Live and Let Live part 3
Its kind of a weird concept--focusing on yourself. Especially when I preach so much and so often about being Christ-centered (people-centered) instead of being self-centered. But really, its more about just staying in your own lane. Look at Ephesians 4:1, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." Just do your part. Don't try to be someone you're not. Don't try to do things you weren't called to do. 1 Thessalonians 2:12, "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory." Walk worthy. Just do you. Don't try to force your opinion, or perspective, on others. Like, even with my son. I love peanut butter. He thinks its gross. So what do I do? I let him give me any Reese's peanut butter cups that he gets. And I get him things that he actually likes, like Sour Patch Kids. Live and let live. Or music. I like my rock hard and fast. Metallica. Volbeat. Logan likes it a little softer. I don't force my stuff on him. I let him be who he is. I like what I like, I let him like what he likes. No problem. Now, let me say this--if we both liked all of the same stuff we could share that stuff. And that would be awesome. But you can't force it. As much as he IS my mini-me... he's also... him. And that's what I like. I like HIM. Not some idea of him. Who he is, not who I want him to be. (Unless you can understand that who I want him to be... is him.) Here's what I'm trying to say today, "Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you" (Galatians 5:1). We seem to want to focus so much on freedom from sin. Which, by the way, is super important. I'm not downplaying that. But I'm saying there's another aspect to freedom. Freedom FROM sin. Yes. But also freedom TO live! Freedom to LOVE. Because living and loving aren't just connected, they are the same thing. Sin is bondage. Death is bondage. Freedom is life. Freedom is love. And since we have been set free... we ought to live free! There is no fear in love, right? Perfect love casts out fear? So we don't need to be afraid. We don't need to be afraid TO love, and we don't need to be afraid OF love. I know it can seem scary. Putting yourself out there. Reaching your hand out with the chance that it might get slapped away. Letting someone in. Being vulnerable. But its the only way to live. Literally. You can't live without love. A life of love the only way to experience the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of God. Because God IS love. His life IS the life of love! And once you've had a taste of the good life--the real life--there's no going back. Don't let people tell you who they are (unless they're telling you that you're Jesus. Because that's who you really are. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body). And don't tell people who they are--unless you're telling them that they are Jesus. Live and let live. Be who you are and let people be who they are. It makes life so much easier. So much more simple. And so much better. Just love people, man. That's all I can say. Just love people.