Love

Most of us as Christians would claim to know Jesus pretty well. My question for today is how do we measure how well we know Christ? Do we measure it by how many times we go to church? Do we measure it by how many times we have a "quiet time?" Do we measure it by how often we stand up against sin and the culture? I think that most of us measure our spiritual maturity by one of these measures at some point and time in our lives. We like to think that we know Christ if we can stand up for the "right things," spend time in church or in devotion. However there is another measure that is spoken about in the scriptures.

Here's how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments.
If someone claims, "I know him well!" but doesn't keep his commandments, he's obviously a liar. His life doesn't match his words. But the one who keeps God's word is the person in whom we see God's mature love. This is the only way to be sure we're in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.
My dear friends, I'm not writing anything new here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you've known it from day one. It's always been implicit in the Message you've heard. On the other hand, perhaps it is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you—the darkness on its way out and the True Light already blazing!
Anyone who claims to live in God's light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It's the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God's light and doesn't block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn't know which end is up, blinded by the darkness. I John 2:2-11

Do we live the same kind of life that Jesus lived? Are we living in the way of Jesus? We cannot hate and say that we love God. We cannot hate the people we know and say that we live in the light because anger and hate is darkness. We have to begin to see the light in others, the God within them - Namaste'. We all have been greated in God's image and I believe our job as Christian is to know God and to being out God's life in others. This can only come by loving them. This can only be true by living out the two greatest commandments in the scriptures - to love God and to love others as we love ourselves. We do not want judgement, we want understanding. We do not want anger, we want kindness. We do not want criticism, we want to teach us. We do not want rejection, we want acceptance. We do not want hate, we want love. If this is how we would like to be treated, if this is who God has treated us - does it not stand to reason that this is the way to treat others and really live the way of Jesus. To love people and allow them to work out their salvation. To care for others and allow their light to be shown rather than judge and extinguish the light of God within them. Love today in every chance that you have. Treat people with the same understanding that you would want if this was you in thier place. Let God's colors to come out in this world all the places that you go today.

Namaste'