I am so sick and tired of all the hate spewing from people's cowardly mouths on social media. As a follower of Christ and just as a person with morals, I try my darnedest to see the best in people, empathize, listen, and understand. But with some, it's nearly impossible. One of the only things I'm thankful for during this election is that our candidates really brought to the surface the hate people have towards other cultures and religions. What I mean by this is, without the people we had running this election, we wouldn't be able to distinguish the "Christians" from the "Christ followers". And there is a significant difference. Kyle Idleman wrote this amazing novel called, Not a Fan. In this book he discusses the major differences between the fans of Jesus and the followers of Him. Mainly, fans are the ones who sit in the front rows at church, the ones with the Jesus fish bumper sticker, the ones who volunteer faithfully every week, and the ones who host the bible study. Sounds pretty intense, right? Well, despite all that they may do. They're missing one crucial aspect.
Faith.
Yep. The ones who seem to "do it all" are usually the ones with the least amount of faith. I can personally attest to this. For about six years I volunteered three times a week with the children's ministry. But my personal faith was lacking. It wasn't until I began college I really immersed myself in The Word and living out my faith.
Faith is giving it all up to God, even when you don't want to.
And let me tell you, that's hard. It's like giving up your chocolate bar before having dinner even though you're pretty sure you need it to survive, and then once you unwillingly eat your meal your dad gives you an entire chocolate waterfall (I'm talking like Willy Wonka waterfall. I don't know about you but to me, that'd be awesome).
It's a choice to love. And that choice effects our whole outlook on life.
In the Bible, God gave us the 10 Commandments. He also gave us free will. When a man in Matthew 22 36:40 asks Jesus, "Which is the most important commandment?" Jesus responds with, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." This commandment is pretty self-explanatory. How God works is like this, He created you. Pore over that for a minute. He. Created. You. This is way way more than the purely biological way of thinking we tend to create. Isaiah 64:8 says, "...You are our Father. We are the clay, and You are the potter. We are all formed by your hand." Picture that, like a potter who pinches, softens, and perfects his masterpiece, you were created as so. Because he created you with such a loving heart, he adores you. He's a father. He's your father. And he will never, ever leave or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). So with all of that said, and with this knowledge in mind, the least you could do is love him back.
The second part of this verse in Matthew 22:39 is this, "A second is equally as important: love your neighbor as yourself."
Equally as important: love your neighbor as yourself.
To me, the fact that something can be of equal importance than that of loving the Great I Am, seems pretty paramount.
Your neighbor isn't Mrs. Edith two doors down, though it can be.
When Jesus says, "Love your neighbor..." He means love everyone you come into contact with. Love the bully at your school, love the cashier, love your best friends, and your not-so-best-friends. When Jesus said, "Love your neighbor." He said, love everybody.
To conclude, to all those people who think people different than you are to be frowned upon, looked down on, or seen as inferior; just remember, if you're going to post some cruel words, or a picture depicting your thoughts of a certain people, you were called to love, first.
