Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
It has been declared that every knee will bow and that every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. And yet a large portion of people in the world (probably a majority) are seeking -- and asking -- and their cries are falling on deaf ears.
What does living love currently look like that we cannot seem to get the point across?
It seems, sometimes, that we selectively love. We're great at loving within our communities. We even send our missionaries overseas to select people groups and love those peoples. Maybe we learn a new and different language so that we can share the good news with people in other nations.
And while we have basically mastered these things... people are still hungry.
In America you would be hard pressed to find a person who hasn't heard a gospel message in some form, or that doesn't have some perception of Christianity already set in their mind. Unfortunately, there are still those in our world who perpetuate these negative stereotypes. It really is true that one bad apple spoils the bunch. But it is like we've been singing it in church for years:
"I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back."
It's a decision. A person must come to the realization that Jesus Christ is Lord (bow the knee and confess with the tongue) and make the choice to follow him. I never understood the people who say "God chose ME!" Yes -- you, me, and the 6.7 billion other people in this world. He chose us all. He created all of us perfectly for a purpose. It is YOUR choice to take Him up on His offer. He will always be there, with the offer extended. It's YOUR choice to follow.
It concerns me that the above is a fact and yet people still feel like they need to seek truth and find a sign that points them to God. Because their grandma died of cancer, God doesn't exist. Because "the one" broke up with them, they curse Him. And we stand idly by... and often, do the same. Even Jesus said it "My God My God! Why have you forsaken me?" Ouch.
To truly Love God, and to truly Love People we must be willing to drop everything and let that Love shine in everything. In our words and in our actions -- in everything.
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,Let it shine,
Let it shine.
What do you suppose that light is? That my face lights up everywhere I go?
It's Love. We must carry our light out into the world.
In High School I used to go crazy for someone to tell me that they knew my life was different by the way I lived it. And it did finally happen. But I have to wonder now, was I really living any differently? I was at church 3-7 times a week depending on the week. I was helping our youth ministry to make huge strides in attracting new students. I was on adult leadership as well as youth leadership. I was on the worship team. I was a greeter and an usher. I helped in the nursery. I hung out with people from my church on days that I didn't HAVE to. ... I was living my life differently than many other people in my church -- but what about my friends at school?
To them, I was the "innocent" one. Although, I remember joining right in with their conversations about all kinds of "un-christian" things (I specifically remember New Year's Eve 2003-2004 having a sleepover at Bre's house and pretending I knew exactly what a penis looked like when Ashley made one out of the Cranium clay and attached it to Travis Barker in the Blink 182 poster...) And I never stopped them or said anything to them. They knew I was a Christian and they would come to youth events with me... but that was always the difference between me and most of my school friends not the unifying factor. And I never really did anything to press the issue.
Maybe I've slipped into a habit where that has become the norm. Most of my life revolves around Christian people, and so my beliefs are known and I don't have to make an extra effort. Yet, at my Christian workplace, I find myself being negative sometimes when it's "just one of those days". Which I guess is sometimes fine, Jesus reacted negatively in the temple and overturned tables of vendors. But I know I am not being Christlike in my negativity most times. And because I am in a Christian environment, I take it for granted that I have an obligation in my faith to live it out daily. Who's to say if my body language reflects Love while I am pumping my gas or while I am picking ground beef out in the meat department at Safeway. And yet I suppose that if I truly want to do it right and really Live Love, it should.
I need to examine that in my own life. I need to live differently. Can you take that challenge too?
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