What will it take for us to get God’s Word so ingrained in our heart that our natural response to situations and circumstances, is to automatically do the godly thing?
Romans 12:9 says, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.”
Don’t pretend. Don’t be fake. Don’t be counterfeit. Don’t be a cheap imitation. Really love them. Genuinely love them. Every soul matters to God and they should ALL always matter to you. If you want to make a difference, that’s it. That’s the key.
If you want to pastor a city, but you aren’t sure where to start, just love somebody. Anybody!
The word for “love” in Greek is “agape,” which was used to describe God’s love for man and man’s love for God. But now the word is used to indicate the kind of love Christians are to show to others — a Godlike love that loves regardless of the circumstances, a love that decides it will keep loving even if it is rejected. Our love is to be genuine, not counterfeit. And just like in any family relationship, there will be challenges.
That’s also why one of our core values is, “We will deal with conflict in a Biblical way!” I like to refer to is as R4. If you approach the right person in the right time at the right place in the right spirit, there’s no conflict that you can overcome.
We can honor one another 2 ways. We can honor someone because it will benefit us in some way OR we can honor people because they are created in the image of God and they are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Romans 12:9 says, “Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
Truly take delight in honoring others and spread love always. Be present in every moment and let others know you are there for them. Let’s honor people because they are created in the image of God, they are brothers and sisters in Christ, and they make a unique contribution to the world that is worth celebrating!
Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash
