If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.
2 Corinthians 5:11
Christ's love is the first and last word in everything we do! Is that really true for us? Do we actually live out this truth? Do we love others no matter who they are? I know that we like to say that we do, but do we? If we really had to care for them, talk to them, give to them - would we? I want to challenge us all on this idea. I know we would like to say that we would love anyone, but could we really live this out:
Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"
He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"
He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."
"Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."
Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"
Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'
"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"
He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"
He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."
"Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."
Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"
Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'
"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"
Luke 10:25-36
So Jesus answers this man's question by saying if you want to have eternal life - love!! Love all people, even those you think are not like you and do not believe like you. Just do it! So are we the priest, the religous person, or are we the Samaritan? Even if we think someone is not our responsibility because they do not "believe" maybe we should have some crazy love and find eternal life!
Namaste'
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2 comments:
I Love this, Clint. It is how I interpret Love and how our Father expects us to Love.
I read this piece just last week on Love - you could call this "Crazy Love", as well; and I am a huge fan of "Crazy Love"! It's the ONLY way TO LOVE if we are Loving as God asks of us.
"Everything Jesus did in His life of obedience to the Father here in our world found its climax on the Cross. There, finally, He proved to the world of men how far he was prepared to go to rescue them. There He showed, once and for all, what love really means. There is no such thing as love that does not embrace suffering and self-sacrifice.
If we think we love someone, let us test that love by asking how far we are prepared to go for that person's sake.
If we imagine we love the Lord Christ, let us look at His broken and bleeding Body hung up with nails and ask if what we call "love" has any of THAT quality in it. How much? How far will we go? What price will we pay? "Obedient unto death" - is that what WE mean by love? It is what He meant.
"Love one another as I have loved you," was His command (John 15:12). ~Elisabeth Elliot~
To have that true, absolute, Love is what We have to strive for. It is what I strive for.
Just thought your readers might like to know about People of Public Transit in Atlanta.
http://www.peopleofpublictransit.com/tag/atlanta-georgia/
Thanks!
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