Recently since I've started going to a public highschool I have been telling a lot of people about my views and my faith. A day after one of these days one of my friends came up to me and asked me a question, he talked about what I would do if my friends boyfriend raped her and her boyfriend went to jail. If my friend didn't like him, would I go visit him in jail? Talk to him about God etc? I told him that I would want to help him and I would definetely visit him in jail. Most people would shun this person, not visit them and think of them as a horrible person who has done a dastardly deed. I didn't think of it at the time, but there is a verse in the bible that correlates with my answer. The verse is a bit long but it comes from Matthew 25:34-40
"34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
One day God will say this to everyone, the ones on the right are his followers and the ones on his left are the ones who aren't, those people are the ones who do the opposite of what the verse above say's. Look at verse 36 towards the end it says "I was in prison and you came to visit me." I wish I would have remembered this verse because I would have told him that the reason why I would visit that person is because thats what God tells us to do. It is what he wants us to do, and its a way of showing our love to him. The greatest commandment of all is found in Matthew 22:37-38
"Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment."
The way to love God is simple and is shown in Matthew 25(above) If we want to love God we need to take care of his children, his people. This reminds me of the next part of the above passage. Matthew 22:39-40
"And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
In essence obey the second commandment and you will fullfill the first, because Loving God means loving our neighbors(everyone around us)
So why do I do what I do? The reason is because I want to obey God by caring for the needy, the sick, and those in jail.
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Christians and the love they have for one another
Wow I can not believe it has been more than a month since I have last posted! Well Happy New Year! I've noticed that my previous post has gotten a lot of attention, please if you have a comment post it! I would really like to have anyones opinion on the series, whether good or bad. That being said I feel the need to talk about something thats been on my mind a lot recently.
As you see by my title its about love, what is love to you? Is it how you feel about your family? How you feel about Jesus? How you feel about a spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend? Is love a natural feeling for you? Is it actions you take? Recently I've noticed a lack of love christians seem to have for eachother and for nonbelievers. This may not be you maybe you are the opposite of this and you believe that people aren't this way. But I think that this is very much true, at least for only some people.
As I said i haven't noticed a lot of love that believers should have, love meaning actions. For example I notice that while christians love the people across the world from them-the starving children with no parets they give money to-they don't seem to reach out and love people in their own communities.
Whoever you come in contact with you should always show love, you don't know who you could be talking to. Maybe that person has hurt in their life, there parents could be splitting up and they need comfort. Maybe its someone who feels alone in the world and just wants a friend. Maybe the person sitting next to you in class is like you-a christian who loves God and wants to do his bidding. But what if you didn't know this, what if this person was a shy kid with no friends in a new school. Shouldn't we as christians be the one to reach out to those we don't know and invite them to sit with us, ask them about there life where they come from etc etc? Do you do this? If so I give you around of applause!
But we shouldn't just reach out to those type of kids, also show love to people who mistreat you- heres a good verse in Luke.."But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." (Luke 6:35)
Recently a boy my brother was friends with started spreading nasty rumours about him and this girl, this boy was a christian who had a good family. My brother stopped being his friend and wanted nothing to do with him. In my mind I felt sorry for this boy and upsett with my brother. Couldn't my brother show love to this kid, forgive him and be his friend again? Eventually my brother(Jononathan) forgave him, I'm not sure their friends again though. But the point is how did this kid probaly feel? Even though he did wrong, he should be shown Gods love-love that forgive and moves on.
Isnt that what God does to us? We are all sinners but he chose to send his son to die for our sins. And when we accept his gift he forgives us and sends our sins "far as the east is from the west" I believe we should do the same, none of us are perfect. But that does not mean that we should stop trying...trying to show love to our enemies.
This you will find most shocking but...in my own personaly life I notice that some of the nonbelievers I am friends with I feel more comfortable with. Meaning that I can talk with them, hang out with them and I feel like they they want me to be there. I sometimes feel the opposite when I am around some of my christian friends, not all of them are like this mind you. But those who are I don't feel any connection with, I don't feel like I can talk to them like I do with other people. Maybe its because there shy, maybe its because I'm so shy that I appear to be un friendly. Whatever it is it saddens me, I would rather have christian friends that I can call my best friend than a nonbeliever friend who is a bad influence on me. Having non christian friends isn't bad, because I've been able to share my beliefs but its good to have a balance.
This all may not be what you think as love...but what else does God mean when he says (Jesus is saying this) Mathew 19:19-"Jesus replied, " Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself." Notice that "loving your neighbor" is grouped with some of the TEN Commandments. Well to end this long post, I just want to remind everyone to show love to everyone you come in contact with!
God Bless!
Matthew 22: 36-40
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
As you see by my title its about love, what is love to you? Is it how you feel about your family? How you feel about Jesus? How you feel about a spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend? Is love a natural feeling for you? Is it actions you take? Recently I've noticed a lack of love christians seem to have for eachother and for nonbelievers. This may not be you maybe you are the opposite of this and you believe that people aren't this way. But I think that this is very much true, at least for only some people.
As I said i haven't noticed a lot of love that believers should have, love meaning actions. For example I notice that while christians love the people across the world from them-the starving children with no parets they give money to-they don't seem to reach out and love people in their own communities.
Whoever you come in contact with you should always show love, you don't know who you could be talking to. Maybe that person has hurt in their life, there parents could be splitting up and they need comfort. Maybe its someone who feels alone in the world and just wants a friend. Maybe the person sitting next to you in class is like you-a christian who loves God and wants to do his bidding. But what if you didn't know this, what if this person was a shy kid with no friends in a new school. Shouldn't we as christians be the one to reach out to those we don't know and invite them to sit with us, ask them about there life where they come from etc etc? Do you do this? If so I give you around of applause!
But we shouldn't just reach out to those type of kids, also show love to people who mistreat you- heres a good verse in Luke.."But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." (Luke 6:35)
Recently a boy my brother was friends with started spreading nasty rumours about him and this girl, this boy was a christian who had a good family. My brother stopped being his friend and wanted nothing to do with him. In my mind I felt sorry for this boy and upsett with my brother. Couldn't my brother show love to this kid, forgive him and be his friend again? Eventually my brother(Jononathan) forgave him, I'm not sure their friends again though. But the point is how did this kid probaly feel? Even though he did wrong, he should be shown Gods love-love that forgive and moves on.
Isnt that what God does to us? We are all sinners but he chose to send his son to die for our sins. And when we accept his gift he forgives us and sends our sins "far as the east is from the west" I believe we should do the same, none of us are perfect. But that does not mean that we should stop trying...trying to show love to our enemies.
This you will find most shocking but...in my own personaly life I notice that some of the nonbelievers I am friends with I feel more comfortable with. Meaning that I can talk with them, hang out with them and I feel like they they want me to be there. I sometimes feel the opposite when I am around some of my christian friends, not all of them are like this mind you. But those who are I don't feel any connection with, I don't feel like I can talk to them like I do with other people. Maybe its because there shy, maybe its because I'm so shy that I appear to be un friendly. Whatever it is it saddens me, I would rather have christian friends that I can call my best friend than a nonbeliever friend who is a bad influence on me. Having non christian friends isn't bad, because I've been able to share my beliefs but its good to have a balance.
This all may not be what you think as love...but what else does God mean when he says (Jesus is saying this) Mathew 19:19-"Jesus replied, " Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself." Notice that "loving your neighbor" is grouped with some of the TEN Commandments. Well to end this long post, I just want to remind everyone to show love to everyone you come in contact with!
God Bless!
Matthew 22: 36-40
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
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