It's About part 1
It's about people. That's as simply as I can put it. Loving God and loving people. Loving God BY loving people. Which, believe it or not, means it's NOT about you. It's the difference between being self-centered (which is no good) and being God-centered, Christ-centered, people-centered. Being selfish, or being selfless. For my key verse for this Rant series I want to use Romans 12:10, "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another." In the Message Bible it reads, "Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle." Putting others first. Esteeming others higher than ourselves. And here's an important part of this message--it's not about thinking less of yourself. It's about thinking of yourself less. Trusting that your heavenly Father has your back. Knowing, with a knowledge that passes knowledge, that my God has supplied all of my need. (The verse actually says He has supplied all of YOUR need.) Knowing that I'm gonna be ok. And in that knowledge, knowing that I can give what I've got to you. I don't have to hoard it. I don't have to save it for a rainy day. I can live abundantly. I can live out of my abundance. I can give YOU what you need. Because it's not all about me. It's about what I can do... for you. That's what love is: Seeing a need in someone else and meeting that need if at all possible. Laying your life down for your friends, and understanding that you "destroy" your enemies by MAKING them your friends. You don't have to punish people. Or make sure they get what's coming to them. You don't have be a Holy Ghost Cop and constantly be on a sin hunt. You can, in fact, flip the script and be on a righteousness hunt. You can stop telling people what's (in your opinion) wrong with them and you can tell them what's (in GOD'S opinion) right with them! Because it's not about you. It's not about you getting what you want. It's not about you making people give you what you want. Why should someone else fit into a box that you want for them? Why do you think it's your job to cram them into that box? Love doesn't demand its (HIS) own way. Love just does whatever it (HE) can do to help. To edify. To build up. To bear up. To hold up. Love just gives what it (HE) has. What it (HE) is. Love is giving. Giving everything that you have and everything that you are. But the best kind of love is giving someone exactly what they need. Not always what they want. Wants and needs are two very different things. But, for example, if you have two coats and someone doesn't have a coat... love is giving them one of your coats. Taking care of people. Feeding the hungry. Healing the sick. Giving people what they need. Being there for people. Because sometimes what we need most is just for someone to be there for us. To be heard. To have a shoulder to cry on. Someone to lean on. So let's stop focusing so much on ourselves. And let's make sure we're focusing on what it's about. It's about love. It's about God. It's about... people!