Wednesday, December 05, 2012

And They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love . . . .

One of the best songs to come out of the Jesus movement of the 1970’s had to be “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love”. It’s so true. We are to be known by our love. The love that humans can share is just a shadow of the love from God, but, as Christians, we have a bit of God’s love coming through us.

1 John 4 is almost all about love. I love this section:

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

We are known to be followers of Jesus by love – radical, crazy, give-it-all-up love. Because God loved us enough to send us Jesus – a radical, crazy, give-it-all-up kind of guy (who was also God).

In the psychosis we call “The Christmas Season”, let’s remember that our response to Jesus’ love should be to love others. In fact, if we have the Holy Spirit in us, how can we do anything else?

Love others. How? Give thoughtful gifts this holiday season. Tell your friends and loved ones that they’re loved. Turn off the TV and play a game or read with your kids. Smile and say something nice to the retail clerk. Do something just for someone else’s benefit.

Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

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