenged us with living out the one-another commands first with each other. And one of the primary ones ~ love one another.
If you think the world is a hateful place, feel down right now, are struggling in this season of political and social unrest, and/or tired of the pandemic, then make a difference where you are. Don’t let the world bring you down. Let the love from Christ for you motivate you to love God supremely and your neighbor sincerely. Let the love of Christ shine through you in the little ways today. When we all do, the world may be a hateful place, but not on our row or in our section.
Have a great Sunday in Christ!
Image Credit Daria Shevtsova
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