“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40
What has happened to the practice of these most important scriptures? Have we lost sight of what Jesus said? Have we changed it to read, “Love your neighbor as yourself – only if he is a Christian and believes just as you do?”
A majority of the population would argue that we have. They don’t want anything to do with Christianity because of the way we have portrayed it. We have not been imitating Christ.
We can discern without judging. We can love without approving of sin. We can share Jesus without forcing Him on others. Why don’t we do it?
Jesus was a pioneer. He went against the religious leaders of His time. He became friends with thieves, murderers, prostitutes, alcoholics, and many other sinners. He was rebuked for it by religious leaders but he said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32)
I have actually heard professed Christian say things like, “We don’t want to attract that kind of crowd” talking about piercings and tattoos or “She can’t participate. She’s a lesbian and what would that cause others to think?”
Frankly, the only person whose thoughts I care about are those of God, my Father. He would go to their house and sup with them if He were still in the flesh. I have news for you… He loves them just as much as He loves me and you! He called them just like He called me and you! His desire is for them to spend all eternity with Him just as it is for me and you! He died for them too!
If we start discarding people based on sin then there will be no one left and it would make a mockery of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We are all sinners. We all have issues to work out. Some are just more obvious than others. Sin is sin and people should not be afraid to approach us for fear of judgement and ridicule.
You want to be more like Jesus? Then love like Jesus did.
Today, reach out to someone that you would have rejected just yesterday. Show them Jesus. He is love.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
If we all truly showed Jesus to just one person think of the difference it would make.
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Amen!
I’m with you on this one, Amy! Great post!
Great post!! Preach it, sista!
God bless,
Sallie
i realize that my being a guy i may be one in the exception in here, but i still wanna point out how much i appreciate this post. good stuff. i’m particularly intrigued by the term you used “discard people.”
how can we even have those two words go together? and yet it flowed so easily in your post. like it is a common thing. sadly it is. but discarding people should be such a freakish concept that it would be awkward to see it in words.
discarding people. i’ve met children who were found in garbage bags in africa – discarded. and it was freakish to hear about. thank God they were found and are being raised now to know better.
but we do similar things to people all the time – just not such a stark physical action as putting a baby in the trash. yet it is still freakish to do.
so – thanks for the provocation in your post – healthy stuff to chew on.
Amy, That was a fantastic post!
Amen, Sweet Sister!! This is exactly what God has been showing me and convicting me of over the last 6 months. I’ve tried a million times to succinctly say what God has placed in my heart, about breaking out of my “church bubble”, and getting my hands dirty in the real world…doing what he called…No! COMMISSIONED me to do!! You said it so well!! Thank you so much for sharing this!!! (Look forward to some linky-love soon!!)
I agree with every word here and think it is so important for us to realize this as Christians. Great post!
Beautiful post, Amy….It’s all about love….
We were brought here to earth to be loved so that we might love…..
Great post.
Blessings on your day,
Julie
Amen! We won’t win people to Jesus with condemnation or judgment. Great post!
Hoping that I am one of the real christians that can “please stand up”.
Sheryl
Thank you.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMY!!!!!
May God bless you with many more sweet ones
Sallie
Oh girl!! STAND UP AND PREACH!! AMEN!
You know I’ve heard such things too…we don’t want THEM or THEIR KIND in our church and even a friend of my daughters say, “they can’t be a Christian, they have a tatoo…” Well, my girl set that straight…LOVE, LOVE, LOVE…
I said it in my post at HOTM…we can be discerning without being judgemental…I’ve learned that lesson well…..
Judging never won anyone….
AMY, taking this with me!!
Blessings!!
hugs,
lori
Amen, Sister!!!!!!!!!!
Sent over an email earlier, check spam if you didn’t get it!
Blessings!!!
This very thing has been on my mind and therefore on my blog lately too. I’m so encouraged to read this and find another like-minded sister. Thank you.
Amy -
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your heart here. I too have been troubled of late by this very same issue. You expressed what *I* have been thinking much more eloquently that I ever could have.
How convicting! This is wonderful.
And happy birthday!!
Wonderful post and reminds me SO much of a post I had recently written along these lines.
I think for many…and it’s something my pastor had preached about…they slip into a “flesh” based relationship with Jesus Christ and without realizing it, create a pharisee based, regulation govern religion and forget that this is a spirit based relationship with Jesus Christ.
A relationship with Jesus Christ is unique in that..while other religions have their list of do’s and don’t’s…Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is about the fact it is “done”.
Our pastor would say, if you want to have a Christ-based relationship; having a real relationship with Jesus Christ is that while man looks at outward appearances, we have to remember that in 1 Samuel 16:7, The Lord said unto Samuel, look not in his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him; for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
It’s the man’s heart that matters..not what they look like. Christ walked among thieves, taxpayers (who were considered the creme de la creme of scum), prositutes and rejects of society because HE knew they needed Him; Not the healthy, not the nicely dressed.
He didn’t love their lifestyle…He loved THEM. Through Jesus Christ, they would be cleansed, not through us, or themselves, but through Jesus Christ.
There is an awesome quote on “The Christian Lifestyle-Does God Care?“Therefore, what you look like really isn’t important at all. What is on the outside doesn’t make any difference. It’s no reflection on what’s on the inside. It makes no difference because God looks on the heart, and therefore, what the world sees is not really important at all.”
We are to love the sinner not the sin and help lead them as ambassadors of Christ to God.
so true so true!!!! I so agree with everything you said!!!
So good… this is wonderful!! I would love if you could expound on this subject as far as what it means to love one another without judgment, but how that does not mean accepting sin into your life. I think this is where it gets fuzzy for many… they don’t understand how you can love someone and not accept everything others believe. Know what I mean?
Your blog never fails to uplift me!
I am particularly grateful to read this post! I discovered your blog late last night.. Even sent you an email regarding your help with my own (newest) ministry. I was born baptist, but about 10 years ago, I got what I refer to as judgment fatigue. Picked it up at church spending all my time with like minded Christians. Now.. I have a true aversion to organized religion. Well.. it's not so much an aversion anymore. I had to work on forgiving 'the church' and some 'church folks.'
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! FOR being so honest and for sharing this.
I look forward to reading more from you, and hopefully we can connect to get some much needed help with my new ministry.. quite similar to yours.. Just consider my ministry for Saint who "SIP."
Many blessings!
Jackie (Dallas, TX)
I just scrolled up to see that you wrote this back in 2008. Hope you're still accepting comments!