Let Live part 1
You've heard the phrase, "Live and let live," right? Well, I think the Bible kind of says that same thing like this, "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1 NLT). No condemnation. Letting people be who they are. Letting people make mistakes. Letting people disagree with you, and still loving them. Love is unconditional. It (HE) doesn't keep a record of rights and wrongs. Loving people isn't about what they do. Loving people is more about who they are. But love is REALLY about who YOU are. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. Being filled to overflowing with God's love so that it comes out of you. Naturally. See, we ALL belong to Him. First of all, He created us. Look at John 1:3 NLT, "God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him." What I'm trying to say is that we were not only created FOR God--as an expression of His love--we were created BY God, THROUGH God. We were created FOR love, BY love, and THROUGH love. And, by the way, we were created TO love. To be loved by God and to love one another with that same love. Not to dominate and control one another. Not to manipulate each other. Love doesn't demand its (HIS) own way. Love doesn't say, "Do this or else." Love doesn't say, "I'll only love you if." Love doesn't try to get people to do... anything, really. I'll quote my personal definition of love again: "I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me" (2 Corinthians 12:15). Giving everything you have and everything you are no matter how they respond. It doesn't matter if your love is received or not. It matters that you give it. That you do what YOU can do. And then don't worry about what comes next. Some plant, some water, but God makes it grow. Just because you don't see the results doesn't mean they aren't there. Seeds take time to grow. You can't just plant a seed and then dig it up and be mad at it because it didn't bear fruit. Good things take time. And let me tell you what my pastor told me when I began my ministry, "Its not your job to change people. You can't make people do what you want them to do." So stop condemning people. Stop trying to get people to be who YOU think they should be. Let people be who they are. And love them anyway. That's one of my favorite "Christian" songs. "You love me anyway." Because God never stops loving us. He can't. Love isn't just what God does. Love is who God is. He would have to stop being God in order to stop loving us. And even if He could do that, He never would. The whole point of the whole thing is love. Letting God love us, and loving each other with that same love. Not judging each other according to appearance, but judging righteous judgment. Not telling people what's wrong with them, but telling people what's right with them. Training up our children in the way they SHOULD go. Not berating people, or kicking them when they're down, but reaching down and pulling them up. Giving second chances. Allowing U-turns. Encouraging U-turns. Helping people MAKE U-turns. And most of all... living and letting others live. Life is hard enough without condemnation in it. We all need each other.