I have been marinating on this thought quite a bit lately. The thought is the concept of love. Some would say it is February the month for love it would be natural to think about the concept of love. There are some that will put this aside as just the musing of an individual for the month of February with Valentine's Day. Yet you have to understand it is not the month of February that has sparked this for it has been upon my mind for some time. It is merely a coincidence that I am choosing to put thoughts down a week prior to Valentine's Day for this is not about that romantic love, it is about love in general. It has simply come to a point that I feel compelled to place my thoughts down.
I believe that in the world today both with Christians and with non-Christians we have lost the concept and the understanding of what it means to love. The word in itself has become a tired over used word in the English language. For some they think they are communicating love and what they are actually doing is communicating hate.
I love the english language but it has its limitations unlike other languages that utilize various words to communicate various concepts that when translated into English we have but one word. In the Greek we see three words for love that when translated we have a single word. Yet even that one word can communicate so much. It can and should communicate love yet sometimes in the process what is communicated is hate.
We as Christians in dealing with the sin in the world have forgotten to consider 1 Corinthians 13 what is commonly none as the love chapter. Do not get me wrong there is a time, and a place, to confront sin strongly. Yet too often the world is shutting us out and not listening to us because we are seeming to be the angry, ugly Christians. We use terms loosely of love the sinner but hate the sin. What is more often communicated then not is hating the sinner.
We have much to share to the world but we seemingly are violating the first verse of 1 Corinthians which says, "I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don't have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal." (GWT) What we say lacks care and compassion at times. What the world then hears is just a loud racket. Social media provides us a platform and sometimes in the passion of what we believe do not communicate in such a way that those who see it hear what we are saying because it just feels like hate.
I think we can stand for Biblical principals and still communicate it in such away that they hear what we say and accept it because they feel the love that goes with it. Verse 2 speaks of this spirituality and the challenge that even having the greatest amount of faith yet not having the love to go with that we are than nothing. Verse 3 speaks to the fact that we can be the greatest Christians in the world following scripture and willing to lay down our life for our faith but if we lack love it all is for not.
Verse 4 - 7 is the long list of what love is and is not and often recited by many. Let's look specifically at some select areas in this verse. "Love is not rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable."(GWT) I like verse 6, "It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth."(GWT) What a contrasting verse. One of my favorite is at the end of verse 7, "Love...never gives up."(GWT) I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen parents and others give up on children or people.
I think that people will be drawn to you. They will allow you to speak truth into their lives when they know they are receiving it with your love. This does not mean that you have to skirt around difficult topics are situations. There are times you may have to speak with tough love. What must be communicated is love.
Having love and communicating love does not mean that you have to compromise your beliefs or Biblical standards. Consider how Jesus handled the woman caught in adultery. He dealt with her sin and yet communicated love to her at the same time.
Take an honest look inside and be willing to ask yourself if you are holding to God's standards which includes communicating love to those around you. You may just find that if they feel love they are more likely to be willing to listen to you that much more. If we look like the world and sound like the world it does not help our cause. If the world communicates love greater than we do that is not a good thing. Deal with sin. Deal with those around you but do it with a great amount of love. In doing so you may find yourself that much more effective.
So I encourage you to engage in conversations with others in person and in social media. Deal with the issues that impact our world. Be passionate about what you believe. I also encourage you that when your buttons are being pushed pause a moment before you respond. Ensure what you are about to say communicates the love that Christ showed. There are those that are simply wanting to entice you to say something out of anger and will bait you in conversations. They are looking to trap you. Pause consider what you are about to say and communicate love.
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