The title of my blog is "He Loves Me". I used that title because I am learning everyday now just how much God loves me and what sort of relationship that he truly wants to have with me. Tonight I want us to think about not only who do we love...but how love them. The bible tells us to love all people. This is something in my opinions that most “Christians” struggle with. They let religion get in the way of their focus on how they treat God’s people. James 2:1-10 (NCV) reminds us to treat everyone equal. I love what James says in verse 8-9, “ This royal law is found in the Scriptures, “Love your neighbor as your love yourself.” If you obey this law you are doing right. But if you treat one person as being more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God’s law.” I know a lot of people that need to read this scripture…including myself. I have watched people in our churches all over this country treat people different based on financial status, clothes that people wear and even where their kids go to school. The list goes on!
How pathetic is it that the “organization” (church) that people are programmed and expected to turn to when they are hurting can be the most judgmental society. Our churches and many “Christians” become so caught up in religion that we forget that there is someone across the street, in our own family or sometimes in our own house that needs to experience the love of God from us. I took some time away from the church recently. Whether this was the right decision or not is for another discussion. But during that time I occasionally popped into a church here and there. As I quietly went into these churches and “scoped” them out I discovered how closed off that our churches have become to the outside world. There were some churches that I walked in (on time) made it through the entire service and left (after everything was over) and was never welcomed by anyone. How pathetic? I recently heard a story about a guy that felt God leading him to go to the local convenience store and stand on his head in front of the pop coolers. He was obedient even though the idea seemed silly and he didn’t know the purpose. He walked into this store and stood on his head until he felt that God was done “using” him. He grabbed his favorite beverage and headed to check out. When he reached the cashier he was asked what he was doing standing on his head. He explained that God told him to do it and he made a commitment to be obedient to God no matter how crazy it seemed. The cashier broke down and wept. He explained that the night before in a cry of desperation he told God that he wanted a clear sign, something crazy, proving that there was a God. If he didn’t get that sign he was going to kill himself the next day. The cashier couldn’t believe his eyes when this total stranger walked into his store and stood on his head in front of the pop cooler. Doesn’t get much more obvious than that…does it? Anyways, my point is this…there are people that we come in contact with everyday that need to experience God’s love. When Jesus walked the earth he didn’t have prerequisites for being a part of his church. He didn’t do a credit check, he didn’t ask for a DNA sample and he certainly didn’t look down on anyone. Probably the greatest verse that is known to man says, “For God so loved the WORLD…” You see Jesus came to pay the price for all of men regardless of race, financial status, marital status…ALL MEN (and women too)! The church today has developed a reputation in general of being judgmental. I invited a friend to church the other day and they told me they didn’t want to go hang out with a bunch of hypocrites that look down their noses at him. It breaks my heart to hear these things and yet I hear them time and time again. I want to challenge you with something.
Seriously…don’t read this and say, “I know a church just like that.” Or “I know someone that treats people that way.”
Can I be blunt?
It’s your church…it might even be you…
Can we all please truly stop all the games and smoke screens that we have put up and take a look at how we treat our brothers and sisters that need God? Are we loving them like Jesus did when he walked the earth?
And don’t get me started about how we treat each other as Christians…that’s for another time.
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