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Just Love

December 9, 2010

Mark 7:8

You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.

Every now and then I look at my life and I think to myself…why is it that I do the things that I do?

i am positive there are things that I do…that I ONLY do…because I always have.

I sometimes feel as though that this same tendency is affecting the way the church looks, feels and sounds in todays day and age.

How many things do we do simply because we always have?

How many things do we do….that just simply don’t make sense?

How many things do we do…that the Bible expressly says we shouldn’t?

I know that in my personal faith walk I have been guilty of doing, even teaching things that are simply man-made tradition, and if I were to pinpoint it even further I would say that it MOSTLY expresses itself in my relationships with those outside the church…and I guess the question I want to ask myself (and the one other person who reads this) is:

Where is the Gospel in what I’m doing right now?

What would Jesus have to say about how this is playing out?

Do I really need to correct this persons immorality to love them as Jesus did?

Do they really need to stop smoking to love Jesus?

Do they really need to stop swearing?

Would Jesus break relationship with this person simply because of the lifestyle they lead?

I guess I could ask the prostitutes he always hung out with

How many times have I been “about” things that have nothing to do with love?

How many times have I tried to force someone to come in line with what I wanted…and I left the true Gospel on the wayside?

How many times do I need to be reminded…that if a person is without Jesus they are DEAD…their immorality is a secondary issue…

How many times have I neglected the command of God to LOVE ALL PEOPLE…and in its place, placed the tradition of a self-righteous, judgemental, self-absorbed humanity…

That speaks nothing but condemnation?

Lord forgive me for those times…help me to simply love people. No matter who they are, how they talk, or what they do….help just to love.

No alterior motives.

No expectations of moral reform.

Just love.

What could we do if we dropped the expectations?

And simply loved.

I’m not sure what it would look like….but I bet this video gets close.

Enjoy.

B.

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