How many of you have heard Christians say, “I just want
to live out Gods will for my life, and do what pleases God!” or “I don’t care
what people think, I’m not here to please people, I'm just here to please God,” If
most people would really stop and think before they say these words, they would
hear how much of an oxymoron it sounds like!
If you are trying
to please God then you will automatically care about how you treat someone and
how it affects their lives.
I’ve never understood how someone can say, “all I care
about is pleasing God”, and treat someone with malice, a nasty or ill-willed attitude,
anger, or bitterness. To me being a
child of God is synonymous with treating someone, anyone, with LOVE!
Pleasing God is not about what most people think it’s
about, going to church every Sunday, Wednesday and sometimes on Friday. It’s
not about singing on the choir, it’s not about writing a book about God, it’s
not even about Tithing 10% of your income!
You tell me what do you think Christ cares about the
most, you going to church & paying your tithes, or you treating your
neighbor with LOVE? As much as we would like to say the prior because it's easier to pay tithes & go to
church than to be vulnerable enough to love someone unconditionally, the
latter statement is not only scriptural, it’s The New Commandment according to John 13:34, “Love one another. As
I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know
that you are my disciples, if you love one another!”
Most people think that the Ultimate commandment of The
New Testament is in Matthew 22:35-40, “One of them, an expert
in the law, tested him with this question: “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.”
It’s not that these commandments are not still active in
God’s eyes, it’s just that they are now All-inclusive of The Newest Commandment which is found in John 13:34. “Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This
is now God’s desire for His people and once we do this, we in turn love God
with all our heart, soul and mind!
Doing things for Christ that are related to what I call "church
things" are good and have their place in the body of Christ, but Gods ultimate
commandment for us is to show Love, Grace & Mercy to others! It's what Christ did and continues to do for us, so why
is it so hard for us to do it for others? Unconditional love is the reason you
are saved today; because God loved you in spite of your sins!
Let's begin to really take Christ as our example, and not
use "what we do for Christ" (and I use those words lightly), going to
church, singing on the choir, paying tithes, (etc), as a barometer for whether we are
pleasing Him or not. Let's begin to use how we treat others as that barometer, and
watch how you not only bring others to Christ by example, but watch how it also brings change to your life!
Christ came that
we might have life, and have it more abundantly, so let's do as Christ did and
begin to “Bring Life” to others; let's spread Love, Grace & Mercy to the world;
and realize that Loving Him is ALL-INCLUSIVE OF HOW WE TREAT AND LOVE OTHERS, unconditionally,
now that’s LOVE!
Forever In His Grace,
Toinette Neube
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