Show a Little Love...

Matthew 10:24-39 (Click on Reference to read text - focus on vs. 37-38)

I recently watched John Piper commenting on his book, "Don't Waste Your Life." He made a comment that has impacted me greatly (this is probably not word for word, but the basic gist): "Love is not helping people feel good about themselves, love is showing a dying soul the life giving beauty of the glory of God so that they forget about themselves."

We as a church are great at not making people feel bad about themselves. We try to show the world the "love of Christ" and dance around the Gospel so that we don't offend anyone. We want people to feel good about themselves so that they can feel good about Jesus too. Satan has used this watered down philosophy so much in our life, in my life, that I forget about God. I forget about eternity. I care more about a person's present comfort and world view, then where they spend eternity. This is not showing the love of Christ.

In the Bible we see countless examples of the Biblical view of love: "See how great a love the Father has lavished on us, that we might become children of God" (1 John 3:1), "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the atonement for our sins" (1 John 4:10), nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:32-39), Love is patient, kind, not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take in account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, love never fails (1 Cor 13:4-8).

The Biblical view of love is complete self sacrifice. That God gave everything so that we may be reconciled to Him. That without His love we would spend eternity away from our Heavenly Father. Satan wants us to believe and act upon the idea that it is not loving to preach the Gospel straight. That the Gospel is too narrow, to restricted, that since it does not allow all permissive behaviors, it is hateful and unkind. However, we know differently. We know that God gave everything so that we can be reconciled to Him, that the permissive behaviors the world likes to lift up are harmful, destroy the body and the soul. We know that true self worth can only be found in the lasting identity of being a child of God. We know that true peace can only be found in the eternal hope of His kingdom.

John implores the church, "do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God lives for ever" (1 John 2:15-17). Don't give in to the lies of Satan regarding the definition of love. We know that Satan is a deceiver and a liar, that love is not found in him but that he is out to kill, to steal and to destroy life (John 10:10, John 8:44). Love your lost family, your lost friends, people who cross your path with the love of Christ and share the Good News! Aren't you glad that someone loved you enough to make you feel a little uncomfortable at first, but with the end result of eternal salvation?

It is not our job to make people feel good about themselves. Anything we do is only temporary. It is our job to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) and to be God's witnesses "both in Jerusalem (your city), and in all Judea and Samaria (your country), and even to the remotest parts of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Who does God want you to love today?