Max Effort part 3
When you give something everything you've got--maximum effort, love--you can look back on it with no regrets. No matter which way it turns out. Whether you "win" or "lose" you've done what you could do. And I like to quote Jeremiah 7:27 (NLT) when I talk about this idea, "Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond." They might not pick up what you're laying down... lay it down anyway. That's the greatest love a man can have: laying his life down for his friends. And when we start to see everyone as a friend, that's when we start to see things correctly, because the light of the world is shining on us, and in us, and through us. When you pick and choose who you love, you aren't really experiencing love. Because love is unconditional. You don't love people because you think they will respond to it in a certain way. You don't speak the Word of God--which is Jesus, which is love--because you think someone will listen to it. You speak it because its in your mouth. Because its in your heart. I think the best reason (possibly the only reason) to do something is because its in your heart to do it. That's where the effort COMES FROM. And, as we (hopefully) saw yesterday, the most effort you can put into someone is getting to know them. Figuring out what love means to them. So that you can love them the way they need to be loved. Again, nothing works for everyone, all the time. You have to play to your audience, if I can say it that way. Like, for me (and I try to use myself as an example, because I know I won't get offended), if I'm having a bad day... soda pop and chocolate is a good start. But you might not feel the same way. So I can't use--or twist--the golden rule into thinking "I like soda and chocolate. I'm supposed to treat others as I would like to be treated. I'll get them soda and chocolate." That's not what its about. Its about "I want to be loved, so I ought to love." And always remember, we don't love in order to GET love. We love because we HAVE love. Love is never about getting. Love IS giving. Giving what you've got. Sharing it. And in that way, experiencing it. Things are more real when they're shared. Its not good that man should be alone. And if you share it--here's where the rubber meets the road--if you share it, and its rejected... you did your part. You did what you could do. You loved them without expectation. So you don't have to be disappointed that it didn't go the way you thought it should go. Let me quote one more memory verse today: "“When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation. If they don’t welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way..." (Matthew 10:12-15 MSG). Don't make a scene. Don't make things worse by trying to "fix" them. Don't force Jesus down people's throats. They WILL choke on Him. Just shrug your shoulders and be on your way. "I tried. I did what I could do." And, hey, you never know... maybe you planted a seed. Maybe someone else will water it and maybe it will grow. But either way, you put in the effort and you have nothing to be ashamed of. No regrets. Because you gave it everything you had. And that's all you can ever do.